Swanson in

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-11

ISS040-E-010258 (11 June 2014) --- NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, Expedition 40 commander, works with the Multi-user Drop Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) at a workstation in the Harmony node of the International Space Station. The MDCA contains hardware and software to conduct unique droplet combustion experiments in space.

An improved harmony search algorithm with dynamically varying bandwidth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalivarapu, J.; Jain, S.; Bag, S.

2016-07-01

The present work demonstrates a new variant of the harmony search (HS) algorithm where bandwidth (BW) is one of the deciding factors for the time complexity and the performance of the algorithm. The BW needs to have both explorative and exploitative characteristics. The ideology is to use a large BW to search in the full domain and to adjust the BW dynamically closer to the optimal solution. After trying a series of approaches, a methodology inspired by the functioning of a low-pass filter showed satisfactory results. This approach was implemented in the self-adaptive improved harmony search (SIHS) algorithm and tested on several benchmark functions. Compared to the existing HS algorithm and its variants, SIHS showed better performance on most of the test functions. Thereafter, the algorithm was applied to geometric parameter optimization of a friction stir welding tool.

Hybridisations of Variable Neighbourhood Search and Modified Simplex Elements to Harmony Search and Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithms for Process Optimisations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aungkulanon, P.; Luangpaiboon, P.

2010-10-01

Nowadays, the engineering problem systems are large and complicated. An effective finite sequence of instructions for solving these problems can be categorised into optimisation and meta-heuristic algorithms. Though the best decision variable levels from some sets of available alternatives cannot be done, meta-heuristics is an alternative for experience-based techniques that rapidly help in problem solving, learning and discovery in the hope of obtaining a more efficient or more robust procedure. All meta-heuristics provide auxiliary procedures in terms of their own tooled box functions. It has been shown that the effectiveness of all meta-heuristics depends almost exclusively on these auxiliary functions. In fact, the auxiliary procedure from one can be implemented into other meta-heuristics. Well-known meta-heuristics of harmony search (HSA) and shuffled frog-leaping algorithms (SFLA) are compared with their hybridisations. HSA is used to produce a near optimal solution under a consideration of the perfect state of harmony of the improvisation process of musicians. A meta-heuristic of the SFLA, based on a population, is a cooperative search metaphor inspired by natural memetics. It includes elements of local search and global information exchange. This study presents solution procedures via constrained and unconstrained problems with different natures of single and multi peak surfaces including a curved ridge surface. Both meta-heuristics are modified via variable neighbourhood search method (VNSM) philosophy including a modified simplex method (MSM). The basic idea is the change of neighbourhoods during searching for a better solution. The hybridisations proceed by a descent method to a local minimum exploring then, systematically or at random, increasingly distant neighbourhoods of this local solution. The results show that the variant of HSA with VNSM and MSM seems to be better in terms of the mean and variance of design points and yields.

Color relations increase the capacity of visual short-term memory.

PubMed

Sanocki, Thomas; Sulman, Noah

2011-01-01

Do color relations such as similarity or harmony influence the ease with which colored patterns can be perceived and held in mind? We tested the influence of a relation supported in research on color harmony--similarity of hue--on the capacity of visual short-term memory (VSTM) for colors in patterns. Palettes of 4 similar-hue colors were rated as more pleasant (harmonious) than dissimilar-color palettes. The palettes were used in a VSTM color task. Patterns of 9 to 15 colored squares were presented, and accuracy of color change detection was measured. Memory performance was higher overall for similar-color palettes than for dissimilar-color palettes (experiments 1 and 3). Is this due to color similarity per se, or due to the harmony between colors in similar palettes? A final experiment provided strong support for the importance of color similarity as opposed to harmony. Overall, the advantages for color similarity, in terms of number of color squares held in memory (memory capacity) were 26% to 45% over dissimilar colors. The results indicate that color relations can have a strong impact on the capacity for perceiving and retaining color patterns.

Fostering a Pluralistic Society through Multi-Ethnic Education. Fastback 107.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Ricardo L.

The purpose of multiethnic education is to prepare all students to live harmoniously in a multiethnic society. Multiethnic education pursues these goals by reflecting ethnic diversity in the curriculum, dealing directly with ethnic group similarities and differences, and helping students understand their uniqueness in a pluralistic milieu.…

Simulating the detection and classification of high-redshift supernovae with HARMONI on the ELT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bounissou, S.; Thatte, N.; Zieleniewski, S.; Houghton, R. C. W.; Tecza, M.; Hook, I.; Neichel, B.; Fusco, T.

2018-02-01

We present detailed simulations of integral field spectroscopic observations of a supernova in a host galaxy at z ˜ 3, as observed by the HARMONI spectrograph on the Extremely Large Telescope, asssisted by laser tomographic adaptive optics. The goal of the simulations, using the HSIM simulation tool, is to determine whether HARMONI can discern the supernova Type from spectral features in the supernova spectrum. We find that in a 3 hour observation, covering the near-infrared H and K bands, at a spectral resolving power of ˜3000, and using the 20×20 mas spaxel scale, we can classify supernova Type Ia and their redshift robustly up to 80 days past maximum light (20 days in the supernova rest frame). We show that HARMONI will provide spectra at z ˜ 3 that are of comparable (or better) quality to the best spectra we can currently obtain at z ˜ 1, thus allowing studies of cosmic expansion rates to be pushed to substantially higher redshifts.

Effects of video-feedback intervention on harmonious parent-child interaction and sensitive discipline of parents with intellectual disabilities: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Hodes, M W; Meppelder, M; de Moor, M; Kef, S; Schuengel, C

2018-03-01

This study tested whether video-feedback intervention based on attachment and coercion theory increased harmonious parent-child interaction and sensitive discipline of parents with mild intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning. Observer ratings of video-recorded structured interaction tasks at home formed pretest, post-test, and 3-month follow-up outcome data in a randomized controlled trial with 85 families. Repeated measures analyses of variance and covariance were conducted to test for the intervention effect and possible moderation by IQ and adaptive functioning. The intervention effect on harmonious parent-child interaction was conditional on parental social adaptive behaviour at pretest, with lower adaptive functioning associated with stronger intervention benefit at post-test and follow-up compared to care as usual. Intervention effects were not conditional on parental IQ. Intervention effects for sensitive discipline were not found. Although the video-feedback intervention did not affect observed parenting for the average parent, it may benefit interaction between children and parents with lower parental adaptive functioning. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

On the use of harmony search algorithm in the training of wavelet neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Kee Huong; Zainuddin, Zarita; Ong, Pauline

2015-10-01

Wavelet neural networks (WNNs) are a class of feedforward neural networks that have been used in a wide range of industrial and engineering applications to model the complex relationships between the given inputs and outputs. The training of WNNs involves the configuration of the weight values between neurons. The backpropagation training algorithm, which is a gradient-descent method, can be used for this training purpose. Nonetheless, the solutions found by this algorithm often get trapped at local minima. In this paper, a harmony search-based algorithm is proposed for the training of WNNs. The training of WNNs, thus can be formulated as a continuous optimization problem, where the objective is to maximize the overall classification accuracy. Each candidate solution proposed by the harmony search algorithm represents a specific WNN architecture. In order to speed up the training process, the solution space is divided into disjoint partitions during the random initialization step of harmony search algorithm. The proposed training algorithm is tested onthree benchmark problems from the UCI machine learning repository, as well as one real life application, namely, the classification of electroencephalography signals in the task of epileptic seizure detection. The results obtained show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the traditional harmony search algorithm in terms of overall classification accuracy.

Structure and validity of Family Harmony Scale: An instrument for measuring harmony.

PubMed

Kavikondala, Sushma; Stewart, Sunita M; Ni, Michael Y; Chan, Brandford H Y; Lee, Paul H; Li, Kin-Kit; McDowell, Ian; Johnston, Janice M; Chan, Sophia S; Lam, T H; Lam, Wendy W T; Fielding, Richard; Leung, Gabriel M

2016-03-01

Culture plays a role in mental health, partly by defining the characteristics that are indicative of positive adjustment. In Chinese cultures, positive family relationships are considered central to well-being. The culturally emphasized characteristic of family harmony may be an important factor associated with psychopathology. This article presents the development and psychometric examination of the Family Harmony Scale (FHS), an indigenously developed 24-item instrument tapping family harmony in 17,461 Hong Kong residents from 7,791 households. A higher-order model with 1 second-order factor and 5 first-order factors fit the data well and showed factorial invariance across sex and participants in different family roles. A 5-item short form (FHS-5) was also developed, with 1 item from each first-order factor. The short scale showed, as expected, a single-factor structure with good fit. Both scales demonstrated high internal consistency, acceptable test-retest reliability, and good convergent and discriminant validity. The 24-item FHS was negatively associated with depressive symptoms after accounting for individual risk factors and general family function. Family harmony moderated the relationship between life stress and depressive symptoms such that those individuals who reported low family harmony had stronger associations between life stress and depressive symptoms. This study adds to the literature a systematically developed, multidimensional measure of family harmony, which may be an important psychological protective factor, in a large urban Chinese sample. The FHS-5 minimizes operational and respondent burdens, making it an attractive tool for large-scale epidemiological studies with Chinese populations in urban settings, where over half of China's 1.4 billion people reside. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

FHSA-SED: Two-Locus Model Detection for Genome-Wide Association Study with Harmony Search Algorithm.

PubMed

Tuo, Shouheng; Zhang, Junying; Yuan, Xiguo; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Liu, Zhaowen

2016-01-01

Two-locus model is a typical significant disease model to be identified in genome-wide association study (GWAS). Due to intensive computational burden and diversity of disease models, existing methods have drawbacks on low detection power, high computation cost, and preference for some types of disease models. In this study, two scoring functions (Bayesian network based K2-score and Gini-score) are used for characterizing two SNP locus as a candidate model, the two criteria are adopted simultaneously for improving identification power and tackling the preference problem to disease models. Harmony search algorithm (HSA) is improved for quickly finding the most likely candidate models among all two-locus models, in which a local search algorithm with two-dimensional tabu table is presented to avoid repeatedly evaluating some disease models that have strong marginal effect. Finally G-test statistic is used to further test the candidate models. We investigate our method named FHSA-SED on 82 simulated datasets and a real AMD dataset, and compare it with two typical methods (MACOED and CSE) which have been developed recently based on swarm intelligent search algorithm. The results of simulation experiments indicate that our method outperforms the two compared algorithms in terms of detection power, computation time, evaluation times, sensitivity (TPR), specificity (SPC), positive predictive value (PPV) and accuracy (ACC). Our method has identified two SNPs (rs3775652 and rs10511467) that may be also associated with disease in AMD dataset.

FHSA-SED: Two-Locus Model Detection for Genome-Wide Association Study with Harmony Search Algorithm

PubMed Central

Tuo, Shouheng; Zhang, Junying; Yuan, Xiguo; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Liu, Zhaowen

2016-01-01

Motivation Two-locus model is a typical significant disease model to be identified in genome-wide association study (GWAS). Due to intensive computational burden and diversity of disease models, existing methods have drawbacks on low detection power, high computation cost, and preference for some types of disease models. Method In this study, two scoring functions (Bayesian network based K2-score and Gini-score) are used for characterizing two SNP locus as a candidate model, the two criteria are adopted simultaneously for improving identification power and tackling the preference problem to disease models. Harmony search algorithm (HSA) is improved for quickly finding the most likely candidate models among all two-locus models, in which a local search algorithm with two-dimensional tabu table is presented to avoid repeatedly evaluating some disease models that have strong marginal effect. Finally G-test statistic is used to further test the candidate models. Results We investigate our method named FHSA-SED on 82 simulated datasets and a real AMD dataset, and compare it with two typical methods (MACOED and CSE) which have been developed recently based on swarm intelligent search algorithm. The results of simulation experiments indicate that our method outperforms the two compared algorithms in terms of detection power, computation time, evaluation times, sensitivity (TPR), specificity (SPC), positive predictive value (PPV) and accuracy (ACC). Our method has identified two SNPs (rs3775652 and rs10511467) that may be also associated with disease in AMD dataset. PMID:27014873

Description and Application of a Mathematical Method for the Analysis of Harmony

PubMed Central

Zuo, Qiting; Jin, Runfang; Ma, Junxia

2015-01-01

Harmony issues are widespread in human society and nature. To analyze these issues, harmony theory has been proposed as the main theoretical approach for the study of interpersonal relationships and relationships between humans and nature. Therefore, it is of great importance to study harmony theory. After briefly introducing the basic concepts of harmony theory, this paper expounds the five elements that are essential for the quantitative description of harmony issues in water resources management: harmony participant, harmony objective, harmony regulation, harmony factor, and harmony action. A basic mathematical equation for the harmony degree, that is, a quantitative expression of harmony issues, is introduced in the paper: HD = ai − bj, where a is the uniform degree, b is the difference degree, i is the harmony coefficient, and j is the disharmony coefficient. This paper also discusses harmony assessment and harmony regulation and introduces some application examples. PMID:26167535

Structural damage detection-oriented multi-type sensor placement with multi-objective optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jian-Fu; Xu, You-Lin; Law, Siu-Seong

2018-05-01

A structural damage detection-oriented multi-type sensor placement method with multi-objective optimization is developed in this study. The multi-type response covariance sensitivity-based damage detection method is first introduced. Two objective functions for optimal sensor placement are then introduced in terms of the response covariance sensitivity and the response independence. The multi-objective optimization problem is formed by using the two objective functions, and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA)-II is adopted to find the solution for the optimal multi-type sensor placement to achieve the best structural damage detection. The proposed method is finally applied to a nine-bay three-dimensional frame structure. Numerical results show that the optimal multi-type sensor placement determined by the proposed method can avoid redundant sensors and provide satisfactory results for structural damage detection. The restriction on the number of each type of sensors in the optimization can reduce the searching space in the optimization to make the proposed method more effective. Moreover, how to select a most optimal sensor placement from the Pareto solutions via the utility function and the knee point method is demonstrated in the case study.

A novel global Harmony Search method based on Ant Colony Optimisation algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fouad, Allouani; Boukhetala, Djamel; Boudjema, Fares; Zenger, Kai; Gao, Xiao-Zhi

2016-03-01

The Global-best Harmony Search (GHS) is a stochastic optimisation algorithm recently developed, which hybridises the Harmony Search (HS) method with the concept of swarm intelligence in the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) to enhance its performance. In this article, a new optimisation algorithm called GHSACO is developed by incorporating the GHS with the Ant Colony Optimisation algorithm (ACO). Our method introduces a novel improvisation process, which is different from that of the GHS in the following aspects. (i) A modified harmony memory (HM) representation and conception. (ii) The use of a global random switching mechanism to monitor the choice between the ACO and GHS. (iii) An additional memory consideration selection rule using the ACO random proportional transition rule with a pheromone trail update mechanism. The proposed GHSACO algorithm has been applied to various benchmark functions and constrained optimisation problems. Simulation results demonstrate that it can find significantly better solutions when compared with the original HS and some of its variants.

Towards Harmonious Coexistence in the Unlicensed Spectrum: Rational Cooperation of Operators

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

5G New Radio (NR) operating in the unlicensed spectrum is accelerating the Fourth Industrial Revolution by supporting Internet of Things (IoT) networks or Industrial IoT deployments. Specifically, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) is looking to achieve spectrum integration through coexistence with multi-radio access technology (RAT) systems in the same unlicensed bands with both licensed-assisted and stand-alone access. The listen-before-talk (LBT) mechanism is mainly considered to enable an LTE operator to protect other incumbent unlicensed systems. In this article, we investigate the behaviors of multiple LTE operators along with the deployment of WiFi networks in the unlicensed spectrum from both short- and long-term points of view. In countries without mandatory LBT requirements, we show that an LTE operator is susceptible to collusion with another LTE operator, thus exploiting scarce spectrum resources by deceiving other wireless networks into thinking that channels are always busy; hence, mandatory usage of LTE with LBT is highly recommended at national level to achieve harmonious coexistence in the unlicensed spectrum. We discuss several possible coexistence scenarios to resolve the operator’s dilemmaas well as to improve unlicensed spectrum efficiency among multi-RAT systems, which is viable in the near future. PMID:29064434

Towards Harmonious Coexistence in the Unlicensed Spectrum: Rational Cooperation of Operators.

PubMed

Bae, Sunghwan; Kim, Hongseok

2017-10-24

5G New Radio (NR) operating in the unlicensed spectrum is accelerating the Fourth Industrial Revolution by supporting Internet of Things (IoT) networks or Industrial IoT deployments. Specifically, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) is looking to achieve spectrum integration through coexistence with multi-radio access technology (RAT) systems in the same unlicensed bands with both licensed-assisted and stand-alone access. The listen-before-talk (LBT) mechanism is mainly considered to enable an LTE operator to protect other incumbent unlicensed systems. In this article, we investigate the behaviors of multiple LTE operators along with the deployment of WiFi networks in the unlicensed spectrum from both short- and long-term points of view. In countries without mandatory LBT requirements, we show that an LTE operator is susceptible to collusion with another LTE operator, thus exploiting scarce spectrum resources by deceiving other wireless networks into thinking that channels are always busy; hence, mandatory usage of LTE with LBT is highly recommended at national level to achieve harmonious coexistence in the unlicensed spectrum. We discuss several possible coexistence scenarios to resolve the operator's dilemmaas well as to improve unlicensed spectrum efficiency among multi-RAT systems, which is viable in the near future.

A secure image encryption method based on dynamic harmony search (DHS) combined with chaotic map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzaei Talarposhti, Khadijeh; Khaki Jamei, Mehrzad

2016-06-01

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the security of digital images. This study focuses on the gray scale image encryption using dynamic harmony search (DHS). In this research, first, a chaotic map is used to create cipher images, and then the maximum entropy and minimum correlation coefficient is obtained by applying a harmony search algorithm on them. This process is divided into two steps. In the first step, the diffusion of a plain image using DHS to maximize the entropy as a fitness function will be performed. However, in the second step, a horizontal and vertical permutation will be applied on the best cipher image, which is obtained in the previous step. Additionally, DHS has been used to minimize the correlation coefficient as a fitness function in the second step. The simulation results have shown that by using the proposed method, the maximum entropy and the minimum correlation coefficient, which are approximately 7.9998 and 0.0001, respectively, have been obtained.

Modified Parameters of Harmony Search Algorithm for Better Searching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farraliza Mansor, Nur; Abal Abas, Zuraida; Samad Shibghatullah, Abdul; Rahman, Ahmad Fadzli Nizam Abdul

2017-08-01

The scheduling and rostering problems are deliberated as integrated due to they depend on each other whereby the input of rostering problems is a scheduling problems. In this research, the integrated scheduling and rostering bus driver problems are defined as maximising the balance of the assignment of tasks in term of distribution of shifts and routes. It is essential to achieve is fairer among driver because this can bring to increase in driver levels of satisfaction. The latest approaches still unable to address the fairness problem that has emerged, thus this research proposes a strategy to adopt an amendment of a harmony search algorithm in order to address the fairness issue and thus the level of fairness will be escalate. The harmony search algorithm is classified as a meta-heuristics algorithm that is capable of solving hard and combinatorial or discrete optimisation problems. In this respect, the three main operators in HS, namely the Harmony Memory Consideration Rate (HMCR), Pitch Adjustment Rate (PAR) and Bandwidth (BW) play a vital role in balancing local exploitation and global exploration. These parameters influence the overall performance of the HS algorithm, and therefore it is crucial to fine-tune them. The contributions to this research are the HMCR parameter using step function while the fret spacing concept on guitars that is associated with mathematical formulae is also applied in the BW parameter. The model of constant step function is introduced in the alteration of HMCR parameter. The experimental results revealed that our proposed approach is superior than parameter adaptive harmony search algorithm. In conclusion, this proposed approach managed to generate a fairer roster and was thus capable of maximising the balancing distribution of shifts and routes among drivers, which contributed to the lowering of illness, incidents, absenteeism and accidents.

Simulating observations with HARMONI: the integral field spectrograph for the European Extremely Large Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zieleniewski, Simon; Thatte, Niranjan; Kendrew, Sarah; Houghton, Ryan; Tecza, Matthias; Clarke, Fraser; Fusco, Thierry; Swinbank, Mark

2014-07-01

With the next generation of extremely large telescopes commencing construction, there is an urgent need for detailed quantitative predictions of the scientific observations that these new telescopes will enable. Most of these new telescopes will have adaptive optics fully integrated with the telescope itself, allowing unprecedented spatial resolution combined with enormous sensitivity. However, the adaptive optics point spread function will be strongly wavelength dependent, requiring detailed simulations that accurately model these variations. We have developed a simulation pipeline for the HARMONI integral field spectrograph, a first light instrument for the European Extremely Large Telescope. The simulator takes high-resolution input data-cubes of astrophysical objects and processes them with accurate atmospheric, telescope and instrumental effects, to produce mock observed cubes for chosen observing parameters. The output cubes represent the result of a perfect data reduc- tion process, enabling a detailed analysis and comparison between input and output, showcasing HARMONI's capabilities. The simulations utilise a detailed knowledge of the telescope's wavelength dependent adaptive op- tics point spread function. We discuss the simulation pipeline and present an early example of the pipeline functionality for simulating observations of high redshift galaxies.

Preliminary design of the HARMONI science software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piqueras, Laure; Jarno, Aurelien; Pécontal-Rousset, Arlette; Loupias, Magali; Richard, Johan; Schwartz, Noah; Fusco, Thierry; Sauvage, Jean-François; Neichel, Benoît; Correia, Carlos M.

2016-08-01

This paper introduces the science software of HARMONI. The Instrument Numerical Model simulates the instrument from the optical point of view and provides synthetic exposures simulating detector readouts from data-cubes containing astrophysical scenes. The Data Reduction Software converts raw-data frames into a fully calibrated, scientifically usable data cube. We present the functionalities and the preliminary design of this software, describe some of the methods and algorithms used and highlight the challenges that we will have to face.

Synthesis of a multi-functional DNA nanosphere barcode system for direct cell detection.

PubMed

Han, Sangwoo; Lee, Jae Sung; Lee, Jong Bum

2017-09-28

Nucleic acid-based technologies have been applied to numerous biomedical applications. As a novel material for target detection, DNA has been used to construct a barcode system with a range of structures. This paper reports multi-functionalized DNA nanospheres (DNANSs) by rolling circle amplification (RCA) with several functionalized nucleotides. DNANSs with a barcode system were designed to exhibit fluorescence for coding enhanced signals and contain biotin for more functionalities, including targeting through the biotin-streptavidin (biotin-STA) interaction. Functionalized deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) were mixed in the RCA process and functional moieties can be expressed on the DNANSs. The anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibodies (anti-EGFR Abs) can be conjugated on DNANSs for targeting cancer cells specifically. As a proof of concept, the potential of the multi-functional DNANS barcode was demonstrated by direct cell detection as a simple detection method. The DNANS barcode provides a new route for the simple and rapid selective recognition of cancer cells.

[Early detection of mental health disorders at school: The Fil Harmonie pilot program].

PubMed

Oppetit, A; Brébant, C; Monchablon, D; Bourgin, J; Gaillard, R; Olié, J-P; Krebs, M-O; Morvan, Y

2018-06-01

Most psychiatric disorders arise during adolescence, a period of life during which school takes an important place. School in France has an official mission of health education and prevention, and early detection of mental disorders is part of these goals. The aim of this study is to describe an innovative service operating in Paris that helps educational staff to deal with students having psychological or psychiatric symptoms. The Fil Harmonie program was launched in 2011. It consists of a telephone line available to all educational staff working for high schools in Paris. When in need of assistance, a member of the educational staff can call the dedicated hotline and expose the situation of their student to a trained psychologist. Over the course of the study, data concerning these phone calls were collected such as: socio-demographic characteristics of the student, the reason behind the call, the caller's professional role within the school, and care pathway information. All data collected during the phone calls were anonymized and computerized. We performed an observational descriptive study based on this data by using mixed methods: we integrated quantitative analysis and qualitative research in order to provide a better understanding of the Fil Harmonie program. Between 18 September 2013 and 12 May 2014, the Fil Harmonie program handled 68 calls from educational staff. Students concerned by the calls were aged between 11 and 22 and the average age was 17.3 years. Over half (52.5%) of the pupils concerned had never seen a mental health professional before the call. In more than 70% of cases, the caller was a school nurse while other professionals such as teachers or headmasters represented only a minority of the callers. Approximately two thirds (67.2%) of students were described by the caller as socially isolated and 48.2% were described as sad or anhedonic. One out of four (26.7%) had repeated a school year at least once, and 55.9% of young people for whom a member of staff contacted Fil Harmonie had been missing class. In 56.7% of cases, there had been no contact with the student's family about the psychological situation. The qualitative analysis particularly highlighted the complexity of the collaboration between the family and the educational staff. Schooling is an important opportunity to seize in mental health regarding early detection and access to care. By fostering collaboration between educational professionals and mental health services, Fil Harmonie meets a public health objective of prevention and should contribute to the reduction of care delays thus leading to better treatment outcome. Our study shows that such programs are feasible and answer a real need in our current health care system. Copyright © 2017 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Typological Asymmetries in Round Vowel Harmony: Support from Artificial Grammar Learning

PubMed Central

Finley, Sara

2012-01-01

Providing evidence for the universal tendencies of patterns in the world’s languages can be difficult, as it is impossible to sample all possible languages, and linguistic samples are subject to interpretation. However, experimental techniques such as artificial grammar learning paradigms make it possible to uncover the psychological reality of claimed universal tendencies. This paper addresses learning of phonological patterns (systematic tendencies in the sounds in language). Specifically, I explore the role of phonetic grounding in learning round harmony, a phonological process in which words must contain either all round vowels ([o, u]) or all unround vowels ([i, e]). The phonetic precursors to round harmony are such that mid vowels ([o, e]), which receive the greatest perceptual benefit from harmony, are most likely to trigger harmony. High vowels ([i, u]), however, are cross-linguistically less likely to trigger round harmony. Adult participants were exposed to a miniature language that contained a round harmony pattern in which the harmony source triggers were either high vowels ([i, u]) (poor harmony source triggers) or mid vowels ([o, e]) (ideal harmony source triggers). Only participants who were exposed to the ideal mid vowel harmony source triggers were successfully able to generalize the harmony pattern to novel instances, suggesting that perception and phonetic naturalness play a role in learning. PMID:23264713

Harmony search optimization for HDR prostate brachytherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panchal, Aditya

In high dose-rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy, multiple catheters are inserted interstitially into the target volume. The process of treating the prostate involves calculating and determining the best dose distribution to the target and organs-at-risk by means of optimizing the time that the radioactive source dwells at specified positions within the catheters. It is the goal of this work to investigate the use of a new optimization algorithm, known as Harmony Search, in order to optimize dwell times for HDR prostate brachytherapy. The new algorithm was tested on 9 different patients and also compared with the genetic algorithm. Simulations were performed to determine the optimal value of the Harmony Search parameters. Finally, multithreading of the simulation was examined to determine potential benefits. First, a simulation environment was created using the Python programming language and the wxPython graphical interface toolkit, which was necessary to run repeated optimizations. DICOM RT data from Varian BrachyVision was parsed and used to obtain patient anatomy and HDR catheter information. Once the structures were indexed, the volume of each structure was determined and compared to the original volume calculated in BrachyVision for validation. Dose was calculated using the AAPM TG-43 point source model of the GammaMed 192Ir HDR source and was validated against Varian BrachyVision. A DVH-based objective function was created and used for the optimization simulation. Harmony Search and the genetic algorithm were implemented as optimization algorithms for the simulation and were compared against each other. The optimal values for Harmony Search parameters (Harmony Memory Size [HMS], Harmony Memory Considering Rate [HMCR], and Pitch Adjusting Rate [PAR]) were also determined. Lastly, the simulation was modified to use multiple threads of execution in order to achieve faster computational times. Experimental results show that the volume calculation that was implemented in this thesis was within 2% of the values computed by Varian BrachyVision for the prostate, within 3% for the rectum and bladder and 6% for the urethra. The calculation of dose compared to BrachyVision was determined to be different by only 0.38%. Isodose curves were also generated and were found to be similar to BrachyVision. The comparison between Harmony Search and genetic algorithm showed that Harmony Search was over 4 times faster when compared over multiple data sets. The optimal Harmony Memory Size was found to be 5 or lower; the Harmony Memory Considering Rate was determined to be 0.95, and the Pitch Adjusting Rate was found to be 0.9. Ultimately, the effect of multithreading showed that as intensive computations such as optimization and dose calculation are involved, the threads of execution scale with the number of processors, achieving a speed increase proportional to the number of processor cores. In conclusion, this work showed that Harmony Search is a viable alternative to existing algorithms for use in HDR prostate brachytherapy optimization. Coupled with the optimal parameters for the algorithm and a multithreaded simulation, this combination has the capability to significantly decrease the time spent on minimizing optimization problems in the clinic that are time intensive, such as brachytherapy, IMRT and beam angle optimization.

Short-term effects of processing musical syntax: an ERP study.

PubMed

Koelsch, Stefan; Jentschke, Sebastian

2008-05-30

We investigated influences of short-term experience on music-syntactic processing, using a chord-sequence paradigm in which sequences ended on a harmony that was syntactically either regular or irregular. In contrast to previous studies (in which block durations were rather short), chord sequences were presented to participants for around 2 h while they were watching a silent movie with subtitles. Results showed that the music-syntactically irregular chord functions elicited an early right anterior negativity (ERAN), and that the ERAN amplitude significantly declined over the course of the experiment. The ERAN has previously been suggested to reflect the processing of music-syntactic irregularities, and the present data show that the cognitive representations of musical regularities are influenced by the repeated presentation of unexpected, irregular harmonies. Because harmonies were task-irrelevant, the data suggest that cognitive representations of musical regularities can change implicitly, i.e., even when listeners do not attend to the harmonies, and when they are presumably oblivious of the changes of such representations. Although the ERAN amplitude was significantly reduced, it was still present towards the end of the experiment at the right anterior electrodes, indicating that cognitive representations of basic music-syntactic regularities cannot easily be erased.

WINCS Harmoni: Closed-loop dynamic neurochemical control of therapeutic interventions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kendall H.; Lujan, J. Luis; Trevathan, James K.; Ross, Erika K.; Bartoletta, John J.; Park, Hyung Ook; Paek, Seungleal Brian; Nicolai, Evan N.; Lee, Jannifer H.; Min, Hoon-Ki; Kimble, Christopher J.; Blaha, Charles D.; Bennet, Kevin E.

2017-04-01

There has been significant progress in understanding the role of neurotransmitters in normal and pathologic brain function. However, preclinical trials aimed at improving therapeutic interventions do not take advantage of real-time in vivo neurochemical changes in dynamic brain processes such as disease progression and response to pharmacologic, cognitive, behavioral, and neuromodulation therapies. This is due in part to a lack of flexible research tools that allow in vivo measurement of the dynamic changes in brain chemistry. Here, we present a research platform, WINCS Harmoni, which can measure in vivo neurochemical activity simultaneously across multiple anatomical targets to study normal and pathologic brain function. In addition, WINCS Harmoni can provide real-time neurochemical feedback for closed-loop control of neurochemical levels via its synchronized stimulation and neurochemical sensing capabilities. We demonstrate these and other key features of this platform in non-human primate, swine, and rodent models of deep brain stimulation (DBS). Ultimately, systems like the one described here will improve our understanding of the dynamics of brain physiology in the context of neurologic disease and therapeutic interventions, which may lead to the development of precision medicine and personalized therapies for optimal therapeutic efficacy.

Niche harmony search algorithm for detecting complex disease associated high-order SNP combinations.

PubMed

Tuo, Shouheng; Zhang, Junying; Yuan, Xiguo; He, Zongzhen; Liu, Yajun; Liu, Zhaowen

2017-09-14

Genome-wide association study is especially challenging in detecting high-order disease-causing models due to model diversity, possible low or even no marginal effect of the model, and extraordinary search and computations. In this paper, we propose a niche harmony search algorithm where joint entropy is utilized as a heuristic factor to guide the search for low or no marginal effect model, and two computationally lightweight scores are selected to evaluate and adapt to diverse of disease models. In order to obtain all possible suspected pathogenic models, niche technique merges with HS, which serves as a taboo region to avoid HS trapping into local search. From the resultant set of candidate SNP-combinations, we use G-test statistic for testing true positives. Experiments were performed on twenty typical simulation datasets in which 12 models are with marginal effect and eight ones are with no marginal effect. Our results indicate that the proposed algorithm has very high detection power for searching suspected disease models in the first stage and it is superior to some typical existing approaches in both detection power and CPU runtime for all these datasets. Application to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) demonstrates our method is promising in detecting high-order disease-causing models.

The Japanese value of harmony and nursing ethics.

PubMed

Konishi, Emiko; Yahiro, Michiko; Nakajima, Naoko; Ono, Miki

2009-09-01

Harmony is one of the most fundamental Japanese values. It is derived from Confucianism and encompasses a state of mind, an action process and outcomes of the action. This article draws on research data and discusses Japanese nurses' perceptions of harmony as reflected in their everyday practice. The most important virtues for these nurses were reported as politeness and respect for other persons. The outcome from the nurses' harmonious practice, it is claimed, benefited patients and created peaceful, harmonious relationships for all. Because of the unique link between harmony and the location of interaction, the ideal 'workplace harmony' threatened some nurses' professional decision making. These nurses confused harmony with conformity by superficial agreement. The Japanese seniority system could be a major factor contributing to this problem. Ethics education that includes traditional values and concepts in Japanese culture is strongly urged.

Faraday cage-type electrochemiluminescence immunosensor for ultrasensitive detection of Vibrio vulnificus based on multi-functionalized graphene oxide.

PubMed

Guo, Zhiyong; Sha, Yuhong; Hu, Yufang; Yu, Zhongqing; Tao, Yingying; Wu, Yanjie; Zeng, Min; Wang, Sui; Li, Xing; Zhou, Jun; Su, Xiurong

2016-10-01

A novel Faraday cage-type electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor devoted to the detection of Vibrio vulnificus (VV) was fabricated. The sensing strategy was presented by a unique Faraday cage-type immunocomplex based on immunomagnetic beads (IMBs) and multi-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) labeled with (2,2'-bipyridine)(5-aminophenanthroline)ruthenium (Ru-NH2). The multi-functionalized GO could sit on the electrode surface directly due to the large surface area, abundant functional groups, and good electronic transport property. It ensures that more Ru-NH2 is entirely caged and become "effective," thus improving sensitivity significantly, which resembles extending the outer Helmholtz plane (OHP) of the electrode. Under optimal conditions, the developed immunosensor achieves a limit of detection as low as 1 CFU/mL. Additionally, the proposed immunosensor with high sensitivity and selectivity can be used for the detection of real samples. The novel Faraday cage-type method has shown potential application for the diagnosis of VV and opens up a new avenue in ECL immunoassay. Graphical abstract Faraday cage-type immunoassay mode for ultrasensitive detection by extending OHP.

Engineering multi-functional bacterial outer membrane vesicles as modular nanodevices for biosensing and bioimaging.

PubMed

Chen, Qi; Rozovsky, Sharon; Chen, Wilfred

2017-07-04

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are proteoliposomes derived from the outer membrane and periplasmic space of many Gram-negative bacteria including E. coli as part of their natural growth cycle. Inspired by the natural ability of E. coli to sort proteins to both the exterior and interior of OMVs, we reported here a one-pot synthesis approach to engineer multi-functionalized OMV-based sensors for both antigen binding and signal generation. SlyB, a native lipoprotein, was used a fusion partner to package nanoluciferase (Nluc) within OMVs, while a previously developed INP-Scaf3 surface scaffold was fused to the Z-domain for antibody recruiting. The multi-functionalized OMVs were used for thrombin detection with a detection limit of 0.5 nM, comparable to other detection methods. Using the cohesin domains inserted between the Z-domain and INP, these engineered OMVs were further functionalized with a dockerin-tagged GFP for cancer cell imaging.

An effective hybrid firefly algorithm with harmony search for global numerical optimization.

PubMed

Guo, Lihong; Wang, Gai-Ge; Wang, Heqi; Wang, Dinan

2013-01-01

A hybrid metaheuristic approach by hybridizing harmony search (HS) and firefly algorithm (FA), namely, HS/FA, is proposed to solve function optimization. In HS/FA, the exploration of HS and the exploitation of FA are fully exerted, so HS/FA has a faster convergence speed than HS and FA. Also, top fireflies scheme is introduced to reduce running time, and HS is utilized to mutate between fireflies when updating fireflies. The HS/FA method is verified by various benchmarks. From the experiments, the implementation of HS/FA is better than the standard FA and other eight optimization methods.

Land Use Zoning at the County Level Based on a Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm: A Case Study from Yicheng, China

PubMed Central

Liu, Yaolin; Wang, Hua; Ji, Yingli; Liu, Zhongqiu; Zhao, Xiang

2012-01-01

Comprehensive land-use planning (CLUP) at the county level in China must include land-use zoning. This is specifically stipulated by the China Land Management Law and aims to achieve strict control on the usages of land. The land-use zoning problem is treated as a multi-objective optimization problem (MOOP) in this article, which is different from the traditional treatment. A particle swarm optimization (PSO) based model is applied to the problem and is developed to maximize the attribute differences between land-use zones, the spatial compactness, the degree of spatial harmony and the ecological benefits of the land-use zones. This is subject to some constraints such as: the quantity limitations for varying land-use zones, regulations assigning land units to a certain land-use zone, and the stipulation of a minimum parcel area in a land-use zoning map. In addition, a crossover and mutation operator from a genetic algorithm is adopted to avoid the prematurity of PSO. The results obtained for Yicheng, a county in central China, using different objective weighting schemes, are compared and suggest that: (1) the fundamental demand for attribute difference between land-use zones leads to a mass of fragmentary land-use zones; (2) the spatial pattern of land-use zones is remarkably optimized when a weight is given to the sub-objectives of spatial compactness and the degree of spatial harmony, simultaneously, with a reduction of attribute difference between land-use zones; (3) when a weight is given to the sub-objective of ecological benefits of the land-use zones, the ecological benefits get a slight increase also at the expense of a reduction in attribute difference between land-use zones; (4) the pursuit of spatial harmony or spatial compactness may have a negative effect on each other; (5) an increase in the ecological benefits may improve the spatial compactness and spatial harmony of the land-use zones; (6) adjusting the weights assigned to each sub-objective can generate a corresponding optimal solution, with a different quantity structure and spatial pattern to satisfy the preference of the different decision makers; (7) the model proposed in this paper is capable of handling the land-use zoning problem, and the crossover and mutation operator can improve the performance of the model, but, nevertheless, leads to increased time consumption. PMID:23066398

Penalized likelihood and multi-objective spatial scans for the detection and inference of irregular clusters

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Irregularly shaped spatial clusters are difficult to delineate. A cluster found by an algorithm often spreads through large portions of the map, impacting its geographical meaning. Penalized likelihood methods for Kulldorff's spatial scan statistics have been used to control the excessive freedom of the shape of clusters. Penalty functions based on cluster geometry and non-connectivity have been proposed recently. Another approach involves the use of a multi-objective algorithm to maximize two objectives: the spatial scan statistics and the geometric penalty function. Results & Discussion We present a novel scan statistic algorithm employing a function based on the graph topology to penalize the presence of under-populated disconnection nodes in candidate clusters, the disconnection nodes cohesion function. A disconnection node is defined as a region within a cluster, such that its removal disconnects the cluster. By applying this function, the most geographically meaningful clusters are sifted through the immense set of possible irregularly shaped candidate cluster solutions. To evaluate the statistical significance of solutions for multi-objective scans, a statistical approach based on the concept of attainment function is used. In this paper we compared different penalized likelihoods employing the geometric and non-connectivity regularity functions and the novel disconnection nodes cohesion function. We also build multi-objective scans using those three functions and compare them with the previous penalized likelihood scans. An application is presented using comprehensive state-wide data for Chagas' disease in puerperal women in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Conclusions We show that, compared to the other single-objective algorithms, multi-objective scans present better performance, regarding power, sensitivity and positive predicted value. The multi-objective non-connectivity scan is faster and better suited for the detection of moderately irregularly shaped clusters. The multi-objective cohesion scan is most effective for the detection of highly irregularly shaped clusters. PMID:21034451

Harmonious University Construction Demands Internal and External Endeavors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lou, Xiang-yang; Zhi, Xi-zhe; Lu, Jin

2008-01-01

Universities play an irreplaceable role in the process of harmonious society construction. It becomes a critical task to construct harmonious university because of strain relations among universities, governments and society, and internal unbalance of universities. To construct harmonious university demands internal and external endeavors:…

Harmony as Language Policy in China: An Internet Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xuan; Juffermans, Kasper; Du, Caixia

2016-01-01

This paper provides an ethnographic understanding of harmony as language policy in China, grounded in a historical analysis of "harmony" ([character omitted] "he") as a distinct traditional Chinese (Confucian) ideal that gradually finds its new expressions through the policy of Harmonious Society ([characters omitted]…

[Musical therapy in Marsilio Ficono's Compendium in Timaeum].

PubMed

Prins, Jacomien

2006-01-01

In this article, I will discuss music therapy in Marsilio Ficino's Timaeus-commentary. Ficino's model of sound perception is reconstructed. It lays the foundation for the medical and mind-expanding function of music in his philosophy. Ficino's music therapy follows from his ideas about the harmony of the spheres, a concept that was used in Western culture well into the fifteenth century for rather static descriptions of the cosmos, mainly meant to praise God and his creation. The traditional view about celestial harmony provided hardly any possibility for active human involvement. Ficino changed this significantly when he united Platonic ideas about the music of the spheres with biblical ideas about the imprint of God's image on human beings. Thus, knowledge of the harmonic structure of the cosmos became possible. I will argue that Ficino's reconciliation of the Timaeus with the book of Genesis allowed for the connection of the ancient doctrines of cosmic harmony and the power of music. This resulted in new possibilities for music therapy.

Exploratory power of the harmony search algorithm: analysis and improvements for global numerical optimization.

PubMed

Das, Swagatam; Mukhopadhyay, Arpan; Roy, Anwit; Abraham, Ajith; Panigrahi, Bijaya K

2011-02-01

The theoretical analysis of evolutionary algorithms is believed to be very important for understanding their internal search mechanism and thus to develop more efficient algorithms. This paper presents a simple mathematical analysis of the explorative search behavior of a recently developed metaheuristic algorithm called harmony search (HS). HS is a derivative-free real parameter optimization algorithm, and it draws inspiration from the musical improvisation process of searching for a perfect state of harmony. This paper analyzes the evolution of the population-variance over successive generations in HS and thereby draws some important conclusions regarding the explorative power of HS. A simple but very useful modification to the classical HS has been proposed in light of the mathematical analysis undertaken here. A comparison with the most recently published variants of HS and four other state-of-the-art optimization algorithms over 15 unconstrained and five constrained benchmark functions reflects the efficiency of the modified HS in terms of final accuracy, convergence speed, and robustness.

Experiments and numerical simulations of nonlinear vibration responses of an assembly with friction joints - Application on a test structure named "Harmony"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claeys, M.; Sinou, J.-J.; Lambelin, J.-P.; Todeschini, R.

2016-03-01

In presence of friction, the frequency response function of a metallic assembly is strongly dependent on the excitation level. The local stick-slip behavior at the friction interfaces induces energy dissipation and local stiffness softening. These phenomena are studied both experimentally and numerically on a test structure named "Harmony". Concerning the numerical part, a classical complete methodology from the finite element and friction modeling to the prediction of the nonlinear vibrational response is implemented. The well-known Harmonic Balance Method with a specific condensation process on the nonlinear frictional elements is achieved. Also, vibration experiments are performed to validate not only the finite element model of the test structure named "Harmony" at low excitation levels but also to investigate the nonlinear behavior of the system on several excitation levels. A scanning laser vibrometer is used to measure the nonlinear behavior and the local stick-slip movement near the contacts.

A new method for water quality assessment: by harmony degree equation.

PubMed

Zuo, Qiting; Han, Chunhui; Liu, Jing; Ma, Junxia

2018-02-22

Water quality assessment is an important basic work in the development, utilization, management, and protection of water resources, and also a prerequisite for water safety. In this paper, the harmony degree equation (HDE) was introduced into the research of water quality assessment, and a new method for water quality assessment was proposed according to the HDE: by harmony degree equation (WQA-HDE). First of all, the calculation steps and ideas of this method were described in detail, and then, this method with some other important methods of water quality assessment (single factor assessment method, mean-type comprehensive index assessment method, and multi-level gray correlation assessment method) were used to assess the water quality of the Shaying River (the largest tributary of the Huaihe in China). For this purpose, 2 years (2013-2014) dataset of nine water quality variables covering seven monitoring sites, and approximately 189 observations were used to compare and analyze the characteristics and advantages of the new method. The results showed that the calculation steps of WQA-HDE are similar to the comprehensive assessment method, and WQA-HDE is more operational comparing with the results of other water quality assessment methods. In addition, this new method shows good flexibility by setting the judgment criteria value HD 0 of water quality; when HD 0  = 0.8, the results are closer to reality, and more realistic and reliable. Particularly, when HD 0  = 1, the results of WQA-HDE are consistent with the single factor assessment method, both methods are subject to the most stringent "one vote veto" judgment condition. So, WQA-HDE is a composite method that combines the single factor assessment and comprehensive assessment. This research not only broadens the research field of theoretical method system of harmony theory but also promotes the unity of water quality assessment method and can be used for reference in other comprehensive assessment.

Implicit Detection of Poetic Harmony by the Naïve Brain.

PubMed

Vaughan-Evans, Awel; Trefor, Robat; Jones, Llion; Lynch, Peredur; Jones, Manon W; Thierry, Guillaume

2016-01-01

The power of poetry is universally acknowledged, but it is debatable whether its appreciation is reserved for experts. Here, we show that readers with no particular knowledge of a traditional form of Welsh poetry unconsciously distinguish phrases conforming to its complex poetic construction rules from those that violate them. We studied the brain response of native speakers of Welsh as they read meaningful sentences ending in a word that either complied with strict poetic construction rules, violated rules of consonantal repetition, violated stress pattern, or violated both these constraints. Upon reading the last word of each sentence, participants indicated sentence acceptability. As expected, our inexperienced participants did not explicitly distinguish between sentences that conformed to the poetic rules from those that violated them. However, in the case of orthodox sentences, the critical word elicited a distinctive brain response characteristic of target detection -the P3b- as compared to the other conditions, showing that speakers of Welsh with no expertise of this particular form of poetry implicitly detect poetic harmony. These results show for the first time that before we even consider literal meaning, the musical properties of poetry speak to the human mind in ways that escape consciousness.

Implicit Detection of Poetic Harmony by the Naïve Brain

PubMed Central

Vaughan-Evans, Awel; Trefor, Robat; Jones, Llion; Lynch, Peredur; Jones, Manon W.; Thierry, Guillaume

2016-01-01

The power of poetry is universally acknowledged, but it is debatable whether its appreciation is reserved for experts. Here, we show that readers with no particular knowledge of a traditional form of Welsh poetry unconsciously distinguish phrases conforming to its complex poetic construction rules from those that violate them. We studied the brain response of native speakers of Welsh as they read meaningful sentences ending in a word that either complied with strict poetic construction rules, violated rules of consonantal repetition, violated stress pattern, or violated both these constraints. Upon reading the last word of each sentence, participants indicated sentence acceptability. As expected, our inexperienced participants did not explicitly distinguish between sentences that conformed to the poetic rules from those that violated them. However, in the case of orthodox sentences, the critical word elicited a distinctive brain response characteristic of target detection –the P3b– as compared to the other conditions, showing that speakers of Welsh with no expertise of this particular form of poetry implicitly detect poetic harmony. These results show for the first time that before we even consider literal meaning, the musical properties of poetry speak to the human mind in ways that escape consciousness. PMID:27933025

System Construction on Psychological Harmony Education of College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Yan-hua; Zhou, Rong

2008-01-01

The psychological harmony education, oriented to the unity of Truth, Good, Beauty, and in pursuit of a healthy, balanced and harmonious development of individual psychological quality to improve the mental quality, is an important part in mental education. In order to better fulfill the psychological harmony education of the college students, as…

Harmony: a concept analysis.

PubMed

Easley, Robin

2007-09-01

This paper is a report of a concept analysis of harmony. Historically, harmony has been poorly defined in nursing research. Harmony has been typically associated with music, but this concept also has a place in nursing. The term is used in current literature in various contexts, including the environment, and relating to mind, body, and spirit. Use of the term harmony is also evident in describing physical characteristics and connections between subjects or ideas, and as an adjective. A literature search was conducted using the CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, and OVID data bases from 1998 to 2003 with the keyword 'harmony'. The reference lists of the identified papers were then searched for further sources and 29 papers were identified for inclusion into the paper. Wilson's process was used to conduct the concept analysis. Harmony is a major aspect of personal relationships, working relationships, and nurse-patient relationships. Both patient-clinician and clinician-clinician relationships are affected by the three attributes of harmony: balance, peace and rhythm. This balance is also an important factor in the incidence of disease and for optimal health. Five consequences of the concept are identified as pleasant environment, sense of satisfaction, positive self-concept, beautiful sound, or effective programme. Harmony is potentially relevant to many aspects of nursing. In order for a nurse to have a positive relationship with a patient, harmony must be present in terms of a pleasant environment, feelings of satisfaction, positive self-concepts, and effective nursing intervention programmes.

Optimum tuned mass damper design using harmony search with comparison of classical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nigdeli, Sinan Melih; Bekdaş, Gebrail; Sayin, Baris

2017-07-01

As known, tuned mass dampers (TMDs) are added to mechanical systems in order to obtain a good vibration damping. The main aim is to reduce the maximum amplitude at the resonance state. In this study, a metaheuristic algorithm called harmony search employed for the optimum design of TMDs. As the optimization objective, the transfer function of the acceleration of the system with respect to ground acceleration was minimized. The numerical trails were conducted for 4 single degree of freedom systems and the results were compared with classical methods. As a conclusion, the proposed method is feasible and more effective than the other documented methods.

An Effective Hybrid Firefly Algorithm with Harmony Search for Global Numerical Optimization

PubMed Central

Guo, Lihong; Wang, Gai-Ge; Wang, Heqi; Wang, Dinan

2013-01-01

A hybrid metaheuristic approach by hybridizing harmony search (HS) and firefly algorithm (FA), namely, HS/FA, is proposed to solve function optimization. In HS/FA, the exploration of HS and the exploitation of FA are fully exerted, so HS/FA has a faster convergence speed than HS and FA. Also, top fireflies scheme is introduced to reduce running time, and HS is utilized to mutate between fireflies when updating fireflies. The HS/FA method is verified by various benchmarks. From the experiments, the implementation of HS/FA is better than the standard FA and other eight optimization methods. PMID:24348137

[Research on relations among self-esteem, self-harmony and interpersonal-harmony of university students].

PubMed

Zhang, Hualing

2014-03-01

To learn characteristics and their mutual relations of self-esteem, self-harmony and interpersonal-harmony of university students, in order to provide the basis for mental health education. With a stratified cluster random sampling method, a questionnaire survey was conducted in 820 university students from 16 classes of four universities, chosen from 30 universities in Anhui Province. Meanwhile, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Self-harmony Scale and Interpersonal-harmony Diagnostic Scale were used for assessment. Self-esteem of university students has an average score of (30.71 +/- 4.77), higher than median thoery 25, and there existed statistical significance in the dimensions of gender (P = 0.004), origin (P = 0.038) and only-child (P = 0.005). University students' self-harmony has an average score of (98.66 +/- 8.69), among which there were 112 students in the group of low score, counting for 13.7%, 442 in that of middle score, counting for 53.95%, 265 in that of high score, counting for 32.33%. And there existed no statistical significance in the total-score of self-harmony and score differences from most of subscales in the dimention of gender and origin, but satistical significance did exist in the dimention of only-child (P = 0.004). It was statistically significant (P = 0.006) on the "stereotype" subscales, on the differences between university students from urban areas and rural areas. Every dimension of self-esteem and self -harmony and interpersonal harmony was correlated and statistically significant. Multiple regression analysis found that when there was a variable in self-esteem, the amount of the variable of self-harmony for explaination of interpersonal conversation dropped from 22.6% to 12%, and standard regression coefficient changing from 0.087 to 0.035. The trouble of interpersonal dating fell from 27.6% to 13.1%, the standard regression coefficient changing from 0.104 to 0.019. The bother of treating people fell from 30.9% to 15%, and the standard regression coefficient changing from 0.079 to 0.020. The problem of heterosexual contact fell from 23.4% to 17.3%, and the standard regression coefficient changing from 0.095 to 0.024. Self-esteem was a mediator variable between self-harmony and interpersonal-harmony. By cultivating university students' level of self-esteem to achieve their self-harmony and interpersonal-harmony, university students' mental health level can be improved.

Relational Harmony: A New Model of Collectivism and Gender Equality among Chinese American Couples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quek, Karen Mui-Teng; Knudson-Martin, Carmen; Rue, Deborah; Alabiso, Claudia

2010-01-01

Social harmony is a valued relational rule in collectivism. Using data from in-depth interviews with 20 Chinese American couples, the authors study how husbands and wives interpret and negotiate marital harmony within a multicultural context and how gender relates to this process. Although all participants appear to seek harmony, the result…

From proactive personality to organizational citizenship behavior: mediating role of harmony.

PubMed

Gan, Yiqun; Cheung, Fanny M

2010-06-01

The objective of the present study was to examine the moderating role of interpersonal harmony in the relation of proactive personality with organizational citizenship behavior. 158 employees in Chinese state-owned companies completed the Proactive Personality Scale (Bateman & Crant, 1993), Harmony scale, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire. Proactive personality had insignificant correlation with job dedication. The correlation between interpersonal facilitation and proactive personality was significant but quite low. Results of the hierarchical regression analyses indicated that when demographic variables were controlled, Harmony had significant moderating effects on the relations of proactive behavior and job dedication/interpersonal facilitation. In the high Harmony group, the correlation between proactive personality and organizational citizenship behavior was significant; whereas in the low Harmony group, this correlation was not significant.

Improving resolution of dynamic communities in human brain networks through targeted node removal

PubMed Central

Turner, Benjamin O.; Miller, Michael B.; Carlson, Jean M.

2017-01-01

Current approaches to dynamic community detection in complex networks can fail to identify multi-scale community structure, or to resolve key features of community dynamics. We propose a targeted node removal technique to improve the resolution of community detection. Using synthetic oscillator networks with well-defined “ground truth” communities, we quantify the community detection performance of a common modularity maximization algorithm. We show that the performance of the algorithm on communities of a given size deteriorates when these communities are embedded in multi-scale networks with communities of different sizes, compared to the performance in a single-scale network. We demonstrate that targeted node removal during community detection improves performance on multi-scale networks, particularly when removing the most functionally cohesive nodes. Applying this approach to network neuroscience, we compare dynamic functional brain networks derived from fMRI data taken during both repetitive single-task and varied multi-task experiments. After the removal of regions in visual cortex, the most coherent functional brain area during the tasks, community detection is better able to resolve known functional brain systems into communities. In addition, node removal enables the algorithm to distinguish clear differences in brain network dynamics between these experiments, revealing task-switching behavior that was not identified with the visual regions present in the network. These results indicate that targeted node removal can improve spatial and temporal resolution in community detection, and they demonstrate a promising approach for comparison of network dynamics between neuroscientific data sets with different resolution parameters. PMID:29261662

Design and Application of Multi-functional Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence Imaging Analyzer.

PubMed

Jiang, Guangfu; Liu, Xia; Wang, Yaqin; Ruan, Sanpeng; Qi, Honglan; Yang, Yong; Zhou, Qishe; Zhang, Chengxiao

2016-01-01

A multi-functional eletrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) imaging analyzer including both a photomultiplier tube and charged coupled device as detectors has been developed. The ECL imaging analyzer can effectively work for electrochemical study, ECL intensity detection at electrode array, and ECL imaging at bipolar electrodes or electrode array. As an ECL imaging example, an ECL biosensor for visual detection of matrix metalloproteinase 7 in the range from 0.05 to 1 ng/mL is demonstrated.

A fuzzy discrete harmony search algorithm applied to annual cost reduction in radial distribution systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ameli, Kazem; Alfi, Alireza; Aghaebrahimi, Mohammadreza

2016-09-01

Similarly to other optimization algorithms, harmony search (HS) is quite sensitive to the tuning parameters. Several variants of the HS algorithm have been developed to decrease the parameter-dependency character of HS. This article proposes a novel version of the discrete harmony search (DHS) algorithm, namely fuzzy discrete harmony search (FDHS), for optimizing capacitor placement in distribution systems. In the FDHS, a fuzzy system is employed to dynamically adjust two parameter values, i.e. harmony memory considering rate and pitch adjusting rate, with respect to normalized mean fitness of the harmony memory. The key aspect of FDHS is that it needs substantially fewer iterations to reach convergence in comparison with classical discrete harmony search (CDHS). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first application of DHS to specify appropriate capacitor locations and their best amounts in the distribution systems. Simulations are provided for 10-, 34-, 85- and 141-bus distribution systems using CDHS and FDHS. The results show the effectiveness of FDHS over previous related studies.

Harmony search algorithm: application to the redundancy optimization problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nahas, Nabil; Thien-My, Dao

2010-09-01

The redundancy optimization problem is a well known NP-hard problem which involves the selection of elements and redundancy levels to maximize system performance, given different system-level constraints. This article presents an efficient algorithm based on the harmony search algorithm (HSA) to solve this optimization problem. The HSA is a new nature-inspired algorithm which mimics the improvization process of music players. Two kinds of problems are considered in testing the proposed algorithm, with the first limited to the binary series-parallel system, where the problem consists of a selection of elements and redundancy levels used to maximize the system reliability given various system-level constraints; the second problem for its part concerns the multi-state series-parallel systems with performance levels ranging from perfect operation to complete failure, and in which identical redundant elements are included in order to achieve a desirable level of availability. Numerical results for test problems from previous research are reported and compared. The results of HSA showed that this algorithm could provide very good solutions when compared to those obtained through other approaches.

Object tracking based on harmony search: comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Ming-Liang; He, Xiao-Hai; Luo, Dai-Sheng; Yu, Yan-Mei

2012-10-01

Visual tracking can be treated as an optimization problem. A new meta-heuristic optimal algorithm, Harmony Search (HS), was first applied to perform visual tracking by Fourie et al. As the authors point out, many subjects are still required in ongoing research. Our work is a continuation of Fourie's study, with four prominent improved variations of HS, namely Improved Harmony Search (IHS), Global-best Harmony Search (GHS), Self-adaptive Harmony Search (SHS) and Differential Harmony Search (DHS) adopted into the tracking system. Their performances are tested and analyzed on multiple challenging video sequences. Experimental results show that IHS is best, with DHS ranking second among the four improved trackers when the iteration number is small. However, the differences between all four reduced gradually, along with the increasing number of iterations.

Harmonious Parents and Their Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumrind, Diana

1971-01-01

This brief report describes harmonious parents and their children. The six preschool daughters whose parents were harmonious were outstandingly competent but the opposite was true of the two sons. (Author/WY)

Stretchable, Highly Durable Ternary Nanocomposite Strain Sensor for Structural Health Monitoring of Flexible Aircraft

PubMed Central

Yin, Feng; Ye, Dong; Zhu, Chen; Qiu, Lei; Huang, YongAn

2017-01-01

Harmonious developments of electrical and mechanical performances are crucial for stretchable sensors in structural health monitoring (SHM) of flexible aircraft such as aerostats and morphing aircrafts. In this study, we prepared a highly durable ternary conductive nanocomposite made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), carbon black (CB) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to fabricate stretchable strain sensors. The nanocomposite has excellent electrical and mechanical properties by intensively optimizing the weight percentage of conducting fillers as well as the ratio of PDMS pre-polymer and curing agent. It was found that the nanocomposite with homogeneous hybrid filler of 1.75 wt % CB and 3 wt % MWCNTs exhibits a highly strain sensitive characteristics of good linearity, high gauge factor (GF ~ 12.25) and excellent durability over 105 stretching-releasing cycles under a tensile strain up to 25% when the PDMS was prepared at the ratio of 12.5:1. A strain measurement of crack detection for the aerostats surface was also employed, demonstrating a great potential of such ternary nanocomposite used as stretchable strain sensor in SHM. PMID:29156620

Interpersonal Harmony and Conflict for Chinese People: A Yin-Yang Perspective.

PubMed

Huang, Li-Li

2016-01-01

This article provides an overview on a series of original studies conducted by the author. The aim here is to present the ideas that the author reconstructed, based on the dialectics of harmonization, regarding harmony and conflict embodied in traditional Chinese thought, and to describe how a formal psychological theory/model on interpersonal harmony and conflict was developed based on the Yin-Yang perspective. The paper also details how essential theories on interpersonal harmony and conflict were constructed under this formal model by conducting a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 30 adults. Psychological research in Western society has, intriguingly, long been focused more on interpersonal conflict than on interpersonal harmony. By contrast, the author's work started from the viewpoint of a materialist conception of history and dialectics of harmonization in order to reinterpret traditional Chinese thought. Next, a "dynamic model of interpersonal harmony and conflict" was developed, as a formal psychological theory, based on the real-virtual notions in the Yin-Yang perspective. Under this model, interpersonal harmony and conflict can be classified into genuine versus superficial harmony and authentic versus virtual focus conflict, and implicit/hidden conflict is regarded as superficial harmony. Subsequently, the author conducted a series of quantitative studies on interpersonal harmony and conflict within parent-child, supervisor-subordinate, and friend-friend relationships in order to verify the construct validity and the predictive validity of the dynamic model of interpersonal harmony and conflict. The claim presented herein is that Chinese traditional thought and the psychological theory/model based on the Yin-Yang perspective can be combined. Accordingly, by combining qualitative and quantitative empirical research, the relative substantial theory can be developed and the concepts can be validated. Thus, this work represents the realization of a series of modern Chinese indigenous psychological research studies rooted in traditional cultural thought and the Yin-Yang perspective. The work also mirrors the current conflict-management research that has incorporated the Chinese notion of harmony and adopted the Yin-Yang perspective on culture.

Interpersonal Harmony and Conflict for Chinese People: A Yin–Yang Perspective

PubMed Central

Huang, Li-Li

2016-01-01

This article provides an overview on a series of original studies conducted by the author. The aim here is to present the ideas that the author reconstructed, based on the dialectics of harmonization, regarding harmony and conflict embodied in traditional Chinese thought, and to describe how a formal psychological theory/model on interpersonal harmony and conflict was developed based on the Yin–Yang perspective. The paper also details how essential theories on interpersonal harmony and conflict were constructed under this formal model by conducting a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 30 adults. Psychological research in Western society has, intriguingly, long been focused more on interpersonal conflict than on interpersonal harmony. By contrast, the author’s work started from the viewpoint of a materialist conception of history and dialectics of harmonization in order to reinterpret traditional Chinese thought. Next, a “dynamic model of interpersonal harmony and conflict” was developed, as a formal psychological theory, based on the real-virtual notions in the Yin–Yang perspective. Under this model, interpersonal harmony and conflict can be classified into genuine versus superficial harmony and authentic versus virtual focus conflict, and implicit/hidden conflict is regarded as superficial harmony. Subsequently, the author conducted a series of quantitative studies on interpersonal harmony and conflict within parent–child, supervisor–subordinate, and friend–friend relationships in order to verify the construct validity and the predictive validity of the dynamic model of interpersonal harmony and conflict. The claim presented herein is that Chinese traditional thought and the psychological theory/model based on the Yin–Yang perspective can be combined. Accordingly, by combining qualitative and quantitative empirical research, the relative substantial theory can be developed and the concepts can be validated. Thus, this work represents the realization of a series of modern Chinese indigenous psychological research studies rooted in traditional cultural thought and the Yin–Yang perspective. The work also mirrors the current conflict-management research that has incorporated the Chinese notion of harmony and adopted the Yin–Yang perspective on culture. PMID:27375526

Confucianism and Critical Rationalism: Friends or Foes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Chi-Ming

2017-01-01

According to Karl Popper's critical rationalism, criticism is the only way we have of systematically detecting and learning from our mistakes so as to get nearer to the truth. Meanwhile, it is arguable that the emphasis of Confucianism on creating a hierarchical and harmonious society can easily lead to submission rather than opposition, producing…

Comparison of Two Detection Combination Algorithms for Phased Array Radars

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

data were generated by a simulator of multi-function radar ( MFR ) and the combination algorithms are evaluated with the recorded simulation data. With...electronically scanned phased array Multi-Function Radar ( MFR ), is a type of radar whose transmitter and receiver functions are composed of numerous...small transmit/receive modules. An MFR can perform many functions previously performed by individual, dedicated radars for search, tracking and

Multi-Objective Community Detection Based on Memetic Algorithm

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Community detection has drawn a lot of attention as it can provide invaluable help in understanding the function and visualizing the structure of networks. Since single objective optimization methods have intrinsic drawbacks to identifying multiple significant community structures, some methods formulate the community detection as multi-objective problems and adopt population-based evolutionary algorithms to obtain multiple community structures. Evolutionary algorithms have strong global search ability, but have difficulty in locating local optima efficiently. In this study, in order to identify multiple significant community structures more effectively, a multi-objective memetic algorithm for community detection is proposed by combining multi-objective evolutionary algorithm with a local search procedure. The local search procedure is designed by addressing three issues. Firstly, nondominated solutions generated by evolutionary operations and solutions in dominant population are set as initial individuals for local search procedure. Then, a new direction vector named as pseudonormal vector is proposed to integrate two objective functions together to form a fitness function. Finally, a network specific local search strategy based on label propagation rule is expanded to search the local optimal solutions efficiently. The extensive experiments on both artificial and real-world networks evaluate the proposed method from three aspects. Firstly, experiments on influence of local search procedure demonstrate that the local search procedure can speed up the convergence to better partitions and make the algorithm more stable. Secondly, comparisons with a set of classic community detection methods illustrate the proposed method can find single partitions effectively. Finally, the method is applied to identify hierarchical structures of networks which are beneficial for analyzing networks in multi-resolution levels. PMID:25932646

Multi-objective community detection based on memetic algorithm.

PubMed

Wu, Peng; Pan, Li

2015-01-01

Community detection has drawn a lot of attention as it can provide invaluable help in understanding the function and visualizing the structure of networks. Since single objective optimization methods have intrinsic drawbacks to identifying multiple significant community structures, some methods formulate the community detection as multi-objective problems and adopt population-based evolutionary algorithms to obtain multiple community structures. Evolutionary algorithms have strong global search ability, but have difficulty in locating local optima efficiently. In this study, in order to identify multiple significant community structures more effectively, a multi-objective memetic algorithm for community detection is proposed by combining multi-objective evolutionary algorithm with a local search procedure. The local search procedure is designed by addressing three issues. Firstly, nondominated solutions generated by evolutionary operations and solutions in dominant population are set as initial individuals for local search procedure. Then, a new direction vector named as pseudonormal vector is proposed to integrate two objective functions together to form a fitness function. Finally, a network specific local search strategy based on label propagation rule is expanded to search the local optimal solutions efficiently. The extensive experiments on both artificial and real-world networks evaluate the proposed method from three aspects. Firstly, experiments on influence of local search procedure demonstrate that the local search procedure can speed up the convergence to better partitions and make the algorithm more stable. Secondly, comparisons with a set of classic community detection methods illustrate the proposed method can find single partitions effectively. Finally, the method is applied to identify hierarchical structures of networks which are beneficial for analyzing networks in multi-resolution levels.

The influences of harmony motives and implicit beliefs on conflict styles of the collectivist.

PubMed

Lim, Lena L

2009-12-01

The collectivist preference for nonconfrontational conflict styles is usually attributed to the influences of the Confucian value of harmony, which promotes tolerance of interpersonal transgression. Harmony has two distinct motives in collectivistic Asian societies (Leung, 1997 ): harmony enhancement is affective in nature and represents a genuine concern for relationship harmony, while disintegration avoidance is instrumental in nature and sees harmony maintenance as a means to other ends. Hence, as predicted, harmony enhancement is positively related to the use of integrating and compromising, while disintegration avoidance is positively related to the use of avoiding and obliging and is negatively related to the use of integrating during a conflict with a peer in a collectivistic society, Singapore. Besides examining this from a motivational perspective, the study also examines the role of implicit beliefs of personality on one's choice of conflict styles. The two implicit theories of personality refer to the two different assumptions the lay person has about the mutability of personal attributes; an entity theorist believes that personal attributes are fixed and nonmalleable qualities, while an incremental theorist sees personal attributes as qualities that can be developed and changed. Results reveal that incrementalist implicit beliefs also significantly predicted the use of integrating. Harmony enhancement represents a genuine concern for relationship harmony and involves feelings of closeness, unity, and trust. The finding that integrating is predicted by a harmony enhancement motivation suggests the importance of fostering collectivist values of interdependence and feelings of unity and trust so as to encourage the use of integrating to discuss the opposing views openly and constructively. The present study also underscores the benefit of learning an incremental theory to be open to the positive changes in others and work toward improving the relationship and the situation during a conflict.

Linear fitting of multi-threshold counting data with a pixel-array detector for spectral X-ray imaging

PubMed Central

Muir, Ryan D.; Pogranichney, Nicholas R.; Muir, J. Lewis; Sullivan, Shane Z.; Battaile, Kevin P.; Mulichak, Anne M.; Toth, Scott J.; Keefe, Lisa J.; Simpson, Garth J.

2014-01-01

Experiments and modeling are described to perform spectral fitting of multi-threshold counting measurements on a pixel-array detector. An analytical model was developed for describing the probability density function of detected voltage in X-ray photon-counting arrays, utilizing fractional photon counting to account for edge/corner effects from voltage plumes that spread across multiple pixels. Each pixel was mathematically calibrated by fitting the detected voltage distributions to the model at both 13.5 keV and 15.0 keV X-ray energies. The model and established pixel responses were then exploited to statistically recover images of X-ray intensity as a function of X-ray energy in a simulated multi-wavelength and multi-counting threshold experiment. PMID:25178010

Linear fitting of multi-threshold counting data with a pixel-array detector for spectral X-ray imaging.

PubMed

Muir, Ryan D; Pogranichney, Nicholas R; Muir, J Lewis; Sullivan, Shane Z; Battaile, Kevin P; Mulichak, Anne M; Toth, Scott J; Keefe, Lisa J; Simpson, Garth J

2014-09-01

Experiments and modeling are described to perform spectral fitting of multi-threshold counting measurements on a pixel-array detector. An analytical model was developed for describing the probability density function of detected voltage in X-ray photon-counting arrays, utilizing fractional photon counting to account for edge/corner effects from voltage plumes that spread across multiple pixels. Each pixel was mathematically calibrated by fitting the detected voltage distributions to the model at both 13.5 keV and 15.0 keV X-ray energies. The model and established pixel responses were then exploited to statistically recover images of X-ray intensity as a function of X-ray energy in a simulated multi-wavelength and multi-counting threshold experiment.

Performance Review of Harmony Search, Differential Evolution and Particle Swarm Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan Pandey, Hari

2017-08-01

Metaheuristic algorithms are effective in the design of an intelligent system. These algorithms are widely applied to solve complex optimization problems, including image processing, big data analytics, language processing, pattern recognition and others. This paper presents a performance comparison of three meta-heuristic algorithms, namely Harmony Search, Differential Evolution, and Particle Swarm Optimization. These algorithms are originated altogether from different fields of meta-heuristics yet share a common objective. The standard benchmark functions are used for the simulation. Statistical tests are conducted to derive a conclusion on the performance. The key motivation to conduct this research is to categorize the computational capabilities, which might be useful to the researchers.

A Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis of the Utterances of Three South African Physical Sciences Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jawahar, Kavish; Dempster, Edith R.

2013-06-01

In this study, the sociocultural view of science as a language and some quantitative language features of the complementary theoretical framework of systemic functional linguistics are employed to analyse the utterances of three South African Physical Sciences teachers. Using a multi-case study methodology, this study provides a sophisticated description of the utterances of Pietermaritzburg Physical Sciences teachers in language contexts characterised by varying proportions of English Second Language (ESL) students in each class. The results reveal that, as expected, lexical cohesion as measured by the cohesive harmony index and proportion of repeated content words relative to total words, increased with an increasing proportion of ESL students. However, the use of nominalisation by the teachers and the lexical density of their utterances did not decrease with an increasing proportion of ESL students. Furthermore, the results reveal that each individual Physical Sciences teacher had a 'signature' talk, unrelated to the language context in which they taught. This study signals the urgent and critical need for South African science teacher training programmes to place a greater emphasis on the functional use of language for different language contexts in order to empower South African Physical Sciences teachers to adequately apprentice their students into the use of the register of scientific English.

A Multi-Level Decision Fusion Strategy for Condition Based Maintenance of Composite Structures

PubMed Central

Sharif Khodaei, Zahra; Aliabadi, M.H.

2016-01-01

In this work, a multi-level decision fusion strategy is proposed which weighs the Value of Information (VoI) against the intended functions of a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system. This paper presents a multi-level approach for three different maintenance strategies in which the performance of the SHM systems is evaluated against its intended functions. Level 1 diagnosis results in damage existence with minimum sensors covering a large area by finding the maximum energy difference for the guided waves propagating in pristine structure and the post-impact state; Level 2 diagnosis provides damage detection and approximate localization using an approach based on Electro-Mechanical Impedance (EMI) measures, while Level 3 characterizes damage (exact location and size) in addition to its detection by utilising a Weighted Energy Arrival Method (WEAM). The proposed multi-level strategy is verified and validated experimentally by detection of Barely Visible Impact Damage (BVID) on a curved composite fuselage panel. PMID:28773910

A Unified Multi-Functional Dynamic Spectrum Access Framework: Tutorial, Theory and Multi-GHz Wideband Testbed

PubMed Central

Qiu, Robert; Guo, Nan; Li, Husheng; Wu, Zhiqiang; Chakravarthy, Vasu; Song, Yu; Hu, Zhen; Zhang, Peng; Chen, Zhe

2009-01-01

Dynamic spectrum access is a must-have ingredient for future sensors that are ideally cognitive. The goal of this paper is a tutorial treatment of wideband cognitive radio and radar—a convergence of (1) algorithms survey, (2) hardware platforms survey, (3) challenges for multi-function (radar/communications) multi-GHz front end, (4) compressed sensing for multi-GHz waveforms—revolutionary A/D, (5) machine learning for cognitive radio/radar, (6) quickest detection, and (7) overlay/underlay cognitive radio waveforms. One focus of this paper is to address the multi-GHz front end, which is the challenge for the next-generation cognitive sensors. The unifying theme of this paper is to spell out the convergence for cognitive radio, radar, and anti-jamming. Moore’s law drives the system functions into digital parts. From a system viewpoint, this paper gives the first comprehensive treatment for the functions and the challenges of this multi-function (wideband) system. This paper brings together the inter-disciplinary knowledge. PMID:22454598

Cancer Detection in Microarray Data Using a Modified Cat Swarm Optimization Clustering Approach

PubMed

M, Pandi; R, Balamurugan; N, Sadhasivam

2017-12-29

Objective: A better understanding of functional genomics can be obtained by extracting patterns hidden in gene expression data. This could have paramount implications for cancer diagnosis, gene treatments and other domains. Clustering may reveal natural structures and identify interesting patterns in underlying data. The main objective of this research was to derive a heuristic approach to detection of highly co-expressed genes related to cancer from gene expression data with minimum Mean Squared Error (MSE). Methods: A modified CSO algorithm using Harmony Search (MCSO-HS) for clustering cancer gene expression data was applied. Experiment results are analyzed using two cancer gene expression benchmark datasets, namely for leukaemia and for breast cancer. Result: The results indicated MCSO-HS to be better than HS and CSO, 13% and 9% with the leukaemia dataset. For breast cancer dataset improvement was by 22% and 17%, respectively, in terms of MSE. Conclusion: The results showed MCSO-HS to outperform HS and CSO with both benchmark datasets. To validate the clustering results, this work was tested with internal and external cluster validation indices. Also this work points to biological validation of clusters with gene ontology in terms of function, process and component. Creative Commons Attribution License

A hybrid dynamic harmony search algorithm for identical parallel machines scheduling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jing; Pan, Quan-Ke; Wang, Ling; Li, Jun-Qing

2012-02-01

In this article, a dynamic harmony search (DHS) algorithm is proposed for the identical parallel machines scheduling problem with the objective to minimize makespan. First, an encoding scheme based on a list scheduling rule is developed to convert the continuous harmony vectors to discrete job assignments. Second, the whole harmony memory (HM) is divided into multiple small-sized sub-HMs, and each sub-HM performs evolution independently and exchanges information with others periodically by using a regrouping schedule. Third, a novel improvisation process is applied to generate a new harmony by making use of the information of harmony vectors in each sub-HM. Moreover, a local search strategy is presented and incorporated into the DHS algorithm to find promising solutions. Simulation results show that the hybrid DHS (DHS_LS) is very competitive in comparison to its competitors in terms of mean performance and average computational time.

Stretchable Dual-Capacitor Multi-Sensor for Touch-Curvature-Pressure-Strain Sensing.

PubMed

Jin, Hanbyul; Jung, Sungchul; Kim, Junhyung; Heo, Sanghyun; Lim, Jaeik; Park, Wonsang; Chu, Hye Yong; Bien, Franklin; Park, Kibog

2017-09-07

We introduce a new type of multi-functional capacitive sensor that can sense several different external stimuli. It is fabricated only with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films and silver nanowire electrodes by using selective oxygen plasma treatment method without photolithography and etching processes. Differently from the conventional single-capacitor multi-functional sensors, our new multi-functional sensor is composed of two vertically-stacked capacitors (dual-capacitor). The unique dual-capacitor structure can detect the type and strength of external stimuli including curvature, pressure, strain, and touch with clear distinction, and it can also detect the surface-normal directionality of curvature, pressure, and touch. Meanwhile, the conventional single-capacitor sensor has ambiguity in distinguishing curvature and pressure and it can detect only the strength of external stimulus. The type, directionality, and strength of external stimulus can be determined based on the relative capacitance changes of the two stacked capacitors. Additionally, the logical flow reflected on a tree structure with its branches reaching the direction and strength of the corresponding external stimulus unambiguously is devised. This logical flow can be readily implemented in the sensor driving circuit if the dual-capacitor sensor is commercialized actually in the future.

Coloring your information: How designers use Theory of Color in creative ways to present infographic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucius, C. R.; Fuad, A.

2017-12-01

Various methods of data presentation is now visualized through engaging infographics and perform the presentation techniques a new kind of storytelling. Geometric elements for infographics perform interesting data, which is developed with color harmony. There are categories of colors based on color circle from the theory of color design: primary color, secondary color and tertiary color. This color circle allows a designer to visualize the balance and harmony of colors when they are side by side. These composition of colors can be formed as a harmonious dyad, triad, or tetrads. A harmonious dyad is formed from two diametrically opposed colors on the color circle, which known as contrast complementary and works best in color harmonious if one of the colors is dominant. A harmonious triad is represented by three colors from the color circle which positions with an equilateral triangle. An triangle of yellow-red-blue shows the most powerful of harmonious triad and call as the fundamental triad. A harmonious tetrad is developed from two pairs of complementary colors, which can be formed by rectangle or square on the color circle. It help to figure out how objects are connected on presenting data. To create an efficiency infographic, presenting data has to prepare with some strategic. The color circle has the power to perform the infographic when it is made for a fascinating design.

a Mini Multi-Gas Detection System Based on Infrared Principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhijian, Xie; Qiulin, Tan

2006-12-01

To counter the problems of gas accidents in coal mines, family safety resulted from using gas, a new infrared detection system with integration and miniaturization has been developed. The infrared detection optics principle used in developing this system is mainly analyzed. The idea that multi gas detection is introduced and guided through analyzing single gas detection is got across. Through researching the design of cell structure, the cell with integration and miniaturization has been devised. The way of data transmission on Controller Area Network (CAN) bus is explained. By taking Single-Chip Microcomputer (SCM) as intelligence handling, the functional block diagram of gas detection system is designed with its hardware and software system analyzed and devised. This system designed has reached the technology requirement of lower power consumption, mini-volume, big measure range, and able to realize multi-gas detection.

[Theory of functional systems: postulates and principles of human body construction in health and pathology].

PubMed

Sudakov, K V

2007-01-01

It is shown that many functional systems with different level of organization harmoniously interact in healthy humans and animals. Early stress discoordinates information links of functional systems which can be easily corrected by nonpharmacological methods. Long-term and intensive stress disturbs mechanisms of self-regulation of the weakest functional systems. This converts a pathological process to a molecular tissue level. Principles of systemic functional human organization in pathology and compensation of impaired functions are considered.

78 FR 44928 - Fresh Garlic From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-25

... margins assigned to Zhengzhou Harmoni Spice Co., Ltd., Jinan Yipin Corporation, Ltd., Linshu Dading... dumping margin (percent) Zhengzhou Harmoni Spice Co., Ltd 0.00 Jinan Yipin Corporation, Ltd 0.00 Linshu...

CRUX: A compliant robotic upper-extremity exosuit for lightweight, portable, multi-joint muscular augmentation.

PubMed

Lessard, Steven; Pansodtee, Pattawong; Robbins, Ash; Baltaxe-Admony, Leya Breanna; Trombadore, James M; Teodorescu, Mircea; Agogino, Adrian; Kurniawan, Sri

2017-07-01

Wearable robots can potentially offer their users enhanced stability and strength. These augmentations are ideally designed to actuate harmoniously with the user's movements and provide extra force as needed. The creation of such robots, however, is particularly challenging due to the underlying complexity of the human body. In this paper, we present a compliant, robotic exosuit for upper extremities called CRUX. This exosuit, inspired by tensegrity models of the human arm, features a lightweight (1.3 kg), flexible multi-joint design for portable augmentation. We also illustrate how CRUX maintains the full range of motion of the upper-extremities for its users while providing multi-DoF strength amplification to the major muscles of the arm, as evident by tracking the heart rate of an individual exercising said arm. Exosuits such as CRUX may be useful in physical therapy and in extreme environments where users are expected to exert their bodies to the fullest extent.

Spanish participation in the development of HARMONI, the first light integral field spectrograph for the E-ELT.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Lorenzo, B.; HARMONI Consortium

2015-05-01

HARMONI is the visible and near infrared integral field spectrograph (IFS) selected as a first-light instrument for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). With four spatial scales and a range of spectral resolving powers, astronomers will optimally configure the instrument to overtake a wide range of scientific programs and to address many of the E-ELT science cases. The Centro de Astrobiología del CSIC/INTA (CAB-CSIC) and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) form part of the international consortium developing HARMONI, participation that will constitute an unique scientific opportunity for the Spanish astronomical community, allowing the access to the E-ELT as soon as it were operative via the guaranteed time. We describe here the instrument and its capabilities with special attention to the Spanish contribution to HARMONI. At the current stage of the project, HARMONI design is being revised due to significant modifications of the Nasmyth platform affecting the interface with HARMONI.

Identifying Differential Item Functioning in Multi-Stage Computer Adaptive Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gierl, Mark J.; Lai, Hollis; Li, Johnson

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of CATSIB (Computer Adaptive Testing-Simultaneous Item Bias Test) for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) when items in the matching and studied subtest are administered adaptively in the context of a realistic multi-stage adaptive test (MST). MST was simulated using a 4-item…

Novel Chemoresistive CH4 Sensor with 10 ppm Sensitivity Based on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) Functionalized with SnO2nanocrystals

EPA Science Inventory

Chemoresistive sensors based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)functionalized with SnO2 nanocrystals have great potential for detecting trace gases at low concentrations (single ppm levels) at room temperature, because the SnO2 nanocrystals act as active sites for the chem...

Body-self unity and self-esteem in patients with rheumatic diseases.

PubMed

Bode, Christina; van der Heij, Anouk; Taal, Erik; van de Laar, Mart A F J

2010-12-01

Perceptions and evaluations of the own body are important sources of self-esteem. Having a rheumatic disease challenges maintenance of positive self-esteem due to consequences of the disease such as unfavorable sensations as pain and limited (physical) functioning. We expect that a positive experience of the own body in spite of a rheumatic disease (body-self harmony) will be associated with higher levels of self-esteem and that experiencing the body as unworthy part of the own person or as disabler for own strivings (body-self alienation) will result in lower levels of self-esteem. For this explorative study, the body experience questionnaire (BEQ) measuring body-self unity was developed and piloted. One hundred sixty-eight patients visiting the outpatient rheumatology clinic of the Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, completed a questionnaire on touchscreen computers to measure body-self unity (BEQ), illness cognitions (illness cognition questionnaire), pain intensity, functional limitations (health assessment questionnaire disability index), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and demographics. To analyze predictors of self-esteem, hierarchical regression analyses were employed. The BEQ revealed a two-factor structure with good reliability (subscale harmony, four items, Cronbach's α = 0.76; subscale alienation, six items, Cronbach's α = 0.84). The final model of the hierarchical regression analyses showed that self-esteem can be predicted by the illness cognitions helplessness and acceptance, by harmony and most strongly by alienation from the body. R(2) of the final model was 0.50. The relationship between functional limitations and self-esteem was totally mediated by the psychological constructs body-self unity and illness cognitions. This explorative study showed the importance of the unity of body and self for self-esteem in patients with a rheumatic disease.

Adaptive multi-resolution Modularity for detecting communities in networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shi; Wang, Zhi-Zhong; Bao, Mei-Hua; Tang, Liang; Zhou, Ji; Xiang, Ju; Li, Jian-Ming; Yi, Chen-He

2018-02-01

Community structure is a common topological property of complex networks, which attracted much attention from various fields. Optimizing quality functions for community structures is a kind of popular strategy for community detection, such as Modularity optimization. Here, we introduce a general definition of Modularity, by which several classical (multi-resolution) Modularity can be derived, and then propose a kind of adaptive (multi-resolution) Modularity that can combine the advantages of different Modularity. By applying the Modularity to various synthetic and real-world networks, we study the behaviors of the methods, showing the validity and advantages of the multi-resolution Modularity in community detection. The adaptive Modularity, as a kind of multi-resolution method, can naturally solve the first-type limit of Modularity and detect communities at different scales; it can quicken the disconnecting of communities and delay the breakup of communities in heterogeneous networks; and thus it is expected to generate the stable community structures in networks more effectively and have stronger tolerance against the second-type limit of Modularity.

TeraSCREEN: multi-frequency multi-mode Terahertz screening for border checks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, Naomi E.; Alderman, Byron; Allona, Fernando; Frijlink, Peter; Gonzalo, Ramón; Hägelen, Manfred; Ibáñez, Asier; Krozer, Viktor; Langford, Marian L.; Limiti, Ernesto; Platt, Duncan; Schikora, Marek; Wang, Hui; Weber, Marc Andree

2014-06-01

The challenge for any security screening system is to identify potentially harmful objects such as weapons and explosives concealed under clothing. Classical border and security checkpoints are no longer capable of fulfilling the demands of today's ever growing security requirements, especially with respect to the high throughput generally required which entails a high detection rate of threat material and a low false alarm rate. TeraSCREEN proposes to develop an innovative concept of multi-frequency multi-mode Terahertz and millimeter-wave detection with new automatic detection and classification functionalities. The system developed will demonstrate, at a live control point, the safe automatic detection and classification of objects concealed under clothing, whilst respecting privacy and increasing current throughput rates. This innovative screening system will combine multi-frequency, multi-mode images taken by passive and active subsystems which will scan the subjects and obtain complementary spatial and spectral information, thus allowing for automatic threat recognition. The TeraSCREEN project, which will run from 2013 to 2016, has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme under the Security Call. This paper will describe the project objectives and approach.

Coupling Social Solidarity and Social Harmony in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Chau-kiu; Ma, Stephen Kan

2011-01-01

The various forms of social solidarity are empirically uncharted, especially in relation to social harmony. With respect to resource exchange theory, inclusive solidarity or intergroup acceptance is more conducive to social harmony than mechanical, organic, distributive, and dialogic forms of solidarity. The theoretical prediction holds in the…

Celebrating Diversity: Enhancing Harmony on Campus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGlynn, Angela Provitera

The purpose of this booklet is to help teachers prepare students to live and work harmoniously in a society where diversity is the norm. Following background information on the development of the booklet, strategies are described for increasing harmony and learning in the classroom, such as creating diverse collaborative learning groups to bind…

Creating "Good Citizens" and Maintaining Religious Harmony in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Charlene

2008-01-01

This article discusses how the concept of "good citizens" in Singapore is linked to the principle of harmony, characterised by collectivism and a strong interventionist government. The value of religious harmony is actively promoted by the Singapore government and supported by the religious leaders. This article argues that the principle…

Adaptive Ambient Illumination Based on Color Harmony Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kikuchi, Ayano; Hirai, Keita; Nakaguchi, Toshiya; Tsumura, Norimichi; Miyake, Yoichi

We investigated the relationship between ambient illumination and psychological effect by applying a modified color harmony model. We verified the proposed model by analyzing correlation between psychological value and modified color harmony score. Experimental results showed the possibility to obtain the best color for illumination using this model.

Music K-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Elementary Curriculum Development.

The primary function of music education is the development of a responsiveness to the artistic qualities of sound. The constituent elements fundamental to musical response are rhythm, melody, harmony, form, expression, and style. With the goal of developing a responsiveness consisting of musicality and affective growth, this guide has been…

MPLM during Expedition 18 / STS-126

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-19

S126-E-008120 (18 Nov. 2008) --- Interior view of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module attached to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony node. Leonardo was moved from Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay and linked to the station on Nov. 17, carrying two water recovery systems racks for recycling urine into potable water, a second toilet system, new gallery components, two new food warmers, a food refrigerator, an experiment freezer, combustion science experiment rack, two separate sleeping quarters and a resistance exercise device (aRED) that allows station crewmembers to perform a variety of exercises.

MPLM during Expedition 18 / STS-126

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-19

S126-E-008117 (18 Nov. 2008) --- Interior view of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module attached to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony node. Leonardo was moved from Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay and linked to the station on Nov. 17, carrying two water recovery systems racks for recycling urine into potable water, a second toilet system, new gallery components, two new food warmers, a food refrigerator, an experiment freezer, combustion science experiment rack, two separate sleeping quarters and a resistance exercise device (aRED) that allows station crewmembers to perform a variety of exercises.

MPLM during Expedition 18 / STS-126

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-19

S126-E-008118 (18 Nov. 2008) --- Interior view of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module attached to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony node. Leonardo was moved from Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay and linked to the station on Nov. 17, carrying two water recovery systems racks for recycling urine into potable water, a second toilet system, new gallery components, two new food warmers, a food refrigerator, an experiment freezer, combustion science experiment rack, two separate sleeping quarters and a resistance exercise device (aRED) that allows station crewmembers to perform a variety of exercises.

Providing a harmonious smile with laminate veneers for a patient with peg-shaped lateral incisors

PubMed Central

Alberton, Simone Beatriz; Alberton, Victória; de Carvalho, Rodrigo Varella

2017-01-01

The most common discrepancy concerning tooth size is the presence of peg-shaped lateral incisors, which can cause teeth with reduced size, anterior diastema, and consequently an unpleasant smile. The development of the adhesive dentistry and ceramic veneers allowed all ceramic-bonded restorations to become an esthetic and functional approach to reestablish the smile harmony. The purpose of this clinical report is to describe a conservative treatment approach to recover an esthetic disharmony caused by bilateral peg-shaped lateral incisors. A 30-year-old female patient was seeking treatment to solve an esthetic disharmony of her smile. Lithium disilicate veneers were planned and build-up with the help of diagnostic models, wax-up, mock-up, and silicone guides, to restore the morphology, size, function, and esthetic of upper lateral incisors and smile. The lithium disilicate veneers were able to provide the harmonization of the patient's smile, recovering the teeth size, shape, and anatomic characteristics. PMID:29279628

Providing a harmonious smile with laminate veneers for a patient with peg-shaped lateral incisors.

PubMed

Alberton, Simone Beatriz; Alberton, Victória; de Carvalho, Rodrigo Varella

2017-01-01

The most common discrepancy concerning tooth size is the presence of peg-shaped lateral incisors, which can cause teeth with reduced size, anterior diastema, and consequently an unpleasant smile. The development of the adhesive dentistry and ceramic veneers allowed all ceramic-bonded restorations to become an esthetic and functional approach to reestablish the smile harmony. The purpose of this clinical report is to describe a conservative treatment approach to recover an esthetic disharmony caused by bilateral peg-shaped lateral incisors. A 30-year-old female patient was seeking treatment to solve an esthetic disharmony of her smile. Lithium disilicate veneers were planned and build-up with the help of diagnostic models, wax-up, mock-up, and silicone guides, to restore the morphology, size, function, and esthetic of upper lateral incisors and smile. The lithium disilicate veneers were able to provide the harmonization of the patient's smile, recovering the teeth size, shape, and anatomic characteristics.

Human development XIII: the connection between the structure of the overtone system and the tone language of music. Some implications for our understanding of the human brain.

PubMed

Ventegodt, Søren; Hermansen, Tyge Dahl; Kandel, Isack; Merrick, Joav

2008-07-13

The functioning brain behaves like one highly-structured, coherent, informational field. It can be popularly described as a "coherent ball of energy", making the idea of a local highly-structured quantum field that carries the consciousness very appealing. If that is so, the structure of the experience of music might be a quite unique window into a hidden quantum reality of the brain, and even of life itself. The structure of music is then a mirror of a much more complex, but similar, structure of the energetic field of the working brain. This paper discusses how the perception of music is organized in the human brain with respect to the known tone scales of major and minor. The patterns used by the brain seem to be similar to the overtones of vibrating matter, giving a positive experience of harmonies in major. However, we also like the minor scale, which can explain brain patterns as fractal-like, giving a symmetric "downward reflection" of the major scale into the minor scale. We analyze the implication of beautiful and ugly tones and harmonies for the model. We conclude that when it comes to simple perception of harmonies, the most simple is the most beautiful and the most complex is the most ugly, but in music, even the most disharmonic harmony can be beautiful, if experienced as a part of a dynamic release of musical tension. This can be taken as a general metaphor of painful, yet meaningful, and developing experiences in human life.

The privileged status of locality in consonant harmony

PubMed Central

Finley, Sara

2011-01-01

While the vast majority of linguistic processes apply locally, consonant harmony appears to be an exception. In this phonological process, consonants share the same value of a phonological feature, such as secondary place of articulation. In sibilant harmony, [s] and [ʃ] (‘sh’) alternate such that if a word contains the sound [ʃ], all [s] sounds become [ʃ]. This can apply locally as a first-order or non-locally as a second-order pattern. In the first-order case, no consonants intervene between the two sibilants (e.g., [pisasu], [piʃaʃu]). In second-order case, a consonant may intervene (e.g., [sipasu], [ʃipaʃu]). The fact that there are languages that allow second-order non-local agreement of consonant features has led some to question whether locality constraints apply to consonant harmony. This paper presents the results from two artificial grammar learning experiments that demonstrate the privileged role of locality constraints, even in patterns that allow second-order non-local interactions. In Experiment 1, we show that learners do not extend first-order non-local relationships in consonant harmony to second-order nonlocal relationships. In Experiment 2, we show that learners will extend a consonant harmony pattern with second-order long distance relationships to a consonant harmony with first-order long distance relationships. Because second-order non-local application implies first-order non-local application, but first-order non-local application does not imply second-order non-local application, we establish that local constraints are privileged even in consonant harmony. PMID:21686094

Harmonious Interactions. Practice Perspectives--Highlighting Information in Deaf-Blindness. Number 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malloy, Peggy

2007-01-01

Everyone needs close connections with other people--the good feeling of being with someone who understands you and with whom you can share experiences and emotions. When people interact harmoniously, their attitudes and actions toward one another are comfortable and reassuring. Harmonious interactions are essential for all human beings, including…

On the Interaction of Velar Fronting and Labial Harmony

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinnsen, Daniel A.; Green, Christopher R.; Morrisette, Michele L.; Gierut, Judith A.

2011-01-01

This article documents the typological occurrence and interactions of two seemingly independent error patterns, namely Velar Fronting and Labial Harmony, in a cross-sectional investigation of the sound systems of 235 children with phonological delays (ages 3;0 to 7;9). The results revealed that the occurrence of Labial Harmony depends on the…

Researching Cultural Harmony through the Student Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inman, Sally; Turner, Nola

2007-01-01

This article discusses some of the findings of research undertaken by the authors with secondary students in the London Borough of Newham. The research was concerned with exploring young people's understanding of cultural harmony and their views on the issues and challenges in creating cultural harmony in their schools and in their lives outside…

Reproductive Variability of Field Populations of Meloidogyne spp. on Grape Rootstocks.

PubMed

Anwar, S A; McKenry, M V; Faddoul, J

2000-09-01

Variability in penetration, development, and reproduction of two resistance-breaking field pathotypes (pt.) of Meloidogyne arenaria, M. incognita, and a population of mixed Meloidogyne spp. virulent to grape hosts were compared on two resistant Vitis rootstocks 'Freedom' and 'Harmony' in separate tests. 'Cabernet Sauvignon' was included as a susceptible host to all four nematode populations. Secondstage juveniles (J2) of the mixed population failed to penetrate Freedom roots. By contrast, 6% of J2 in the M. incognita population penetrated Freedom roots but did not develop beyond the swollen J2 stage. The two resistance-breaking populations of M. arenaria differed in their virulence except on susceptible roots of Cabernet Sauvignon. More J2 of M. arenaria pt. Freedom penetrated Freedom roots and reached adult stage than did M. arenaria pt. Harmony. Later life stages of M. arenaria pt. Freedom occurred earlier and in greater numbers in Harmony roots than did M. arenaria pt. Harmony. Reproduction of M. arenaria pt. Freedom was greater in Freedom and Harmony roots than M. arenaria pt. Harmony. Thus, one population of M. arenaria is highly virulent and the other is moderately virulent.

Bach Is the Father of Harmony: Revealed by a 1/f Fluctuation Analysis across Musical Genres.

PubMed

Wu, Dan; Kendrick, Keith M; Levitin, Daniel J; Li, Chaoyi; Yao, Dezhong

2015-01-01

Harmony is a fundamental attribute of music. Close connections exist between music and mathematics since both pursue harmony and unity. In music, the consonance of notes played simultaneously partly determines our perception of harmony; associates with aesthetic responses; and influences the emotion expression. The consonance could be considered as a window to understand and analyze harmony. Here for the first time we used a 1/f fluctuation analysis to investigate whether the consonance fluctuation structure in music with a wide range of composers and genres followed the scale free pattern that has been found for pitch, melody, rhythm, human body movements, brain activity, natural images and geographical features. We then used a network graph approach to investigate which composers were the most influential both within and across genres. Our results showed that patterns of consonance in music did follow scale-free characteristics, suggesting that this feature is a universally evolved one in both music and the living world. Furthermore, our network analysis revealed that Bach's harmony patterns were having the most influence on those used by other composers, followed closely by Mozart.

An automated multi-scale network-based scheme for detection and location of seismic sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poiata, N.; Aden-Antoniow, F.; Satriano, C.; Bernard, P.; Vilotte, J. P.; Obara, K.

2017-12-01

We present a recently developed method - BackTrackBB (Poiata et al. 2016) - allowing to image energy radiation from different seismic sources (e.g., earthquakes, LFEs, tremors) in different tectonic environments using continuous seismic records. The method exploits multi-scale frequency-selective coherence in the wave field, recorded by regional seismic networks or local arrays. The detection and location scheme is based on space-time reconstruction of the seismic sources through an imaging function built from the sum of station-pair time-delay likelihood functions, projected onto theoretical 3D time-delay grids. This imaging function is interpreted as the location likelihood of the seismic source. A signal pre-processing step constructs a multi-band statistical representation of the non stationary signal, i.e. time series, by means of higher-order statistics or energy envelope characteristic functions. Such signal-processing is designed to detect in time signal transients - of different scales and a priori unknown predominant frequency - potentially associated with a variety of sources (e.g., earthquakes, LFE, tremors), and to improve the performance and the robustness of the detection-and-location location step. The initial detection-location, based on a single phase analysis with the P- or S-phase only, can then be improved recursively in a station selection scheme. This scheme - exploiting the 3-component records - makes use of P- and S-phase characteristic functions, extracted after a polarization analysis of the event waveforms, and combines the single phase imaging functions with the S-P differential imaging functions. The performance of the method is demonstrated here in different tectonic environments: (1) analysis of the one year long precursory phase of 2014 Iquique earthquake in Chile; (2) detection and location of tectonic tremor sources and low-frequency earthquakes during the multiple episodes of tectonic tremor activity in southwestern Japan.

A Novel Harmony Search Algorithm Based on Teaching-Learning Strategies for 0-1 Knapsack Problems

PubMed Central

Tuo, Shouheng; Yong, Longquan; Deng, Fang'an

2014-01-01

To enhance the performance of harmony search (HS) algorithm on solving the discrete optimization problems, this paper proposes a novel harmony search algorithm based on teaching-learning (HSTL) strategies to solve 0-1 knapsack problems. In the HSTL algorithm, firstly, a method is presented to adjust dimension dynamically for selected harmony vector in optimization procedure. In addition, four strategies (harmony memory consideration, teaching-learning strategy, local pitch adjusting, and random mutation) are employed to improve the performance of HS algorithm. Another improvement in HSTL method is that the dynamic strategies are adopted to change the parameters, which maintains the proper balance effectively between global exploration power and local exploitation power. Finally, simulation experiments with 13 knapsack problems show that the HSTL algorithm can be an efficient alternative for solving 0-1 knapsack problems. PMID:24574905

A novel harmony search algorithm based on teaching-learning strategies for 0-1 knapsack problems.

PubMed

Tuo, Shouheng; Yong, Longquan; Deng, Fang'an

2014-01-01

To enhance the performance of harmony search (HS) algorithm on solving the discrete optimization problems, this paper proposes a novel harmony search algorithm based on teaching-learning (HSTL) strategies to solve 0-1 knapsack problems. In the HSTL algorithm, firstly, a method is presented to adjust dimension dynamically for selected harmony vector in optimization procedure. In addition, four strategies (harmony memory consideration, teaching-learning strategy, local pitch adjusting, and random mutation) are employed to improve the performance of HS algorithm. Another improvement in HSTL method is that the dynamic strategies are adopted to change the parameters, which maintains the proper balance effectively between global exploration power and local exploitation power. Finally, simulation experiments with 13 knapsack problems show that the HSTL algorithm can be an efficient alternative for solving 0-1 knapsack problems.

NIH Human Microbiome Project defines normal bacterial makeup of the body

Cancer.gov

Microbes inhabit just about every part of the human body, living on the skin, in the gut, and up the nose. Sometimes they cause sickness, but most of the time, microorganisms live in harmony with their human hosts, providing vital functions essential for

Gender, Parenting, and Adolescent Functioning in Bangladesh.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Sunita Mahtani; Bond, Michael Harris; Abdullah, Abu Saleh M.; Ma, Stefan S. L.

2000-01-01

Examined associations of self-esteem, relationship harmony, and academic achievement with perceptions of parents' styles and supervisory practices among 212 adolescents in Islamic Bangladesh. Found that parental supervisory practices were associated with a warm parental style for girls and parental dominating control for boys. Girls' (but not…

Graphene Oxide/Silver Nanohybrid as Multi-functional Material for Highly Efficient Bacterial Disinfection and Detection of Organic Dye

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tam, Le Thi; Dinh, Ngo Xuan; Van Cuong, Nguyen; Van Quy, Nguyen; Huy, Tran Quang; Ngo, Duc-The; Mølhave, Kristian; Le, Anh-Tuan

2016-10-01

In this work, a multi-functional hybrid system consisting of graphene oxide and silver nanoparticles (GO-Ag NPs) was successfully synthesized by using a two-step chemical process. We firstly demonstrated noticeable bactericidal ability of the GO-Ag hybrid system. We provide more chemo-physical evidence explaining the antibacterial behavior of GO-Ag nanohybrid against Gram-negative Escherichia Coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus in light of ultrastructural damage analyses and Ag1+ ions release rate onto the cells/medium. A further understanding of the mode of antimicrobial action is very important for designing and developing advanced antimicrobial systems. Secondly, we have also demonstrated that the GO-Ag nanohybrid material could be used as a potential surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate to detect and quantify organic dyes, e.g., methylene blue (MB), in aqueous media. Our findings revealed that the GO-Ag hybrid system showed better SERS performance of MB detection than that of pure Ag-NPs. MB could be detected at a concentration as low as 1 ppm. The GO-Ag-based SERS platform can be effectively used to detect trace concentrations of various types of organic dyes in aqueous media. With the aforementioned properties, the GO-Ag hybrid system is found to be very promising as a multi-functional material for advanced biomedicine and environmental monitoring applications.

Evaluation of In Harmony: Year 1. Interim Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lord, Pippa; Sharp, Caroline; Dawson, Anneka; Mehta, Palak; White, Richard; Jeffes, Jennifer

2013-01-01

Arts Council England (ACE) commissioned NFER to undertake the national evaluation of the In Harmony social and music education programme 2012-2015. In Harmony is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and ACE, and is currently being piloted in six areas. The evaluation is investigating the range and extent of impacts on children, families,…

Perspectives on Family Health, Happiness and Harmony (3H) among Hong Kong Chinese People: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, W. W. T.; Fielding, R.; McDowell, I.; Johnston, J.; Chan, Sophia; Leung, G. M.; Lam, T. H.

2012-01-01

Family harmony, an important Confucian ideal in Chinese society is believed to determine family happiness and therefore health, but is this accurate? This is a qualitative study of 41 Hong Kong Chinese family members. Individual recorded interviews were thematically analysed describing perceived interactions between harmony, happiness and health.…

The Vowel Harmony in the Sinhala Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petryshyn, Ivan

2005-01-01

The Sinhala language is characterized by the melodic shifty stress or its essence, the opposition between long and short vowels, the Ablaut variants of the vowels and the syllabic alphabet which, of course, might impact the vowel harmony and can be a feature of all the leveled Indo-European languages. The vowel harmony is a well-known concept in…

Using Correction Codes to Enhance Understanding of 4-Parts Harmony

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engür, Doruk

2018-01-01

The effective ways of error correction in teaching musical harmony have been neglected. Making students realize their mistakes and have them think over them are assumed to be helpful in harmony teaching. In this sense, correction code technique is thought to be beneficial for students to realize their mistakes and solve them on their own. Forty…

Vowel Harmony Is a Basic Phonetic Rule of the Turkic Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shoibekova, Gaziza B.; Odanova, Sagira A.; Sultanova, Bibigul M.; Yermekova, Tynyshtyk N.

2016-01-01

The present study comprehensively analyzes vowel harmony as an important phonetic rule in Turkic languages. Recent changes in the vowel harmony potential of Turkic sounds caused by linguistic and extra-linguistic factors were described. Vowels in the Kazakh, Turkish, and Uzbek language were compared. The way this or that phoneme sounded in the…

Hopkins installs wire harnesses

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-24

ISS038-E-008291 (24 Nov. 2013) --- NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 38 flight engineer, installs wire harnesses in the International Space Station?s Harmony node to support the installation of Ethernet video cables for the station?s local area network. These new cables will provide Ethernet connectivity to the visiting vehicles that dock to Harmony?s Earth-facing port.

Cat swarm optimization based evolutionary framework for multi document summarization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rautray, Rasmita; Balabantaray, Rakesh Chandra

2017-07-01

Today, World Wide Web has brought us enormous quantity of on-line information. As a result, extracting relevant information from massive data has become a challenging issue. In recent past text summarization is recognized as one of the solution to extract useful information from vast amount documents. Based on number of documents considered for summarization, it is categorized as single document or multi document summarization. Rather than single document, multi document summarization is more challenging for the researchers to find accurate summary from multiple documents. Hence in this study, a novel Cat Swarm Optimization (CSO) based multi document summarizer is proposed to address the problem of multi document summarization. The proposed CSO based model is also compared with two other nature inspired based summarizer such as Harmony Search (HS) based summarizer and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based summarizer. With respect to the benchmark Document Understanding Conference (DUC) datasets, the performance of all algorithms are compared in terms of different evaluation metrics such as ROUGE score, F score, sensitivity, positive predicate value, summary accuracy, inter sentence similarity and readability metric to validate non-redundancy, cohesiveness and readability of the summary respectively. The experimental analysis clearly reveals that the proposed approach outperforms the other summarizers included in the study.

Strive toward data harmony of multi sensor aerosol data - Tribute to Dr. Gregory Leptoukh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, J. C.; Lynnes, C.; Kempler, S. J.; Shen, S.

2012-12-01

The Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) has been involved with aerosol data synergy activities and projects over recent years, led by Dr. Gregory Leptoukh. His particular interests centered on issues related to comparison and harmonization of several aspects of aerosol data, such as data quality, bias adjustment, and data provenance. A thorough understanding of these issues is needed to guide multi-sensor data usage and avoid apples-to-oranges inter-comparison and data fusion. In this talk, I will highlight these activities/projects. These would include the tools developed, but also the projects that address specific user needs and innovative services, such as GIOVANNI-MAPSS, AeroStat, NEESPI, MAIRS, ATDD, MDSA, LTA-SWDB, etc. I will also discuss preliminary results from new projects and future goals that build on the ground breaking work, left by Dr. Leptoukh.

CRUX: a Compliant Robotic Upper-Extremity eXosuit for Lightweight, Portable, Multi-DoF Muscular Augmentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lessard, Steven; Pansodtee, Pattawong; Robbins, Ash; Baltaxe-Admony, Leya Breanna; Teodorescu, Mircea; Kurniawan,Sri; Agogino, Adrian; Kurniawan, Sri

2017-01-01

Wearable robots can potentially offer their users enhanced stability and strength. These augmentations are ideally designed to actuate harmoniously with the users movements and provide extra force as needed. The creation of such robots, however, is particularly challenging due to the complexity of the underlying human body. In this paper, we present a compliant, robotic exosuit for upper-extremities called CRUX. This exosuit, inspired by tensegrity models of the human arm, features a lightweight (1.3 kg), flexible design for portability. We also show how CRUX maintains full flexibility of the upper-extremities for its users while providing multi- DoF augmentative strength to the major muscles of the arm, as evident by tracking the heart rate of an individual exercising said arm. Exosuits such as CRUX may be useful in physical therapy and in extreme environments where users are expected to exert their bodies to the fullest extent.

Activation of Premotor Vocal Areas during Musical Discrimination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Steven; Martinez, Michael J.

2007-01-01

Two same/different discrimination tasks were performed by amateur-musician subjects in this functional magnetic resonance imaging study: Melody Discrimination and Harmony Discrimination. Both tasks led to activations not only in classic working memory areas--such as the cingulate gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex--but in a series of…

The Impact of Face on Chinese Students' Simulated Negotiation Practices with Americans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shi, Xingsong

2011-01-01

Through scrutinizing three simulated negotiation cases of Chinese MBA students in an American business school, the study illustrates how Chinese face ideology functioned to orient and complicate the students' (pseudo-)business communications with Americans. The students' bone-deep sensitivity to maintaining harmony and interrelationships in the…

Children Composing and the Tonal Idiom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roels, Johanna Maria; Van Petegem, Peter

2016-01-01

Existing studies have demonstrated how children compose, experiment and use their imagination within the conventions of the tonal idiom with functional harmony. However, one area of research that has hardly been explored is how tonality emerges in the compositions of children who compose by transforming their own non-musical ideas, such as their…

77 FR 36480 - Fresh Garlic From the People's Republic of China: Partial Rescission of the 2010-2011 Antidumping...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-19

... Harmoni Spice Co., Ltd. also filed a timely withdrawal of its review request on the same date. \\1\\ See... Xinboda Industrial Co., Ltd.; Zhengzhou Harmoni Spice Co., Ltd.; Weifang Hongqiao International Logistic... Harmoni Spice Co., Ltd. [FR Doc. 2012-14966 Filed 6-18-12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P ...

Harmonic Domains and Synchronization in Typically and Atypically Developing Hebrew-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bat-El, Outi

2009-01-01

This paper presents a comparative study of typical and atypical consonant harmony (onset-onset place harmony), with emphasis on (i) the size of the harmonic domain, (ii) the position of the harmonic domain within the prosodic word, and (iii) the maximal size of the prosodic word that exhibits consonant harmony. The data, drawn from typically and…

"External Conditions Affecting a Harmonious Family": Lessons Learned from a School-Based Parent Education Programme in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luk-Fong, Pattie Yuk Yee

2013-01-01

This article documents a parent education presentation on "External conditions affecting a harmonious family" within a school-based parent education programme in Hong Kong. The presentation adopted an eco-systems approach for understanding families and argued for the need to include the external conditions for a harmonious family as an…

The Museum Connection, Grade Six: Early Harmonist Life and Construction Techniques. Unit V, Draft #2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chastain, Marsha; Glendenning, Owen

This third project of "The Museum Connection" is designed for sixth grade students and is devoted to New Harmony, Indiana's first utopian community (1814-24). Eight lesson plans include information on materials needed and activities. Goals include: (1) to compare and contrast modern-day New Harmony to Harmonie, Indiana in 1816; (2) to…

Theory of music and method of "Harmony" in J.Cepler's book "Harmony of Universe"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, V. A.

In the Cepler's book "Harmony of Universe" edited in 1619 the theory of music as a science of that time is presented. Also the investigation of proportion corresponding to musical between orbital parameters of planets is presented. J.Cepler used comparison of musical proportion for investigation movement of celestial bodies. So that Cepler's third law was formulated as following: "Proportion between periods rotation of any two planets is one and a half of proportion average distans of this planets exactly". The Cepler's method of "Harmony" lead to explanation of existence anti-entropyc processes which are widely spreaded in nature. [Johannes Kepler. Weltharmonik. Munchen-Berlin 1939 ].

An almost-parameter-free harmony search algorithm for groundwater pollution source identification.

PubMed

Jiang, Simin; Zhang, Yali; Wang, Pei; Zheng, Maohui

2013-01-01

The spatiotemporal characterization of unknown sources of groundwater pollution is frequently encountered in environmental problems. This study adopts a simulation-optimization approach that combines a contaminant transport simulation model with a heuristic harmony search algorithm to identify unknown pollution sources. In the proposed methodology, an almost-parameter-free harmony search algorithm is developed. The performance of this methodology is evaluated on an illustrative groundwater pollution source identification problem, and the identified results indicate that the proposed almost-parameter-free harmony search algorithm-based optimization model can give satisfactory estimations, even when the irregular geometry, erroneous monitoring data, and prior information shortage of potential locations are considered.

Modified harmony search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Najihah; Lutfi Amri Ramli, Ahmad; Majid, Ahmad Abd; Piah, Abd Rahni Mt

2017-09-01

A metaheuristic algorithm, called Harmony Search is quite highly applied in optimizing parameters in many areas. HS is a derivative-free real parameter optimization algorithm, and draws an inspiration from the musical improvisation process of searching for a perfect state of harmony. Propose in this paper Modified Harmony Search for solving optimization problems, which employs a concept from genetic algorithm method and particle swarm optimization for generating new solution vectors that enhances the performance of HS algorithm. The performances of MHS and HS are investigated on ten benchmark optimization problems in order to make a comparison to reflect the efficiency of the MHS in terms of final accuracy, convergence speed and robustness.

Creating experimental color harmony map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamaret, Christel; Urban, Fabrice; Lepinel, Josselin

2014-02-01

Starting in the 17th century with Newton, color harmony is a topic that did not reach a consensus on definition, representation or modeling so far. Previous work highlighted specific characteristics for color harmony on com- bination of color doublets or triplets by means of a human rating on a harmony scale. However, there were no investigation involving complex stimuli or pointing out how harmony is spatially located within a picture. The modeling of such concept as well as a reliable ground-truth would be of high value for the community, since the applications are wide and concern several communities: from psychology to computer graphics. We propose a protocol for creating color harmony maps from a controlled experiment. Through an eye-tracking protocol, we focus on the identification of disharmonious colors in pictures. The experiment was composed of a free viewing pass in order to let the observer be familiar with the content before a second pass where we asked "to search for the most disharmonious areas in the picture". Twenty-seven observers participated to the experiments that was composed of a total of 30 different stimuli. The high inter-observer agreement as well as a cross-validation confirm the validity of the proposed ground-truth.

Electrochemical Characterization of O2 Plasma Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Electrode for Legionella pneumophila DNA Sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Eun Jin; Lee, Jun-Yong; Hyup Kim, Jun; Kug Kim, Sun; Lee, Cheol Jin; Min, Nam Ki

2010-08-01

An electrochemical DNA sensor for Legionella pneumophila detection was constructed using O2 plasma functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film as a working electrode (WE). The cyclic voltammetry (CV) results revealed that the electrocatalytic activity of plasma functionalized MWCNT (pf-MWCNT) significantly changed depending on O2 plasma treatment time due to some oxygen containing functional groups on the pf-MWCNT surface. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra were also presented the changes of their surface morphologies and oxygen composition before and after plasma treatment. From a comparison study, it was found that the pf-MWCNT WEs had higher electrocatalytic activity and more capability of probe DNA immobilization: therefore, electrochemical signal changes by probe DNA immobilization and hybridization on pf-MWCNT WEs were larger than on Au WEs. The pf-MWCNT based DNA sensor was able to detect a concentration range of 10 pM-100 nM of target DNA to detect L. pneumophila.

Albiglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: An integrated safety analysis of the HARMONY phase 3 trials.

PubMed

Ahrén, Bo; Carr, Molly C; Murphy, Karen; Perkins, Christopher; Rendell, Marc; Mallory, Jason; Wilson, Timothy; Johnson, Susan

2017-04-01

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) stimulate the incretin system and lower glycaemic parameters in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This analysis of clinical studies of up to 3years evaluated the safety of albiglutide, a GLP-1 RA, in people with T2DM. Integrated safety analysis included seven phase-3 T2DM studies of albiglutide compared with placebo and/or active comparators (a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, GLP-1 RA, insulin, sulphonylurea, and thiazolidinedione). Studies of 32months (HARMONY 7), 1year (HARMONY 6), and 3years (HARMONY 1-5), reported similar rates of adverse events (AEs) (84.8%, 82.3%), and serious AEs (13.1%, 12.9%) between albiglutide and all comparators, respectively. AEs that did not differ between the groups included symptomatic or severe hypoglycaemia as well as nausea (12.0%, 11.3%) and vomiting (5.3%, 4.7%) for albiglutide and all comparators, respectively. According to the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities preferred terms, only diarrhoea (13.7%, 9.9%), injection-site reaction (9.0%, 2.0%), and peripheral oedema (4.5%, 6.8%) had at least 2% difference between the albiglutide and all-comparator groups. In a similar integrated analysis, pancreatitis occurred more often with albiglutide (0.3%, 0.1%). Renal and cardiac function did not differ between the two groups. In an integrated analysis of seven phase 3 clinical trials, albiglutide-treated patients experienced frequencies of AEs (including cardiovascular and renal) similar to the all-comparators group treated with other T2DM medications or placebo. Albiglutide treatment was associated with higher rates of diarrhoea and injection-site reactions, but not increased nausea and vomiting, versus all comparators. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Human Development XIII: The Connection Between the Structure of the Overtone System and the Tone Language of Music. Some Implications for Our Understanding of the Human Brain

PubMed Central

Ventegodt, Søren; Hermansen, Tyge Dahl; Kandel, Isack; Merrick, Joav

2008-01-01

The functioning brain behaves like one highly-structured, coherent, informational field. It can be popularly described as a “coherent ball of energy”, making the idea of a local highly-structured quantum field that carries the consciousness very appealing. If that is so, the structure of the experience of music might be a quite unique window into a hidden quantum reality of the brain, and even of life itself. The structure of music is then a mirror of a much more complex, but similar, structure of the energetic field of the working brain. This paper discusses how the perception of music is organized in the human brain with respect to the known tone scales of major and minor. The patterns used by the brain seem to be similar to the overtones of vibrating matter, giving a positive experience of harmonies in major. However, we also like the minor scale, which can explain brain patterns as fractal-like, giving a symmetric “downward reflection” of the major scale into the minor scale. We analyze the implication of beautiful and ugly tones and harmonies for the model. We conclude that when it comes to simple perception of harmonies, the most simple is the most beautiful and the most complex is the most ugly, but in music, even the most disharmonic harmony can be beautiful, if experienced as a part of a dynamic release of musical tension. This can be taken as a general metaphor of painful, yet meaningful, and developing experiences in human life. PMID:18661052

Flood inundation maps for the Wabash River at New Harmony, Indiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fowler, Kathleen K.

2016-10-11

Digital flood-inundation maps for a 3.68-mile reach of the Wabash River extending 1.77 miles upstream and 1.91 miles downstream from streamgage 03378500 at New Harmony, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/, depict estimates of the areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (stages) at the USGS streamgage at Wabash River at New Harmony, Ind. (station 03378500). Near-real-time stages at this streamgage may be obtained from the USGS National Water Information System at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ or the National Weather Service (NWS) Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service at http://water.weather.gov/ahps/, which also forecasts flood hydrographs at this site (NHRI3).Flood profiles were computed for the stream reach by means of a one-dimensional step-backwater model. The hydraulic model was calibrated by using the most current stage-discharge relations at the Wabash River at New Harmony, Ind., streamgage and the documented high-water marks from the flood of April 27–28, 2013. The calibrated hydraulic model was then used to compute 17 water-surface profiles for flood stages at approximately 1-foot intervals referenced to the streamgage datum and ranging from 10.0 feet, or near bankfull, to 25.4 feet, the highest stage of the stage-discharge rating curve used in the model. The simulated water-surface profiles were then combined with a geographic information system digital elevation model (derived from light detection and ranging (lidar) data having a 0.98-ft vertical accuracy and 4.9-ft horizontal resolution) to delineate the area flooded at each water level.The availability of these maps along with Internet information regarding current stage from the USGS streamgage at Wabash River at New Harmony, Ind., and forecasted stream stages from the NWS will provide emergency management personnel and residents with information that is critical for flood response activities such as evacuations and road closures, as well as for post-flood recovery efforts.

Comparative Study of Entanglement and Wigner Function for Multi-Qubit GHZ-Squeezed State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siyouri, Fatima-Zahra

2017-12-01

In this paper we address the possibility of using the Wigner function to capture the quantum entanglement present in a multi-qubit system. For that purpose, we calculate both the degree of entanglement and the Wigner function for mixed tripartite squeezed states of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) type then we compare their behaviors. We show that the role of Wigner function in detecting and quantifying bipartite quantum correlation [Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 30 (2016) 1650187] may be generalized to the multipartite case.

77 FR 46686 - Steel Nails From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-06

...'s Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final Scope Ruling and Notice of... Corporation's toolkits from the People's Republic of China (``PRC''), pursuant to the CIT's remand order in... judgment in this case is not in harmony with the Department's final scope ruling and is amending its final...

Quantifying patterns of dynamics in eye movement to measure goodness in organization of design elements in interior architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirkia, Hasti; Sangari, Arash; Nelson, Mark; Assadi, Amir H.

2013-03-01

Architecture brings together diverse elements to enhance the observer's measure of esthetics and the convenience of functionality. Architects often conceptualize synthesis of design elements to invoke the observer's sense of harmony and positive affect. How does an observer's brain respond to harmony of design in interior spaces? One implicit consideration by architects is the role of guided visual attention by observers while navigating indoors. Prior visual experience of natural scenes provides the perceptual basis for Gestalt of design elements. In contrast, Gestalt of organization in design varies according to the architect's decision. We outline a quantitative theory to measure the success in utilizing the observer's psychological factors to achieve the desired positive affect. We outline a unified framework for perception of geometry and motion in interior spaces, which integrates affective and cognitive aspects of human vision in the context of anthropocentric interior design. The affective criteria are derived from contemporary theories of interior design. Our contribution is to demonstrate that the neural computations in an observer's eye movement could be used to elucidate harmony in perception of form, space and motion, thus a measure of goodness of interior design. Through mathematical modeling, we argue the plausibility of the relevant hypotheses.

[Ecology-economy harmonious development based on the ecological services value change in Yanqi Basin, Northwest China].

PubMed

Mamat, Zulpiya; Halik, Umut; Aji, Rouzi; Nurmemet, Ilyas; Anwar, Mirigul; Keyimu, Maierdang

2015-03-01

In this paper, we used land use/cover ecosystem service value estimation model and ecological economic coordination degree model to analyze the changes of the ecosystem service value by the land use/cover changes during 1985, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2005 and 2011 in Yanqi Basin, Xin-jiang. Then we evaluated the ecology-economy harmony and the regional differences. The results showed that during 1985-2011, there was an increasing trend in the areas of waters, wetland, sand, cultivated land and construction land in Yanqi Basin. In contrast, that of the saline-alkali land, grassland and woodland areas exhibited a decreasing trend. The ecosystem service value in Yanqi Basin during this period presented an increasing trend, among which the waters and cultivated land contributed most to the total value of ecosystem services, while the grassland and the woodland had obviously declined contribution to the total value of ecosystem services. The research showed that the development of ecological economy in the study area was at a low conflict and low coordination level. So, taking reasonable and effective use of the regional waters and soil resources is the key element to maintain the ecosystem service function and sustainable and harmonious development of economy in Yanqi Basin.

A novel harmony search-K means hybrid algorithm for clustering gene expression data

PubMed Central

Nazeer, KA Abdul; Sebastian, MP; Kumar, SD Madhu

2013-01-01

Recent progress in bioinformatics research has led to the accumulation of huge quantities of biological data at various data sources. The DNA microarray technology makes it possible to simultaneously analyze large number of genes across different samples. Clustering of microarray data can reveal the hidden gene expression patterns from large quantities of expression data that in turn offers tremendous possibilities in functional genomics, comparative genomics, disease diagnosis and drug development. The k- ¬means clustering algorithm is widely used for many practical applications. But the original k-¬means algorithm has several drawbacks. It is computationally expensive and generates locally optimal solutions based on the random choice of the initial centroids. Several methods have been proposed in the literature for improving the performance of the k-¬means algorithm. A meta-heuristic optimization algorithm named harmony search helps find out near-global optimal solutions by searching the entire solution space. Low clustering accuracy of the existing algorithms limits their use in many crucial applications of life sciences. In this paper we propose a novel Harmony Search-K means Hybrid (HSKH) algorithm for clustering the gene expression data. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm produces clusters with better accuracy in comparison with the existing algorithms. PMID:23390351

A novel harmony search-K means hybrid algorithm for clustering gene expression data.

PubMed

Nazeer, Ka Abdul; Sebastian, Mp; Kumar, Sd Madhu

2013-01-01

Recent progress in bioinformatics research has led to the accumulation of huge quantities of biological data at various data sources. The DNA microarray technology makes it possible to simultaneously analyze large number of genes across different samples. Clustering of microarray data can reveal the hidden gene expression patterns from large quantities of expression data that in turn offers tremendous possibilities in functional genomics, comparative genomics, disease diagnosis and drug development. The k- ¬means clustering algorithm is widely used for many practical applications. But the original k-¬means algorithm has several drawbacks. It is computationally expensive and generates locally optimal solutions based on the random choice of the initial centroids. Several methods have been proposed in the literature for improving the performance of the k-¬means algorithm. A meta-heuristic optimization algorithm named harmony search helps find out near-global optimal solutions by searching the entire solution space. Low clustering accuracy of the existing algorithms limits their use in many crucial applications of life sciences. In this paper we propose a novel Harmony Search-K means Hybrid (HSKH) algorithm for clustering the gene expression data. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm produces clusters with better accuracy in comparison with the existing algorithms.

Le Fort-based maxillofacial transplantation: current state of the art and a refined technique using orthognathic applications.

PubMed

Gordon, Chad R; Susarla, Srinivas M; Peacock, Zachary S; Kaban, Leonard B; Yaremchuk, Michael J

2012-01-01

Following encouraging results from the first 6 maxillofacial allotransplants, there has been a dramatic rise in interest worldwide. Numerous groups are now devoting resources to increase the frequency of these complex procedures, and with this, the craniomaxillofacial surgeon should become familiar with the emerging state of the art. This article reviews the evolution of Le Fort-based cadaveric studies pertaining to maxillofacial allotransplantation, briefly describes the clinical reports through 2010, and introduces a refined technique applying orthognathic applications. Preliminary studies over the last 5 years have highlighted the challenges associated with transplanting skeletal components, and clinical results presented thus far have been extremely promising. However, a notable area for improvement is suboptimal facial-skeletal harmony and profile in the context of sagittal skeletal projection and maxillomandibular relation. To our knowledge, orthognathic planning as applied to osteocutaneous face transplantation has not been described. Many recipients seen thus far demonstrate some degree of malocclusion and suboptimal harmony, as expected, given the donor-to-recipient skeletal/jaw discrepancies. Given that the goal is to improve function as well as form, the importance of orthognathic planning cannot be overstated with respect to optimizing harmony, profile, and occlusion. Preoperative planning, including generation of donor/recipient dental cast models, as described herein for the first time, is essential.

A mini-overview of single muscle fibre mechanics: the effects of age, inactivity and exercise in animals and humans.

PubMed

Jee, Hyunseok; Kim, Jong-Hee

2017-09-05

Many basic movements of living organisms are dependent on muscle function. Muscle function allows for the coordination and harmonious integrity of movement that is necessary for various biological processes. Gross and fine motor skills are both regulated at the micro-level (single muscle fibre level), controlled by neuronal regulation, and it is therefore important to understand muscle function at both micro- and macro-levels to understand the overall movement of living organisms. Single muscle mechanics and the cellular environment of muscles fundamentally allow for the harmonious movement of our bodies. Indeed, a clear understanding of the functionality of muscle at the micro-level is indispensable for explaining muscular function at the macro-(whole gross muscle) level. By investigating single muscle fibre mechanics, we can also learn how other factors such Ca2+ kinetics, enzyme activity and contractile proteins can contribute to muscle mechanics at the micro- and macro-levels. Further, we can also describe how aging affects the capacity of skeletal muscle cells, as well as how exercise can prevent aging-based sarcopenia and frailty. The purpose of this review is to introduce and summarise the current knowledge of single muscle fibre mechanics in light of aging and inactivity. We then describe how exercise mitigates negative muscle adaptations that occur under those circumstances. In addition, single muscle fibre mechanics in both animal and human models are discussed.

[The design and experiment of multi-parameter water quality monitoring microsystem based on MOEMS microspectrometer].

PubMed

Wei, Kang-Lin; Wen, Zhi-Yu; Guo, Jian; Chen, Song-Bo

2012-07-01

Aiming at the monitoring and protecting of water resource environment, a multi-parameter water quality monitoring microsystem based on microspectrometer was put forward in the present paper. The microsystem is mainly composed of MOEMS microspectrometer, flow paths system and embedded measuring & controlling system. It has the functions of self-injecting samples and detection regents, automatic constant temperature, self -stirring, self- cleaning and samples' spectrum detection. The principle prototype machine of the microsystem was developed, and its structure principle was introduced in the paper. Through experiment research, it was proved that the principle prototype machine can rapidly detect quite a few water quality parameters and can meet the demands of on-line water quality monitoring, moreover, the principle prototype machine has strong function expansibility.

Combining Risk Analysis and Slicing for Test Reduction in Open Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-30

collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources...full-system testing, whose purpose is to check that all the parts work harmoniously together. This part of the effort cannot be reduced unless it is...that eliminates program statements irrelevant to a given slicing criterion. Slicing algorithms detect and follow dependencies of the kinds described

The Tradition of Advocacy in the Yoruba Courts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asante, Molefi Kete

1990-01-01

Examines the extensive system of advocacy (based on the idea of group consensus) among the Yoruba in Nigeria. Gives a detailed account of communicative forms and functions of advocacy in legal proceedings and their relationship to Yoruba culture. Explores how Yoruba people argue their cases and find harmony out of a context of disputations. (SR)

The United Nations at 70: The Journey so Far

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muftau, Rufai

2016-01-01

The relevance of the United Nations in maintaining peace and harmonious relationship amongst its members is not in doubt, this being the primary functions as contained in its Charter of 1945. Since that time till date, it has recorded some tremendous achievements in this direction, though not without some challenges. These challenges among others…

Functional and aesthetic approach to design of bird feeders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukhta, A.; Kukhta, M.

2015-10-01

Anthropogenic objects which load the urban environment negatively affects the human psyche. The alternative is attracting elements of the natural environment into urban environment, of which some of the most frequently identified are birds. Attracting birds in the city is possible by means of feeders and artificial nests, however, both must be harmonious. The aim of this study is to analyze the essential functions of the feeders, and their integration into the environmental design and development of the city. On this basis an original feeder which is convenient for use by birds and attracts people's attention is developed. In this paper we apply comparative analysis of different types of feeders encountered in Tomsk, bird watching, and evaluate usability of different types of feeders from the position of their convenience both for birds and human beings. Historical-cultural analysis for determining features of the architectural and environmental design of Tomsk is carried out, the method allows us to solve engineering problems. In this study the feeder convenient for bird use is designed which blends harmoniously with the architectural design of Tomsk.

The Relationship among User, Activity and Space of Street Furniture Placed at Kanuni Campus - Karadeniz Technical University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurdoğlu, B. C.; Çelik, K. T.; Konakoğlu, S. S. Kurt; Erbaş, Y. S.

2016-10-01

The purpose of this study, 2369 street furniture at the campus mentioned to the thesis study named "Generating a GIS-Based Campus Street Furniture Information System (YEDBIS): Example of Kanuni Campus - Karadeniz Technical University" are to question the harmony statuses of space form, actual activity in space, space size, natural materials used space, usage density of space, surface materials of space, users, and the other of them. The harmony statuses of the street furniture were fixed by observation works and field determinations at the campus. Findings obtained observations were recorded to identification cards by writing "0" value for disharmony, "1" value for partly harmony and "2" value for harmony. Then, the data were analyzed in YEDBIS, which is based on GIS. Then, the data were analyzed in YEDBIS, which is based on GIS, by using ArcMap 10.0 programme. However, due to the absence of web support generated for the YEDBIS, with current data querying and analysis of this data was carried out only in a computer where YEDBIS is located. The results of the analysis indicates that 2369 street furniture were found to be disharmony with space form, with surface materials of space, with natural materials used space and with other street furniture in space, and to be partly harmony actual activity in space, space size, usage density of space and users. Also, the regions and nearby around of the buildings at the campus where were disharmony, partly harmony and harmony of the street furniture were established by using YEDBIS.

Cross disease analysis of co-functional microRNA pairs on a reconstructed network of disease-gene-microRNA tripartite.

PubMed

Peng, Hui; Lan, Chaowang; Zheng, Yi; Hutvagner, Gyorgy; Tao, Dacheng; Li, Jinyan

2017-03-24

MicroRNAs always function cooperatively in their regulation of gene expression. Dysfunctions of these co-functional microRNAs can play significant roles in disease development. We are interested in those multi-disease associated co-functional microRNAs that regulate their common dysfunctional target genes cooperatively in the development of multiple diseases. The research is potentially useful for human disease studies at the transcriptional level and for the study of multi-purpose microRNA therapeutics. We designed a computational method to detect multi-disease associated co-functional microRNA pairs and conducted cross disease analysis on a reconstructed disease-gene-microRNA (DGR) tripartite network. The construction of the DGR tripartite network is by the integration of newly predicted disease-microRNA associations with those relationships of diseases, microRNAs and genes maintained by existing databases. The prediction method uses a set of reliable negative samples of disease-microRNA association and a pre-computed kernel matrix instead of kernel functions. From this reconstructed DGR tripartite network, multi-disease associated co-functional microRNA pairs are detected together with their common dysfunctional target genes and ranked by a novel scoring method. We also conducted proof-of-concept case studies on cancer-related co-functional microRNA pairs as well as on non-cancer disease-related microRNA pairs. With the prioritization of the co-functional microRNAs that relate to a series of diseases, we found that the co-function phenomenon is not unusual. We also confirmed that the regulation of the microRNAs for the development of cancers is more complex and have more unique properties than those of non-cancer diseases.

Harmony Search as a Powerful Tool for Feature Selection in QSPR Study of the Drugs Lipophilicity.

PubMed

Bahadori, Behnoosh; Atabati, Morteza

2017-01-01

Aims & Scope: Lipophilicity represents one of the most studied and most frequently used fundamental physicochemical properties. In the present work, harmony search (HS) algorithm is suggested to feature selection in quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) modeling to predict lipophilicity of neutral, acidic, basic and amphotheric drugs that were determined by UHPLC. Harmony search is a music-based metaheuristic optimization algorithm. It was affected by the observation that the aim of music is to search for a perfect state of harmony. Semi-empirical quantum-chemical calculations at AM1 level were used to find the optimum 3D geometry of the studied molecules and variant descriptors (1497 descriptors) were calculated by the Dragon software. The selected descriptors by harmony search algorithm (9 descriptors) were applied for model development using multiple linear regression (MLR). In comparison with other feature selection methods such as genetic algorithm and simulated annealing, harmony search algorithm has better results. The root mean square error (RMSE) with and without leave-one out cross validation (LOOCV) were obtained 0.417 and 0.302, respectively. The results were compared with those obtained from the genetic algorithm and simulated annealing methods and it showed that the HS is a helpful tool for feature selection with fine performance. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Wind-Farm Forecasting Using the HARMONIE Weather Forecast Model and Bayes Model Averaging for Bias Removal.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, Enda; McKinstry, Alastair; Ralph, Adam

2015-04-01

Building on previous work presented at EGU 2013 (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610213016068 ), more results are available now from a different wind-farm in complex terrain in southwest Ireland. The basic approach is to interpolate wind-speed forecasts from an operational weather forecast model (i.e., HARMONIE in the case of Ireland) to the precise location of each wind-turbine, and then use Bayes Model Averaging (BMA; with statistical information collected from a prior training-period of e.g., 25 days) to remove systematic biases. Bias-corrected wind-speed forecasts (and associated power-generation forecasts) are then provided twice daily (at 5am and 5pm) out to 30 hours, with each forecast validation fed back to BMA for future learning. 30-hr forecasts from the operational Met Éireann HARMONIE model at 2.5km resolution have been validated against turbine SCADA observations since Jan. 2014. An extra high-resolution (0.5km grid-spacing) HARMONIE configuration has been run since Nov. 2014 as an extra member of the forecast "ensemble". A new version of HARMONIE with extra filters designed to stabilize high-resolution configurations has been run since Jan. 2015. Measures of forecast skill and forecast errors will be provided, and the contributions made by the various physical and computational enhancements to HARMONIE will be quantified.

Music Theory and the Harmony Method in J. Kepler's Work " The harmony of the Universe"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, V. A.

In Kepler's book The Harmony of the Universe, edited in 1619, the theory of music as a science of that time is presented. Also the investigation of the correspondence between musical proportion and orbital parameters of the planets is presented. Kepler's book The Harmony of the Universe is a work that discloses the basic physical regularities of the developing Universe, which so far had not been definitively formulated. To explain the development process, Kepler introduced the concept of a "productive force" or "forming force" that directs the development of natural phenomena with the principles of world harmony, described by him. In addition to the four known natural interactions is a fifth one, that had never been studied fully. In this way we can explain the development of natural phenomena as alive and nonalive. Arising from the "productive force" that directs the flow of processes with the laws of harmony is an explanation of the existence of "anti-entropy" processes, a contradiction to the second law of thermodynamics, but playing a fundamental part in nature. The "golden section" apparatus defines space and time frames of process flow. The contents of the book give a notion about the way or "program" of development. Which basic law of nature is hiden in the contents of book is yet to be resolved (Kepler, 1939).

A novel hybrid meta-heuristic technique applied to the well-known benchmark optimization problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abtahi, Amir-Reza; Bijari, Afsane

2017-03-01

In this paper, a hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm, based on imperialistic competition algorithm (ICA), harmony search (HS), and simulated annealing (SA) is presented. The body of the proposed hybrid algorithm is based on ICA. The proposed hybrid algorithm inherits the advantages of the process of harmony creation in HS algorithm to improve the exploitation phase of the ICA algorithm. In addition, the proposed hybrid algorithm uses SA to make a balance between exploration and exploitation phases. The proposed hybrid algorithm is compared with several meta-heuristic methods, including genetic algorithm (GA), HS, and ICA on several well-known benchmark instances. The comprehensive experiments and statistical analysis on standard benchmark functions certify the superiority of the proposed method over the other algorithms. The efficacy of the proposed hybrid algorithm is promising and can be used in several real-life engineering and management problems.

On the interaction of deaffrication and consonant harmony*

PubMed Central

Dinnsen, Daniel A.; Gierut, Judith A.; Morrisette, Michele L.; Green, Christopher R.; Farris-Trimble, Ashley W.

2010-01-01

Error patterns in children’s phonological development are often described as simplifying processes that can interact with one another with different consequences. Some interactions limit the applicability of an error pattern, and others extend it to more words. Theories predict that error patterns interact to their full potential. While specific interactions have been documented for certain pairs of processes, no developmental study has shown that the range of typologically predicted interactions occurs for those processes. To determine whether this anomaly is an accidental gap or a systematic peculiarity of particular error patterns, two commonly occurring processes were considered, namely Deaffrication and Consonant Harmony. Results are reported from a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of 12 children (age 3;0 – 5;0) with functional phonological delays. Three interaction types were attested to varying degrees. The longitudinal results further instantiated the typology and revealed a characteristic trajectory of change. Implications of these findings are explored. PMID:20513256

Implications of Right Brain Research on Curriculum Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacKinnon, Colin

The idea that the brain may be more complex and varied in the ways that it responds to and interprets information than is generally recognized suggests that both the left and right hemispheres are in need of total development. In discussing the development of curriculum that will bring into harmony the functions of both brain hemispheres, it is…

Music as Engaging, Educational Matrix: Exploring the Case of Marginalised Students Attending an "Alternative" Music Industry School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleaver, David; Riddle, Stewart

2014-01-01

"Harmony High" is an alternative school where music functions as an educational magnet to attract marginalised students who have disengaged from the mainstream. Through an investigation of the student perspective, we discover that while acting as a magnet, music also becomes the educational matrix or "heart and soul" that helps…

Optical and mechanical design of the fore-optics of HARMONI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez-Capuchino, J.; Hernández, E.; Bueno, A.; Herreros, J. M.; Thatte, N.; Bryson, I.; Clarke, F.; Tecza, M.

2014-07-01

HARMONI is a visible and near-infrared (0.47μm to 2.5μm) integral field spectrometer providing the E-ELT's core spectroscopic capability. It will provide ~32000 simultaneous spectra of a rectangular field of view at four foreseen different spatial sample (spaxel) scales. The HARMONI fore-optics re-formats the native telescope plate scale to suitable values for the downstream instrument optics. This telecentric adaptation includes anamorphic magnification of the plate scale to optimize the performance of the IFU, which contains the image slicer, and their four spectrographs. In addition, it provides an image of the telescope pupil to assemble a cold stop shared among all the scales allowing efficient suppression of the thermal background. A pupil imaging unit also re-images the pupil cold stop onto the image slicer to check the relative alignment between the E-ELT and HARMONI pupils. The scale changer will also host the filter wheel with the long-pass filters to select the wavelength range. The main reasoning specifying the importance of the HARMONI fore-optics and its current optical and mechanical design is described in this contribution.

A Hierarchical Model for Simultaneous Detection and Estimation in Multi-subject fMRI Studies

PubMed Central

Degras, David; Lindquist, Martin A.

2014-01-01

In this paper we introduce a new hierarchical model for the simultaneous detection of brain activation and estimation of the shape of the hemodynamic response in multi-subject fMRI studies. The proposed approach circumvents a major stumbling block in standard multi-subject fMRI data analysis, in that it both allows the shape of the hemodynamic response function to vary across region and subjects, while still providing a straightforward way to estimate population-level activation. An e cient estimation algorithm is presented, as is an inferential framework that not only allows for tests of activation, but also for tests for deviations from some canonical shape. The model is validated through simulations and application to a multi-subject fMRI study of thermal pain. PMID:24793829

Accounting for taste: individual differences in preference for harmony.

PubMed

Palmer, Stephen E; Griscom, William S

2013-06-01

Although empirical research on aesthetics has had some success in explaining the average preferences of groups of observers, relatively little is known about individual differences in preference, and especially about how such differences might covary across different domains. In this study, we identified a new factor underlying aesthetic response-preference for harmonious stimuli-and examined how it varies over four domains (color, shape, spatial location, and music) across individuals with different levels of training in art and music. We found that individual preferences for harmony are strongly correlated across all four dimensions tested and decrease consistently with training in the relevant aesthetic domains. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that cross-domain preference for harmony is well-represented as a single, unified factor, with effects separate from those of training and of common personality measures.

Multi-photon excited luminescence of magnetic FePt core-shell nanoparticles.

PubMed

Seemann, K M; Kuhn, B

2014-07-01

We present magnetic FePt nanoparticles with a hydrophilic, inert, and biocompatible silico-tungsten oxide shell. The particles can be functionalized, optically detected, and optically manipulated. To show the functionalization the fluorescent dye NOPS was bound to the FePt core-shell nanoparticles with propyl-triethoxy-silane linkers and fluorescence of the labeled particles were observed in ethanol (EtOH). In aqueous dispersion the NOPS fluorescence is quenched making them invisible using 1-photon excitation. However, we observe bright luminescence of labeled and even unlabeled magnetic core-shell nanoparticles with multi-photon excitation. Luminescence can be detected in the near ultraviolet and the full visible spectral range by near infrared multi-photon excitation. For optical manipulation, we were able to drag clusters of particles, and maybe also single particles, by a focused laser beam that acts as optical tweezers by inducing an electric dipole in the insulated metal nanoparticles. In a first application, we show that the luminescence of the core-shell nanoparticles is bright enough for in vivo multi-photon imaging in the mouse neocortex down to cortical layer 5.

A new method of functionalized multi walled carbon nanotubes by natural oil for microorganism cells detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haider, Adawiya J.; Marzoog, Thorria R.; Hadi, Iman H.; Jameel, Zainab N.

2018-05-01

In this work, new surfactants for Functionalization of Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes (F-MWCNTs) with functional groups have been developed by using walnut oil, to improve their surface activity (solubility) and a create free reticules (functional groups) on it. MWCNTs were functionalized with walnut oil via ultra-sonication technique at 25°C for 1h with no drastic fragmentation of MWCNTs. Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) and have been employed for the characterizations and analysis. In addition, the antibacterial activity of functionalized MWCNTs against Gram negative. Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria are examined.

Meta-heuristic algorithms as tools for hydrological science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Do Guen; Kim, Joong Hoon

2014-12-01

In this paper, meta-heuristic optimization techniques are introduced and their applications to water resources engineering, particularly in hydrological science are introduced. In recent years, meta-heuristic optimization techniques have been introduced that can overcome the problems inherent in iterative simulations. These methods are able to find good solutions and require limited computation time and memory use without requiring complex derivatives. Simulation-based meta-heuristic methods such as Genetic algorithms (GAs) and Harmony Search (HS) have powerful searching abilities, which can occasionally overcome the several drawbacks of traditional mathematical methods. For example, HS algorithms can be conceptualized from a musical performance process and used to achieve better harmony; such optimization algorithms seek a near global optimum determined by the value of an objective function, providing a more robust determination of musical performance than can be achieved through typical aesthetic estimation. In this paper, meta-heuristic algorithms and their applications (focus on GAs and HS) in hydrological science are discussed by subject, including a review of existing literature in the field. Then, recent trends in optimization are presented and a relatively new technique such as Smallest Small World Cellular Harmony Search (SSWCHS) is briefly introduced, with a summary of promising results obtained in previous studies. As a result, previous studies have demonstrated that meta-heuristic algorithms are effective tools for the development of hydrological models and the management of water resources.

TOPICAL REVIEW: Smart aggregates: multi-functional sensors for concrete structures—a tutorial and a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Gangbing; Gu, Haichang; Mo, Yi-Lung

2008-06-01

This paper summarizes the authors' recent pioneering research work in piezoceramic-based smart aggregates and their innovative applications in concrete civil structures. The basic operating principle of smart aggregates is first introduced. The proposed smart aggregate is formed by embedding a waterproof piezoelectric patch with lead wires into a small concrete block. The proposed smart aggregates are multi-functional and can perform three major tasks: early-age concrete strength monitoring, impact detection and structural health monitoring. The proposed smart aggregates are embedded into the desired location before the casting of the concrete structure. The concrete strength development is monitored by observing the high frequency harmonic wave response of the smart aggregate. Impact on the concrete structure is detected by observing the open-circuit voltage of the piezoceramic patch in the smart aggregate. For structural health monitoring purposes, a smart aggregate-based active sensing system is designed for the concrete structure. Wavelet packet analysis is used as a signal-processing tool to analyze the sensor signal. A damage index based on the wavelet packet analysis is used to determine the structural health status. To better describe the time-history and location information of damage, two types of damage index matrices are proposed: a sensor-history damage index matrix and an actuator-sensor damage index matrix. To demonstrate the multi-functionality of the proposed smart aggregates, different types of concrete structures have been used as test objects, including concrete bridge bent-caps, concrete cylinders and a concrete frame. Experimental results have verified the effectiveness and the multi-functionality of the proposed smart aggregates. The multi-functional smart aggregates have the potential to be applied to the comprehensive monitoring of concrete structures from their earliest stages and throughout their lifetime.

Classification of functional interactions from multi-electrodes data using conditional modularity analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makhtar, Siti Noormiza; Senik, Mohd Harizal

2018-02-01

The availability of massive amount of neuronal signals are attracting widespread interest in functional connectivity analysis. Functional interactions estimated by multivariate partial coherence analysis in the frequency domain represent the connectivity strength in this study. Modularity is a network measure for the detection of community structure in network analysis. The discovery of community structure for the functional neuronal network was implemented on multi-electrode array (MEA) signals recorded from hippocampal regions in isoflurane-anaesthetized Lister-hooded rats. The analysis is expected to show modularity changes before and after local unilateral kainic acid (KA)-induced epileptiform activity. The result is presented using color-coded graphic of conditional modularity measure for 19 MEA nodes. This network is separated into four sub-regions to show the community detection within each sub-region. The results show that classification of neuronal signals into the inter- and intra-modular nodes is feasible using conditional modularity analysis. Estimation of segregation properties using conditional modularity analysis may provide further information about functional connectivity from MEA data.

Progress along the E-ELT instrumentation roadmap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramsay, Suzanne; Casali, Mark; Cirasuolo, Michele; Egner, Sebastian; Gray, Peter; Gonzáles Herrera, Juan Carlos; Hammersley, Peter; Haupt, Christoph; Ives, Derek; Jochum, Lieselotte; Kasper, Markus; Kerber, Florian; Lewis, Steffan; Mainieri, Vincenzo; Manescau, Antonio; Marchetti, Enrico; Oberti, Sylvain; Padovani, Paolo; Schmid, Christian; Schimpelsberger, Johannes; Siebenmorgen, Ralf; Szecsenyi, Orsolya; Tamai, Roberto; Vernet, Joël.

2016-08-01

A suite of seven instruments and associated AO systems have been planned as the "E-ELT Instrumentation Roadmap". Following the E-ELT project approval in December 2014, rapid progress has been made in organising and signing the agreements for construction with European universities and institutes. Three instruments (HARMONI, MICADO and METIS) and one MCAO module (MAORY) have now been approved for construction. In addition, Phase-A studies have begun for the next two instruments - a multi-object spectrograph and high-resolution spectrograph. Technology development is also ongoing in preparation for the final instrument in the roadmap, the planetary camera and spectrograph. We present a summary of the status and capabilities of this first set of instruments for the E-ELT.

BD Maintenance

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-19

iss052e004198 (June 19, 2017) ---- Astronaut Peggy Whitson changes out the Imaging Unit on the Bone Densitometer inside the Harmony module. The SpaceX Dragon is attached to the Earth-facing port of Harmony.

A Reconfigurable Readout Integrated Circuit for Heterogeneous Display-Based Multi-Sensor Systems

PubMed Central

Park, Kyeonghwan; Kim, Seung Mok; Eom, Won-Jin; Kim, Jae Joon

2017-01-01

This paper presents a reconfigurable multi-sensor interface and its readout integrated circuit (ROIC) for display-based multi-sensor systems, which builds up multi-sensor functions by utilizing touch screen panels. In addition to inherent touch detection, physiological and environmental sensor interfaces are incorporated. The reconfigurable feature is effectively implemented by proposing two basis readout topologies of amplifier-based and oscillator-based circuits. For noise-immune design against various noises from inherent human-touch operations, an alternate-sampling error-correction scheme is proposed and integrated inside the ROIC, achieving a 12-bit resolution of successive approximation register (SAR) of analog-to-digital conversion without additional calibrations. A ROIC prototype that includes the whole proposed functions and data converters was fabricated in a 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process, and its feasibility was experimentally verified to support multiple heterogeneous sensing functions of touch, electrocardiogram, body impedance, and environmental sensors. PMID:28368355

A Reconfigurable Readout Integrated Circuit for Heterogeneous Display-Based Multi-Sensor Systems.

PubMed

Park, Kyeonghwan; Kim, Seung Mok; Eom, Won-Jin; Kim, Jae Joon

2017-04-03

This paper presents a reconfigurable multi-sensor interface and its readout integrated circuit (ROIC) for display-based multi-sensor systems, which builds up multi-sensor functions by utilizing touch screen panels. In addition to inherent touch detection, physiological and environmental sensor interfaces are incorporated. The reconfigurable feature is effectively implemented by proposing two basis readout topologies of amplifier-based and oscillator-based circuits. For noise-immune design against various noises from inherent human-touch operations, an alternate-sampling error-correction scheme is proposed and integrated inside the ROIC, achieving a 12-bit resolution of successive approximation register (SAR) of analog-to-digital conversion without additional calibrations. A ROIC prototype that includes the whole proposed functions and data converters was fabricated in a 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process, and its feasibility was experimentally verified to support multiple heterogeneous sensing functions of touch, electrocardiogram, body impedance, and environmental sensors.

Functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube based sensors for distributed methane leak detection

EPA Science Inventory

This paper presents a highly sensitive, energy efficient and low-cost distributed methane (CH4) sensor system (DMSS) for continuous monitoring, detection and localization of CH4 leaks in natural gas infrastructure such as transmission and distribution pipelines, wells, and produc...

Developing a Cloud-Based Online Geospatial Information Sharing and Geoprocessing Platform to Facilitate Collaborative Education and Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Z. L.; Cao, J.; Hu, K.; Gui, Z. P.; Wu, H. Y.; You, L.

2016-06-01

Efficient online discovering and applying geospatial information resources (GIRs) is critical in Earth Science domain as while for cross-disciplinary applications. However, to achieve it is challenging due to the heterogeneity, complexity and privacy of online GIRs. In this article, GeoSquare, a collaborative online geospatial information sharing and geoprocessing platform, was developed to tackle this problem. Specifically, (1) GIRs registration and multi-view query functions allow users to publish and discover GIRs more effectively. (2) Online geoprocessing and real-time execution status checking help users process data and conduct analysis without pre-installation of cumbersome professional tools on their own machines. (3) A service chain orchestration function enables domain experts to contribute and share their domain knowledge with community members through workflow modeling. (4) User inventory management allows registered users to collect and manage their own GIRs, monitor their execution status, and track their own geoprocessing histories. Besides, to enhance the flexibility and capacity of GeoSquare, distributed storage and cloud computing technologies are employed. To support interactive teaching and training, GeoSquare adopts the rich internet application (RIA) technology to create user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). Results show that GeoSquare can integrate and foster collaboration between dispersed GIRs, computing resources and people. Subsequently, educators and researchers can share and exchange resources in an efficient and harmonious way.

A novel electrochemiluminescence strategy for ultrasensitive DNA assay using luminol functionalized gold nanoparticles multi-labeling and amplification of gold nanoparticles and biotin-streptavidin system.

PubMed

Chai, Ying; Tian, Dayong; Wang, Wei; Cui, Hua

2010-10-28

Luminol functionalized gold nanoparticles were used as labels for electrochemiluminescence signal amplification and an ultrasensitive, highly selective, convenient, low cost DNA detection strategy was developed.

A “Community Fit” Community-Based Participatory Research Program for Family Health, Happiness, and Harmony: Design and Implementation

PubMed Central

Soong, Cissy SS; Wang, Man Ping; Mui, Moses; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Chan, Sophia SC

2015-01-01

Background A principal factor in maintaining positive family functioning and well-being, family communication time is decreasing in modern societies such as Hong Kong, where long working hours and indulgent use of information technology are typical. Objective The objective of this paper is to describe an innovative study protocol, “Happy Family Kitchen,” under the project, “FAMILY: A Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society,” aimed at improving family health, happiness, and harmony (3Hs) through enhancement of family communication. Methods This study employed the community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, and adopted 5 principles of positive psychology and the traditional Chinese concepts of cooking and dining, as a means to connect family members to promote family health, happiness, and harmony (3Hs). Results In-depth collaboration took place between an academic institution and a large nongovernmental community organization association (NGO association) with 400 social service agency members. Both groups were deeply involved in the project design, implementation, and evaluation of 23 community-based interventions. From 612 families with 1419 individuals’ findings, significant increases in mean communication time per week (from 153.44 to 170.31 minutes, P=.002) at 6 weeks after the intervention and mean communication scores (from 67.18 to 69.56 out of 100, P<.001) at 12 weeks after the intervention were shown. Significant enhancements were also found for mean happiness scores 12 weeks after the intervention (from 7.80 to 7.82 out of 10, P<.001), and mean health scores (from 7.70 to 7.73 out of 10, P<.001) and mean harmony scores (from 7.70 to 8.07 out of 10, P<.001) 6 weeks after the intervention. Conclusions This was the first CBPR study in a Hong Kong Chinese community. The results should be useful in informing collaborative intervention programs and engaging public health researchers and community social service providers, major stakeholders, and community participants in the promotion of family well-being. Furthermore, this study has generated an effective practice model for the improvement of family communication and well-being. Challenges in maintaining research rigor during data collection and program implementation were observed, and should be considered during future program planning. PMID:26510960

Highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor for bisphenol A detection based on a diazonium-functionalized boron-doped diamond electrode modified with a multi-walled carbon nanotube-tyrosinase hybrid film.

PubMed

Zehani, Nedjla; Fortgang, Philippe; Saddek Lachgar, Mohamed; Baraket, Abdoullatif; Arab, Madjid; Dzyadevych, Sergei V; Kherrat, Rochdi; Jaffrezic-Renault, Nicole

2015-12-15

A highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor for the detection of Bisphenol A (BPA) in water has been developed by immobilizing tyrosinase onto a diazonium-functionalized boron doped diamond electrode (BDD) modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The fabricated biosensor exhibits excellent electroactivity towards o-quinone, a product of this enzymatic reaction of BPA oxidation catalyzed by tyrosinase. The developed BPA biosensor displays a large linear range from 0.01 nM to 100 nM, with a detection limit (LOD) of 10 pM. The feasibility of the proposed biosensor has been demonstrated on BPA spiked water river samples. Therefore, it could be a promising and reliable analytical tool for on-site monitoring of BPA in waste water. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Harmony

Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)

Integrated Risk Information System ( IRIS ) Chemical Assessment Summary U.S . Environmental Protection Agency National Center for Environmental Assessment This IRIS Summary has been removed from the IRIS database and is available for historical reference purposes . ( July 2016 ) Harmony ; CASRN 7927

[Orthognathic surgery, master-piece of maxillo-facial surgery].

PubMed

Reychler, H

2001-01-01

Orthognathic surgery is this field of the maxillofacial surgery which aims to reposition the jaws or some segments of these jaws when masticatory dysfunctions are evident. This tridimensional repositioning in the craniofacial skeleton allows to restore the masticatory function by means of osteotomies, which must be followed either by preoperative simulated bony displacements or by callus bone distraction. Not only are the functional benefits evident on the dental, articular and neuromuscular levels, but also a facial esthetic harmony can almost be obtained.

How Harmonious and Obsessive Passion for Alcohol and Marijuana Relate to Consumption and Negative Consequences

PubMed Central

Steers, Mai-Ly N.; Neighbors, Clayton; Christina Hove, M.; Olson, Nichole; Lee, Christine M.

2015-01-01

Objective: Although the concepts of harmonious and obsessive passion have been productive in explaining why people eagerly engage in such activities as sports, Internet use, and gambling, previous research has not yet extended these models to explain alcohol and marijuana use among college students. The current research was conducted to clarify the relationships among harmonious and obsessive passion, alcohol and marijuana use, and negative consequences. Method: Two studies were conducted using online assessments. In Study 1, 748 heavy drinking college students (58% female) were recruited and completed measures of passion for drinking alcohol, alcohol use, and alcohol-related negative consequences. In Study 2, 352 regular marijuana-using students (54% female) were recruited and completed assessments of marijuana passion, marijuana use, and marijuana-related consequences. Results: Study 1 found that among heavy drinking college students, harmonious passion was a stronger predictor of increased consumption than was obsessive passion, whereas obsessive passion was a stronger predictor of alcohol-related problems than was harmonious passion. Study 2 revealed similar findings with regard to harmonious passion predicting marijuana consumption; however, unlike Study 1, no significant difference between the passions was found in predicting marijuana-related problems. Conclusions: This research provides a novel perspective on motivation for alcohol and marijuana use. Findings suggest that understanding the locus of young adults’ passion for substance use may be helpful in identifying those who are likely to develop a substance use disorder and therefore may be the most in need of assistance and intervention. PMID:26402355

How Harmonious and Obsessive Passion for Alcohol and Marijuana Relate to Consumption and Negative Consequences.

PubMed

Steers, Mai-Ly N; Neighbors, Clayton; Hove, M Christina; Olson, Nichole; Lee, Christine M

2015-09-01

Although the concepts of harmonious and obsessive passion have been productive in explaining why people eagerly engage in such activities as sports, Internet use, and gambling, previous research has not yet extended these models to explain alcohol and marijuana use among college students. The current research was conducted to clarify the relationships among harmonious and obsessive passion, alcohol and marijuana use, and negative consequences. Two studies were conducted using online assessments. In Study 1, 748 heavy drinking college students (58% female) were recruited and completed measures of passion for drinking alcohol, alcohol use, and alcohol-related negative consequences. In Study 2, 352 regular marijuana-using students (54% female) were recruited and completed assessments of marijuana passion, marijuana use, and marijuana-related consequences. Study 1 found that among heavy drinking college students, harmonious passion was a stronger predictor of increased consumption than was obsessive passion, whereas obsessive passion was a stronger predictor of alcohol-related problems than was harmonious passion. Study 2 revealed similar findings with regard to harmonious passion predicting marijuana consumption; however, unlike Study 1, no significant difference between the passions was found in predicting marijuana-related problems. This research provides a novel perspective on motivation for alcohol and marijuana use. Findings suggest that understanding the locus of young adults' passion for substance use may be helpful in identifying those who are likely to develop a substance use disorder and therefore may be the most in need of assistance and intervention.

Design of multi-function sensor detection system in coal mine based on ARM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Yan-Xiang; Zhang, Quan-Zhu; Deng, Yong-Hong

2017-06-01

The traditional coal mine sensor in the specific measurement points, the number and type of channel will be greater than or less than the number of monitoring points, resulting in a waste of resources or cannot meet the application requirements, in order to enable the sensor to adapt to the needs of different occasions and reduce the cost, a kind of multi-functional intelligent sensor multiple sensors and ARM11 the S3C6410 processor is used to design and realize the dust, gas, temperature and humidity sensor functions together, and has storage, display, voice, pictures, data query, alarm and other new functions.

Design of mini-multi-gas monitoring system based on IR absorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Qiu-lin; Zhang, Wen-dong; Xue, Chen-yang; Xiong, Ji-jun; Ma, You-chun; Wen, Fen

2008-07-01

In this paper, a novel non-dispersive infrared ray (IR) gas detection system is described. Conventional devices typically include several primary components: a broadband source (usually an incandescent filament), a rotating chopper shutter, a narrow-band filter, a sample tube and a detector. But we mainly use the mini-multi-channel detector, electrical modulation means and mini-gas-cell structure. To solve the problems of gas accidents in coal mines, and for family safety that results from using gas, this new IR detection system with integration, miniaturization and non-moving parts has been developed. It is based on the principle that certain gases absorb infrared radiation at specific (and often unique) wavelengths. The infrared detection optics principle used in developing this system is mainly analyzed. The idea of multi-gas detection is introduced and guided through the analysis of the single-gas detection. Through researching the design of cell structure, a cell with integration and miniaturization has been devised. By taking a single-chip microcomputer (SCM) as intelligence handling, the functional block diagram of a gas detection system is designed with the analyzing and devising of its hardware and software system. The way of data transmission on a controller area network (CAN) bus and wireless data transmission mode is explained. This system has reached the technology requirement of lower power consumption, mini-volume, wide measure range, and is able to realize multi-gas detection.

Uncued Low SNR Detection with Likelihood from Image Multi Bernoulli Filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, T.; Holzinger, M.

2016-09-01

Both SSA and SDA necessitate uncued, partially informed detection and orbit determination efforts for small space objects which often produce only low strength electro-optical signatures. General frame to frame detection and tracking of objects includes methods such as moving target indicator, multiple hypothesis testing, direct track-before-detect methods, and random finite set based multiobject tracking. This paper will apply the multi-Bernoilli filter to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), uncued detection of space objects for space domain awareness applications. The primary novel innovation in this paper is a detailed analysis of the existing state-of-the-art likelihood functions and a likelihood function, based on a binary hypothesis, previously proposed by the authors. The algorithm is tested on electro-optical imagery obtained from a variety of sensors at Georgia Tech, including the GT-SORT 0.5m Raven-class telescope, and a twenty degree field of view high frame rate CMOS sensor. In particular, a data set of an extended pass of the Hitomi Astro-H satellite approximately 3 days after loss of communication and potential break up is examined.

Three Profiles of Language Abilities in Toddlers with an Expressive Vocabulary Delay: Variations on a Theme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desmarais, Chantal; Sylvestre, Audette; Meyer, Francois; Bairati, Isabelle; Rouleau, Nancie

2010-01-01

Purpose: The presence of an expressive vocabulary delay (EVD) in the context of otherwise harmonious development has been the main criterion used to define language delay in 2-year-olds. To better understand the communicative functioning of these children, other variables must be considered. In this study, the aim was to delineate and characterize…

Report on the Successful AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway Implementation of the FRBR and INDECS Event Models, and Implications for Other FRBR Implementations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayres, Marie-Louise; Kilner, Kerry; Fitch, Kent; Scarvell, Annette

This paper discusses the first major implementation of two significant new cataloging models: IFLA's FRBR (International Federation of Library Associations' Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) and event modeling (INDECS and Harmony). The paper refers briefly to the decision making processes leading to the adoption of these models,…

Wetlands: Science, Politics, and Geographical Relationships. Pathways in Geography Series, Title No. 9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benhart, John E.; Margin, Alex

This teacher's guide focuses on the value and functions of wetlands by integrating science and the politics of wetlands into a geographic framework. Wetlands are highly dynamic, diverse, and prolific ecosystems. The volume advocates a need for mutual understanding and harmony of effort in order to deal with the complex issues of the wetlands. The…

CAB Contribution to HARMONI: The first light spectrograph of the E-ELT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piqueras López, J.; Arribas, S.; Calcines, A.

2017-03-01

HARMONI (High Angular Resolution Monolithic Optical and Near-infrared Integral field spectrograph) is a visible and near-infrared (0.47 to 2.45 μm) integral field spectrograph selected as a first-light instrument for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). With four spatial scales (60, 20, 10 and 4 mas) and a wide range of spectral resolving powers (R=3500, 7500, 20000), HARMONI will allow scientists to address many of the E-ELT science cases. The HARMONI Consortium is led by the University of Oxford, and is also formed by the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC, Edinburgh, UK), Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon (CRAL), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC, Spain) and the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB INTA-CSIC, Spain). We summarize here the current status of the project, and describe the participation of CAB to design and manufacture two of the instrument sub-systems: the calibration unit and the secondary guiding module. The calibration unit will simulate the optical output of the telescope, and provide the functionality needed to illuminate the focal plane in such a way that the following type of data can be obtained: data aimed at removing the instrumental signature from the raw data and to convert the data into a data product that uses physical units, data required for monitoring the status of the instrument, and data required for calibrating the secondary guiding subsystem. The secondary guiding subsystem basic requirement is to provide knowledge (relative or absolute) of the location of the science focal plane on timescales of a few seconds and longer (up to months), with an accuracy of 2mas or 0.1x the input FWHM (at H/K bands), whichever is greater. The subsystem should achieve this level performance for different observation modes, e.g. no- AO, GLAO and LTAO modes.

Sub-micron surface plasmon resonance sensor systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glazier, James A. (Inventor); Amarie, Dragos (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A sensor for detecting the presence of a target analyte, ligand or molecule in a test fluid, comprising a light transmissive substrate on which an array of surface plasmon resonant (SPR) elements is mounted is described. A multi-channel sensor for detecting the presence of several targets with a single microchip sensor is described. A multi-channel sensor including collections of SPR elements which are commonly functionalized to one of several targets is also described. The detectors sense changes in the resonant response of the SPR elements indicative of binding with the targets.

Sub-micron surface plasmon resonance sensor systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glazier, James A. (Inventor); Dragnea, Bogdan (Inventor); Amarie, Dragos (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A sensor for detecting the presence of a target analyte, ligand or molecule in a test fluid, comprising a light transmissive substrate on which an array of surface plasmon resonant (SPR) elements is mounted is described. A multi-channel sensor for detecting the presence of several targets with a single microchip sensor is described. A multi-channel sensor including collections of SPR elements which are commonly functionalized to one of several targets is also described. The detectors sense changes in the resonant response of the SPR elements indicative of binding with the targets.

Sub-micron surface plasmon resonance sensor systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amarie, Dragos (Inventor); Glazier, James A. (Inventor); Dragnea, Bogdan (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A sensor for detecting the presence of a target analyte, ligand or molecule in a test fluid, comprising a light transmissive substrate on which an array of surface plasmon resonant (SPR) elements is mounted is described. A multi-channel sensor for detecting the presence of several targets with a single micro-chip sensor is described. A multi-channel sensor including collections of SPR elements which are commonly functionalized to one of several targets is also described. The detectors sense changes in the resonant response of the SPR elements indicative of binding with the targets.

Sub-micron surface plasmon resonance sensor systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glazier, James A. (Inventor); Amarie, Dragos (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A sensor for detecting the presence of a target analyte, ligand or molecule in a test fluid, comprising a light transmissive substrate on which an array of surface plasmon resonant (SPR) elements is mounted is described. A multi-channel sensor for detecting the presence of several targets with a single micro-chip sensor is described. A multi-channel sensor including collections of SPR elements which are commonly functionalized to one of several targets is also described. The detectors sense changes in the resonant response of the SPR elements indicative of binding with the targets.

Application of the Integrative Harmony paradigm and Model.

PubMed

Haley, Janice; Ratliffe, Clark

2006-01-01

Medically-fragile children at home with technologic equipment to support their vital organs place extraordinary demands on the parent caregiver. An ethnographic study was conducted following 12 Pacific Island families in their homes who cared for their medically-fragile child from hospital discharge over a period of two and a half years. Results showed the 'strengths' parents needed and the 'stressors' encountered in caring for their child. Based on the 'strengths' and 'stressors,' the Integrative Harmony Model was introduced as a new nursing model to bring a sense of harmony/balance into the lives of these parents challenged by extreme conditions. This article explains the Integrative Harmony Model and demonstrates its application with a Pacific Island mother and her medically-fragile child. This new and unique nursing model views individuals from an inclusive, non-dualistic world view. In this model, strengths and stressors are not opposed but are melded together in such a way that a sense of harmony is approached. This model challenges the nurse and others to leave behind the usual boundaries and adapt an integrative perspective connecting with clients/others at a level where it is not a case and someone else's life-it is all our lives.

Calculation of the acoustical properties of triadic harmonies.

PubMed

Cook, Norman D

2017-12-01

The author reports that the harmonic "tension" and major/minor "valence" of pitch combinations can be calculated directly from acoustical properties without relying on concepts from traditional harmony theory. The capability to compute the well-known types of harmonic triads means that their perception is not simply a consequence of learning an arbitrary cultural "idiom" handed down from the Italian Renaissance. On the contrary, for typical listeners familiar with diatonic music, attention to certain, definable, acoustical features underlies the perception of the valence (modality) and the inherent tension (instability) of three-tone harmonies.

Food Stowage in Node 2 Harmony

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-04

ISS018-E-044614 (4 April 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 18/19 flight engineer, is pictured near food and drink containers floating freely in the Harmony node of the International Space Station.

A multi-functional guanine derivative for studying the DNA G-quadruplex structure.

PubMed

Ishizuka, Takumi; Zhao, Pei-Yan; Bao, Hong-Liang; Xu, Yan

2017-10-23

In the present study, we developed a multi-functional guanine derivative, 8F G, as a G-quadruplex stabilizer, a fluorescent probe for the detection of G-quadruplex formation, and a 19 F sensor for the observation of the G-quadruplex. We demonstrate that the functional nucleoside bearing a 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzene group at the 8-position of guanine stabilizes the DNA G-quadruplex structure and fluoresces following the G-quadruplex formation. Furthermore, we show that the functional sensor can be used to directly observe DNA G-quadruplexes by 19 F-NMR in living cells. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that the nucleoside derivative simultaneously allows for three kinds of functions at a single G-quadruplex DNA. Our results suggest that the multi-functional nucleoside derivative can be broadly used for studying the G-quadruplex structure and serves as a powerful tool for examining the molecular basis of G-quadruplex formation in vitro and in living cells.

Power-Aware Intrusion Detection in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Şen, Sevil; Clark, John A.; Tapiador, Juan E.

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are a highly promising new form of networking. However they are more vulnerable to attacks than wired networks. In addition, conventional intrusion detection systems (IDS) are ineffective and inefficient for highly dynamic and resource-constrained environments. Achieving an effective operational MANET requires tradeoffs to be made between functional and non-functional criteria. In this paper we show how Genetic Programming (GP) together with a Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) can be used to synthesise intrusion detection programs that make optimal tradeoffs between security criteria and the power they consume.

[Visual art, creativity and dementia].

PubMed

Serrano, C; Allegri, R F; Martelli, M; Taragano, F; Rinalli, P

2005-01-01

Visual art is an expression of neurological function and how it organizes and interprets perception. The art is predominantly in the right hemisphere, in contrast, the left side, have inhibitory effects on artistic expression. In normal subjects, inhibitory and excitatory mechanisms could interact in a complex harmony, reflecting a paradoxical functional facilitation. Brain diseases such as dementia could change this harmony and then, alter the artistic abilities. Evaluate the art expression in the degenerative diseases. Artistic abilities of 3 painters with degenerative diseases were assessment. Patient 1: A 83 - year old right handed female, diagnosis: Alzheimer's disease. Artistic description: low productivity, simplified versions of earlier and alteration of the visuospatial organization. Patient 2: A 78-year-old right handed female, diagnosis: Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA); Artistic description: oversimplified drawings which maintaining overall spatial organization, without impair artistic skills. Patient 3: A 68 year-old right handed woman, diagnosis: Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD). Artistic description: Increased artistic activity, originality, freedom, utilization of intense colours with perseverative and repetitive copying of similar paintings of her own work. Visual art in Alzheimer's disease is a consequence of visuospatial and constructive disabilities. In contrast, the conservation of this cognitive functions and left asymmetrical involved, in FTD and PPA respectively, suggest artistic preservation, independently of the language injury. The disproportionate functional prevalence of the right over the left could lead to a release of novelty - seeking in art and can contribute to emergent creativity. These observations suggest an organization for art in the brain and proposed bases for further investigations in dementias.

Young children's harmonic perception.

PubMed

Costa-Giomi, Eugenia

2003-11-01

Harmony and tonality are two of the most difficult elements for young children to perceive and manipulate and are seldom taught in the schools until the end of early childhood. Children's gradual harmonic and tonal development has been attributed to their cumulative exposure to Western tonal music and their increasing experiential knowledge of its rules and principles. Two questions that are relevant to this problem are: (1) Can focused and systematic teaching accelerate the learning of the harmonic/tonal principles that seem to occur in an implicit way throughout childhood? (2) Are there cognitive constraints that make it difficult for young children to perceive and/or manipulate certain harmonic and tonal principles? A series of studies specifically addressed the first question and suggested some possible answers to the second one. Results showed that harmonic instruction has limited effects on children's perception of harmony and indicated that the drastic improvement in the perception of implied harmony noted approximately at age 9 is due to development rather than instruction. I propose that young children's difficulty in perceiving implied harmony stems from their attention behaviors. Older children have less memory constraints and more strategies to direct their attention to the relevant cues of the stimulus. Younger children focus their attention on the melody, if present in the stimulus, and specifically on its concrete elements such as rhythm, pitch, and contour rather than its abstract elements such as harmony and key. The inference of the abstract harmonic organization of a melody required in the perception of implied harmony is thus an elusive task for the young child.

77 FR 46771 - Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-06

...; ASPA 132-Potter Peninsula; ASPA 133-Harmony Point, Nelson Island; ASPA 134-Cierva Point, Danco Coast... of Admiralty Bay; ASPA 132-Potter Peninsula; ASPA 133-Harmony Point, Nelson Island; ASPA 134-Cierva...

Garrett Reisman, Expedition 17 Haircut in Harmony

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-04

ISS017-E-006253 (4 May 2008) --- Astronaut Garrett Reisman, Expedition 17 flight engineer, trims his hair in the Harmony node of the International Space Station, using hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair.

Combined Operations a Commonwealth Caribbean Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-03

also evolved in harmony with the demographic changes to result in multiparty Westminister style democratic systems, that are today amongst the most...stable and reliable in the world. Institutions such as a free press so important to the successful functioning of Westminister style democracies have...also a recent (1797) addition is of note. These nations can be characterized by a certain tentativeness in their application of the Westminister style

Plant trait detection with multi-scale spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamon, J. A.; Wang, R.

2017-12-01

Proximal and remote sensing using imaging spectrometry offers new opportunities for detecting plant traits, with benefits for phenotyping, productivity estimation, stress detection, and biodiversity studies. Using proximal and airborne spectrometry, we evaluated variation in plant optical properties at various spatial and spectral scales with the goal of identifying optimal scales for distinguishing plant traits related to photosynthetic function. Using directed approaches based on physiological vegetation indices, and statistical approaches based on spectral information content, we explored alternate ways of distinguishing plant traits with imaging spectrometry. With both leaf traits and canopy structure contributing to the signals, results exhibit a strong scale dependence. Our results demonstrate the benefits of multi-scale experimental approaches within a clear conceptual framework when applying remote sensing methods to plant trait detection for phenotyping, productivity, and biodiversity studies.

Intergenerational Learning and Family Harmony.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strom, Robert D.; Strom, Shirley K.

2000-01-01

Field tests of the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory with Chinese, white, African American, and Hispanic American groups illuminated different perceptions about grandparents across cultures and generations. Results were used to develop culturally appropriate grandparent education curricula focused on achieving family harmony. (SK)

Multifunctional System for Observing, Measuring and Analyzing Stimulation-Evoked Neurochemical Signaling

PubMed Central

Kimble, Christopher J.; Boesche, Joshua B.; Eaker, Diane R.; Kressin, Kenneth R.; Trevathan, James K.; Paek, Seungleal; Asp, Anders J.; McIntosh, Malcolm B.; Lujan, J. Luis

2017-01-01

The ability to measure neurotransmitter activity using implanted electrochemical sensors offers researchers a potent technique for analyzing neural activity across specific neural circuitry. We have developed a wirelessly controlled device, WINCS Harmoni, to observe and measure neurotransmitter dynamics at up to four separate sensors, with high temporal and spatial resolution. WINCS Harmoni also incorporates a versatile neurostimulator that can be synchronized with electrochemical recording. The WINCS Harmoni platform is thus optimally suited for probing the neurochemical effects of neurostimulation, and may in turn enable the development of personalized therapies for multiple brain disorders. PMID:29202131

Japanese Kounotori HTV-2 Transfer Vehicle Relocation

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-10

ISS026-E-033197 (10 March 2011) --- In the grasp of the International Space Station’s Canadarm2, the Kounotori2 H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-2) is moved from the space-facing side of the Harmony node back to the Earth-facing port of Harmony. HTV-2 had been moved to the top of Harmony prior to space shuttle Discovery’s arrival for the STS-133 mission. The HTV-2, loaded with trash and materials no longer needed by the station crew, will be unberthed for the final time on March 28 and deorbited the following day.

Reactions of Grape Rootstocks to Pratylenchus vulnus and Meloidogyne spp.

PubMed

Chitambar, J J; Raski, D J

1984-04-01

Five grape rootstocks were inoculated with 0, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 Pratylenchus vulnus. Dogridge and Saltcreek supported low average total numbers of P. vulnus, 136-705/pot, at 12 months after inoculation. Growth of both rootstocks was not affected. Harmony, Couderc 1613, and Ganzin 1 supported high average total numbers, 6-856 times the inoculum levels. Numbers in Harmony continued to increase at all levels but reduced root weight only at the 10,000 level after 12 months. Numbers in Couderc 1613 decreased by 15-30% after 12 months, and root weight was reduced at the 10,000 level. In Ganzin 1, total nematode numbers diminished after 12 months but were still at high levels; growth reduction was proportional to numbers of nematodes added. Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica, and M. arenaria produced galls and egg masses in Harmony and Couderc 1613 only at 36 C. Galling in Ganzin 1 increased with increasing temperature. Galls in Ganzin 1 at 18 C supported mature females after 90 days. Harmony was resistant to M. incognita in single and concomitant inoculations of P. vulnus and M. incognita. At 250 days after inoculation, total numbers of P. vulnus increased above the inoculum level and the 150-day values; increase was greatest in P. vulnus added singly. Neither nematode species affected growth of Harmony.

Color group selection for computer interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyons, Paul; Moretti, Giovanni; Wilson, Mark

2000-06-01

We describe a low-impact method for coloring interfaces harmoniously. The method uses a model that characterizes the overall image including the need for distinguishability between interface components. The degree of visual distinction between one component and other components, and its color strength (which increases with its importance and decreases with its size and longevity), are used in generating a rigid ball-and-stick 'color molecule,' which represents the color relationships between the interface components. The shape of the color molecule is chosen to conform to standard principles of color harmony (like colors harmonize, complementary colors harmonize, cycles in the color space harmonize, and so on). The color molecule's shape is fixed, but its position and orientation within the perceptually uniform color solid are not. The end user of the application chooses a new color scheme for the complete interface by repositioning the molecule within the color space. The molecule's shape and rigidity, and the space's perceptual uniformity, ensures the distinguishability and color harmony of the components are maintained. The system produces a selection of color schemes which often include subtle 'nameless' colors that people rarely choose using conventional color controls, but which blend smoothly into a harmonious color scheme. A new set of equally harmonious color schemes only requires repositioning the color molecule within the space.

[Evaluation on the eco-economic benefits of small watershed in Beijing mountainous area: a case of Yanqi River watershed].

PubMed

Xiao, Hui-Jie; Wei, Zi-Gang; Wang, Qing; Zhu, Xiao-Bo

2012-12-01

Based on the theory of harmonious development of ecological economy, a total of 13 evaluation indices were selected from the ecological, economic, and social sub-systems of Yanqi River watershed in Huairou District of Beijing. The selected evaluation indices were normalized by using trapezoid functions, and the weights of the evaluation indices were determined by analytic hierarchy process. Then, the eco-economic benefits of the watershed were evaluated with weighted composite index method. From 2004 to 2011, the ecological, economic, and social benefits of Yanqi River watershed all had somewhat increase, among which, ecological benefit increased most, with the value changed from 0.210 in 2004 to 0.255 in 2011 and an increment of 21.5%. The eco-economic benefits of the watershed increased from 0.734 in 2004 to 0.840 in 2011, with an increment of 14.2%. At present, the watershed reached the stage of advanced ecosystem, being in beneficial circulation and harmonious development of ecology, economy, and society.

Factors affecting quality of social interaction park in Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangunsong, N. I.

2018-01-01

The existence of social interactions park in Jakarta is an oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle. Parks is a response to the need for open space as a place of recreation and community interaction. Often the social interaction parks built by the government does not function as expected, but other functions such as a place to sell, trash, unsafe so be rarely visited by visitors. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that affect the quality of social interaction parks in Jakarta by conducting descriptive analysis and correlation analysis of the variables assessment. The results of the analysis can give an idea of social interactions park based on community needs and propose the development of social interactioncity park. The object of study are 25 social interaction parks in 5 municipalities of Jakarta. The method used is descriptive analysis method, correlation analysis using SPSS 19 and using crosstab, chi-square tests. The variables are 5 aspects of Design, Plants composition: Selection type of plant (D); the beauty and harmony (Ind); Maintenance and fertility (P); Cleanliness and Environmental Health (BS); Specificity (Drainage, Multi Function garden, Means, Concern/Mutual cooperation, in dense settlements) (K). The results of analysis show that beauty is the most significant correlation with the value of the park followed by specificity, cleanliness and maintenance. Design was not the most significant variable affecting the quality of the park. The results of this study can be used by the Department of Parks and Cemeteries as input in managing park existing or to be developed and to improve the quality of social interaction park in Jakarta.

Ubiquitous Low-Cost Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Sensors for Distributed Methane Leak Detection

DOE PAGES

Humayun, Md Tanim; Divan, Ralu; Stan, Liliana; ...

2016-06-16

This paper presents a highly sensitive, energy efficient and low-cost distributed methane (CH 4) sensor system (DMSS) for continuous monitoring, detection, and localization of CH 4 leaks in natural gas infrastructure, such as transmission and distribution pipelines, wells, and production pads. The CH 4 sensing element, a key component of the DMSS, consists of a metal oxide nanocrystal (MONC) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) mesh which, in comparison to existing literature, shows stronger relative resistance change while interacting with lower parts per million (ppm) concentration of CH 4. A Gaussian plume triangulation algorithm has been developed for the DMSS. Givenmore » a geometric model of the surrounding environment the algorithm can precisely detect and localize a CH 4 leak as well as estimate its mass emission rate. A UV-based surface recovery technique making the sensor recover 10 times faster than the reported ones is presented for the DMSS. In conclusion, a control algorithm based on the UV-accelerated recovery is developed which facilitates faster leak detection.« less

Robert Owen, William Maclure and New Harmony.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mclaren, David J.

1996-01-01

Discusses the utopian philosophy and related educational practices of the early 19th-century communitarian settlement in New Harmony, Indiana. The settlement failed after several years, due in no small part to the falling out between its two main supporters, Robert Owen and William Maclure. (MJP)

Physical objects as vehicles of cultural transmission: maintaining harmony and uniqueness through colored geometric patterns.

PubMed

Ishii, Keiko; Miyamoto, Yuri; Rule, Nicholas O; Toriyama, Rie

2014-02-01

We examined how cultural values of harmony and uniqueness are represented and maintained through physical media (i.e., colorings of geometric patterns) and how individuals play an active role in selecting and maintaining such cultural values. We found that colorings produced by European American adults and children were judged as more unique, whereas colorings produced by Japanese adults and children were judged as more harmonious, reflecting cultural differences in values. Harmony undergirded Japanese participants' preferences for colorings, whereas uniqueness undergirded European American participants' preferences for colorings. These cultural differences led participants to prefer own-culture colorings over other-culture colorings. Moreover, bicultural participants' preferences acculturated according to their identification with their host culture. Furthermore, child rearers in Japan and Canada gave feedback about the children's colorings that were consistent with their culture's values. These findings suggest that simple geometric patterns can embody cultural values that are socialized and reinforced from an early age.

Dynamic Harmony Search with Polynomial Mutation Algorithm for Valve-Point Economic Load Dispatch

PubMed Central

Karthikeyan, M.; Sree Ranga Raja, T.

2015-01-01

Economic load dispatch (ELD) problem is an important issue in the operation and control of modern control system. The ELD problem is complex and nonlinear with equality and inequality constraints which makes it hard to be efficiently solved. This paper presents a new modification of harmony search (HS) algorithm named as dynamic harmony search with polynomial mutation (DHSPM) algorithm to solve ORPD problem. In DHSPM algorithm the key parameters of HS algorithm like harmony memory considering rate (HMCR) and pitch adjusting rate (PAR) are changed dynamically and there is no need to predefine these parameters. Additionally polynomial mutation is inserted in the updating step of HS algorithm to favor exploration and exploitation of the search space. The DHSPM algorithm is tested with three power system cases consisting of 3, 13, and 40 thermal units. The computational results show that the DHSPM algorithm is more effective in finding better solutions than other computational intelligence based methods. PMID:26491710

Dynamic Harmony Search with Polynomial Mutation Algorithm for Valve-Point Economic Load Dispatch.

PubMed

Karthikeyan, M; Raja, T Sree Ranga

2015-01-01

Economic load dispatch (ELD) problem is an important issue in the operation and control of modern control system. The ELD problem is complex and nonlinear with equality and inequality constraints which makes it hard to be efficiently solved. This paper presents a new modification of harmony search (HS) algorithm named as dynamic harmony search with polynomial mutation (DHSPM) algorithm to solve ORPD problem. In DHSPM algorithm the key parameters of HS algorithm like harmony memory considering rate (HMCR) and pitch adjusting rate (PAR) are changed dynamically and there is no need to predefine these parameters. Additionally polynomial mutation is inserted in the updating step of HS algorithm to favor exploration and exploitation of the search space. The DHSPM algorithm is tested with three power system cases consisting of 3, 13, and 40 thermal units. The computational results show that the DHSPM algorithm is more effective in finding better solutions than other computational intelligence based methods.

Car painting process scheduling with harmony search algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syahputra, M. F.; Maiyasya, A.; Purnamawati, S.; Abdullah, D.; Albra, W.; Heikal, M.; Abdurrahman, A.; Khaddafi, M.

2018-02-01

Automotive painting program in the process of painting the car body by using robot power, making efficiency in the production system. Production system will be more efficient if pay attention to scheduling of car order which will be done by considering painting body shape of car. Flow shop scheduling is a scheduling model in which the job-job to be processed entirely flows in the same product direction / path. Scheduling problems often arise if there are n jobs to be processed on the machine, which must be specified which must be done first and how to allocate jobs on the machine to obtain a scheduled production process. Harmony Search Algorithm is a metaheuristic optimization algorithm based on music. The algorithm is inspired by observations that lead to music in search of perfect harmony. This musical harmony is in line to find optimal in the optimization process. Based on the tests that have been done, obtained the optimal car sequence with minimum makespan value.

Modelling derecho dynamics and the direct radiative effect of wildfire smoke upon it with NWP model HARMONIE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toll, Velle; Männik, Aarne

2014-05-01

Convection permitting numerical weather prediction model HARMONIE was used to simulate the dynamics of the derecho that swept over Eastern Europe on August 8, 2010. The storm moved over Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland and the strongest wind gusts (up to 36.5 m/s) were measured in Estonia. The storm path is recorded on the radar images where characteristic bow echo was observed. The model setup was similar to near-future operational, nearly kilometre-scale environments in European national weather services. Hindcast experiments show the ability of the HARMONIE model to predict the severe convective storm and forecast concurrent strong wind gusts. Wind gusts with very similar intensity to observed ones were simulated by the HARMONIE model and 2.5-km horizontal resolution appears sufficient for reliable forecast of the derecho event. The timing of the modelled storm was in good agreement with the observations. The simulated average storm propagation speed was 25 m/s, similar to the radar observations. Hindcast experiments suggest that more precise warning for the storm could have been issued if the HARMONIE model would have been utilised. The derecho event was accompanied by the remarkable smoke aerosol concentrations (maximum total aerosol optical depth more than 4 at 550 nm) originating from the wildfires from Russia. Smoke plume travelled clockwise around Moscow from August 5 to 9. On August 8, 2010, smoke plume was situated on the Eastern border of Estonia. The derecho occurred on the western side of the smoke plume path. HARMONIE experiments were performed to study the direct radiative effect of wildfire smoke on a severe convective storm. The impact of smoke aerosol on the derecho dynamics was investigated. Reduction in the shortwave radiation flux at the surface resulting from aerosol influence simulated by the HARMONIE model is up to 200 W/m2 in the area with the highest aerosol concentrations. This causes near surface cooling of up to 3 ºC. The direct radiative effect of aerosol increases the stability of the atmospheric boundary layer and this had influence on the simulated derecho dynamics.

Novel images extraction model using improved delay vector variance feature extraction and multi-kernel neural network for EEG detection and prediction.

PubMed

Ge, Jing; Zhang, Guoping

2015-01-01

Advanced intelligent methodologies could help detect and predict diseases from the EEG signals in cases the manual analysis is inefficient available, for instance, the epileptic seizures detection and prediction. This is because the diversity and the evolution of the epileptic seizures make it very difficult in detecting and identifying the undergoing disease. Fortunately, the determinism and nonlinearity in a time series could characterize the state changes. Literature review indicates that the Delay Vector Variance (DVV) could examine the nonlinearity to gain insight into the EEG signals but very limited work has been done to address the quantitative DVV approach. Hence, the outcomes of the quantitative DVV should be evaluated to detect the epileptic seizures. To develop a new epileptic seizure detection method based on quantitative DVV. This new epileptic seizure detection method employed an improved delay vector variance (IDVV) to extract the nonlinearity value as a distinct feature. Then a multi-kernel functions strategy was proposed in the extreme learning machine (ELM) network to provide precise disease detection and prediction. The nonlinearity is more sensitive than the energy and entropy. 87.5% overall accuracy of recognition and 75.0% overall accuracy of forecasting were achieved. The proposed IDVV and multi-kernel ELM based method was feasible and effective for epileptic EEG detection. Hence, the newly proposed method has importance for practical applications.

Passion in breast cancer survivors: examining links to emotional well-being.

PubMed

Burke, Shaunna M; Sabiston, Catherine M; Vallerand, Robert J

2012-11-01

This study (1) identified the activities that breast cancer survivors report as passionate; (2) examined whether levels of passion differed based on the types of passionate activities reported and; (3) examined the association between harmonious and obsessive passion and emotional well-being. Early post-treatment breast cancer survivors (N = 177) reported passionate physical activities as most prevalent, and reported higher harmonious passion scores compared to women reporting relaxing and social leisure activities. Harmonious passion was associated with higher positive affect and lower cancer worry. Obsessive passion was linked to higher negative affect, cancer worry, and posttraumatic growth. Passion is important for enhanced well-being.

How the Catholic Schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina Are Helping to Build Inter-Faith Harmony and Understanding after Years of Conflict

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovric, Ivan

2017-01-01

From a modest beginning in 1994 with a single school and a little more than 500 pupils, the system of Catholic schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina developed to its 7 currently functioning Catholic School Centres, with 14 schools and 4683 enrolled pupils. From the beginning these Catholic schools were open equally to Catholic and non-Catholic…

Economic value of ecosystem conservation in Japan: Reduction of starting point bias by bid effect function

Treesearch

Mitsuyasu Yabe

2007-01-01

Over 18 million people visit and enjoy the view of the world’s largest class caldera topography, which forms the important landscape element of National Park Aso. Aso grassland spreads and rare plants exist in the harmony of nature and human activities. This study was a Contingent Valuation (CV) survey to estimate the conservation value of Aso grassland. We...

Mass Media Theory, Leveraging Relationships, and Reliable Strategic Communication Effects

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-19

other people who are in the same social and cultural groups. Families respond to patriarchs and matriarchs , congregations respond to pastors, and teens...media to self-correct behavior in order to make society seem more “normal.” Verbal and Written Message- Centric Theories Premise of Theory Magic...Effects Harmony and Balance People gravitate toward information they already believe. Structural Functionalism When society begins to seem

Mathematics--A Search for Harmony.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnold, Stephen

1991-01-01

The harmonic mean, neglected in favor of arithmetic and geometric means in modern mathematics, is defined and its historical relationship to music as presented by Pythagoras is described. Two geometric constructions present a picture of harmony, and an application in calculating the square root of a number is given. (MDH)

Work Stress in the Family Life of African Americans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broman, Clifford L.

2001-01-01

Investigated the link between job-related stressors and family life among African Americans. Data from African Americans who participated in the America's Changing Lives survey indicated that job latitude positively affected marital harmony, and physical demands negatively affected marital harmony. Psychosocial demands, job bother, and chronic…

Golden Sections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Stephen N.

2006-01-01

In this article, the author states that architects, musicians and other thoughtful people have, since the time of Pythagoras, been fascinated by various harmonious proportions. One, is the visual harmony attributed to Euclid, called "the golden section". He explores this concept in geometries of one, two and three dimensions. He added, that in…

Region-specific network plasticity in simulated and living cortical networks: comparison of the center of activity trajectory (CAT) with other statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Zenas C.; Bakkum, Douglas J.; Potter, Steve M.

2007-09-01

Electrically interfaced cortical networks cultured in vitro can be used as a model for studying the network mechanisms of learning and memory. Lasting changes in functional connectivity have been difficult to detect with extracellular multi-electrode arrays using standard firing rate statistics. We used both simulated and living networks to compare the ability of various statistics to quantify functional plasticity at the network level. Using a simulated integrate-and-fire neural network, we compared five established statistical methods to one of our own design, called center of activity trajectory (CAT). CAT, which depicts dynamics of the location-weighted average of spatiotemporal patterns of action potentials across the physical space of the neuronal circuitry, was the most sensitive statistic for detecting tetanus-induced plasticity in both simulated and living networks. By reducing the dimensionality of multi-unit data while still including spatial information, CAT allows efficient real-time computation of spatiotemporal activity patterns. Thus, CAT will be useful for studies in vivo or in vitro in which the locations of recording sites on multi-electrode probes are important.

Detection and classification of interstitial lung diseases and emphysema using a joint morphological-fuzzy approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang Chien, Kuang-Che; Fetita, Catalin; Brillet, Pierre-Yves; Prêteux, Françoise; Chang, Ruey-Feng

2009-02-01

Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) has high accuracy and specificity on volumetrically capturing serial images of the lung. It increases the capability of computerized classification for lung tissue in medical research. This paper proposes a three-dimensional (3D) automated approach based on mathematical morphology and fuzzy logic for quantifying and classifying interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and emphysema. The proposed methodology is composed of several stages: (1) an image multi-resolution decomposition scheme based on a 3D morphological filter is used to detect and analyze the different density patterns of the lung texture. Then, (2) for each pattern in the multi-resolution decomposition, six features are computed, for which fuzzy membership functions define a probability of association with a pathology class. Finally, (3) for each pathology class, the probabilities are combined up according to the weight assigned to each membership function and two threshold values are used to decide the final class of the pattern. The proposed approach was tested on 10 MDCT cases and the classification accuracy was: emphysema: 95%, fibrosis/honeycombing: 84% and ground glass: 97%.

Joint pricing and production management: a geometric programming approach with consideration of cubic production cost function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadjadi, Seyed Jafar; Hamidi Hesarsorkh, Aghil; Mohammadi, Mehdi; Bonyadi Naeini, Ali

2015-06-01

Coordination and harmony between different departments of a company can be an important factor in achieving competitive advantage if the company corrects alignment between strategies of different departments. This paper presents an integrated decision model based on recent advances of geometric programming technique. The demand of a product considers as a power function of factors such as product's price, marketing expenditures, and consumer service expenditures. Furthermore, production cost considers as a cubic power function of outputs. The model will be solved by recent advances in convex optimization tools. Finally, the solution procedure is illustrated by numerical example.

Enhanced multi-protocol analysis via intelligent supervised embedding (EMPrAvISE): detecting prostate cancer on multi-parametric MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanath, Satish; Bloch, B. Nicholas; Chappelow, Jonathan; Patel, Pratik; Rofsky, Neil; Lenkinski, Robert; Genega, Elizabeth; Madabhushi, Anant

2011-03-01

Currently, there is significant interest in developing methods for quantitative integration of multi-parametric (structural, functional) imaging data with the objective of building automated meta-classifiers to improve disease detection, diagnosis, and prognosis. Such techniques are required to address the differences in dimensionalities and scales of individual protocols, while deriving an integrated multi-parametric data representation which best captures all disease-pertinent information available. In this paper, we present a scheme called Enhanced Multi-Protocol Analysis via Intelligent Supervised Embedding (EMPrAvISE); a powerful, generalizable framework applicable to a variety of domains for multi-parametric data representation and fusion. Our scheme utilizes an ensemble of embeddings (via dimensionality reduction, DR); thereby exploiting the variance amongst multiple uncorrelated embeddings in a manner similar to ensemble classifier schemes (e.g. Bagging, Boosting). We apply this framework to the problem of prostate cancer (CaP) detection on 12 3 Tesla pre-operative in vivo multi-parametric (T2-weighted, Dynamic Contrast Enhanced, and Diffusion-weighted) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, in turn comprising a total of 39 2D planar MR images. We first align the different imaging protocols via automated image registration, followed by quantification of image attributes from individual protocols. Multiple embeddings are generated from the resultant high-dimensional feature space which are then combined intelligently to yield a single stable solution. Our scheme is employed in conjunction with graph embedding (for DR) and probabilistic boosting trees (PBTs) to detect CaP on multi-parametric MRI. Finally, a probabilistic pairwise Markov Random Field algorithm is used to apply spatial constraints to the result of the PBT classifier, yielding a per-voxel classification of CaP presence. Per-voxel evaluation of detection results against ground truth for CaP extent on MRI (obtained by spatially registering pre-operative MRI with available whole-mount histological specimens) reveals that EMPrAvISE yields a statistically significant improvement (AUC=0.77) over classifiers constructed from individual protocols (AUC=0.62, 0.62, 0.65, for T2w, DCE, DWI respectively) as well as one trained using multi-parametric feature concatenation (AUC=0.67).

Solving bezel reliability and CRT obsolescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, Richard J.; Bowen, Arlen R.; Knowles, Terry

2003-09-01

Scientific Research Corporation designed a Smart Multi-Function Color Display with Positive Pilot Feedback under the funding of an U. S. Navy Small Business Innovative Research program. The Smart Multi-Function Color Display can replace the obsolete monochrome Cathode Ray Tube display currently on the T-45C aircraft built by Boeing. The design utilizes a flat panel color Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display and TexZec's patented Touch Thru Metal bezel technology providing both visual and biomechanical feedback to the pilot in a form, fit, and function replacement to the current T-45C display. Use of an existing color AMLCD, requires the least adaptation to fill the requirements of this application, thereby minimizing risk associated with developing a new display technology and maximizing the investment in improved user interface technology. The improved user interface uses TexZec's Touch Thru Metal technology to eliminate all of the moving parts that traditionally have limited Mean-Time-Between-Failure. The touch detection circuit consists of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf components, creating touch detection circuitry, which is simple and durable. This technology provides robust switch activation and a high level of environmental immunity, both mechanical and electrical. Replacement of all the T-45C multi-function displays with this design will improve the Mean-Time-Between-Failure and drastically reduce display life cycle costs. The design methodology described in this paper can be adapted to any new or replacement display.

Learning as a Dissonant Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kutnowski, Martin

2005-01-01

In this article, the author recounts his experience teaching MU-241, Music Harmony and Counterpoint, which is a capstone course for the music electronics program--a two-year associate of arts and sciences degree--at Queensborough Community College, City University of New York. The class, a difficult one, combines harmony, counterpoint, and piano,…

Music: Instrumental Techniques, Strings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Philip

A course in music which emphasizes harmony is presented. The approach used is a laboratory one in which pupils will develop skill in playing orchestral string instruments, sing, listen to, read and compose music with emphasis on elementary concepts of harmony. Course objectives include: (1) The student will select the title of a familiar melody…

Nasal Harmony in Aguaruna.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moon, Gui-Sun

A discussion of the nasal harmony of Aguaruna, a language of the Jivaroan family in South America, approaches the subject from the viewpoint of generative phonology. This theory of phonology proposes an underlying nasal consonant, later deleted, that accounts for vowel nasalization. Complex rules that suppose a complex system of vowel and…

Instrumental Techniques--Band, Course Numbers: Music: 5642.45, 5643.45.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutton, Mack

An introduction to music emphasizing harmony, this course provides a laboratory approach in which pupils will develop skill in playing brass and woodwind instruments, sing, listen to, read and compose music with emphasis on elementary concepts of harmony. This handbook provides, in outline format, the following: Course Description; Course…

Multilinguality, Education and Harmony

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agnihotri, Rama Kant

2014-01-01

Language conceptualised as multilinguality is constitutive of being human and may be a potential site for negotiating conflict and exploring paths of harmony in education. In various domains of activity, most people would rather see "a language" as a homogeneous, pure and standard pairing of a lexicon and syntax. There is substantial…

Harmonious Learning: Yoga in the English Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Lisa

2011-01-01

This article looks at one way for teachers to make classrooms emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy places to learn--places where tensions and stresses are lessened and where teachers and students are concentrating, yet relaxed. "Harmonious language learning classroom" is the term the author coined to describe this kind of language…

NOVEL ZINC OXIDE FUNCTIONALIZED CARBON NANOTUBE CHEMIRESISTOR SENSOR ENHANCED WITH SURFACE O2 PLASMA INDUCED DEFECTS FOR METHANEDETECTION AT SINGLE PPM LEVEL

EPA Science Inventory

Novelty/Progress ClaimsThis paper presents a novel functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) based chemiresistor sensor which can detect methane at 2 ppm concentration level at room temperature with relative resistance change (RRC) of 2%. This is the highest reported ...

Music Structure Analysis from Acoustic Signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dannenberg, Roger B.; Goto, Masataka

Music is full of structure, including sections, sequences of distinct musical textures, and the repetition of phrases or entire sections. The analysis of music audio relies upon feature vectors that convey information about music texture or pitch content. Texture generally refers to the average spectral shape and statistical fluctuation, often reflecting the set of sounding instruments, e.g., strings, vocal, or drums. Pitch content reflects melody and harmony, which is often independent of texture. Structure is found in several ways. Segment boundaries can be detected by observing marked changes in locally averaged texture.

Local Wisdom of The Native Settlement as A Main Gate in The Northern Axis of Javanese City Center In Semarang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siti Rukayah, R.; Respati Puguh, Dhanang, Dr; Sri Susilo, Endang; Sahid Indraswara, Mohammad

2018-05-01

Similar to the city structure of Islamic cities in Java, Semarang also has multi-ethnic kampongs located around alun-alun / traditional square. There is a uniqueness kampong ethnic village that was located in the coastal city of Semarang. Now there are no longer in coastal area. Based on historical method using some old maps and the old images and field study resulted that the old city centre of Semarang had a north axis connecting the seaport (Kampung Darat - 14th century) to the alun-alun as administrative city centre (16th century). The axis was once a commercial corridor with settlements arrays behind the commercial corridor. There is some local wisdom in the settlement arrangement. The economic and religious harmonies live together along the corridor. The ethnic Chinese and Arabs as a merchant set up shop houses in the corridor that had a strategic value. Meanwhile, Malay, Arab, Cirebon and Banjar settlements located behind commercial corridors. This corridor present that the economic activity dominated done by Arabic and Chinese trader. Local wisdom in urban design heritage along North axis functioned as main gate to traditional city centre. The local wisdom is potential to be integrated with recent situation and replicated in another region

Combating School Bullying through Developmental Guidance for Positive Youth Development and Promoting Harmonious School Culture

PubMed Central

Hui, Eadaoin K. P.; Tsang, Sandra K. M.; Law, Bella C. M.

2011-01-01

Bullying and violence, which can bring detrimental effects, are situations which young people have to face in their process of development. Though school bullying has been a spreading and explicit problem in Hong Kong schools, most of the programs or guidelines dealing with the problem lack citywide, recognized initiatives and the effectiveness of these programs is unknown due to the lack of evaluation. The present paper discusses preventing school bullying from a developmental guidance perspective, using the positive youth development paradigm and promoting the values of harmony and forgiveness at the whole-school level to cultivate a harmonious school culture as a way of combating school bullying. PMID:22194662

The Role of Relational Harmony in the Use of Drug-Refusal Strategies of Rural Native Hawaiian Youths

PubMed Central

Bills, Kaycee; Okamoto, Scott K.; Helm, Susana

2016-01-01

This study examined the role of maintaining relational harmony among family members in the use of drug refusal strategies for rural Hawaiian youth. Youth focus groups were conducted to validate refusal strategies used in realistic, hypothetical drug-related problem situations. The findings suggested gender-specific motivations for maintaining relational harmony among family members when faced with drug offers from them. Specifically, boys described instrumental concerns when using refusal strategies (i.e., not wanting to get into trouble), while girls described holistic relational concerns (i.e., not wanting family members to be upset with each other). Implications for prevention and social work practice are discussed. PMID:28133439

Combating school bullying through developmental guidance for positive youth development and promoting harmonious school culture.

PubMed

Hui, Eadaoin K P; Tsang, Sandra K M; Law, Bella C M

2011-01-01

Bullying and violence, which can bring detrimental effects, are situations which young people have to face in their process of development. Though school bullying has been a spreading and explicit problem in Hong Kong schools, most of the programs or guidelines dealing with the problem lack citywide, recognized initiatives and the effectiveness of these programs is unknown due to the lack of evaluation. The present paper discusses preventing school bullying from a developmental guidance perspective, using the positive youth development paradigm and promoting the values of harmony and forgiveness at the whole-school level to cultivate a harmonious school culture as a way of combating school bullying.

Outlier Detection in Infrared Signatures

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

for model idcntification. Gnanadcsikan (1977) pointed out that Hampci’s influence function (Huampcl (1974)) can bc used to estimate the effect...individual outliers have on sample estimates of parameters. Chernick noted that the influence function for parameters of intcrcst to the users of a data...important outliers, while those with amall estimated influence are not). In this way the influence function provides a "distance" measure for multi

A Proposed Logistics Strategy for the Defense of Republic of Korea

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

business such as the computer industrye electronics,, and avionics ;the informa- tion expaasioa and industrial automation. The ispact of any cae cf these...interrelated. it is vital to seek harmony amons the national and internaticnal ioUi- cies, strategic plans, and military programs . While it is naive...forvazding roles contributed to export efficiency in that one function can achieve an overviev of the export process. •he ttird task elesemt, dispatch order

A systematic approach to the control of esthetic form.

PubMed

Preston, J D

1976-04-01

A systematic, orderly approach to the problem of establishing harmonious phonetics, esthetics, and function in fixed restorations has been described. The system requires an initial investment of time in performing an adequate diagnostic waxing, but recoups that time in many clinical and laboratory procedures. The method has proved a valuable asset in fixed prosthodontic care. The technique can be expanded and combined with other techniques with a little imagination and artistic bent.

A Multi-Modality CMOS Sensor Array for Cell-Based Assay and Drug Screening.

PubMed

Chi, Taiyun; Park, Jong Seok; Butts, Jessica C; Hookway, Tracy A; Su, Amy; Zhu, Chengjie; Styczynski, Mark P; McDevitt, Todd C; Wang, Hua

2015-12-01

In this paper, we present a fully integrated multi-modality CMOS cellular sensor array with four sensing modalities to characterize different cell physiological responses, including extracellular voltage recording, cellular impedance mapping, optical detection with shadow imaging and bioluminescence sensing, and thermal monitoring. The sensor array consists of nine parallel pixel groups and nine corresponding signal conditioning blocks. Each pixel group comprises one temperature sensor and 16 tri-modality sensor pixels, while each tri-modality sensor pixel can be independently configured for extracellular voltage recording, cellular impedance measurement (voltage excitation/current sensing), and optical detection. This sensor array supports multi-modality cellular sensing at the pixel level, which enables holistic cell characterization and joint-modality physiological monitoring on the same cellular sample with a pixel resolution of 80 μm × 100 μm. Comprehensive biological experiments with different living cell samples demonstrate the functionality and benefit of the proposed multi-modality sensing in cell-based assay and drug screening.

Sex is a Family Affair: Sources of Discord and Harmony

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scharff, David E.

1976-01-01

This paper explores family aspects of sexual issues demonstrating that when sexual dysfunction represents the distillation of a couple's relationship to their own parents, successful resolution of their own sexual relationship may be a crucial first step in rebuilding family harmony and providing a culture of intimacy for their children. (Author)

The Ties that Bind and Those that Don't: Toward Reconciling Group Threat and Contact Theories of Prejudice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, Jeffrey C.

2006-01-01

Does interracial/interethnic propinquity breed hostility or harmony? Group threat and contact theories generally answer hostility and harmony, respectively. The author proposes that a historically and culturally rooted racial/ethnic hierarchy differentially shapes whites' present-day threat of, contact with, and ultimately, prejudice towards…

Assimilation as Attraction: Computing Distance, Similarity, and Locality in Phonology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wayment, Adam

2009-01-01

This dissertation explores similarity effects in assimilation, proposing an Attraction Framework to analyze cases of parasitic harmony where a trigger-target pair only results in harmony if the trigger and target agree on other features. Attraction provides a natural model of these effects by relating the pressure for assimilation to the…

Social Harmony and Diversity: The Affordances and Constraints of Harmony as an Educational Goal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Li-Ching

2017-01-01

Background/Context: There is a pressing need to consider how citizens should live together, especially in societies that are increasingly ethnically and politically diverse. Even though multicultural education is constructed very differently and serves very different purposes in different national contexts, relatively little attention has been…

Vowel Harmony in Palestinian Arabic: A Metrical Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu-Salim, I. M.

1987-01-01

The autosegmental rule of vowel harmony (VH) in Palestinian Arabic is shown to be constrained simultaneously by metrical and segmental boundaries. The indicative prefix bi- is no longer an exception to VH if a structure is assumed that disallows the prefix from sharing a foot with the stem, consequently blocking VH. (Author/LMO)

Relations among Perceived Parental Control, Warmth, Indulgence, and Family Harmony of Chinese in Mainland China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lau, Sing; And Others

1990-01-01

Results of a study of 925 educated Chinese who recalled child-rearing patterns of their parents indicated that greater perceived parental dominating control was related to less perceived parental warmth and that greater parental warmth and less parental control were related to greater perceived family harmony. (RH)

Passion and Motivation for Studying: Predicting Academic Engagement and Burnout in University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoeber, Joachim; Childs, Julian H.; Hayward, Jennifer A.; Feast, Alexandra R.

2011-01-01

Research on the dualistic model of passion has investigated harmonious and obsessive passion in many domains. However, few studies have investigated passion for studying and the role passion for studying plays in student engagement and well-being. The present study investigated the relationships between harmonious and obsessive passion for…

Music Education in China: In Search of Social Harmony and Chinese Nationalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, Wing-Wah; Ho, Wai-Chung

2011-01-01

This article critically examines how interactions between social changes, social harmony, and historical memory shape school music education in China. As a historical review and documentary analysis, it traces the historical development of music education and examines the Chinese government's role in such interactions over time. The article argues…

Vowel Harmony: A Variable Rule in Brazilian Portuguese.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bisol, Leda

1989-01-01

Examines vowel harmony in the "Gaucho dialect" of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Informants from four areas of the state were studied: the capital city (Porto Alegre), the border region with Uruguay, and two areas of the interior populated by descendants of nineteenth-century immigrants from Europe, mainly Germans and…

Historical Missions of Universities under the Guidance of Harmonious Socialistic Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Guo-cui; Wang, Lian-sen; Chen, Guo-jun; Wang, Xiu-cheng

2008-01-01

The construction of harmonious socialistic society is a majestic mission proposed by Communist Party of China from the perspective of constructing a well-to-do society and initiating a new era of socialistic enterprise with Chinese characteristics. Based on this glorious objective, universities should undertake the responsibilities of educating…

The Effect of Literature on Personality Development of Individuals Using Some Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatlilioglu, Kasim

2017-01-01

The aim of this work is to investigate whether literature has effect on the personality development of individuals or not. This works aims to provide answers to the following research questions: "Does literature have effect on individuals' general harmony level, their social cohesion levels, personal harmony level, self-actualization level,…

Products and Processes of Agri-Scientific Service-Learning: Adding Harmony to Dopico and Garcia-Vazquez

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boggs, George L.

2011-01-01

This forum response adds a conceptualization of harmony to Dopico and Vazquez' investigation of pedagogy that combines citizen science, environmental and cross-cultural research, and service-learning. Placing many appropriate and significant aspects of culturally situated science education in an authentically relational context beyond the…

Reaching Residents of Green Communities: Evaluation of a Unique Environmental Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hostetler, Mark; Swiman, Elizabeth; Prizzia, Anna; Noiseux, Krystal

2008-01-01

Often in green communities, homeowner understanding is left out of the project. We evaluated the impact of a new environmental education program installed in a green community, Town of Harmony, Florida. Consisting of educational kiosks, website, and brochure, we evaluated whether Harmony residents' environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors…

"Harmony with Voice:" Poetry with Purpose

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassig, Ronda

2012-01-01

Harmony Middle School educators recently undertook a project that combined poetry and real-service action for students. The students worked with a published poet and wrote beautiful poems and then blogged with art students in the district. The art students made ceramic bowls that represented the poems. The combined project was done for True Light,…

Spanning the Gulf: Empathy, Dialogue, and Harmony in Exploring Literature of Diversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sellers, Murray McCowen

2007-01-01

The gulf that separates us as individuals--our backgrounds, our experiences, our priorities, our essential points of view--is not always easy to span. This article discusses the author's belief that "spanning the gulf" of "diversity" in the classroom is best achieved through empathy, dialogue, and harmony. Murray McCowen…

Learning To Live in Harmony and Diversity: Focus on Human Rights Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ASPBAE Courier, 1993

1993-01-01

This special issue centers around the theme of education for peace and human rights. It contains materials concerning the practice of adult education in the Asian-South Pacific region. The journal contains 15 papers. The following papers provide regional perspectives: "Learning to Live in Harmony and Diversity" (editorial) (Rajesh…

From autonomy to creativity: a multilevel investigation of the mediating role of harmonious passion.

PubMed

Liu, Dong; Chen, Xiao-Ping; Yao, Xin

2011-03-01

Building on self-determination theory, we theorized about and demonstrated, through 2 multilevel field studies, the pivotal role of harmonious passion in translating organizational autonomy support and individual autonomy orientation into job creativity. Results based on 3-level data from 856 members in 111 teams within 23 work units of a porous metal company (Study 1) and from 525 employees in 98 teams of 18 branches of a large commercial bank (Study 2) revealed 2 major findings. First, organizational autonomy support from a higher organizational level (unit or branch) compensated for the effect of autonomy support from a lower organizational level (team) or individual autonomy orientation on employees' harmonious passion. Second, harmonious passion mediated the interactive effects of unit (branch) autonomy support and team member autonomy orientation, of team autonomy support and team member autonomy orientation, and of unit (branch) autonomy support and team autonomy support on individual creativity. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings in the organizational context. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

HARMONY: a server for the assessment of protein structures

PubMed Central

Pugalenthi, G.; Shameer, K.; Srinivasan, N.; Sowdhamini, R.

2006-01-01

Protein structure validation is an important step in computational modeling and structure determination. Stereochemical assessment of protein structures examine internal parameters such as bond lengths and Ramachandran (φ,ψ) angles. Gross structure prediction methods such as inverse folding procedure and structure determination especially at low resolution can sometimes give rise to models that are incorrect due to assignment of misfolds or mistracing of electron density maps. Such errors are not reflected as strain in internal parameters. HARMONY is a procedure that examines the compatibility between the sequence and the structure of a protein by assigning scores to individual residues and their amino acid exchange patterns after considering their local environments. Local environments are described by the backbone conformation, solvent accessibility and hydrogen bonding patterns. We are now providing HARMONY through a web server such that users can submit their protein structure files and, if required, the alignment of homologous sequences. Scores are mapped on the structure for subsequent examination that is useful to also recognize regions of possible local errors in protein structures. HARMONY server is located at PMID:16844999

DETECT: a MATLAB toolbox for event detection and identification in time series, with applications to artifact detection in EEG signals.

PubMed

Lawhern, Vernon; Hairston, W David; Robbins, Kay

2013-01-01

Recent advances in sensor and recording technology have allowed scientists to acquire very large time-series datasets. Researchers often analyze these datasets in the context of events, which are intervals of time where the properties of the signal change relative to a baseline signal. We have developed DETECT, a MATLAB toolbox for detecting event time intervals in long, multi-channel time series. Our primary goal is to produce a toolbox that is simple for researchers to use, allowing them to quickly train a model on multiple classes of events, assess the accuracy of the model, and determine how closely the results agree with their own manual identification of events without requiring extensive programming knowledge or machine learning experience. As an illustration, we discuss application of the DETECT toolbox for detecting signal artifacts found in continuous multi-channel EEG recordings and show the functionality of the tools found in the toolbox. We also discuss the application of DETECT for identifying irregular heartbeat waveforms found in electrocardiogram (ECG) data as an additional illustration.

DETECT: A MATLAB Toolbox for Event Detection and Identification in Time Series, with Applications to Artifact Detection in EEG Signals

PubMed Central

Lawhern, Vernon; Hairston, W. David; Robbins, Kay

2013-01-01

Recent advances in sensor and recording technology have allowed scientists to acquire very large time-series datasets. Researchers often analyze these datasets in the context of events, which are intervals of time where the properties of the signal change relative to a baseline signal. We have developed DETECT, a MATLAB toolbox for detecting event time intervals in long, multi-channel time series. Our primary goal is to produce a toolbox that is simple for researchers to use, allowing them to quickly train a model on multiple classes of events, assess the accuracy of the model, and determine how closely the results agree with their own manual identification of events without requiring extensive programming knowledge or machine learning experience. As an illustration, we discuss application of the DETECT toolbox for detecting signal artifacts found in continuous multi-channel EEG recordings and show the functionality of the tools found in the toolbox. We also discuss the application of DETECT for identifying irregular heartbeat waveforms found in electrocardiogram (ECG) data as an additional illustration. PMID:23638169

Analysis of the performance of a wireless optical multi-input to multi-output communication system.

PubMed

Bushuev, Denis; Arnon, Shlomi

2006-07-01

We investigate robust optical wireless communication in a highly scattering propagation medium using multielement optical detector arrays. The communication setup consists of synchronized multiple transmitters that send information to a receiver array and an atmospheric propagation channel. The mathematical model that best describes this scenario is multi-input to multi-output communication through stochastic slow changing channels. In this model, signals from m transmitters are received by n receiver-detectors. The channel transfer function matrix is G, and its size is n x m. G(i,j) is the transfer function from transmitter i to detector j, and m > or = n. We adopt a quasi-stationary approach in which the channel time variation has a negligible effect on communication performance over a burst. The G matrix is calculated on the basis of the optical transfer function of the atmospheric channel (composed of aerosol and turbulence elements) and the receiver's optics. In this work we derive a performance model using environmental data, such as documented turbulence and aerosol models and noise statistics. We also present the results of simulations conducted for the proposed detection algorithm.

Multi-pedal DNA walker biosensors based on catalyzed hairpin assembly and isothermal strand-displacement polymerase reaction for the chemiluminescent detection of proteins.

PubMed

Li, Ningxing; Du, Mingyuan; Liu, Yucheng; Ji, Xinghu; He, Zhike

2018-06-25

Two kinds of sensitive biosensors based on multi-pedal DNA walker along a 3-D DNA functional magnet particles track for the chemiluminescent detection of streptavidin are constructed and compared in this study. In the presence of SA, multi-pedal DNA walker has been constructed by biotin-modified catalyst as a result of the terminal protection for avoiding the digestion by exonuclease I. Then a toehold of CHA-H1 conjugated with magnetic microparticles (MMPs) could interact with a 'leg' of multi-pedal DNA walker to open the hairpin via toehold-mediated strand exchange catalysis. A newly exposed DNA segment in CHA-H1 would be hybridized with a toehold of biotin-labeled H2. Via the strand displacement process, H2 displaces one 'leg' of multi-pedal DNA walker, and the other 'leg' could still hybridize with neighboring H1 to initiate the next cycle. In order to solve the high background caused by the hybridization between CHA-H1 and H2 without CHA-catalyst, the other model has been designed. The principle of the other model (ISDPR DNA walker) is similar to the above one. After the terminal protection of SA, a 'leg' of multi-pedal DNA walker triggers the opening of the hairpin of ISDPR-H1 conjugated with MMPs. Then the biotin-modified primer could hybridize with the open stem, triggering the polymerization reaction in the presence of dNTPs/polymerase. As the extension of the primer, the 'leg' of multi-pedal DNA walker is displaced so that the other 'leg' could trigger proximal H1 to go on the next cycle. Due to its lower background and stronger signal, multi-pedal DNA walker based on ISDPR has a lower limit of detection for SA. The limit of detection (LOD) for SA is 6.5 pM. What's more, these DNA walker methods have been applied in complex samples successfully.

Why do young people consume marijuana? Extending motivational theory via the Dualistic Model of Passion.

PubMed

Davis, Alan K; Arterberry, Brooke J; Bonar, Erin E; Bohnert, Kipling M; Walton, Maureen A

2018-03-01

We evaluated an extended model of motivation for consuming marijuana by combining motivational theory and the dualistic model of passion. An online sample of 524 young, frequent marijuana consumers (M age = 24; 88% male; M past-30-days =21; Mode=31; 50% used 25-31 days) self-administered several questionnaires including the Marijuana-Harmonious and Obsessive Passion Scale and the Marijuana Motives Measure. Intercorrelations among the obsessive and harmonious passion and motives subscales were small-to-medium. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that obsessive passion was significantly positively associated with coping and conformity motives, while controlling for marijuana use, other motives, and harmonious passion scores. Additionally, harmonious passion was significantly positively associated with expansion, social, enhancement, and coping motives, while controlling for marijuana use and obsessive passion scores. A second canonical correlation analysis revealed that, when motive and passion subscales were included as independent predictors of recent marijuana use and related consequences, high obsessive passion and coping motives emerged as significant predictors of recent use and related consequences. Moreover, high harmonious passion and using less for conformity motives emerged as significant predictors of recent marijuana use. These results demonstrate that passion is related to, but not a proxy for, previously established motives for marijuana use and that, when examined simultaneously, both types of passion predict recent consumption but appear to differentiate whether one will experience use-related consequences. Researchers and clinicians could evaluate whether addressing obsessive passion and coping motives reduces or ameliorates negative outcomes associated with consumption.

Short-range solar radiation forecasts over Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landelius, Tomas; Lindskog, Magnus; Körnich, Heiner; Andersson, Sandra

2018-04-01

In this article the performance for short-range solar radiation forecasts by the global deterministic and ensemble models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is compared with an ensemble of the regional mesoscale model HARMONIE-AROME used by the national meteorological services in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Note however that only the control members and the ensemble means are included in the comparison. The models resolution differs considerably with 18 km for the ECMWF ensemble, 9 km for the ECMWF deterministic model, and 2.5 km for the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble. The models share the same radiation code. It turns out that they all underestimate systematically the Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) for clear-sky conditions. Except for this shortcoming, the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble model shows the best agreement with the distribution of observed Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and DNI values. During mid-day the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble mean performs best. The control member of the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble also scores better than the global deterministic ECMWF model. This is an interesting result since mesoscale models have so far not shown good results when compared to the ECMWF models. Three days with clear, mixed and cloudy skies are used to illustrate the possible added value of a probabilistic forecast. It is shown that in these cases the mesoscale ensemble could provide decision support to a grid operator in terms of forecasts of both the amount of solar power and its probabilities.

Associations of perceived interparental relationship, family harmony and family happiness with smoking intention in never-smoking Chinese children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Wang, Man Ping; Leung, Lok Tung; Wu, Yongda; Chen, Jianjiu; Lam, Tai Hing; Ho, Sai Yin

2017-01-01

Objective To examine the associations of perceived interparental relationship, family harmony and family happiness with smoking intention in never-smoking Chinese children and adolescents in Hong Kong. Design, settings and participants Cross-sectional surveys of 15 753 primary (grades 4–6) and 38 398 secondary (grades 7–12) never-smoking students from 71 to 75 randomly selected primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, 2012–2013. Measurements Outcome variable was smoking intention which denoted any affirmative response to smoke within the coming year or when a cigarette was offered by a good friend. Exposure variables were perceived interparental relationship and family harmony each measured on a five-point scale from ‘very good’ to ‘very bad’ and perceived family happiness on a four-point scale from ‘very happy’ to ‘not happy at all’. Potential confounders included age, sex, family structure, perceived family affluence, parental smoking and sibling smoking. Results In primary students, the adjusted ORs (AORs) (95% CI) of smoking intention generally increased with more negative perception of the family relationship: up to 3.67 (1.91 to 7.05) for interparental relationship, 7.71 (4.38 to 13.6) for family harmony and 5.40 (3.41 to 8.55) for family happiness. For secondary students, the corresponding AORs (95% CI) were 2.15 (1.64 to 2.82) for interparental relationship, 2.98 (2.31 to 3.84) for family harmony and 2.61 (1.80 to 3.79) for family happiness. All p for trend <0.001. Conclusions More negatively perceived interparental relationship, family harmony and family happiness were associated with higher odds of smoking intention with dose–response relationships in never-smoking Chinese children and adolescents in Hong Kong. Children’s perception of their family relationship may be an important intervening point for preventing youth from initiating smoking. PMID:28988179

[Factors influencing the quality of life of elderly living in a pre-fabricated housing complex in the Sichuan earthquake area].

PubMed

Guo, Hong-Xia; Chen, Hong; Wong, Teresa Bik-Kwan Tsien; Chen, Qian; Au, May-Lan; Li, Yun

2012-02-01

The 2008 Sichuan Earthquake caused great damage to the environment and property. In the aftermath, many citizens were relocated to live in newly constructed prefabricated (prefab) communities. This paper explored the current quality of life (QOL) of elderly residents living in prefabricated communities in areas damaged by the Sichuan earthquake and identified factors of influence on QOL values. The ultimate objective was to provide evidence-based guidance for heath improvement measures. The authors used the short form WHOQOL-BREF to assess the quality of life of 191 elderly residents of prefabricated communities in the Sichuan Province 2008 earthquake zone. A Student's t-test, variance analysis, and stepwise multivariate regression methods were used to test the impact of various factors on QOL. Results indicate the self-assessed QOL of participants as good, although scores in the physical (average 56.2) and psychological (average 45.7) domains were significantly lower than the norm in China. Marital status, capital loss in the earthquake, number of children, level of perceived stress, income, interest, and family harmony each correlated with at least one of the short form WHOQOL-BREF domains in t-test and one-way analyses. After excluding for factor interaction effects using multivariate regression, we found interest, family harmony, monthly income and stress to be significant predictors of physical domain QOL, explaining 13.8% of total variance. Family harmony and interest explained 15.3% of total variance for psychological domain QOL; stress, marital status, family harmony, capital loss in the earthquake, number of children and interest explained 19.5% of total variance for social domain QOL; and stress, family harmony and interest explained 16.5% of total variance for environmental domain QOL. Family harmony and interest were significant factors across all domains, while others influenced a smaller proportion. Quality of life for elderly living in prefab communities should be improved. The authors hope study findings will increase awareness among healthcare providers regarding the quality of life of this vulnerable population. Study results suggest that key steps to promoting QOL in this population include improving family harmony, helping to cultivate well-rounded interests, alleviating economic stresses, providing necessary medical and psychological counseling services, and affording more social support.

Designing of skull defect implants using C1 rational cubic Bezier and offset curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Najihah; Majid, Ahmad Abd; Piah, Abd Rahni Mt; Rajion, Zainul Ahmad

2015-05-01

Some of the reasons to construct skull implant are due to head trauma after an accident or an injury or an infection or because of tumor invasion or when autogenous bone is not suitable for replacement after a decompressive craniectomy (DC). The main objective of our study is to develop a simple method to redesign missing parts of the skull. The procedure begins with segmentation, data approximation, and estimation process of the outer wall by a C1 continuous curve. Its offset curve is used to generate the inner wall. A metaheuristic algorithm, called harmony search (HS) is a derivative-free real parameter optimization algorithm inspired from the musical improvisation process of searching for a perfect state of harmony. In this study, data approximation by a rational cubic Bézier function uses HS to optimize position of middle points and value of the weights. All the phases contribute significantly in making our proposed technique automated. Graphical examples of several postoperative skulls are displayed to show the effectiveness of our proposed method.

Partnership in Psycho-Social Group Intervention for Cancer Patients: Factors to Creating Group Dynamics.

PubMed

Chujo, Masami; Okamura, Hitoshi

2015-03-01

The purpose of this study was to conduct a psycho-social group intervention consisting of 3 parts, educate patients on methods to cope with stress and solve problems, hold group discussions and practice progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) for cancer patients, and investigate the way that group dynamics work in psycho-social group interventions in Japan. Three facilitators and 2 sub-facilitators who conducted the group intervention for breast cancer patients were qualitatively and inductively analyzed using a phenomenological approach. As a result, "hard effort," "harmony of the whole group" and "collaboration between therapists" were extracted as the partnership functions of participants that work on the creation of group dynamics in psycho-social group interventions. There was a structure in which "harmony of the whole group" and "collaboration between therapists" coexisted based on the basic attitude of "hard effort." It was considered that these 3 intervention forms are involved in group dynamics in which participants can easily hold discussions, and are techniques necessary for group intervention contributing to changes in the psychological distress and the coping of participants.

Self-centeredness and selflessness: happiness correlates and mediating psychological processes.

PubMed

Dambrun, Michael

2017-01-01

The main objective of this research was to test central assumptions from the Self-centeredness/Selflessness Happiness Model. According to this model, while self-centered psychological functioning induces fluctuating happiness, authentic-durable happiness results from selflessness. Distinct mediating processes are supposed to account for these relationships: afflictive affects (e.g., anger, fear, jealousy, frustration) in the case of the former, and both emotional stability and feelings of harmony in the case of the latter. We tested these hypotheses in two studies based on heterogeneous samples of citizens ( n  = 547). Factor analyses revealed that self-centeredness (assessed through egocentrism and materialism) and selflessness (assessed through self-transcendence and connectedness to other) were two distinct psychological constructs. Second, while self-centeredness was positively and significantly related to fluctuating happiness, selflessness was positively and significantly related to authentic-durable happiness. Finally, distinct psychological processes mediated these relationships (study 2). On one hand, the relationship between self-centeredness and fluctuating happiness was fully mediated by afflictive affects. On the other hand, emotional stability and the feeling of being in harmony partially mediated the relation between selflessness and authentic-durable happiness.

Statistical methods for convergence detection of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms.

PubMed

Trautmann, H; Wagner, T; Naujoks, B; Preuss, M; Mehnen, J

2009-01-01

In this paper, two approaches for estimating the generation in which a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) shows statistically significant signs of convergence are introduced. A set-based perspective is taken where convergence is measured by performance indicators. The proposed techniques fulfill the requirements of proper statistical assessment on the one hand and efficient optimisation for real-world problems on the other hand. The first approach accounts for the stochastic nature of the MOEA by repeating the optimisation runs for increasing generation numbers and analysing the performance indicators using statistical tools. This technique results in a very robust offline procedure. Moreover, an online convergence detection method is introduced as well. This method automatically stops the MOEA when either the variance of the performance indicators falls below a specified threshold or a stagnation of their overall trend is detected. Both methods are analysed and compared for two MOEA and on different classes of benchmark functions. It is shown that the methods successfully operate on all stated problems needing less function evaluations while preserving good approximation quality at the same time.

Detection of Quinoline in G. boninense-Infected Plants Using Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: A Field Study.

PubMed

Akanbi, Fowotade Sulayman; Yusof, Nor Azah; Abdullah, Jaafar; Sulaiman, Yusran; Hushiarian, Roozbeh

2017-07-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and chitosan nanoparticles (CTSNPs) were anchored on a screen-printed electrode to fabricate a multi-walled structure for the detection of quinoline. The surface morphology of the nanocomposites and the modified electrode was examined by an ultra-high resolution field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to confirm the presence of specific functional groups on the multi-walled carbon nanotubes MWCNTs. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) were used to monitor the layer-by-layer assembly of ultra-thin films of nanocomposites on the surface of the electrode and other electrochemical characterizations. Under optimized conditions, the novel sensor displayed outstanding electrochemical reactivity towards the electro-oxidation of quinoline. The linear range was fixed between 0.0004 and 1.0 μM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 3.75 nM. The fabricated electrode exhibited high stability with excellent sensitivity and selectivity, specifically attributable to the salient characteristics of AuNPs, CTSNPs, and MWCNTs and the synergistic inter-relationship between them. The newly developed electrode was tested in the field. The Ipa increased with an increase in the amount of quinoline solution added, and the peak potential deviated minimally, depicting the real capability of the newly fabricated electrode.

Detection of Quinoline in G. boninense-Infected Plants Using Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: A Field Study

PubMed Central

Akanbi, Fowotade Sulayman; Yusof, Nor Azah; Abdullah, Jaafar; Sulaiman, Yusran; Hushiarian, Roozbeh

2017-01-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and chitosan nanoparticles (CTSNPs) were anchored on a screen-printed electrode to fabricate a multi-walled structure for the detection of quinoline. The surface morphology of the nanocomposites and the modified electrode was examined by an ultra-high resolution field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to confirm the presence of specific functional groups on the multi-walled carbon nanotubes MWCNTs. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) were used to monitor the layer-by-layer assembly of ultra-thin films of nanocomposites on the surface of the electrode and other electrochemical characterizations. Under optimized conditions, the novel sensor displayed outstanding electrochemical reactivity towards the electro-oxidation of quinoline. The linear range was fixed between 0.0004 and 1.0 μM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 3.75 nM. The fabricated electrode exhibited high stability with excellent sensitivity and selectivity, specifically attributable to the salient characteristics of AuNPs, CTSNPs, and MWCNTs and the synergistic inter-relationship between them. The newly developed electrode was tested in the field. The Ipa increased with an increase in the amount of quinoline solution added, and the peak potential deviated minimally, depicting the real capability of the newly fabricated electrode. PMID:28671561

Seeing All Beings as Oneself: Internationalizing Higher Education for Universal Harmony

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unkule, Kalyani

2018-01-01

The tenets of Hinduism share a complicated relationship with international higher education for an important reason: the purported taboo over crossing oceans. The ethos of Hinduism, however, is deeply embedded in a posited harmony of individuals and cultures. This makes it a faith that at once embraces the value of intercultural exchange while…

76 FR 13355 - Magnesium Metal From the Russian Federation: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-11

... Russian Federation: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final Results of Administrative Review... antidumping duty order on magnesium metal from the Russian Federation covering the period of review April 1... administrative review of the antidumping duty order on magnesium metal from the Russian Federation for the period...

75 FR 2487 - Circular Welded Carbon Steel Pipes and Tubes from Thailand: Court Decision Not in Harmony with...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-15

... Pipes and Tubes from Thailand: Court Decision Not in Harmony with Final Results of Administrative Review... welded carbon steel pipes and tubes from Thailand covering the period March 1, 2006 through February 28, 2007. Circular Welded Carbon Steel Pipes and Tubes from Thailand: Final Results of Antidumping Duty...

76 FR 26241 - Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From Thailand: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-06

... Shrimp From Thailand: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final Results of Administrative Review... Thailand covering the period of review (POR) of February 1, 2006, through January 31, 2007. DATES... administrative review of certain frozen warmwater shrimp from Thailand covering the POR of February 1, 2006...

Harmony Park: A Decision Case on Gardening on a Brownfield Site

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harms, Ashley Marie Raes; Presley, DeAnn Ricks; Hettiarachchi, Ganga M.; Attanayake, Chammi; Martin, Sabine; Thien, Steven J.

2014-01-01

In March of 2009, Mr. John Holloway and his neighbors in the Harmony Park district of Kansas City, MO, were excited to begin gardening on a vacant city lot in their neighborhood. The neighborhood, like many in urban areas, had once been residential interspersed with small establishments including restaurants, shops, and businesses such as auto…

Dragon docked to Node 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-14

ISS033-E-012429 (14 Oct. 2012) --- Attached to the Earth-facing side of the Harmony node, the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station. Dragon was berthed to Harmony on Oct. 10 and is scheduled to spend 18 days attached to the station.

Dragon docked to Node 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-14

ISS033-E-012422 (14 Oct. 2012) --- Attached to the Earth-facing side of the Harmony node, the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station. Dragon was berthed to Harmony on Oct. 10 and is scheduled to spend 18 days attached to the station.

Dragon docked to Node 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-14

ISS033-E-012424 (14 Oct. 2012) --- Attached to the Earth-facing side of the Harmony node, the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station. Dragon was berthed to Harmony on Oct. 10 and is scheduled to spend 18 days attached to the station.

The Acquisition of Consonant Feature Sequences: Harmony, Metathesis, and Deletion Patterns in Phonological Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerlach, Sharon Ruth

2010-01-01

This dissertation examines three processes affecting consonants in child speech: harmony (long-distance assimilation) involving major place features as in "coat" [kouk]; long-distance metathesis as in "cup" [p[wedge]k]; and initial consonant deletion as in "fish" [is]. These processes are unattested in adult phonology, leading to proposals for…

Mathematics and Physics: The Idea of a Pre-Established Harmony

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kragh, Helge

2015-01-01

For more than a century the notion of a pre-established harmony between the mathematical and physical sciences has played an important role not only in the rhetoric of mathematicians and theoretical physicists, but also as a doctrine guiding much of their research. Strongly mathematized branches of physics, such as the vortex theory of atoms…

77 FR 71579 - Polyester Staple Fiber From Taiwan: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final Results of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-03

... Taiwan: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final Results of Administrative Review and Amended Final Results of Antidumping Duty Order Administrative Review AGENCY: Import Administration...'') results of redetermination \\2\\ pursuant to the CIT's FENC Remand Order.\\3\\ \\1\\ See Far Eastern New Century...

76 FR 13983 - Fresh Garlic from the People's Republic of China: Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-15

...'s Republic of China: Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final Results and Amended Final Results of... unpublished judgment the Department of Commerce's (``the Department'') final results of redetermination as...). See Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Voluntary Remand, Court No. 09-00246, dated July 30...

The Role of Passion for Teaching in Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbonneau, Noemie; Vallerand, Robert J.; Fernet, Claude; Guay, Frederic

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of passion in teachers' burnout symptoms, work satisfaction, and perceptions of positive student classroom behaviors. The dualistic model of passion (Vallerand et al., 2003) proposes 2 types of passion: harmonious and obsessive. In previous studies, harmonious passion has been shown to lead to…

78 FR 72628 - Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags From Thailand: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-03

... from Thailand on November 3, 2011.\\3\\ Both Thai Plastic Bags Industries Co., Ltd. and Polyethylene.../exporter margin (percent) Thai Plastic Bags Industries Company 35.79 Landblue (Thailand) Co., Ltd 25.60 In... Bags From Thailand: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final Results of Administrative Review...

Contextual Condition and Sightsinging Achievement of Middle School Choral Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas, Keitha V.

1994-01-01

Reports on a study of the influence of harmonic context on the sight-singing skill of middle school choral music students. Finds that students in the melody-only treatment group showed more improvement in sight-singing than those in the vocal-harmony group. Also finds no differences between the melody-only and the piano-harmony groups. (CFR)

From Autonomy to Creativity: A Multilevel Investigation of the Mediating Role of Harmonious Passion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Dong; Chen, Xiao-Ping; Yao, Xin

2011-01-01

Building on self-determination theory, we theorized about and demonstrated, through 2 multilevel field studies, the pivotal role of harmonious passion in translating organizational autonomy support and individual autonomy orientation into job creativity. Results based on 3-level data from 856 members in 111 teams within 23 work units of a porous…

"Freedom Can Only Exist in an Ordered State": Harmony and Civic Education in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Li-Ching

2017-01-01

This paper uses the concept of stories of peoplehood to examine how the Singapore government has constructed a story of harmony and to consider how this story has influenced two important school subjects focused on civic education: Social Studies and Character and Citizenship Education. Stories of peoplehood, including constitutive, economic and…

From Music to Physics: The Undervalued Legacy of Pythagoras

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caleon, Imelda; Ramanathan, Subramaniam

2008-01-01

This paper presents the early investigations about the nature of sound of the Pythagoreans, and how they started a tradition that remains valid up to present times--the use of numbers in representing natural reality. It will touch on the Pythagorean notion of musical harmony, which was extended to the notion of universal harmony. How the…

Analysis of the "Harmony" Education Ideas in Chinese Taijiquan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yan, Shiliang

2011-01-01

In this article, many methods such as the literature study are used to analyze the harmony ideas in the sport, the education, and the development of Taijiquan, and the deep meanings contained in these three aspects are expounded in detail, and the conclusion indicates that Taijiquan is very important both for the public body-building and for the…

Teaching a Holistic, Harmonious and Internal Motivational Concept of Excellence to Promote Olympic Ideals, Health and Well-Being for All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papaioannou, Athanasios G.

2017-01-01

Based on recent trends in positive psychology, on ancient Greek sport literature and particularly on Aristotle's philosophy, the holistic, harmonious and internal motivational components of excellence and their implications for students' motivation for physical activity, health and well-being are presented. While modern motivational theories and…

Coincidence theory: Seeking a perceptual preference for just intonation, equal temperament, and Pythagorean intonation in excerpts for wind instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Derle Ray

Coincidence theory states that when the components of harmony are in enhanced alignment the sound will be more consonant to the human auditory system. An objective method of examining the components of harmony is by investigating alignment of the mathematics of a particular sound or harmony. The study examined preference responses to excerpts tuned in just intonation, Pythagorean intonation, and equal temperament. Musical excerpts were presented in pairs and study subjects simply picked one version from the pair that they perceived as the most consonant. Results of the study revealed an overall preference for equal temperament in contradiction to coincidence theory. Several additional areas for research are suggested to further investigate the results of this study.

Polymorphism and genetic mapping of the human oxytocin receptor gene on chromosome 3

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

Michelini, S.; Urbanek, M.; Goldman, D.

1995-06-19

Centrally administered oxytocin has been reported to facilitate affiliative and social behaviors, in functional harmony with its well-known peripheral effects on uterine contraction and milk ejection. The biological effects of oxytocin could be perturbed by mutations occurring in the sequence of the oxytocin receptor gene, and it would be of interest to establish the position of this gene on the human linkage map. Therefore we identified a polymorphism at the human oxytocin receptor gene. A portion of the 3{prime} untranslated region containing a 30 bp CA repeat was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), revealing a polymorphism with two allelesmore » occurring with frequencies of 0.77 and 0.23 in a sample of Caucasian CEPH parents (n = 70). The CA repeat polymorphism we detected was used to map the human oxytocin receptor to chromosome 3p25-3p26, in a region which contains several important genes, including loci for Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) and renal cell carcinoma. 53 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.« less

Human connectome module pattern detection using a new multi-graph MinMax cut model.

PubMed

De, Wang; Wang, Yang; Nie, Feiping; Yan, Jingwen; Cai, Weidong; Saykin, Andrew J; Shen, Li; Huang, Heng

2014-01-01

Many recent scientific efforts have been devoted to constructing the human connectome using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data for understanding the large-scale brain networks that underlie higher-level cognition in human. However, suitable computational network analysis tools are still lacking in human connectome research. To address this problem, we propose a novel multi-graph min-max cut model to detect the consistent network modules from the brain connectivity networks of all studied subjects. A new multi-graph MinMax cut model is introduced to solve this challenging computational neuroscience problem and the efficient optimization algorithm is derived. In the identified connectome module patterns, each network module shows similar connectivity patterns in all subjects, which potentially associate to specific brain functions shared by all subjects. We validate our method by analyzing the weighted fiber connectivity networks. The promising empirical results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.

Integrated Multi-process Microfluidic Systems for Automating Analysis

PubMed Central

Yang, Weichun; Woolley, Adam T.

2010-01-01

Microfluidic technologies have been applied extensively in rapid sample analysis. Some current challenges for standard microfluidic systems are relatively high detection limits, and reduced resolving power and peak capacity compared to conventional approaches. The integration of multiple functions and components onto a single platform can overcome these separation and detection limitations of microfluidics. Multiplexed systems can greatly increase peak capacity in multidimensional separations and can increase sample throughput by analyzing many samples simultaneously. On-chip sample preparation, including labeling, preconcentration, cleanup and amplification, can all serve to speed up and automate processes in integrated microfluidic systems. This paper summarizes advances in integrated multi-process microfluidic systems for automated analysis, their benefits and areas for needed improvement. PMID:20514343

A Novel Method of Building Functional Brain Network Using Deep Learning Algorithm with Application in Proficiency Detection.

PubMed

Hua, Chengcheng; Wang, Hong; Wang, Hong; Lu, Shaowen; Liu, Chong; Khalid, Syed Madiha

2018-04-11

Functional brain network (FBN) has become very popular to analyze the interaction between cortical regions in the last decade. But researchers always spend a long time to search the best way to compute FBN for their specific studies. The purpose of this study is to detect the proficiency of operators during their mineral grinding process controlling based on FBN. To save the search time, a novel semi-data-driven method of computing functional brain connection based on stacked autoencoder (BCSAE) is proposed in this paper. This method uses stacked autoencoder (SAE) to encode the multi-channel EEG data into codes and then computes the dissimilarity between the codes from every pair of electrodes to build FBN. The highlight of this method is that the SAE has a multi-layered structure and is semi-supervised, which means it can dig deeper information and generate better features. Then an experiment was performed, the EEG of the operators were collected while they were operating and analyzed to detect their proficiency. The results show that the BCSAE method generated more number of separable features with less redundancy, and the average accuracy of classification (96.18%) is higher than that of the control methods: PLV (92.19%) and PLI (78.39%).

Suppression and interpersonal harmony: a cross-cultural comparison between Chinese and European Americans.

PubMed

Wei, Meifen; Su, Jenny C; Carrera, Stephanie; Lin, Shu-Ping; Yi, Fei

2013-10-01

Based on Markus and Kitayama's (1991) theory, this study was conducted to examine whether the association between emotional suppression and interpersonal harmony would be moderated by cultural group (i.e., Chinese and European Americans) and an Asian cultural value (i.e., emotional self-control). A total of 451 college students (205 Chinese and 246 European Americans) participated in this study. As expected, results indicated that the association between emotional suppression and interpersonal harmony was significantly positive for Chinese but not significant for European Americans. Similarly, when emotional self-control was examined as a moderator, the results still confirmed our hypotheses. That is, the association between emotional suppression and interpersonal harmony was significantly positive for those with stronger endorsement of emotional self-control but not for those with weaker endorsement of emotional self-control. Furthermore, we examined whether the above results could be replicated when forbearance (a construct similar to suppression) and distress disclosure (a construct opposite to suppression) were examined. The results showed the same pattern for forbearance and distress disclosure when cultural group or emotional self-control served as the moderator. The convergence of findings increased the robustness of our results. Finally, our data suggest that individuals from Eastern, interdependent cultures (e.g., Chinese) tend to value emotional suppression to preserve interpersonal harmony; individuals from Western, independent cultures may or may not necessarily suppress their emotions for this purpose. A comprehensive understanding of the different meanings of a specific strategy (i.e., emotional suppression) in different cultural contexts is important to promote effective cross-cultural counseling.

When passion makes the heart grow colder: the role of passion in alternative goal suppression.

PubMed

Bélanger, Jocelyn J; Lafrenière, Marc-André K; Vallerand, Robert J; Kruglanski, Arie W

2013-01-01

Quality of goal engagement and alternative goal suppression were investigated in this research. Integrating the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand et al., 2003) with goal-systems theory (Kruglanski et al., 2002), we hypothesized that obsessive passion--associated with recurrent goal-conflicts--would predict greater alternative goal suppression (i.e., goal-shielding) than would harmonious passion--characterized by effective synthesis of the passionate activity with other life domains. Results from 5 laboratory studies supported these hypotheses. In Study 1, participants' dispositional measures of harmonious and obsessive passion were correlated with an implicit measure of goal-shielding. Obsessive (but not harmonious) passion predicted the suppression of alternative goals and the progressive inhibition of unfamiliar goals. In Study 2, we extended these findings by demonstrating the interrelation between quality of goal engagement and goal-commitment such that goal-shielding effects were enhanced, but only for goals in conflict with other life domains (vs. well-integrated goals). In Study 3, the causal influence of passion on goal-shielding was supported via an experimental manipulation of passion. In Study 4, we replicated and extended Studies 1 and 3 by experimentally demonstrating that obsessive (but not harmonious) passion is a mindset conducive to the development of inhibitory links with alternative goals. Study 5 explored the psychological costs associated with repeated unconscious goal suppression by examining its effects on the depletion of self-regulatory resources. Collectively, the present results suggest that the qualitative distinction between obsessive and harmonious passion has implications for the goal-shielding effect and for subsequent self-regulatory behavior.

Inverter Anti-Islanding with Advanced Grid Support in Single- and Multi-Inverter Islands

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

Hoke, Andy

As PV and other DER systems are connected to the grid at increased penetration levels, island detection may become more challenging for two reasons: 1. In islands containing many DERs, active inverter-based anti-islanding methods may have more difficulty detecting islands because each individual inverter's efforts to detect the island may be interfered with by the other inverters in the island. 2. The increasing numbers of DERs are leading to new requirements that DERs ride through grid disturbances and even actively try to regulate grid voltage and frequency back towards nominal operating conditions. These new grid support requirements may directly ormore » indirectly interfere with anti-islanding controls. This report describes a series of tests designed to examine the impacts of both grid support functions and multi-inverter islands on anti-islanding effectiveness.« less

Study of detecting mechanism of carbon nanotubes gas sensor based on multi-stable stochastic resonance model.

PubMed

Jingyi, Zhu

2015-01-01

The detecting mechanism of carbon nanotubes gas sensor based on multi-stable stochastic resonance (MSR) model was studied in this paper. A numerically stimulating model based on MSR was established. And gas-ionizing experiment by adding electronic white noise to induce 1.65 MHz periodic component in the carbon nanotubes gas sensor was performed. It was found that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) spectrum displayed 2 maximal values, which accorded to the change of the broken-line potential function. The experimental results of gas-ionizing experiment demonstrated that periodic component of 1.65 MHz had multiple MSR phenomena, which was in accordance with the numerical stimulation results. In this way, the numerical stimulation method provides an innovative method for the detecting mechanism research of carbon nanotubes gas sensor.

A content analysis of nature photographs taken by Lebanese rural youth.

PubMed

Mattouk, Miriam; Talhouk, Salma N

2017-01-01

'Living in Harmony with Nature' is a 2050 vision put forth by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which takes into consideration culture and locality of perceptions of nature and aspirations for its use. Considering that 54% of the world population lives in cities, where nature has been decimated, the role of rural communities, living within or in proximity of natural and semi natural areas, will effectively influence the fate of the 'remaining' nature while they engage in local development. Reconciling between growth and development on the one hand, and nature conservation on the other, necessitates an understanding of how rural communities, especially the youth, imprint their own ideas on landscapes and develop ownership over natural spaces. In order to extend the understanding of how harmony with nature is perceived in different parts of the world, this paper presents the findings of primary research involving a group of young people who live in rural areas in Lebanon, a country in the Arab Middle East. Participatory research based on photovoice methodology was conducted with 77 young people aged 7-16 and residing in five rural villages located in different parts of Lebanon. Photographs taken by participants indicated that for many, nature was not perceived literally i.e. woodlands, forests, plants, animals, etc…. Instead, the participants saw nature as part of agriculture and local culture. Nature was also seen as symbolic expression of the participants' inner state of mind. Narratives written to explain the photographs shed light on the perception of harmony with nature which focused on positive family experiences and relayed personal emotions, abstract, and holistic yet functional view of nature. Another recurring theme that emerged from photographs and narratives was the role of family members, in particular grandparents, as having a strong influence on the positive perceptions of nature.

77 FR 36255 - Fresh Garlic From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-18

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A-570-831] Fresh Garlic From the People... case is not in harmony with Garlic AR8 Final Results \\3\\ and is amending the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on fresh garlic from the People's Republic of China (``PRC...

With the Eye and the Ear--Analytical and Intuitive Approaches in Piano Playing by Finnish Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ketovuori, Mikko

2015-01-01

This article investigates a piano-playing subject called "keyboard harmony." The subject was initially developed in the 1980s to give (K-12) schoolteachers the skills needed for accompanying singing in classrooms. Since keyboard harmony today has an official status in all Finnish music schools, both piano and general music teachers ought…

Some Implications for Moral Education of the Confucian Principle of Harmony: Learning from Sustainability Education Practice in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feng, Ling; Newton, Derek

2012-01-01

The concept of "harmony" was taught by the Chinese sages as the practice of acceptance, tolerance, mutual respect, equality and patience, and is now given great importance by the Chinese government in its attempts to promote the stability and sustainability of the country. The concept could have significant implications for moral…

(Harmonious) Community Life as the Goal of Education: A Bilingual Dialogue between Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Francis W. Parker

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goulah, Jason

2010-01-01

This article examines Francis W. Parker's (1837-1902) and Tsunesaburo Makiguchi's (1871-1944) views of harmonious community life as the goal of education through bilingual analysis of Parker's "My Pedagogic Creed" (1897) and Makiguchi's On the Significance of Social Aspects that Mr. Parker Says Should be Incorporated into the School Experience…

78 FR 52500 - Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From the People's Republic of China: Notice of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-23

... Film, Sheet, and Strip From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony..., available at: http://ia.ita.doc.gov/remands (``PET Film Final Remand''). Consistent with the decision of the... that the final judgment in this case is not in harmony with the Department's PET Film Final Results \\2...

"Improving and Embellishing the Wilderness": Spreading the Gospel of Proper Land Use, New Harmony, Indiana, 1814-1824

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramsey, Paul J.

2014-01-01

This article examines the westward imposition of specific kinds of land use by focusing on the Harmony Society's transformation of Posey County, Indiana. The German pietistic society carried their vision of proper land use from Europe to Pennsylvania and, in 1814, to what was then considered the West: Indiana Territory. During their decade in…

In Harmony: A Technology-Based Music Education Model to Enhance Musical Understanding and General Learning Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Portowitz, Adena; Peppler, Kylie A.; Downton, Mike

2014-01-01

This article reports on the practice and evaluation of a music education model, In Harmony, which utilizes new technologies and current theories of learning to mediate the music learning experience. In response to the needs of twenty-first century learners, the educational software programs Teach, Learn, Evaluate! and Impromptu served as central…

The Relationships among High School STEM Learning Experiences, Expectations, and Mathematics and Science Efficacy and the Likelihood of Majoring in STEM in College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahin, Alpaslan; Ekmekci, Adem; Waxman, Hersh C.

2017-01-01

This study examines college students' science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) choices as they relate to high school experiences, parent, teacher, and self-expectations, and mathematics and science efficacy. Participants were 2246 graduates of a STEM-focused public Harmony Public Schools in Texas, Harmony Public Schools (HPS).…

The Aesthetic Harmony of How Life Should Be Lived: Van Gogh, Socrates, Nietzsche

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caranfa, Angelo

2001-01-01

In this article, the author explores the aesthetic harmony of how life should be lived through the unity of exchange between feeling and thinking, and in so doing attempts to show the importance of art or "aesthetics" as a category of philosophical instruction. His interest in this approach flows directly from his works in nineteenth- and…

Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS). Final Evaluation Report 1992-93. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duque, Diana L.

Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS) was a Transitional Bilingual Education Title VII-funded program in its fifth and final year in 1992-93. The project offered instructional and support services to 641 students of limited English proficiency (LEP) at three sites, all of which had many immigrant students, in…

Hong Kong Chinese Community Leaders' Perspectives on Family Health, Happiness and Harmony: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Sophia S. C.; Viswanath, K.; Au, Doreen W. H.; Ma, C. M. S.; Lam, W. W. T.; Fielding, R.; Leung, G. M.; Lam, Tai-Hing

2011-01-01

This paper examines the views of Hong Kong community leaders on the underlying issues that affect family health, happiness and harmony (3Hs) in Hong Kong. Using a community reconnaissance method, a series of individual in-depth interviews with 26 leaders that represent neighbourhoods of diverse socio-economic status (SES) from June to August 2008…

The Development of Close Relationships in Japan and the United States: Paths of Symbiotic Harmony and Generative Tension.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothbaum, Fred; Pott, Martha; Azuma, Hiroshi; Miyake, Kazuo; Weisz, John

2000-01-01

Compares paths of development in Japan (symbiotic harmony) and the United States (generative tension) of parent-child and adult mate relationships, challenging assumptions that certain processes are central in all relationships or that U.S. relationships are less valued or weaker than Japan's. Suggests need to investigate processes underlying, and…

An Analysis of the Angry Youth and Spoofing Phenomena in the Context of Building a Harmonious Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bo, Lu

2011-01-01

This article specifically analyzes the negative impact exerted by angry youth and spoofers on the construction of a harmonious society from four aspects: the way these intensify social contradictions, affect the social mentality, undermine mainstream values, and interfere with freedom of speech. It purports that importance must be attached to the…

Application of the Passionate Attachment Model to Recreational Use of MDMA/Ecstasy.

PubMed

Davis, Alan K; Rosenberg, Harold

2015-01-01

Those who are not addicted to ecstasy, but who use it persistently over time, could be viewed as having a "passionate attachment" to a highly valued activity. To evaluate the associations of obsessive and harmonious passion with psychological and behavioral aspects of ecstasy consumption, we recruited a community sample of ecstasy users to complete a modified version of the Passion Scale (Vallerand et al. 2003) and other questionnaires assessing their substance use history, self-efficacy to refuse ecstasy, and use of ecstasy to cope with worries and problems. Both Obsessive and Harmonious passion scores were negatively correlated with self-efficacy to refuse ecstasy and positively correlated with using ecstasy to cope with worries and problems. The findings also provided partial support for our hypotheses that scores on the Obsessive Passion subscale would be associated with number of times participants had used ecstasy, the frequency of use, and the typical number of pills consumed. Participants agreed more strongly with statements indicative of Harmonious Passion to consume ecstasy, but Harmonious subscale scores were not associated with several measures of consumption. As a supplemental measure, the modified questionnaire could provide a more comprehensive picture of the psychology of one's ecstasy use.

Efficient and Accurate Optimal Linear Phase FIR Filter Design Using Opposition-Based Harmony Search Algorithm

PubMed Central

Saha, S. K.; Dutta, R.; Choudhury, R.; Kar, R.; Mandal, D.; Ghoshal, S. P.

2013-01-01

In this paper, opposition-based harmony search has been applied for the optimal design of linear phase FIR filters. RGA, PSO, and DE have also been adopted for the sake of comparison. The original harmony search algorithm is chosen as the parent one, and opposition-based approach is applied. During the initialization, randomly generated population of solutions is chosen, opposite solutions are also considered, and the fitter one is selected as a priori guess. In harmony memory, each such solution passes through memory consideration rule, pitch adjustment rule, and then opposition-based reinitialization generation jumping, which gives the optimum result corresponding to the least error fitness in multidimensional search space of FIR filter design. Incorporation of different control parameters in the basic HS algorithm results in the balancing of exploration and exploitation of search space. Low pass, high pass, band pass, and band stop FIR filters are designed with the proposed OHS and other aforementioned algorithms individually for comparative optimization performance. A comparison of simulation results reveals the optimization efficacy of the OHS over the other optimization techniques for the solution of the multimodal, nondifferentiable, nonlinear, and constrained FIR filter design problems. PMID:23844390

Efficient and accurate optimal linear phase FIR filter design using opposition-based harmony search algorithm.

PubMed

Saha, S K; Dutta, R; Choudhury, R; Kar, R; Mandal, D; Ghoshal, S P

2013-01-01

In this paper, opposition-based harmony search has been applied for the optimal design of linear phase FIR filters. RGA, PSO, and DE have also been adopted for the sake of comparison. The original harmony search algorithm is chosen as the parent one, and opposition-based approach is applied. During the initialization, randomly generated population of solutions is chosen, opposite solutions are also considered, and the fitter one is selected as a priori guess. In harmony memory, each such solution passes through memory consideration rule, pitch adjustment rule, and then opposition-based reinitialization generation jumping, which gives the optimum result corresponding to the least error fitness in multidimensional search space of FIR filter design. Incorporation of different control parameters in the basic HS algorithm results in the balancing of exploration and exploitation of search space. Low pass, high pass, band pass, and band stop FIR filters are designed with the proposed OHS and other aforementioned algorithms individually for comparative optimization performance. A comparison of simulation results reveals the optimization efficacy of the OHS over the other optimization techniques for the solution of the multimodal, nondifferentiable, nonlinear, and constrained FIR filter design problems.

A unified pathogenesis for kidney diseases, including genetic diseases and cancers, by the protein-homeostasis-system hypothesis.

PubMed

Lee, Kyung-Yil

2017-06-01

Every cell of an organism is separated and protected by a cell membrane. It is proposed that harmony between intercellular communication and the health of an organism is controlled by a system, designated the protein-homeostasis-system (PHS). Kidneys consist of a variety of types of renal cells, each with its own characteristic cell-receptor interactions and producing characteristic proteins. A functional union of these renal cells can be determined by various renal function tests, and harmonious intercellular communication is essential for the healthy state of the host. Injury to a kind of renal cells can impair renal function and induce an imbalance in total body health. Every acute or chronic renal disease has unknown etiologic substances that are responsible for renal cell injury at the molecular level. The immune/repair system of the host should control the etiologic substances acting against renal cells; if this system fails, the disease progresses to end stage renal disease. Each renal disease has its characteristic pathologic lesions where immune cells and immune proteins, such as immunoglobulins and complements, are infiltrated. These immune cells and immune proteins may control the etiologic substances involved in renal pathologic lesions. Also, genetic renal diseases and cancers may originate from a protein deficiency or malfunctioning protein under the PHS. A unified pathogenesis for renal diseases, including acute glomerulonephritis, idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, immunoglobulin A nephropathy, genetic renal diseases such as Alport syndrome, and malignancies such as Wilms tumor and renal cell carcinoma, is proposed using the PHS hypothesis.

Detection of gene communities in multi-networks reveals cancer drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cantini, Laura; Medico, Enzo; Fortunato, Santo; Caselle, Michele

2015-12-01

We propose a new multi-network-based strategy to integrate different layers of genomic information and use them in a coordinate way to identify driving cancer genes. The multi-networks that we consider combine transcription factor co-targeting, microRNA co-targeting, protein-protein interaction and gene co-expression networks. The rationale behind this choice is that gene co-expression and protein-protein interactions require a tight coregulation of the partners and that such a fine tuned regulation can be obtained only combining both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional layers of regulation. To extract the relevant biological information from the multi-network we studied its partition into communities. To this end we applied a consensus clustering algorithm based on state of art community detection methods. Even if our procedure is valid in principle for any pathology in this work we concentrate on gastric, lung, pancreas and colorectal cancer and identified from the enrichment analysis of the multi-network communities a set of candidate driver cancer genes. Some of them were already known oncogenes while a few are new. The combination of the different layers of information allowed us to extract from the multi-network indications on the regulatory pattern and functional role of both the already known and the new candidate driver genes.

Detection of Heterogeneous Small Inclusions by a Multi-Step MUSIC Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solimene, Raffaele; Dell'Aversano, Angela; Leone, Giovanni

2014-05-01

In this contribution the problem of detecting and localizing scatterers with small (in terms of wavelength) cross sections by collecting their scattered field is addressed. The problem is dealt with for a two-dimensional and scalar configuration where the background is given as a two-layered cylindrical medium. More in detail, while scattered field data are taken in the outermost layer, inclusions are embedded within the inner layer. Moreover, the case of heterogeneous inclusions (i.e., having different scattering coefficients) is addressed. As a pertinent applicative context we identify the problem of diagnose concrete pillars in order to detect and locate rebars, ducts and other small in-homogeneities that can populate the interior of the pillar. The nature of inclusions influences the scattering coefficients. For example, the field scattered by rebars is stronger than the one due to ducts. Accordingly, it is expected that the more weakly scattering inclusions can be difficult to be detected as their scattered fields tend to be overwhelmed by those of strong scatterers. In order to circumvent this problem, in this contribution a multi-step MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) detection algorithm is adopted [1]. In particular, the first stage aims at detecting rebars. Once rebars have been detected, their positions are exploited to update the Green's function and to subtract the scattered field due to their presence. The procedure is repeated until all the inclusions are detected. The analysis is conducted by numerical experiments for a multi-view/multi-static single-frequency configuration and the synthetic data are generated by a FDTD forward solver. Acknowledgement This work benefited from networking activities carried out within the EU funded COST Action TU1208 "Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar." [1] R. Solimene, A. Dell'Aversano and G. Leone, "MUSIC algorithms for rebar detection," J. of Geophysics and Engineering, vol. 10, pp. 1-8, 2013

Harmony search optimization algorithm for a novel transportation problem in a consolidation network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davod Hosseini, Seyed; Akbarpour Shirazi, Mohsen; Taghi Fatemi Ghomi, Seyed Mohammad

2014-11-01

This article presents a new harmony search optimization algorithm to solve a novel integer programming model developed for a consolidation network. In this network, a set of vehicles is used to transport goods from suppliers to their corresponding customers via two transportation systems: direct shipment and milk run logistics. The objective of this problem is to minimize the total shipping cost in the network, so it tries to reduce the number of required vehicles using an efficient vehicle routing strategy in the solution approach. Solving several numerical examples confirms that the proposed solution approach based on the harmony search algorithm performs much better than CPLEX in reducing both the shipping cost in the network and computational time requirement, especially for realistic size problem instances.

Space station architectural elements model study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalil, Michael

1987-01-01

The space station must unite the properties and behavior of individual and place, using proportions from both to make whole the understanding of ourselves at this moment in evolution. Harmonious proportions in any environment are similar to the acceptance and enjoyment of the harmony of many well-tuned musical instruments. A well-tuned or well-ordered environment tends to have invisible proportions. They produce order but do not intrude on the perception and cognitive mapping of the environment. Systems of proportion are not ends in themselves but are a means to select a series of spaces which relate one to another in dimensionally specific terms. These internal relationships create a whole when the forms are harmonious. This harmonic relationship is of intrinsic value for individuals to be physically and psychologically in balance with their universe.

EVA 2 - Tani on S1 truss.

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-28

S120-E-007003 (28 Oct. 2007) --- Astronaut Daniel Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, participates in the second of five scheduled sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction continues on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 33-minute spacewalk Tani and astronaut Scott Parazynski (out of frame), STS-120 mission specialist, worked in tandem to disconnect cables from the P6 truss, allowing it to be removed from the Z1 truss. Tani also visually inspected the station's starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and gathered samples of "shavings" he found under the joint's multi-layer insulation covers. Also the spacewalkers outfitted the Harmony module, mated the power and data grapple fixture and reconfigured connectors on the starboard 1 (S1) truss that will allow the radiator on S1 to be deployed from the ground later.

EVA 2 - Parazynski outfitting Node 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-28

S120-E-007080 (28 Oct. 2007) --- Astronaut Scott Parazynski, STS-120 mission specialist, participates in the second of five scheduled sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction continues on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 33-minute spacewalk Parazynski and astronaut Daniel Tani (out of frame), Expedition 16 flight engineer, worked in tandem to disconnect cables from the P6 truss, allowing it to be removed from the Z1 truss. Tani also visually inspected the station's starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and gathered samples of "shavings" he found under the joint's multi-layer insulation covers. Also the spacewalkers outfitted the Harmony module, mated the power and data grapple fixture and reconfigured connectors on the starboard 1 (S1) truss that will allow the radiator on S1 to be deployed from the ground later.

EVA 2 - Tani on S1 truss

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-28

S120-E-007119 (28 Oct. 2007) --- Astronaut Daniel Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, participates in the second of five scheduled sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction continues on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 33-minute spacewalk Tani and astronaut Scott Parazynski (out of frame), STS-120 mission specialist, worked in tandem to disconnect cables from the P6 truss, allowing it to be removed from the Z1 truss. Tani also visually inspected the station's starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and gathered samples of "shavings" he found under the joint's multi-layer insulation covers. Also the spacewalkers outfitted the Harmony module, mated the power and data grapple fixture and reconfigured connectors on the starboard 1 (S1) truss that will allow the radiator on S1 to be deployed from the ground later.

Measuring meaning in life following cancer

PubMed Central

Jim, Heather S.; Purnell, Jason Q.; Richardson, Susan A.; Golden-Kreutz, Deanna; Andersen, Barbara L.

2007-01-01

Meaning in life is a multi-faceted construct that has been conceptualized in diverse ways. It refers broadly to the value and purpose of life, important life goals, and for some, spirituality. We developed a measure of meaning in life derived from this conceptualization and designed to be a synthesis of relevant theoretical and empirical traditions. Two samples, all cancer patients, provided data for scale development and psychometric study. From exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses the Meaning in Life Scale (MiLS) emerged, and includes four aspects: Harmony and Peace, Life Perspective, Purpose and Goals, Confusion and Lessened Meaning, and Benefits of Spirituality. Supporting data for reliability (internal consistency, test–retest) and construct validity (convergent, discriminant, individual differences) are provided. The MiLS offers a theoretically based and psychometrically sound assessment of meaning in life suitable for use with cancer patients. PMID:16838197

The importance of accounting for imperfect detection when estimating functional and phylogenetic community structure.

PubMed

Si, Xingfeng; Cadotte, Marc W; Zhao, Yuhao; Zhou, Haonan; Zeng, Di; Li, Jiaqi; Jin, Tinghao; Ren, Peng; Wang, Yanping; Ding, Ping; Tingley, Morgan W

2018-06-26

Incorporating imperfect detection when estimating species richness has become commonplace in the past decade. However, the question of how imperfect detection of species affects estimates of functional and phylogenetic community structure remains untested. We used long-term counts of breeding bird species that were detected at least once on islands in a land-bridge island system, and employed multi-species occupancy models to assess the effects of imperfect detection of species on estimates of bird diversity and community structure by incorporating species traits and phylogenies. Our results showed that taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity were all underestimated significantly as a result of species' imperfect detection, with taxonomic diversity showing the greatest bias. The functional and phylogenetic structure calculated from observed communities were both more clustered than those from the detection-corrected communities due to missed distinct species. The discrepancy between observed and estimated diversity differed according to the measure of biodiversity employed. Our study demonstrates the importance of accounting for species' imperfect detection in biodiversity studies, especially for functional and phylogenetic community ecology, and when attempting to infer community assembly processes. With datasets that allow for detection-corrected community structure, we can better estimate diversity and infer the underlying mechanisms that structure community assembly, and thus make reliable management decisions for the conservation of biodiversity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Multi-frame partially saturated images blind deconvolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Pengzhao; Feng, Huajun; Xu, Zhihai; Li, Qi; Chen, Yueting

2016-12-01

When blurred images have saturated or over-exposed pixels, conventional blind deconvolution approaches often fail to estimate accurate point spread function (PSF) and will introduce local ringing artifacts. In this paper, we propose a method to deal with the problem under the modified multi-frame blind deconvolution framework. First, in the kernel estimation step, a light streak detection scheme using multi-frame blurred images is incorporated into the regularization constraint. Second, we deal with image regions affected by the saturated pixels separately by modeling a weighted matrix during each multi-frame deconvolution iteration process. Both synthetic and real-world examples show that more accurate PSFs can be estimated and restored images have richer details and less negative effects compared to state of art methods.

Optimum Sensors Integration for Multi-Sensor Multi-Target Environment for Ballistic Missile Defense Applications

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

Imam, Neena; Barhen, Jacob; Glover, Charles Wayne

2012-01-01

Multi-sensor networks may face resource limitations in a dynamically evolving multiple target tracking scenario. It is necessary to task the sensors efficiently so that the overall system performance is maximized within the system constraints. The central sensor resource manager may control the sensors to meet objective functions that are formulated to meet system goals such as minimization of track loss, maximization of probability of target detection, and minimization of track error. This paper discusses the variety of techniques that may be utilized to optimize sensor performance for either near term gain or future reward over a longer time horizon.

Sense of Belonging or Feeling Marginalized? Using PISA 2012 to Assess the State of Academically Gifted Students within the EU

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godor, Brian P.; Szymanski, Antonia

2017-01-01

There are two competing stereotypes of gifted students: harmony theory (gifted students are well adjusted and successful in life) and disharmony theory (giftedness forms a threat to a harmonious development). In this context, the PISA 2012 data were used to explore middle-school students' experiences in terms of sense of belonging, student-teacher…

Effect of Voice-Part Training and Music Complexity on Focus of Attention to Melody or Harmony

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Lindsey R.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible effects of choral voice-part training/experience and music complexity on focus of attention to melody or harmony. Participants (N = 150) were members of auditioned university choral ensembles divided by voice-part (sopranos, n = 44; altos, n = 33; tenors, n = 35; basses, n = 38). The music…

Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System: Project Hi-Class 1988-89. OREA Evaluation Section Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berney, Tomi D.; Hriskos, Constantine

The report presents an evaluation of the New York City Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS) based on results from the 1988-89 school year. The project provided support services to 420 Spanish- and Chinese-speaking students of limited English proficiency (LEP). It also proposed to instill pride in and respect for…

Stability and Harmony of Gait in Children with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iosa, Marco; Marro, Tiziana; Paolucci, Stefano; Morelli, Daniela

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the stability and harmony of gait in children with cerebral palsy. Seventeen children with spastic hemiplegia due to cerebral palsy (5.0 [plus or minus] 2.3 years old) who were able to walk autonomously and seventeen age-matched children with typical development (5.7 [plus or minus] 2.5 years old,…

Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS) 1989-90. OREA Final Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Office of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment.

An evaluation was done of New York City Board of Education's Project Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS) for 1989-90. In its second year of a funding cycle, the project offered 635 Chinese- and Spanish-speaking high school students of limited English proficiency instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL),…

Associations of perceived interparental relationship, family harmony and family happiness with smoking intention in never-smoking Chinese children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Luk, Tzu Tsun; Wang, Man Ping; Leung, Lok Tung; Wu, Yongda; Chen, Jianjiu; Lam, Tai Hing; Ho, Sai Yin

2017-10-06

To examine the associations of perceived interparental relationship, family harmony and family happiness with smoking intention in never-smoking Chinese children and adolescents in Hong Kong. Cross-sectional surveys of 15 753 primary (grades 4-6) and 38 398 secondary (grades 7-12) never-smoking students from 71 to 75 randomly selected primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, 2012-2013. Outcome variable was smoking intention which denoted any affirmative response to smoke within the coming year or when a cigarette was offered by a good friend. Exposure variables were perceived interparental relationship and family harmony each measured on a five-point scale from 'very good' to 'very bad' and perceived family happiness on a four-point scale from 'very happy' to 'not happy at all'. Potential confounders included age, sex, family structure, perceived family affluence, parental smoking and sibling smoking. In primary students, the adjusted ORs (AORs) (95% CI) of smoking intention generally increased with more negative perception of the family relationship: up to 3.67 (1.91 to 7.05) for interparental relationship, 7.71 (4.38 to 13.6) for family harmony and 5.40 (3.41 to 8.55) for family happiness. For secondary students, the corresponding AORs (95% CI) were 2.15 (1.64 to 2.82) for interparental relationship, 2.98 (2.31 to 3.84) for family harmony and 2.61 (1.80 to 3.79) for family happiness. All p for trend <0.001. More negatively perceived interparental relationship, family harmony and family happiness were associated with higher odds of smoking intention with dose-response relationships in never-smoking Chinese children and adolescents in Hong Kong. Children's perception of their family relationship may be an important intervening point for preventing youth from initiating smoking. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The Inskip Formation, the Harmony Formation, and the Havallah Sequence of Northwestern Nevada - An Interrelated Paleozoic Assemblage in the Home of the Sonoma Orogeny

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ketner, Keith B.

2008-01-01

An area between the towns of Winnemucca and Battle Mountain in northwestern Nevada, termed the arkosic triangle, includes the type areas of the middle to upper Paleozoic Inskip Formation and Havallah sequence, the Upper Devonian to Mississippian Harmony Formation, the Sonoma orogeny, and the Golconda thrust. According to an extensive body of scientific literature, the Havallah sequence, a diverse assemblage of oceanic rocks, was obducted onto the continent during the latest Permian or earliest Triassic Sonoma orogeny by way of the Golconda thrust. This has been the most commonly accepted theory for half a century, often cited but rarely challenged. The tectonic roles of the Inskip and Harmony Formations have remained uncertain, and they have never been fully integrated into the accepted theory. New, and newly interpreted, data are incompatible with the accepted theory and force comprehensive stratigraphic and tectonic concepts that include the Inskip and Harmony Formations as follows: middle to upper Paleozoic strata, including the Inskip, Harmony, and Havallah, form an interrelated assemblage that was deposited in a single basin on an autochthonous sequence of Cambrian, Ordovician, and lowest Silurian strata of the outer miogeocline. Sediments composing the Upper Devonian to Permian sequence entered the basin from both sides, arkosic sands, gravel, limestone olistoliths, and other detrital components entered from the west, and quartz, quartzite, chert, and other clasts from the east. Tectonic activity was expressed as: (1) Devonian uplift and erosion of part of the outer miogeocline; (2) Late Devonian depression of the same area, forming a trough, probably fault-bounded, in which the Inskip, Harmony, and Havallah were deposited; (3) production of intraformational and extrabasinal conglomerates derived from the basinal rocks; and (4) folding or tilting of the east side of the depositional basin in the Pennsylvanian. These middle to upper Paleozoic deposits were compressed in the Jurassic, causing east-verging thrusts in the eastern part of the depositional basin (Golconda thrust) and west-verging thrusts and folds in the western part. Hypotheses involving a far-traveled allochthon that was obducted from an ocean or back-arc basin are incompatible with modern observations and concepts.

Segregated Systems of Human Brain Networks.

PubMed

Wig, Gagan S

2017-12-01

The organization of the brain network enables its function. Evaluation of this organization has revealed that large-scale brain networks consist of multiple segregated subnetworks of interacting brain areas. Descriptions of resting-state network architecture have provided clues for understanding the functional significance of these segregated subnetworks, many of which correspond to distinct brain systems. The present report synthesizes accumulating evidence to reveal how maintaining segregated brain systems renders the human brain network functionally specialized, adaptable to task demands, and largely resilient following focal brain damage. The organizational properties that support system segregation are harmonious with the properties that promote integration across the network, but confer unique and important features to the brain network that are central to its function and behavior. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parabens determination in cosmetic and personal care products exploiting a multi-syringe chromatographic (MSC) system and chemiluminescent detection.

PubMed

Rodas, Melisa; Portugal, Lindomar A; Avivar, Jessica; Estela, José Manuel; Cerdà, Víctor

2015-10-01

Parabens are widely used in dairy products, such as in cosmetics and personal care products. Thus, in this work a multi-syringe chromatographic (MSC) system is proposed for the first time for the determination of four parabens: methylparaben (MP), ethylparaben (EP), propylparaben (PP) and butylparaben (BP) in cosmetics and personal care products, as a simpler, practical, and low cost alternative to HPLC methods. Separation was achieved using a 5mm-long precolumn of reversed phase C18 and multi-isocratic separation, i.e. using two consecutive mobile phases, 12:88 acetonitrile:water and 28:72 acetonitrile:water. The use of a multi-syringe buret allowed the easy implementation of chemiluminescent (CL) detection after separation. The chemiluminescent detection is based on the reduction of Ce(IV) by p-hydroxybenzoic acid, product of the acid hydrolysis of parabens, to excite rhodamine 6G (Rho 6G) and measure the resulting light emission. Multivariate designs combined with the concepts of multiple response treatments and desirability functions have been employed to simultaneously optimize and evaluate the responses. The optimized method has proved to be sensitive and precise, obtaining limits of detection between 20 and 40 µg L(-1) and RSD <4.9% in all cases. The method was satisfactorily applied to cosmetics and personal care products, obtaining no significant differences at a confidence level of 95% comparing with the HPLC reference method. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Female sexual dysfunction in young adult women - Impact of age and lifestyle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoian, Dana; PAter, Liana; Pater, Flavius; Craciunescu, Mihaela

2014-12-01

Female sexual function is a difficult entity to be assessed. Subjective factors and interview biases can change the perception of it. Using validated questionnaires can improve the scientific approach to this matter. There is a huge difference of severity and incidence among young, apparent healthy women, which are in a harmonious relationship. We evaluated 320 healthy women, with stable sexual active relationship, with no know depressive disease, endocrinological and metabolic pathology, no premature menopause, no malignancy. We compose a mathematic model to study the impact of age, and body weight on the sexual function, with FSFI total score as surrogate marker. We observed that even in healthy women, increase in age and/or weight/body mass significantly impair general sexual function.

Evaluation of Multi-Well Microelectrode Arrays for Neurotoxicity Screening Using a Chemical Training Set

EPA Science Inventory

Microelectrode array (MEA) approaches have been proposed as a tool for detecting functional changes in electrically-excitable cells, including neurons, exposed to drugs, chemical or particles. However, conventional single well-MEA systems lack the throughput necessary for screen...

An improved harmony search algorithm for emergency inspection scheduling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallioras, Nikos A.; Lagaros, Nikos D.; Karlaftis, Matthew G.

2014-11-01

The ability of nature-inspired search algorithms to efficiently handle combinatorial problems, and their successful implementation in many fields of engineering and applied sciences, have led to the development of new, improved algorithms. In this work, an improved harmony search (IHS) algorithm is presented, while a holistic approach for solving the problem of post-disaster infrastructure management is also proposed. The efficiency of IHS is compared with that of the algorithms of particle swarm optimization, differential evolution, basic harmony search and the pure random search procedure, when solving the districting problem that is the first part of post-disaster infrastructure management. The ant colony optimization algorithm is employed for solving the associated routing problem that constitutes the second part. The comparison is based on the quality of the results obtained, the computational demands and the sensitivity on the algorithmic parameters.

A risk-based multi-objective model for optimal placement of sensors in water distribution system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naserizade, Sareh S.; Nikoo, Mohammad Reza; Montaseri, Hossein

2018-02-01

In this study, a new stochastic model based on Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) and multi-objective optimization methods is developed for optimal placement of sensors in water distribution system (WDS). This model determines minimization of risk which is caused by simultaneous multi-point contamination injection in WDS using CVaR approach. The CVaR considers uncertainties of contamination injection in the form of probability distribution function and calculates low-probability extreme events. In this approach, extreme losses occur at tail of the losses distribution function. Four-objective optimization model based on NSGA-II algorithm is developed to minimize losses of contamination injection (through CVaR of affected population and detection time) and also minimize the two other main criteria of optimal placement of sensors including probability of undetected events and cost. Finally, to determine the best solution, Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE), as a subgroup of Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach, is utilized to rank the alternatives on the trade-off curve among objective functions. Also, sensitivity analysis is done to investigate the importance of each criterion on PROMETHEE results considering three relative weighting scenarios. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is examined through applying it to Lamerd WDS in the southwestern part of Iran. The PROMETHEE suggests 6 sensors with suitable distribution that approximately cover all regions of WDS. Optimal values related to CVaR of affected population and detection time as well as probability of undetected events for the best optimal solution are equal to 17,055 persons, 31 mins and 0.045%, respectively. The obtained results of the proposed methodology in Lamerd WDS show applicability of CVaR-based multi-objective simulation-optimization model for incorporating the main uncertainties of contamination injection in order to evaluate extreme value of losses in WDS.

Contrasting Olfaction, Vision, and Audition as Predictors of Cognitive Change and Impairment in Non-Demented Older Adults

PubMed Central

MacDonald, Stuart W.S.; Keller, Connor J.C.; Brewster, Paul W.H.; Dixon, Roger A.

2017-01-01

Objective This study examines the relative utility of a particular class of non-invasive functional biomarkers -- sensory functions -- for detecting those at risk of cognitive decline and impairment. Three central research objectives were examined including whether: (1) olfactory function, vision, and audition exhibited significant longitudinal declines in non-demented older adults, (2) multi-wave change for these sensory function indicators predicted risk of mild cognitive impairment, and (3) change within persons for each sensory measure shared dynamic time-varying associations with within-person change in cognitive functioning. Method A longitudinal sample (n=408) from the Victoria Longitudinal Study was assembled. Three cognitive status subgroups were identified: not impaired cognitively (NIC), single assessment mild cognitive impairment (SA-MCI), and multiple assessment mild cognitive impairment (MA-MCI). Results We tested independent predictive associations, contrasting change in sensory function as predictors of cognitive decline and impairment, utilizing both linear mixed models and logistic regression analysis. Olfaction and, to a lesser extent, vision were identified as the most robust predictors of cognitive status and decline; audition showed little predictive influence. Conclusions These findings underscore the potential utility of deficits in olfactory function, in particular, as an early marker of age- and pathology-related cognitive decline. Functional biomarkers may represent potential candidates for use in the early stages of a multi-step screening approach for detecting those at risk of cognitive impairment, as well as for targeted intervention. PMID:29809033

A Parallel Finite Set Statistical Simulator for Multi-Target Detection and Tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussein, I.; MacMillan, R.

2014-09-01

Finite Set Statistics (FISST) is a powerful Bayesian inference tool for the joint detection, classification and tracking of multi-target environments. FISST is capable of handling phenomena such as clutter, misdetections, and target birth and decay. Implicit within the approach are solutions to the data association and target label-tracking problems. Finally, FISST provides generalized information measures that can be used for sensor allocation across different types of tasks such as: searching for new targets, and classification and tracking of known targets. These FISST capabilities have been demonstrated on several small-scale illustrative examples. However, for implementation in a large-scale system as in the Space Situational Awareness problem, these capabilities require a lot of computational power. In this paper, we implement FISST in a parallel environment for the joint detection and tracking of multi-target systems. In this implementation, false alarms and misdetections will be modeled. Target birth and decay will not be modeled in the present paper. We will demonstrate the success of the method for as many targets as we possibly can in a desktop parallel environment. Performance measures will include: number of targets in the simulation, certainty of detected target tracks, computational time as a function of clutter returns and number of targets, among other factors.

Multi-Detection Events, Probability Density Functions, and Reduced Location Area

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

Eslinger, Paul W.; Schrom, Brian T.

2016-03-01

Abstract Several efforts have been made in the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) community to assess the benefits of combining detections of radionuclides to improve the location estimates available from atmospheric transport modeling (ATM) backtrack calculations. We present a Bayesian estimation approach rather than a simple dilution field of regard approach to allow xenon detections and non-detections to be combined mathematically. This system represents one possible probabilistic approach to radionuclide event formation. Application of this method to a recent interesting radionuclide event shows a substantial reduction in the location uncertainty of that event.

Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS). Transitional Bilingual Education, 1991-92. Final Evaluation Profile. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angelina, Edward; Duque, Diana L.

An evaluation was done of the first year of a 2-year renewal program at three high schools in New York City, Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS), designed to provide support services to students of limited English proficiency (LEP). The project proposed to provide individualized instruction focusing on basic skills,…

Sustainable tourism and harmonious culture: a case study of cultic model at village tourism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astawa, I. P.; Triyuni, N. N.; Santosa, I. D. M. C.

2018-01-01

The research aims to analyze an event model of Culture and Tourism International Camp (Cultic) from two aspects, harmonious culture and sustainable tourism. Currently, Indonesian government promotes village tourism by involving more villagers to achieve village independence in its development. The program has faced various obstacles, such as the eroded local cultures due to the development of a massive and money-oriented tourism with less attention on the environmental damage. One of the offered programs is a green tourism model for an event named Culture and Tourism International Camps - Cultic. The research is conducted in several stages. The first stage is the development of model based on the theoretical study. The second stage is the implementation of the model with 85 participants. The third stage is the evaluation of the model through harmonious culture and sustainable tourism approaches. The data is collected through a direct observation and a questionnaire. The result of qualitative analysis indicates that the developed event model supports the harmonious culture, especially the natural environment. Whereas, the result of quantitative analysis indicates that the participants enjoy the activities, such as green food, material natural, waste management, and ecosystem. Another finding is that the community strongly supports the concept of sustainable tourism.

Integrating GIS, cellular automata, and genetic algorithm in urban spatial optimization: a case study of Lanzhou

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xibao; Zhang, Jianming; Zhou, Xiaojian

2006-10-01

This paper presents a model integrating GIS, cellular automata (CA) and genetic algorithm (GA) in urban spatial optimization. The model involves three objectives of the maximization of land-use efficiency, the maximization of urban spatial harmony and appropriate proportion of each land-use type. CA submodel is designed with standard Moore neighbor and three transition rules to maximize the land-use efficiency and urban spatial harmony, according to the land-use suitability and spatial harmony index. GA submodel is designed with four constraints and seven steps for the maximization of urban spatial harmony and appropriate proportion of each land-use type, including encoding, initializing, calculating fitness, selection, crossover, mutation and elitism. GIS is used to prepare for the input data sets for the model and perform spatial analysis on the results, while CA and GA are integrated to optimize urban spatial structure, programmed with Matlab 7 and coupled with GIS loosely. Lanzhou, a typical valley-basin city with fast urban development, is chosen as the case study. At the end, a detail analysis and evaluation of the spatial optimization with the model are made, and it proves to be a powerful tool in optimizing urban spatial structure and make supplement for urban planning and policy-makers.

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

McCollum, L.B.; Buchanan, J.P.; McCollum, M.B.

The Antler orogeny is a textbook example of a Paleozoic mountain building and crustal shortening event in western North America. A relatively complex geologic history of the type Antler at Battle Mountain, Nevada, is interpreted as distinct thrust plates of Lower Cambrian Scott Canyon Formation, Upper Cambrian Harmony Sandstone, and Ordovician Valmy Formation, overlain unconformably by the Middle Pennsylvanian Battle Formation. Mississippian crustal deformation and emplacement of the Roberts Mountain thrust have previously been thought to characterize the Antler orogen. Detailed sedimentology studies of the Scott Canyon and Harmony, and the relationship with the overlying Battle Formation at the typemore » section of the Antler orogeny, cast doubt on the previously accepted geologic history. The Scott Canyon is an interbedded sequence of pillow basalts, Late Devonian radiolarian cherts, and mudstone debris flows with numerous limestone olistoliths, many containing undescribed archaeocyathid fauna. The contact of the Harmony with the Battle Formation appears channeled, but otherwise conformable, and the Battle has been interpreted as an alluvial fan facies. The paleoenvironmental interpretation of these sediments is that the Scott Canyon was deposited upon a Late Devonian active continental margin setting, with prograding fan deposits of the Harmony Sandstone, overlain by Middle Pennsylvanian fanglomerates of the Battle Formation. This conformable sequence appears to preclude any major uplift within the type Antler orogen.« less

Application of Static Var Compensator (SVC) With PI Controller for Grid Integration of Wind Farm Using Harmony Search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keshta, H. E.; Ali, A. A.; Saied, E. M.; Bendary, F. M.

2016-10-01

Large-scale integration of wind turbine generators (WTGs) may have significant impacts on power system operation with respect to system frequency and bus voltages. This paper studies the effect of Static Var Compensator (SVC) connected to wind energy conversion system (WECS) on voltage profile and the power generated from the induction generator (IG) in wind farm. Also paper presents, a dynamic reactive power compensation using Static Var Compensator (SVC) at the a point of interconnection of wind farm while static compensation (Fixed Capacitor Bank) is unable to prevent voltage collapse. Moreover, this paper shows that using advanced optimization techniques based on artificial intelligence (AI) such as Harmony Search Algorithm (HS) and Self-Adaptive Global Harmony Search Algorithm (SGHS) instead of a Conventional Control Method to tune the parameters of PI controller for SVC and pitch angle. Also paper illustrates that the performance of the system with controllers based on AI is improved under different operating conditions. MATLAB/Simulink based simulation is utilized to demonstrate the application of SVC in wind farm integration. It is also carried out to investigate the enhancement in performance of the WECS achieved with a PI Controller tuned by Harmony Search Algorithm as compared to a Conventional Control Method.

Harmony hurts: participation and silent conflict at an Indonesian fish pond.

PubMed

Tam, Chui-Ling

2006-07-01

Participatory environmental and resource management is premised on open communication to reach consensus. However, deliberate and open communication cannot adequately address silent conflict. This begs two questions. First, how is the existence of covert communication and silent conflict to be recognized and addressed? Second, how are the wider social relations and traditions that encompass communication and conflict to be described and explained? These questions revolve around communicative power. Communication of environmental knowledge is deeply embedded in social power structures, with direct implications for participatory resource planning and implementation. Ethnographic research conducted at a failed community-managed fish farming project in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia shows that a culture of harmony and respect for authority can silence environmental conflict in the hierarchical "community." Three propositions are offered. First, communication amnesia and exclusion jeopardize participation. Second, cultures of harmony and silent conflict shape planning processes and outcomes. Third, the weak use manipulation and communication strategy to acquire a "voice" while preserving harmony. These propositions address five unresolved issues in participatory resource management: analysis of groups, contextuality, social relationships, nonparticipants, and informal communication. Power, tradition, and social networks affect the valuing of knowledge relative to the power of different individuals and institutions to communicate priorities, values, and needs. These factors are critical to the inclusion of both participants and nonparticipants.

Biomolecule detection based on Si single-electron transistors for practical use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Anri; Kudo, Takashi; Furuse, Sadaharu

2013-07-01

Experimental and theoretical analyses demonstrated that ultra-sensitive biomolecule detection can be achieved using a Si single-electron transistor (SET). A multi-island channel structure was used to enable room-temperature operation. Coulomb oscillation increases transconductance without increasing channel width, which increases detection sensitivity to a charged target. A biotin-modified SET biosensor was used to detect streptavidin at a dilute concentration. In addition, an antibody-functionalized SET biosensor was used for immunodetection of prostate-specific antigen, demonstrating its suitability for practical use. The feasibility of ultra-sensitive detection of biomolecules for practical use by using a SET biosensor was clearly proven through this systematic study.

Penalty dynamic programming algorithm for dim targets detection in sensor systems.

PubMed

Huang, Dayu; Xue, Anke; Guo, Yunfei

2012-01-01

In order to detect and track multiple maneuvering dim targets in sensor systems, an improved dynamic programming track-before-detect algorithm (DP-TBD) called penalty DP-TBD (PDP-TBD) is proposed. The performances of tracking techniques are used as a feedback to the detection part. The feedback is constructed by a penalty term in the merit function, and the penalty term is a function of the possible target state estimation, which can be obtained by the tracking methods. With this feedback, the algorithm combines traditional tracking techniques with DP-TBD and it can be applied to simultaneously detect and track maneuvering dim targets. Meanwhile, a reasonable constraint that a sensor measurement can originate from one target or clutter is proposed to minimize track separation. Thus, the algorithm can be used in the multi-target situation with unknown target numbers. The efficiency and advantages of PDP-TBD compared with two existing methods are demonstrated by several simulations.

Sequential Adaptive Multi-Modality Target Detection and Classification Using Physics Based Models

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

estimation," R. Raghuram, R. Raich and A.O. Hero, IEEE Intl. Conf. on Acoustics, Speech , and Signal Processing, Toulouse France, June 2006, <http...can then be solved using off-the-shelf classifiers such as radial basis functions, SVM, or kNN classifier structures. When applied to mine detection we...stage waveform selection for adaptive resource constrained state estimation," 2006 IEEE Intl. Conf. on Acoustics, Speech , and Signal Processing

LAND-COVER CHARACTERIZATION AND CHANGE DETECTION USING MULTI-TEMPORAL MODIS NDIV DATA

EPA Science Inventory

Land-cover (LC) composition and conversions are important factors that affect ecosystem condition and function. These data are frequently used as a primary data source to generate landscape-based metrics to assess landscape condition at multiple assessment scales. The use of sate...

Health risks, social relations and class: an analysis of occupational health discourse in Finnish newspaper and women's magazine articles 1961-2008.

PubMed

Varje, Pekka; Väänänen, Ari

2016-03-01

In this article we examine the treatment of psychosocial risks in public occupational health discourse in Finnish newspaper and magazine articles between the 1960s and 2000s, using discourse analysis. Building on class theories, our aim is to investigate how class expectations have been linked with the redefinition of occupational health risks during this period. Our results suggest that as social relations at the workplace became problematised in the occupational health discussions after the 1970s, the image of the hierarchical and naturally conflictual organisation was replaced by idealised middle-class notions of smoothly functioning, harmonious organisations that offered rewarding work experiences. However, this same period since the late 1970s has also been characterised by increasing economic competition and neoliberal market ideology. We conclude that the concern about work-related psychosocial risks and health problems expressed in Finnish newspaper and magazine articles during the last three decades has been shaped in many respects by a collision between the dominant middle-class expectations of harmony and equality and the neoliberal production of competition and inequality. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

Self-centeredness and selflessness: happiness correlates and mediating psychological processes

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The main objective of this research was to test central assumptions from the Self-centeredness/Selflessness Happiness Model. According to this model, while self-centered psychological functioning induces fluctuating happiness, authentic–durable happiness results from selflessness. Distinct mediating processes are supposed to account for these relationships: afflictive affects (e.g., anger, fear, jealousy, frustration) in the case of the former, and both emotional stability and feelings of harmony in the case of the latter. We tested these hypotheses in two studies based on heterogeneous samples of citizens (n = 547). Factor analyses revealed that self-centeredness (assessed through egocentrism and materialism) and selflessness (assessed through self-transcendence and connectedness to other) were two distinct psychological constructs. Second, while self-centeredness was positively and significantly related to fluctuating happiness, selflessness was positively and significantly related to authentic–durable happiness. Finally, distinct psychological processes mediated these relationships (study 2). On one hand, the relationship between self-centeredness and fluctuating happiness was fully mediated by afflictive affects. On the other hand, emotional stability and the feeling of being in harmony partially mediated the relation between selflessness and authentic–durable happiness. PMID:28507820

A three-wavelength multi-channel brain functional imager based on digital lock-in photon-counting technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Xuemei; Wang, Bingyuan; Liu, Dongyuan; Zhang, Yao; He, Jie; Zhao, Huijuan; Gao, Feng

2018-02-01

During the past two decades there has been a dramatic rise in the use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a neuroimaging technique in cognitive neuroscience research. Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) and optical topography (OT) can be employed as the optical imaging techniques for brain activity investigation. However, most current imagers with analogue detection are limited by sensitivity and dynamic range. Although photon-counting detection can significantly improve detection sensitivity, the intrinsic nature of sequential excitations reduces temporal resolution. To improve temporal resolution, sensitivity and dynamic range, we develop a multi-channel continuous-wave (CW) system for brain functional imaging based on a novel lock-in photon-counting technique. The system consists of 60 Light-emitting device (LED) sources at three wavelengths of 660nm, 780nm and 830nm, which are modulated by current-stabilized square-wave signals at different frequencies, and 12 photomultiplier tubes (PMT) based on lock-in photon-counting technique. This design combines the ultra-high sensitivity of the photon-counting technique with the parallelism of the digital lock-in technique. We can therefore acquire the diffused light intensity for all the source-detector pairs (SD-pairs) in parallel. The performance assessments of the system are conducted using phantom experiments, and demonstrate its excellent measurement linearity, negligible inter-channel crosstalk, strong noise robustness and high temporal resolution.

Enzymes immobilized on amine-terminated ionic liquid-functionalized carbon nanotube for hydrogen peroxide determination.

PubMed

Liu, Xiuhui; Bu, Caihong; Nan, Zhihan; Zheng, Lichun; Qiu, Yu; Lu, Xiaoquan

2013-02-15

We report on a new approach for the electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) based on Cytochrome C (Cyt c) immobilized ionic liquid (IL)-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) modified glass carbon electrode (GCE). Functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotube with amine-terminated ionic liquid materials was characterized using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis spectra, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and the results showed that the covalent modification of MWCNTs with ILs exhibited a high surface area for enzyme immobilization and provided a good microenvironment for Cyt c to retain its bioelectrocatalytic activity toward H2O2. Amperometry was used to evaluate the catalytic activity of the cyt c towards H2O2. The proposed biosensor exhibited a wide linear response range nearly 4 orders of magnitude of H2O2 (4.0 × 10(-8)M-1.0 × 10(-4)M) with a good linearity (0.9980) and a low detection limit of 1.3 × 10(-8)M (based on S/N=3). Furthermore, the biosensor also displays some other excellent characteristics such as high selectivity, good reproducibility and long-term stability. Thus, the biosensor constructed in this study has great potential for detecting H2O2 in the complex biosystems. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Music and Language Syntax Interact in Broca's Area: An fMRI Study.

PubMed

Kunert, Richard; Willems, Roel M; Casasanto, Daniel; Patel, Aniruddh D; Hagoort, Peter

2015-01-01

Instrumental music and language are both syntactic systems, employing complex, hierarchically-structured sequences built using implicit structural norms. This organization allows listeners to understand the role of individual words or tones in the context of an unfolding sentence or melody. Previous studies suggest that the brain mechanisms of syntactic processing may be partly shared between music and language. However, functional neuroimaging evidence for anatomical overlap of brain activity involved in linguistic and musical syntactic processing has been lacking. In the present study we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in conjunction with an interference paradigm based on sung sentences. We show that the processing demands of musical syntax (harmony) and language syntax interact in Broca's area in the left inferior frontal gyrus (without leading to music and language main effects). A language main effect in Broca's area only emerged in the complex music harmony condition, suggesting that (with our stimuli and tasks) a language effect only becomes visible under conditions of increased demands on shared neural resources. In contrast to previous studies, our design allows us to rule out that the observed neural interaction is due to: (1) general attention mechanisms, as a psychoacoustic auditory anomaly behaved unlike the harmonic manipulation, (2) error processing, as the language and the music stimuli contained no structural errors. The current results thus suggest that two different cognitive domains-music and language-might draw on the same high level syntactic integration resources in Broca's area.

Music and Language Syntax Interact in Broca’s Area: An fMRI Study

PubMed Central

Kunert, Richard; Willems, Roel M.; Casasanto, Daniel; Patel, Aniruddh D.; Hagoort, Peter

2015-01-01

Instrumental music and language are both syntactic systems, employing complex, hierarchically-structured sequences built using implicit structural norms. This organization allows listeners to understand the role of individual words or tones in the context of an unfolding sentence or melody. Previous studies suggest that the brain mechanisms of syntactic processing may be partly shared between music and language. However, functional neuroimaging evidence for anatomical overlap of brain activity involved in linguistic and musical syntactic processing has been lacking. In the present study we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in conjunction with an interference paradigm based on sung sentences. We show that the processing demands of musical syntax (harmony) and language syntax interact in Broca’s area in the left inferior frontal gyrus (without leading to music and language main effects). A language main effect in Broca’s area only emerged in the complex music harmony condition, suggesting that (with our stimuli and tasks) a language effect only becomes visible under conditions of increased demands on shared neural resources. In contrast to previous studies, our design allows us to rule out that the observed neural interaction is due to: (1) general attention mechanisms, as a psychoacoustic auditory anomaly behaved unlike the harmonic manipulation, (2) error processing, as the language and the music stimuli contained no structural errors. The current results thus suggest that two different cognitive domains—music and language—might draw on the same high level syntactic integration resources in Broca’s area. PMID:26536026

Simulation Research Framework with Embedded Intelligent Algorithms for Analysis of Multi-Target, Multi-Sensor, High-Cluttered Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanlon, Nicholas P.

The National Air Space (NAS) can be easily described as a complex aviation system-of-systems that seamlessly works in harmony to provide safe transit for all aircraft within its domain. The number of aircraft within the NAS is growing and according the FAA, "[o]n any given day, more than 85,000 flights are in the skies in the United States...This translates into roughly 5,000 planes in the skies above the United States at any given moment. More than 15,000 federal air traffic controllers in airport traffic control towers, terminal radar approach control facilities and air route traffic control centers guide pilots through the system". The FAA is currently rolling out the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) to handle projected growth while leveraging satellite-based navigation for improved tracking. A key component to instantiating NextGen lies in the equipage of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), a performance based surveillance technology that uses GPS navigation for more precise positioning than radars providing increased situational awareness to air traffic controllers. Furthermore, the FAA is integrating UAS into the NAS, further congesting the airways and information load on air traffic controllers. The expected increase in aircraft density due to NextGen implementation and UAS integration will require innovative algorithms to cope with the increase data flow and to support air traffic controllers in their decision-making. This research presents a few innovative algorithms to support increased aircraft density and UAS integration into the NAS. First, it is imperative that individual tracks are correlated prior to fusing to ensure a proper picture of the environment is correct. However, current approaches do not scale well as the number of targets and sensors are increased. This work presents a fuzzy clustering design to hierarchically break the problem down into smaller subspaces prior to correlation. This approach provides nearly identical performance metrics at orders of magnitude faster in execution. Second, a fuzzy inference system is presented that alleviates air traffic controllers from information overload by utilizing flight plan data and radar/GPS correlation values to highlight aircraft that deviate from their intended routes. Third, a genetic algorithm optimizes sensor placement that is robust and capable of handling unexpected routes in the environment. Fourth, a fuzzy CUSUM algorithm more accurately detects and corrects aircraft mode changes. Finally, all the work is packaged in a holistic simulation research framework that provides evaluation and analysis of various multi-sensor, multi-target scenarios.

A biomimetic colorimetric logic gate system based on multi-functional peptide-mediated gold nanoparticle assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yong; Li, Wang; He, Kai-Yu; Li, Pei; Huang, Yan; Nie, Zhou; Yao, Shou-Zhuo

2016-04-01

In natural biological systems, proteins exploit various functional peptide motifs to exert target response and activity switch, providing a functional and logic basis for complex cellular activities. Building biomimetic peptide-based bio-logic systems is highly intriguing but remains relatively unexplored due to limited logic recognition elements and complex signal outputs. In this proof-of-principle work, we attempted to address these problems by utilizing multi-functional peptide probes and the peptide-mediated nanoparticle assembly system. Here, the rationally designed peptide probes function as the dual-target responsive element specifically responsive to metal ions and enzymes as well as the mediator regulating the assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Taking advantage of Zn2+ ions and chymotrypsin as the model inputs of metal ions and enzymes, respectively, we constructed the peptide logic system computed by the multi-functional peptide probes and outputted by the readable colour change of AuNPs. In this way, the representative binary basic logic gates (AND, OR, INHIBIT, NAND, IMPLICATION) have been achieved by delicately coding the peptide sequence, demonstrating the versatility of our logic system. Additionally, we demonstrated that the three-input combinational logic gate (INHIBIT-OR) could also be successfully integrated and applied as a multi-tasking biosensor for colorimetric detection of dual targets. This nanoparticle-based peptide logic system presents a valid strategy to illustrate peptide information processing and provides a practical platform for executing peptide computing or peptide-related multiplexing sensing, implying that the controllable nanomaterial assembly is a promising and potent methodology for the advancement of biomimetic bio-logic computation.In natural biological systems, proteins exploit various functional peptide motifs to exert target response and activity switch, providing a functional and logic basis for complex cellular activities. Building biomimetic peptide-based bio-logic systems is highly intriguing but remains relatively unexplored due to limited logic recognition elements and complex signal outputs. In this proof-of-principle work, we attempted to address these problems by utilizing multi-functional peptide probes and the peptide-mediated nanoparticle assembly system. Here, the rationally designed peptide probes function as the dual-target responsive element specifically responsive to metal ions and enzymes as well as the mediator regulating the assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Taking advantage of Zn2+ ions and chymotrypsin as the model inputs of metal ions and enzymes, respectively, we constructed the peptide logic system computed by the multi-functional peptide probes and outputted by the readable colour change of AuNPs. In this way, the representative binary basic logic gates (AND, OR, INHIBIT, NAND, IMPLICATION) have been achieved by delicately coding the peptide sequence, demonstrating the versatility of our logic system. Additionally, we demonstrated that the three-input combinational logic gate (INHIBIT-OR) could also be successfully integrated and applied as a multi-tasking biosensor for colorimetric detection of dual targets. This nanoparticle-based peptide logic system presents a valid strategy to illustrate peptide information processing and provides a practical platform for executing peptide computing or peptide-related multiplexing sensing, implying that the controllable nanomaterial assembly is a promising and potent methodology for the advancement of biomimetic bio-logic computation. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Additional figures (Tables S1-S3 and Fig. S1-S6). See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01072e

The 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase multi-enzyme complex of the archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum - recombinant expression, assembly and characterization.

PubMed

Heath, Caroline; Posner, Mareike G; Aass, Hans C; Upadhyay, Abhishek; Scott, David J; Hough, David W; Danson, Michael J

2007-10-01

The aerobic archaea possess four closely spaced, adjacent genes that encode proteins showing significant sequence identities with the bacterial and eukaryal components comprising the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase multi-enzyme complexes. However, catalytic activities of such complexes have never been detected in the archaea, although 2-oxoacid ferredoxin oxidoreductases that catalyze the equivalent metabolic reactions are present. In the current paper, we clone and express the four genes from the thermophilic archaeon, Thermoplasma acidophilum, and demonstrate that the recombinant enzymes are active and assemble into a large (M(r) = 5 x 10(6)) multi-enzyme complex. The post-translational incorporation of lipoic acid into the transacylase component of the complex is demonstrated, as is the assembly of this enzyme into a 24-mer core to which the other components bind to give the functional multi-enzyme system. This assembled complex is shown to catalyze the oxidative decarboxylation of branched-chain 2-oxoacids and pyruvate to their corresponding acyl-CoA derivatives. Our data constitute the first proof that the archaea possess a functional 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complex.

JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia.

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-20

17 18 Mahteshim 172,000 A. Levita million, and Tara, $83 million. The soft drink market is 18 24 Polgat 167,019 M. Braun first and foremost Coca Cola ...administrative restrictions and regulations in "• Development of small and medium-sized projects; production units. and, There must be harmony between...dispensed Egypt has suffered for a long time from a lack of with? harmony between education and employment. There- fore, there must be concentration on

JPRS Report, Soviet Union: International Affairs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-08-24

birthday)" 73 FEATURE ARTICLE Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "The USSR: 22,400,000 Square Kilometers Without A Single Coca - Cola Ad" Foreword by V. Zemskov...which are embodied in social goals and ideals capable of uniting an absolute majority thereof. These are the ideals of peace, man’s harmonious ...countries; harmonious economic development capable of subordi- nating S&T progress to the interests of the working masses and preserving people’s

STS-119 Group Photo in Node 2 Harmony

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-24

S119-E-007770 (24 March 2009) --- STS-119 crewmembers pose for a group photo following a joint news conference in the Harmony node of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station. From the left (bottom row) are NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli, pilot; Lee Archambault, commander; and Joseph Acaba, mission specialist. From the left (top row) are astronauts Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold and John Phillips, all mission specialists.

STS-119 Group Photo in Node 2 Harmony

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-24

S119-E-007775 (24 March 2009) --- STS-119 crewmembers pose for a group photo following a joint news conference in the Harmony node of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station. From the left (bottom row) are NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli, pilot; Lee Archambault, commander; and Joseph Acaba, mission specialist. From the left (top row) are astronauts Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold and John Phillips, all mission specialists.

STS-119 Group Photo in Node 2 Harmony

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-24

S119-E-007763 (24 March 2009) --- STS-119 crewmembers pose for a group photo following a joint news conference in the Harmony node of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station. From the left (bottom row) are NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli, pilot; Lee Archambault, commander; and Joseph Acaba, mission specialist. From the left (top row) are astronauts Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold and John Phillips, all mission specialists.

On the development of harmonious and obsessive passion: the role of autonomy support, activity specialization, and identification with the activity.

PubMed

Mageau, Geneviève A; Vallerand, Robert J; Charest, Julie; Salvy, Sarah-Jeanne; Lacaille, Nathalie; Bouffard, Thérèse; Koestner, Richard

2009-06-01

Recent research (Vallerand et al., 2003) has supported the existence of two types of passion for activities: a harmonious and an obsessive passion. The purpose of this investigation was to study the processes likely to lead to the development of passion. Three studies using correlational and short-term longitudinal designs with varied populations ranging from beginners to experts reveal that identification with the activity, activity specialization, parents' activity valuation, and autonomy support predict the development of passion. Furthermore, results show that children and teenagers whose environment supports their autonomy are more likely to develop a harmonious passion than an obsessive one. Conversely, children and teenagers who highly value activity specialization, who rely heavily on their activity for self-definition, and whose parents highly value the activity are more likely to develop an obsessive passion.

Study on the Forming Process and Exploration of Concept of Human-Water Harmonization of Sustainable Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Fang; Si, Liqi

2018-05-01

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the process of human development and utilization of water resources can be divided into three stages: engineering water conservancy, resource water conservancy and harmonious coexistence between man and water. These three stages reflect the transformation of the idea of human development and utilization of water resources and eventually reach the state of harmony between human being and water. At the same time, this article draws on the experiences of water management under the thinking of sustainable development in the United States, Western Europe, Northern Europe and Africa. Finally, this paper points out that we need to realize the harmonious coexistence between man and water and sustainable development of water resources in the process of development and utilization of water resources, which is the inevitable requirement of the economic and social development.

A DNA biosensor based on gold nanoparticle decorated on carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes for gender determination of Arowana fish.

PubMed

Saeedfar, Kasra; Heng, Lee Yook; Chiang, Chew Poh

2017-12-01

Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified to design a new DNA biosensor. Functionalized MWCNTs were equipped with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) (~15nm) (GNP-MWCNTCOOH) to construct DNA biosensors based on carbon-paste screen-printed (SPE) electrodes. GNP attachment onto functionalized MWCNTs was carried out by microwave irradiation and was confirmed by spectroscopic studies and surface analysis. DNA biosensors based on differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were constructed by immobilizing thiolated single-stranded DNA probes onto GNP-MWCNTCOOH. Ruthenium (III) chloride hexaammoniate [Ru(NH 3 ) 6 ,2Cl - ] (RuHex) was used as hybridization redox indicator. RuHex and MWCNT interaction was low in compared to other organic redox hybridization indicators. The linear response range for DNA determination was 1×10 -21 to 1×10 -9 M with a lower detection limit of 1.55×10 -21 M. Thus, the attachment of GNPs onto functionalized MWCNTs yielded sensitive DNA biosensor with low detection limit and stability more than 30days. Constructed electrode was used to determine gender of arowana fish. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adult romantic relationships as contexts of human development: a multimethod comparison of same-sex couples with opposite-sex dating, engaged, and married dyads.

PubMed

Roisman, Glenn I; Clausell, Eric; Holland, Ashley; Fortuna, Keren; Elieff, Chryle

2008-01-01

This article presents a multimethod, multi-informant comparison of community samples of committed gay male (n=30) and lesbian (n=30) couples with both committed (n=50 young engaged and n=40 older married) and noncommitted (n=109 exclusively dating) heterosexual pairs. Specifically, in this study the quality of same- and opposite-sex relationships was examined at multiple levels of analysis via self-reports and partner reports, laboratory observations, and measures of physiological reactivity during dyadic interactions. Additionally, individuals in same-sex, engaged, and marital relationships were compared with one another on adult attachment security as assessed through the coherence of participants' narratives about their childhood experiences. Results indicated that individuals in committed same-sex relationships were generally not distinguishable from their committed heterosexual counterparts, with one exception--lesbians were especially effective at working together harmoniously in laboratory observations. Copyright (c) 2008 APA.

2nd EVA - Tani on P6 Truss

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-28

S120-E-007038 (28 Oct. 2007) --- Astronaut Daniel Tani (top center), Expedition 16 flight engineer, participates in the second of five scheduled sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction continues on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 33-minute spacewalk Tani and astronaut Scott Parazynski (out of frame), STS-120 mission specialist, worked in tandem to disconnect cables from the P6 truss, allowing it to be removed from the Z1 truss. Tani also visually inspected the station's starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and gathered samples of "shavings" he found under the joint's multi-layer insulation covers. Also the spacewalkers outfitted the Harmony module, mated the power and data grapple fixture and reconfigured connectors on the starboard 1 (S1) truss that will allow the radiator on S1 to be deployed from the ground later. The moon is visible at lower center.

SChloro: directing Viridiplantae proteins to six chloroplastic sub-compartments.

PubMed

Savojardo, Castrense; Martelli, Pier Luigi; Fariselli, Piero; Casadio, Rita

2017-02-01

Chloroplasts are organelles found in plants and involved in several important cell processes. Similarly to other compartments in the cell, chloroplasts have an internal structure comprising several sub-compartments, where different proteins are targeted to perform their functions. Given the relation between protein function and localization, the availability of effective computational tools to predict protein sub-organelle localizations is crucial for large-scale functional studies. In this paper we present SChloro, a novel machine-learning approach to predict protein sub-chloroplastic localization, based on targeting signal detection and membrane protein information. The proposed approach performs multi-label predictions discriminating six chloroplastic sub-compartments that include inner membrane, outer membrane, stroma, thylakoid lumen, plastoglobule and thylakoid membrane. In comparative benchmarks, the proposed method outperforms current state-of-the-art methods in both single- and multi-compartment predictions, with an overall multi-label accuracy of 74%. The results demonstrate the relevance of the approach that is eligible as a good candidate for integration into more general large-scale annotation pipelines of protein subcellular localization. The method is available as web server at http://schloro.biocomp.unibo.it gigi@biocomp.unibo.it.

PRESENTED 11/01/05 LAND-COVER CHARACTERIZATION AND CHANGE DETECTION USING MULTI-TEMPORAL MODIS NDVI DATA

EPA Science Inventory

Land-Cover (LC) composition and conversions are important factors that affect ecosystem condition and function. The purpose of this research and development effort is to investigate the feasibility of using MODIS derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data to deli...

Illumination Invariant Change Detection (iicd): from Earth to Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, X.; Liu, J.; Qin, M.; Li, S. Y.

2018-04-01

Multi-temporal Earth Observation and Mars orbital imagery data with frequent repeat coverage provide great capability for planetary surface change detection. When comparing two images taken at different times of day or in different seasons for change detection, the variation of topographic shades and shadows caused by the change of sunlight angle can be so significant that it overwhelms the real object and environmental changes, making automatic detection unreliable. An effective change detection algorithm therefore has to be robust to the illumination variation. This paper presents our research on developing and testing an Illumination Invariant Change Detection (IICD) method based on the robustness of phase correlation (PC) to the variation of solar illumination for image matching. The IICD is based on two key functions: i) initial change detection based on a saliency map derived from pixel-wise dense PC matching and ii) change quantization which combines change type identification, motion estimation and precise appearance change identification. Experiment using multi-temporal Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite images, Rapid eye satellite images and Mars HiRiSE images demonstrate that our frequency based image matching method can reach sub-pixel accuracy and thus the proposed IICD method can effectively detect and precisely segment large scale change such as landslide as well as small object change such as Mars rover, under daily and seasonal sunlight changes.

[Formula: see text]Associations among parent-child relationships and cognitive and language outcomes in a clinical sample of preschool children.

PubMed

Leiser, Kara; Heffelfinger, Amy; Kaugars, Astrida

2017-02-01

To examine associations among parent-child relationship characteristics and child cognitive and language outcomes. Preschool children (n = 72) with early neurological insult completed assessments of cognitive and language functioning and participated in a parent-child semi-structured interaction. Quality of the parent-child relationship accounted for a significant amount of unique variance (12%) in predicting children's overall cognitive and language functioning. Impact of neurological insult was a significant predictor. Caregiver-child interactions that are harmonious and reciprocal as evidenced by affective and/or verbal exchanges support children's cognitive and language development. Observations of interactions can guide providers in facilitating child- and family-centered interventions.

On the engineering design for systematic integration of agent-orientation in industrial automation.

PubMed

Yu, Liyong; Schüller, Andreas; Epple, Ulrich

2014-09-01

In today's automation industry, agent-oriented development of system functionalities appears to have a great potential for increasing autonomy and flexibility of complex operations, while lowering the workload of users. In this paper, we present a reference model for the harmonious and systematical integration of agent-orientation in industrial automation. Considering compatibility with existing automation systems and best practice, this model combines advantages of function block technology, service orientation and native description methods from the automation standard IEC 61131-3. This approach can be applied as a guideline for the engineering design of future agent-oriented automation systems. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role tuning between caregiver and care receiver during discharge transition: an illustration of role function mode in Roy's adaptation theory.

PubMed

Shyu, Y I

2000-10-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework to explain the interaction between the caregiver and the care receiver during the discharge transition. Data from face-to-face interviews with 12 care receivers and 16 caregivers were subjected to constant comparative analysis. Findings revealed that role tuning was the process used by caregivers and care receivers to achieve a harmonious pattern of caregiving and care receiving during the transition from hospital to home. This empirical finding can illustrate the concept of role function mode in the Roy adaptation theory and sensitize healthcare providers to the needs of the families during the discharge transition.

A robust multi-kernel change detection framework for detecting leaf beetle defoliation using Landsat 7 ETM+ data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anees, Asim; Aryal, Jagannath; O'Reilly, Małgorzata M.; Gale, Timothy J.; Wardlaw, Tim

2016-12-01

A robust non-parametric framework, based on multiple Radial Basic Function (RBF) kernels, is proposed in this study, for detecting land/forest cover changes using Landsat 7 ETM+ images. One of the widely used frameworks is to find change vectors (difference image) and use a supervised classifier to differentiate between change and no-change. The Bayesian Classifiers e.g. Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC), Naive Bayes (NB), are widely used probabilistic classifiers which assume parametric models, e.g. Gaussian function, for the class conditional distributions. However, their performance can be limited if the data set deviates from the assumed model. The proposed framework exploits the useful properties of Least Squares Probabilistic Classifier (LSPC) formulation i.e. non-parametric and probabilistic nature, to model class posterior probabilities of the difference image using a linear combination of a large number of Gaussian kernels. To this end, a simple technique, based on 10-fold cross-validation is also proposed for tuning model parameters automatically instead of selecting a (possibly) suboptimal combination from pre-specified lists of values. The proposed framework has been tested and compared with Support Vector Machine (SVM) and NB for detection of defoliation, caused by leaf beetles (Paropsisterna spp.) in Eucalyptus nitens and Eucalyptus globulus plantations of two test areas, in Tasmania, Australia, using raw bands and band combination indices of Landsat 7 ETM+. It was observed that due to multi-kernel non-parametric formulation and probabilistic nature, the LSPC outperforms parametric NB with Gaussian assumption in change detection framework, with Overall Accuracy (OA) ranging from 93.6% (κ = 0.87) to 97.4% (κ = 0.94) against 85.3% (κ = 0.69) to 93.4% (κ = 0.85), and is more robust to changing data distributions. Its performance was comparable to SVM, with added advantages of being probabilistic and capable of handling multi-class problems naturally with its original formulation.

A biomimetic colorimetric logic gate system based on multi-functional peptide-mediated gold nanoparticle assembly.

PubMed

Li, Yong; Li, Wang; He, Kai-Yu; Li, Pei; Huang, Yan; Nie, Zhou; Yao, Shou-Zhuo

2016-04-28

In natural biological systems, proteins exploit various functional peptide motifs to exert target response and activity switch, providing a functional and logic basis for complex cellular activities. Building biomimetic peptide-based bio-logic systems is highly intriguing but remains relatively unexplored due to limited logic recognition elements and complex signal outputs. In this proof-of-principle work, we attempted to address these problems by utilizing multi-functional peptide probes and the peptide-mediated nanoparticle assembly system. Here, the rationally designed peptide probes function as the dual-target responsive element specifically responsive to metal ions and enzymes as well as the mediator regulating the assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Taking advantage of Zn2+ ions and chymotrypsin as the model inputs of metal ions and enzymes, respectively, we constructed the peptide logic system computed by the multi-functional peptide probes and outputted by the readable colour change of AuNPs. In this way, the representative binary basic logic gates (AND, OR, INHIBIT, NAND, IMPLICATION) have been achieved by delicately coding the peptide sequence, demonstrating the versatility of our logic system. Additionally, we demonstrated that the three-input combinational logic gate (INHIBIT-OR) could also be successfully integrated and applied as a multi-tasking biosensor for colorimetric detection of dual targets. This nanoparticle-based peptide logic system presents a valid strategy to illustrate peptide information processing and provides a practical platform for executing peptide computing or peptide-related multiplexing sensing, implying that the controllable nanomaterial assembly is a promising and potent methodology for the advancement of biomimetic bio-logic computation.

Cycling with BRCA2 from DNA repair to mitosis

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

Lee, Hyunsook, E-mail: HL212@snu.ac.kr

Genetic integrity in proliferating cells is guaranteed by the harmony of DNA replication, appropriate DNA repair, and segregation of the duplicated genome. Breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2 is a unique tumor suppressor that is involved in all three processes. Hence, it is critical in genome maintenance. The functions of BRCA2 in DNA repair and homology-directed recombination (HDR) have been reviewed numerous times. Here, I will briefly go through the functions of BRCA2 in HDR and focus on the emerging roles of BRCA2 in telomere homeostasis and mitosis, then discuss how BRCA2 exerts distinct functions in a cell-cycle specific manner inmore » the maintenance of genomic integrity. - Highlights: • BRCA2 is a multifaceted tumor suppressor and is crucial in genetic integrity. • BRCA2 exerts distinct functions in cell cycle-specific manner. • Mitotic kinases regulate diverse functions of BRCA2 in mitosis and cytokinesis.« less

Handheld microwave bomb-detecting imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorwara, Ashok; Molchanov, Pavlo

2017-05-01

Proposed novel imaging technique will provide all weather high-resolution imaging and recognition capability for RF/Microwave signals with good penetration through highly scattered media: fog, snow, dust, smoke, even foliage, camouflage, walls and ground. Image resolution in proposed imaging system is not limited by diffraction and will be determined by processor and sampling frequency. Proposed imaging system can simultaneously cover wide field of view, detect multiple targets and can be multi-frequency, multi-function. Directional antennas in imaging system can be close positioned and installed in cell phone size handheld device, on small aircraft or distributed around protected border or object. Non-scanning monopulse system allows dramatically decrease in transmitting power and at the same time provides increased imaging range by integrating 2-3 orders more signals than regular scanning imaging systems.

Products recognition on shop-racks from local scale-invariant features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zawistowski, Jacek; Kurzejamski, Grzegorz; Garbat, Piotr; Naruniec, Jacek

2016-04-01

This paper presents a system designed for the multi-object detection purposes and adjusted for the application of product search on the market shelves. System uses well known binary keypoint detection algorithms for finding characteristic points in the image. One of the main idea is object recognition based on Implicit Shape Model method. Authors of the article proposed many improvements of the algorithm. Originally fiducial points are matched with a very simple function. This leads to the limitations in the number of objects parts being success- fully separated, while various methods of classification may be validated in order to achieve higher performance. Such an extension implies research on training procedure able to deal with many objects categories. Proposed solution opens a new possibilities for many algorithms demanding fast and robust multi-object recognition.

Polytopol computing for multi-core and distributed systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spaanenburg, Henk; Spaanenburg, Lambert; Ranefors, Johan

2009-05-01

Multi-core computing provides new challenges to software engineering. The paper addresses such issues in the general setting of polytopol computing, that takes multi-core problems in such widely differing areas as ambient intelligence sensor networks and cloud computing into account. It argues that the essence lies in a suitable allocation of free moving tasks. Where hardware is ubiquitous and pervasive, the network is virtualized into a connection of software snippets judiciously injected to such hardware that a system function looks as one again. The concept of polytopol computing provides a further formalization in terms of the partitioning of labor between collector and sensor nodes. Collectors provide functions such as a knowledge integrator, awareness collector, situation displayer/reporter, communicator of clues and an inquiry-interface provider. Sensors provide functions such as anomaly detection (only communicating singularities, not continuous observation), they are generally powered or self-powered, amorphous (not on a grid) with generation-and-attrition, field re-programmable, and sensor plug-and-play-able. Together the collector and the sensor are part of the skeleton injector mechanism, added to every node, and give the network the ability to organize itself into some of many topologies. Finally we will discuss a number of applications and indicate how a multi-core architecture supports the security aspects of the skeleton injector.

Prospects of second generation artificial intelligence tools in calibration of chemical sensors.

PubMed

Braibanti, Antonio; Rao, Rupenaguntla Sambasiva; Ramam, Veluri Anantha; Rao, Gollapalli Nageswara; Rao, Vaddadi Venkata Panakala

2005-05-01

Multivariate data driven calibration models with neural networks (NNs) are developed for binary (Cu++ and Ca++) and quaternary (K+, Ca++, NO3- and Cl-) ion-selective electrode (ISE) data. The response profiles of ISEs with concentrations are non-linear and sub-Nernstian. This task represents function approximation of multi-variate, multi-response, correlated, non-linear data with unknown noise structure i.e. multi-component calibration/prediction in chemometric parlance. Radial distribution function (RBF) and Fuzzy-ARTMAP-NN models implemented in the software packages, TRAJAN and Professional II, are employed for the calibration. The optimum NN models reported are based on residuals in concentration space. Being a data driven information technology, NN does not require a model, prior- or posterior- distribution of data or noise structure. Missing information, spikes or newer trends in different concentration ranges can be modeled through novelty detection. Two simulated data sets generated from mathematical functions are modeled as a function of number of data points and network parameters like number of neurons and nearest neighbors. The success of RBF and Fuzzy-ARTMAP-NNs to develop adequate calibration models for experimental data and function approximation models for more complex simulated data sets ensures AI2 (artificial intelligence, 2nd generation) as a promising technology in quantitation.

Polysilicon-chromium-gold intracellular chips for multi-functional biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patiño, Tania; Soriano, Jorge; Amirthalingam, Ezhil; Durán, Sara; González-Campo, Arántzazu; Duch, Marta; Ibáñez, Elena; Barrios, Leonardo; Plaza, Jose Antonio; Pérez-García, Lluïsa; Nogués, Carme

2016-04-01

The development of micro- and nanosystems for their use in biomedicine is a continuously growing field. One of the major goals of such platforms is to combine multiple functions in a single entity. However, achieving the design of an efficient and safe micro- or nanoplatform has shown to be strongly influenced by its interaction with the biological systems, where particle features or cell types play a critical role. In this work, the feasibility of using multi-material pSi-Cr-Au intracellular chips (MMICCs) for multifunctional applications by characterizing their interactions with two different cell lines, one tumorigenic and one non-tumorigenic, in terms of biocompatibility, internalization and intracellular fate, has been explored. Moreover, the impact of MMICCs on the induction of an inflammatory response has been assessed by evaluating TNFα, IL1b, IL6, and IL10 human inflammatory cytokines secretion by macrophages. Results show that MMICCs are biocompatible and their internalization efficiency is strongly dependent on the cell type. Finally as a proof-of-concept, MMICCs have been dually functionalized with transferrin and pHrodo™ Red, SE to target cancer cells and detect intracellular pH, respectively. In conclusion, MMICCs can be used as multi-functional devices due to their high biocompatibility, non-inflammatory properties and the ability of developing multiple functions.

Polysilicon-chromium-gold intracellular chips for multi-functional biomedical applications.

PubMed

Patiño, Tania; Soriano, Jorge; Amirthalingam, Ezhil; Durán, Sara; González-Campo, Arántzazu; Duch, Marta; Ibáñez, Elena; Barrios, Leonardo; Plaza, Jose Antonio; Pérez-García, Lluïsa; Nogués, Carme

2016-04-28

The development of micro- and nanosystems for their use in biomedicine is a continuously growing field. One of the major goals of such platforms is to combine multiple functions in a single entity. However, achieving the design of an efficient and safe micro- or nanoplatform has shown to be strongly influenced by its interaction with the biological systems, where particle features or cell types play a critical role. In this work, the feasibility of using multi-material pSi-Cr-Au intracellular chips (MMICCs) for multifunctional applications by characterizing their interactions with two different cell lines, one tumorigenic and one non-tumorigenic, in terms of biocompatibility, internalization and intracellular fate, has been explored. Moreover, the impact of MMICCs on the induction of an inflammatory response has been assessed by evaluating TNFα, IL1b, IL6, and IL10 human inflammatory cytokines secretion by macrophages. Results show that MMICCs are biocompatible and their internalization efficiency is strongly dependent on the cell type. Finally as a proof-of-concept, MMICCs have been dually functionalized with transferrin and pHrodo™ Red, SE to target cancer cells and detect intracellular pH, respectively. In conclusion, MMICCs can be used as multi-functional devices due to their high biocompatibility, non-inflammatory properties and the ability of developing multiple functions.

Detection of stiff nanoparticles within cellular structures by contact resonance atomic force microscopy subsurface nanomechanical imaging.

PubMed

Reggente, Melania; Passeri, Daniele; Angeloni, Livia; Scaramuzzo, Francesca Anna; Barteri, Mario; De Angelis, Francesca; Persiconi, Irene; De Stefano, Maria Egle; Rossi, Marco

2017-05-04

Detecting stiff nanoparticles buried in soft biological matrices by atomic force microscopy (AFM) based techniques represents a new frontier in the field of scanning probe microscopies, originally developed as surface characterization methods. Here we report the detection of stiff (magnetic) nanoparticles (NPs) internalized in cells by using contact resonance AFM (CR-AFM) employed as a potentially non-destructive subsurface characterization tool. Magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) NPs were internalized in microglial cells from cerebral cortices of mouse embryos of 18 days by phagocytosis. Nanomechanical imaging of cells was performed by detecting the contact resonance frequencies (CRFs) of an AFM cantilever held in contact with the sample. Agglomerates of NPs internalized in cells were visualized on the basis of the local increase in the contact stiffness with respect to the surrounding biological matrix. A second AFM-based technique for nanomechanical imaging, i.e., HarmoniX™, as well as magnetic force microscopy and light microscopy were used to confirm the CR-AFM results. Thus, CR-AFM was demonstrated as a promising technique for subsurface imaging of nanomaterials in biological samples.

Performance Evaluation of Localization Accuracy for a Log-Normal Shadow Fading Wireless Sensor Network under Physical Barrier Attacks

PubMed Central

Abdulqader Hussein, Ahmed; Rahman, Tharek A.; Leow, Chee Yen

2015-01-01

Localization is an apparent aspect of a wireless sensor network, which is the focus of much interesting research. One of the severe conditions that needs to be taken into consideration is localizing a mobile target through a dispersed sensor network in the presence of physical barrier attacks. These attacks confuse the localization process and cause location estimation errors. Range-based methods, like the received signal strength indication (RSSI), face the major influence of this kind of attack. This paper proposes a solution based on a combination of multi-frequency multi-power localization (C-MFMPL) and step function multi-frequency multi-power localization (SF-MFMPL), including the fingerprint matching technique and lateration, to provide a robust and accurate localization technique. In addition, this paper proposes a grid coloring algorithm to detect the signal hole map in the network, which refers to the attack-prone regions, in order to carry out corrective actions. The simulation results show the enhancement and robustness of RSS localization performance in the face of log normal shadow fading effects, besides the presence of physical barrier attacks, through detecting, filtering and eliminating the effect of these attacks. PMID:26690159

Performance Evaluation of Localization Accuracy for a Log-Normal Shadow Fading Wireless Sensor Network under Physical Barrier Attacks.

PubMed

Hussein, Ahmed Abdulqader; Rahman, Tharek A; Leow, Chee Yen

2015-12-04

Localization is an apparent aspect of a wireless sensor network, which is the focus of much interesting research. One of the severe conditions that needs to be taken into consideration is localizing a mobile target through a dispersed sensor network in the presence of physical barrier attacks. These attacks confuse the localization process and cause location estimation errors. Range-based methods, like the received signal strength indication (RSSI), face the major influence of this kind of attack. This paper proposes a solution based on a combination of multi-frequency multi-power localization (C-MFMPL) and step function multi-frequency multi-power localization (SF-MFMPL), including the fingerprint matching technique and lateration, to provide a robust and accurate localization technique. In addition, this paper proposes a grid coloring algorithm to detect the signal hole map in the network, which refers to the attack-prone regions, in order to carry out corrective actions. The simulation results show the enhancement and robustness of RSS localization performance in the face of log normal shadow fading effects, besides the presence of physical barrier attacks, through detecting, filtering and eliminating the effect of these attacks.

Infrared target tracking via weighted correlation filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yu-Jie; Li, Min; Zhang, JinLi; Yao, Jun-Ping

2015-11-01

Design of an effective target tracker is an important and challenging task for many applications due to multiple factors which can cause disturbance in infrared video sequences. In this paper, an infrared target tracking method under tracking by detection framework based on a weighted correlation filter is presented. This method consists of two parts: detection and filtering. For the detection stage, we propose a sequential detection method for the infrared target based on low-rank representation. For the filtering stage, a new multi-feature weighted function which fuses different target features is proposed, which takes the importance of the different regions into consideration. The weighted function is then incorporated into a correlation filter to compute a confidence map more accurately, in order to indicate the best target location based on the detection results obtained from the first stage. Extensive experimental results on different video sequences demonstrate that the proposed method performs favorably for detection and tracking compared with baseline methods in terms of efficiency and accuracy.

Biodiversity of the Human Oral Mycobiome in Health and Disease.

PubMed

Bandara, H M H N; Panduwawala, C P; Samaranayake, L P

2018-05-22

The organisms that colonize the human body over a lifetime are diverse, extensive and gargantuan. A fair proportion of the microbiota that constitutes this human microbiome live within our oral cavities mostly as harmonious associates causing only sporadic disease. An important core constituent of the microbiome is the mycobiome, representing various fungal genera. Up until recently, only a few species of fungi, mainly Candida species, were thought to constitute the human oral mycobiome. The reasons for this are manifold, although the uncultivable nature of many fungi in conventional laboratory media, and their complex genetic composition seem to be the major factors which eluded their detection over the years. Nevertheless, recent advances in computing and high throughput sequencing such as next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms have provided us a panoramic view of a totally new world of fungi that are human oral co-habitués. Their diversity is perplexing, and functionality yet to be deciphered. Here we provide a glimpse of what is currently known of the oral mycobiome, in health and disease, with some future perspectives. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Demonstration of a Semi-Autonomous Hybrid Brain-Machine Interface using Human Intracranial EEG, Eye Tracking, and Computer Vision to Control a Robotic Upper Limb Prosthetic

PubMed Central

McMullen, David P.; Hotson, Guy; Katyal, Kapil D.; Wester, Brock A.; Fifer, Matthew S.; McGee, Timothy G.; Harris, Andrew; Johannes, Matthew S.; Vogelstein, R. Jacob; Ravitz, Alan D.; Anderson, William S.; Thakor, Nitish V.; Crone, Nathan E.

2014-01-01

To increase the ability of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) to control advanced prostheses such as the modular prosthetic limb (MPL), we are developing a novel system: the Hybrid Augmented Reality Multimodal Operation Neural Integration Environment (HARMONIE). This system utilizes hybrid input, supervisory control, and intelligent robotics to allow users to identify an object (via eye tracking and computer vision) and initiate (via brain-control) a semi-autonomous reach-grasp-and-drop of the object by the MPL. Sequential iterations of HARMONIE were tested in two pilot subjects implanted with electrocorticographic (ECoG) and depth electrodes within motor areas. The subjects performed the complex task in 71.4% (20/28) and 67.7% (21/31) of trials after minimal training. Balanced accuracy for detecting movements was 91.1% and 92.9%, significantly greater than chance accuracies (p < 0.05). After BMI-based initiation, the MPL completed the entire task 100% (one object) and 70% (three objects) of the time. The MPL took approximately 12.2 seconds for task completion after system improvements implemented for the second subject. Our hybrid-BMI design prevented all but one baseline false positive from initiating the system. The novel approach demonstrated in this proof-of-principle study, using hybrid input, supervisory control, and intelligent robotics, addresses limitations of current BMIs. PMID:24760914

Demonstration of a semi-autonomous hybrid brain-machine interface using human intracranial EEG, eye tracking, and computer vision to control a robotic upper limb prosthetic.

PubMed

McMullen, David P; Hotson, Guy; Katyal, Kapil D; Wester, Brock A; Fifer, Matthew S; McGee, Timothy G; Harris, Andrew; Johannes, Matthew S; Vogelstein, R Jacob; Ravitz, Alan D; Anderson, William S; Thakor, Nitish V; Crone, Nathan E

2014-07-01

To increase the ability of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) to control advanced prostheses such as the modular prosthetic limb (MPL), we are developing a novel system: the Hybrid Augmented Reality Multimodal Operation Neural Integration Environment (HARMONIE). This system utilizes hybrid input, supervisory control, and intelligent robotics to allow users to identify an object (via eye tracking and computer vision) and initiate (via brain-control) a semi-autonomous reach-grasp-and-drop of the object by the MPL. Sequential iterations of HARMONIE were tested in two pilot subjects implanted with electrocorticographic (ECoG) and depth electrodes within motor areas. The subjects performed the complex task in 71.4% (20/28) and 67.7% (21/31) of trials after minimal training. Balanced accuracy for detecting movements was 91.1% and 92.9%, significantly greater than chance accuracies (p < 0.05). After BMI-based initiation, the MPL completed the entire task 100% (one object) and 70% (three objects) of the time. The MPL took approximately 12.2 s for task completion after system improvements implemented for the second subject. Our hybrid-BMI design prevented all but one baseline false positive from initiating the system. The novel approach demonstrated in this proof-of-principle study, using hybrid input, supervisory control, and intelligent robotics, addresses limitations of current BMIs.

Decomposition of potential efficiency gains from hospital mergers in Greece.

PubMed

Flokou, Angeliki; Aletras, Vassilis; Niakas, Dimitris

2017-12-01

This paper evaluates the technical efficiency of 71 Greek public hospitals and examines potential efficiency gains from 13 candidate mergers among them. Efficiency assessments are performed using bootstrapped Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) whilst merger analysis is conducted by applying the Bogetoft and Wang methodology which allows the overall potential merger gains to be decomposed into three main components of inefficiency, namely technical (or learning), scope (or harmony) and scale (or size) effects. Thus, the analysis provides important insights not only on the magnitude of the potential total efficiency gains but also on their sources. The overall analysis is conducted in the context of a complete methodological framework where methods for outlier detection, returns to scale identification, and bias corrections for DEA estimations are also applied. Mergers are analyzed under the assumptions of constant, variable and non-decreasing returns to scale in an input oriented DEA model with three inputs and three outputs. The main finding of the study indicates that almost all mergers show substantial potential room for efficiency improvement, which is mainly attributed to the pre-merger technical inefficiencies of the individual hospitals and therefore it might be possible to be achieved without the need of implementing full-scale mergers. The same -though, at a lower extent- applies to the harmony effect whilst the size effect shows marginal or even negative gains.

Harmonious OCEAN?: Chinese Aircraft Carriers and Australia’s U.S. Alliance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-10

St ra te gy R es ea rc h Pr oj ec t HARMONIOUS OCEAN?: CHINESE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS AND AUSTRALIA’S U.S. ALLIANCE BY COLONEL JOHN FREWEN...friendly countries designed to transport oil and other energy sources via roads and pipelines from the Indian Ocean into China.28 Carriers will be...attempts to build confidence and develop Chinese and American bilateral agreements have met with little success. None have delivered enduring or

Closing Ranks: The Secret of Army Active and Reserve Component Harmony

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-02-11

FUNDING NUMBERS PROGRAM I PROJECT TASK IWORK UNIT ELEMENT NO. NO. NO. [ACCESSION NO 11. TITLE (include Security Classification) Closing Ranks: The Secret of...and recently served on the DOD Total Force Policy Study Group Staff, Washington, DC. iv CLOSING RANKS: THE SECRET OF ARMY ACTIVE AND RESERVE COMPONENT...same old rebuff by the AC senior leadership. If we accept the premise that attitudes and perceptions are the secrets to AC/RC harmony, then the real

Testing the dualistic model of passion using a novel quadripartite approach: A look at physical and psychological well-being.

PubMed

Schellenberg, Benjamin J I; Verner-Filion, Jérémie; Gaudreau, Patrick; Bailis, Daniel S; Lafrenière, Marc-André K; Vallerand, Robert J

2018-03-10

Passion research has focused extensively on the unique effects of both harmonious passion and obsessive passion (Vallerand, 2015). We adopted a quadripartite approach (Gaudreau & Thompson, 2010) to test whether physical and psychological well-being are distinctly related to subtypes of passion with varying within-person passion combinations: pure harmonious passion, pure obsessive passion, mixed passion, and non-passion. In four studies (total N = 3,122), we tested whether passion subtypes were differentially associated with self-reported general health (Study 1; N = 1,218 undergraduates), health symptoms in video gamers (Study 2; N = 269 video game players), global psychological well-being (Study 3; N = 1,192 undergraduates), and academic burnout (Study 4; N = 443 undergraduates) using latent moderated structural equation modeling. Pure harmonious passion was generally associated with more positive levels of physical health and psychological well-being compared to pure obsessive passion, mixed passion, and non-passion. In contrast, outcomes were more negative for pure obsessive passion compared to both mixed passion and non-passion subtypes. This research underscores the theoretical and empirical usefulness of a quadripartite approach for the study of passion. Overall, the results demonstrate the benefits of having harmonious passion, even when obsessive passion is also high (i.e., mixed passion), and highlight the costs associated with a pure obsessive passion. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

On the costs and benefits of gaming: the role of passion.

PubMed

Lafrenière, Marc-André K; Vallerand, Robert J; Donahue, Eric G; Lavigne, Geneviève L

2009-06-01

The dualistic model of passion defines passion as a strong inclination toward a self-defining activity that a person likes and values and in which he or she invests time and energy. The model proposes two distinct types of passion: harmonious and obsessive passion that predict adaptive and less adaptive outcomes respectively. In the present research, we were interested in assessing both the negative and positive consequences that can result from gaming. Participants (n = 222) were all players involved in massively multiplayer online games. They completed an online survey. Results from a canonical correlation revealed that both harmonious and obsessive passion were positively associated with the experience of positive affect while playing. However, only obsessive passion was also positively related to the experience of negative affect while playing. In addition, only obsessive passion was positively related to problematic behaviors generally associated with excessive gaming, the amount of time spent playing, and negative physical symptoms. Moreover, obsessive passion was negatively related to self-realization and unrelated to life satisfaction. Conversely, harmonious passion was positively associated with both types of psychological well-being. This general pattern of results suggests that obsessive passion for gaming is an important predictor of the negative outcomes of gaming, while harmonious passion seems to account for positive consequences. Future research directions are discussed in light of the dualistic model of passion.

The normal-equivalent: a patient-specific assessment of facial harmony.

PubMed

Claes, P; Walters, M; Gillett, D; Vandermeulen, D; Clement, J G; Suetens, P

2013-09-01

Evidence-based practice in oral and maxillofacial surgery would greatly benefit from an objective assessment of facial harmony or gestalt. Normal reference faces have previously been introduced, but they describe harmony in facial form as an average only and fail to report on harmonic variations found between non-dysmorphic faces. In this work, facial harmony, in all its complexity, is defined using a face-space, which describes all possible variations within a non-dysmorphic population; this was sampled here, based on 400 healthy subjects. Subsequently, dysmorphometrics, which involves the measurement of morphological abnormalities, is employed to construct the normal-equivalent within the given face-space of a presented dysmorphic face. The normal-equivalent can be seen as a synthetic identical but unaffected twin that is a patient-specific and population-based normal. It is used to extract objective scores of facial discordancy. This technique, along with a comparing approach, was used on healthy subjects to establish ranges of discordancy that are accepted to be normal, as well as on two patient examples before and after surgical intervention. The specificity of the presented normal-equivalent approach was confirmed by correctly attributing abnormality and providing regional depictions of the known dysmorphologies. Furthermore, it proved to be superior to the comparing approach. Copyright © 2013 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NADPH oxidase: an enzyme for multicellularity?

PubMed

Lalucque, Hervé; Silar, Philippe

2003-01-01

Multicellularity has evolved several times during the evolution of eukaryotes. One evolutionary pressure that permits multicellularity relates to the division of work, where one group of cells functions as nutrient providers and the other in specialized roles such as defence or reproduction. This requires signalling systems to ensure harmonious development of multicellular structures. Here, we show that NADPH oxidases are specifically present in organisms that differentiate multicellular structures during their life cycle and are absent from unicellular life forms. The biochemical properties of these enzymes make them ideal candidates for a role in intercellular signalling.

Harmony of spinning conformal blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schomerus, Volker; Sobko, Evgeny; Isachenkov, Mikhail

2017-03-01

Conformal blocks for correlation functions of tensor operators play an increasingly important role for the conformal bootstrap programme. We develop a universal approach to such spinning blocks through the harmonic analysis of certain bundles over a coset of the conformal group. The resulting Casimir equations are given by a matrix version of the Calogero-Sutherland Hamiltonian that describes the scattering of interacting spinning particles in a 1-dimensional external potential. The approach is illustrated in several examples including fermionic seed blocks in 3D CFT where they take a very simple form.

Music matters: preattentive musicality of the human brain.

PubMed

Koelsch, Stefan; Schroger, Erich; Gunter, Thomas C

2002-01-01

During listening to a musical piece, unexpected harmonies may evoke brain responses that are reflected electrically as an early right anterior negativity (ERAN) and a late frontal negativity (N5). In the present study we demonstrate that these components of the event-related potential can be evoked preattentively, that is, even when a musical stimulus is ignored. Both ERAN and N5 differed in amplitude as a function of music-theoretical principles. Participants had no special musical expertise; results thus provide evidence for an automatic processing of musical information in onmusicians."

Design of a Multi-Sensor Cooperation Travel Environment Perception System for Autonomous Vehicle

PubMed Central

Chen, Long; Li, Qingquan; Li, Ming; Zhang, Liang; Mao, Qingzhou

2012-01-01

This paper describes the environment perception system designed for intelligent vehicle SmartV-II, which won the 2010 Future Challenge. This system utilizes the cooperation of multiple lasers and cameras to realize several necessary functions of autonomous navigation: road curb detection, lane detection and traffic sign recognition. Multiple single scan lasers are integrated to detect the road curb based on Z-variance method. Vision based lane detection is realized by two scans method combining with image model. Haar-like feature based method is applied for traffic sign detection and SURF matching method is used for sign classification. The results of experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and the whole system.

Stochastic resonance in attention control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitajo, K.; Yamanaka, K.; Ward, L. M.; Yamamoto, Y.

2006-12-01

We investigated the beneficial role of noise in a human higher brain function, namely visual attention control. We asked subjects to detect a weak gray-level target inside a marker box either in the left or the right visual field. Signal detection performance was optimized by presenting a low level of randomly flickering gray-level noise between and outside the two possible target locations. Further, we found that an increase in eye movement (saccade) rate helped to compensate for the usual deterioration in detection performance at higher noise levels. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental evidence that noise can optimize a higher brain function which involves distinct brain regions above the level of primary sensory systems -- switching behavior between multi-stable attention states -- via the mechanism of stochastic resonance.

Expanding Panjabi's stability model to express movement: a theoretical model.

PubMed

Hoffman, J; Gabel, P

2013-06-01

Novel theoretical models of movement have historically inspired the creation of new methods for the application of human movement. The landmark theoretical model of spinal stability by Panjabi in 1992 led to the creation of an exercise approach to spinal stability. This approach however was later challenged, most significantly due to a lack of favourable clinical effect. The concepts explored in this paper address and consider the deficiencies of Panjabi's model then propose an evolution and expansion from a special model of stability to a general one of movement. It is proposed that two body-wide symbiotic elements are present within all movement systems, stability and mobility. The justification for this is derived from the observable clinical environment. It is clinically recognised that these two elements are present and identifiable throughout the body in different joints and muscles, and the neural conduction system. In order to generalise the Panjabi model of stability to include and illustrate movement, a matching parallel mobility system with the same subsystems was conceptually created. In this expanded theoretical model, the new mobility system is placed beside the existing stability system and subsystems. The ability of both stability and mobility systems to work in harmony will subsequently determine the quality of movement. Conversely, malfunction of either system, or their subsystems, will deleteriously affect all other subsystems and consequently overall movement quality. For this reason, in the rehabilitation exercise environment, focus should be placed on the simultaneous involvement of both the stability and mobility systems. It is suggested that the individual's relevant functional harmonious movements should be challenged at the highest possible level without pain or discomfort. It is anticipated that this conceptual expansion of the theoretical model of stability to one with the symbiotic inclusion of mobility, will provide new understandings on human movement. The use of this model may provide a universal system for body movement analysis and understanding musculoskeletal disorders. In turn, this may lead to a simple categorisation system alluding to the functional face-value of a wide range of commonly used passive, active or combined musculoskeletal interventions. Further research is required to investigate the mechanisms that enable or interfere with harmonious body movements. Such work may then potentially lead to new and evolved evidence based interventions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Boosting instance prototypes to detect local dermoscopic features.

PubMed

Situ, Ning; Yuan, Xiaojing; Zouridakis, George

2010-01-01

Local dermoscopic features are useful in many dermoscopic criteria for skin cancer detection. We address the problem of detecting local dermoscopic features from epiluminescence (ELM) microscopy skin lesion images. We formulate the recognition of local dermoscopic features as a multi-instance learning (MIL) problem. We employ the method of diverse density (DD) and evidence confidence (EC) function to convert MIL to a single-instance learning (SIL) problem. We apply Adaboost to improve the classification performance with support vector machines (SVMs) as the base classifier. We also propose to boost the selection of instance prototypes through changing the data weights in the DD function. We validate the methods on detecting ten local dermoscopic features from a dataset with 360 images. We compare the performance of the MIL approach, its boosting version, and a baseline method without using MIL. Our results show that boosting can provide performance improvement compared to the other two methods.

Design and daytime performance of laser-induced fluorescence spectrum lidar for simultaneous detection of multiple components, dissolved organic matter, phycocyanin, and chlorophyll in river water.

PubMed

Saito, Yasunori; Kakuda, Kei; Yokoyama, Mizuho; Kubota, Tomoki; Tomida, Takayuki; Park, Ho-Dong

2016-08-20

In this work, we developed mobile laser-induced fluorescence spectrum (LIFS) lidar based on preliminary experiments on the excitation emission matrix of a water sample and a method for reducing solar background light using the synchronous detection technique. The combination of a UV short-pulse laser (355 nm, 6 ns) for fluorescence excitation with a 10-100 ns short-time synchronous detection using a gated image-intensified multi-channel CCD of the fluorescence made the LIFS lidar operation possible even in daytime. The LIFS lidar with this construction demonstrated the potential of natural river/lake water quality monitoring at the Tenryu River/Lake Suwa. Three main components in the fluorescence data of the water, dissolved organic matter, phycocyanin, and chlorophyll, were extracted by spectral analysis using the standard spectral functions of these components. Their concentrations were estimated by adapting experimentally calibrated data. Results of long-term field observations using our LIFS lidar from 2010 to 2012 show the necessity of simultaneous multi-component detection to understand the natural water environment.

Implantation of the Medtronic Harmony Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Improves Right Ventricular Size and Function in an Ovine Model of Postoperative Chronic Pulmonary Insufficiency.

PubMed

Schoonbeek, Rosanne C; Takebayashi, Satoshi; Aoki, Chikashi; Shimaoka, Toru; Harris, Matthew A; Fu, Gregory L; Kim, Timothy S; Dori, Yoav; McGarvey, Jeremy; Litt, Harold; Bouma, Wobbe; Zsido, Gerald; Glatz, Andrew C; Rome, Jonathan J; Gorman, Robert C; Gorman, Joseph H; Gillespie, Matthew J

2016-10-01

Pulmonary insufficiency is the nexus of late morbidity and mortality after transannular patch repair of tetralogy of Fallot. This study aimed to establish the feasibility of implantation of the novel Medtronic Harmony transcatheter pulmonary valve (hTPV) and to assess its effect on pulmonary insufficiency and ventricular function in an ovine model of chronic postoperative pulmonary insufficiency. Thirteen sheep underwent baseline cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, surgical pulmonary valvectomy, and transannular patch repair. One month after transannular patch repair, the hTPV was implanted, followed by serial magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography imaging at 1, 5, and 8 month(s). hTPV implantation was successful in 11 animals (85%). There were 2 procedural deaths related to ventricular fibrillation. Seven animals survived the entire follow-up protocol, 5 with functioning hTPV devices. Two animals had occlusion of hTPV with aneurysm of main pulmonary artery. A strong decline in pulmonary regurgitant fraction was observed after hTPV implantation (40.5% versus 8.3%; P=0.011). Right ventricular end diastolic volume increased by 49.4% after transannular patch repair (62.3-93.1 mL/m 2 ; P=0.028) but was reversed to baseline values after hTPV implantation (to 65.1 mL/m 2 at 8 months, P=0.045). Both right ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular ejection fraction were preserved after hTPV implantation. hTPV implantation is feasible, significantly reduces pulmonary regurgitant fraction, facilitates right ventricular volume improvements, and preserves biventricular function in an ovine model of chronic pulmonary insufficiency. This percutaneous strategy could potentially offer an alternative for standard surgical pulmonary valve replacement in dilated right ventricular outflow tracts, permitting lower risk, nonsurgical pulmonary valve replacement in previously prohibitive anatomies. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

A content analysis of nature photographs taken by Lebanese rural youth

PubMed Central

Mattouk, Miriam; Talhouk, Salma N.

2017-01-01

‘Living in Harmony with Nature’ is a 2050 vision put forth by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which takes into consideration culture and locality of perceptions of nature and aspirations for its use. Considering that 54% of the world population lives in cities, where nature has been decimated, the role of rural communities, living within or in proximity of natural and semi natural areas, will effectively influence the fate of the ‘remaining’ nature while they engage in local development. Reconciling between growth and development on the one hand, and nature conservation on the other, necessitates an understanding of how rural communities, especially the youth, imprint their own ideas on landscapes and develop ownership over natural spaces. In order to extend the understanding of how harmony with nature is perceived in different parts of the world, this paper presents the findings of primary research involving a group of young people who live in rural areas in Lebanon, a country in the Arab Middle East. Participatory research based on photovoice methodology was conducted with 77 young people aged 7–16 and residing in five rural villages located in different parts of Lebanon. Photographs taken by participants indicated that for many, nature was not perceived literally i.e. woodlands, forests, plants, animals, etc…. Instead, the participants saw nature as part of agriculture and local culture. Nature was also seen as symbolic expression of the participants’ inner state of mind. Narratives written to explain the photographs shed light on the perception of harmony with nature which focused on positive family experiences and relayed personal emotions, abstract, and holistic yet functional view of nature. Another recurring theme that emerged from photographs and narratives was the role of family members, in particular grandparents, as having a strong influence on the positive perceptions of nature. PMID:28489929

Psychoimmuno-neuroendocrinology: An integrative approach to modern philosophy in medicine and psychology.

PubMed

Fedor-Freybergh, Peter G.

1999-01-01

The immune system is now seen to be closely integrated with other physiological circuits, such as the central nervous system (CNS) and the neuroendocrine system. There is also an increasing amount of evidence that this integrated circuit is bidirectional and both systems exert a reciprocal effect on each other. We have always stressed the interdisciplinary nature of the science where disciplines and sciences such as medicine, biochemistry, genetics, psychology, human ethology, etc. meet and undergo a process of "cross-fertilization." We also have stressed the indivisibility of the somatic and psychological processes in the indivisible continuum of human life from its very beginning and the inseparability of the development and functions of the central nervous system and the immunological and neuroendocrine processes. This transdisciplinary and integrative aspect of sciences and their entree in the twenty-first century is the true vision for our common efforts. Integration means also amalgamation, assimilation, blending, combining, incorporation, unification and harmony. This last mentioned, harmony, should be stressed and underlined specifically: a harmony between different views and approaches, between different methods and methodologies, different theories and practices. In order to undertake such a challenge, a new scientific theory and a common language is required, a language that would be understood across disciplines and would be able to assist in getting beyond semantic problems. The bridge between the immune system, neuroendocrinology and the rest of the central nervous system opens the gateway to more common understanding and acceptance across the disciplines. It is an umbrella for the endeavor that unites various scientific fields in their attempt to elucidate the processes of experience involved from the earliest stages of human life. This integration does cross over the different disciplines and diagnostic systems. It attaches theoretical and applied fields, basic research and clinical experience throughout the whole continuity of human life from conception and onwards. Integrated Psychoimmuno-Neuroendocrinology represents a unique opportunity for the primary prevention of psychological, emotional and physical disorders.

SU-G-JeP2-02: A Unifying Multi-Atlas Approach to Electron Density Mapping Using Multi-Parametric MRI for Radiation Treatment Planning

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

Ren, S; Tianjin University, Tianjin; Hara, W

Purpose: MRI has a number of advantages over CT as a primary modality for radiation treatment planning (RTP). However, one key bottleneck problem still remains, which is the lack of electron density information in MRI. In the work, a reliable method to map electron density is developed by leveraging the differential contrast of multi-parametric MRI. Methods: We propose a probabilistic Bayesian approach for electron density mapping based on T1 and T2-weighted MRI, using multiple patients as atlases. For each voxel, we compute two conditional probabilities: (1) electron density given its image intensity on T1 and T2-weighted MR images, and (2)more » electron density given its geometric location in a reference anatomy. The two sources of information (image intensity and spatial location) are combined into a unifying posterior probability density function using the Bayesian formalism. The mean value of the posterior probability density function provides the estimated electron density. Results: We evaluated the method on 10 head and neck patients and performed leave-one-out cross validation (9 patients as atlases and remaining 1 as test). The proposed method significantly reduced the errors in electron density estimation, with a mean absolute HU error of 138, compared with 193 for the T1-weighted intensity approach and 261 without density correction. For bone detection (HU>200), the proposed method had an accuracy of 84% and a sensitivity of 73% at specificity of 90% (AUC = 87%). In comparison, the AUC for bone detection is 73% and 50% using the intensity approach and without density correction, respectively. Conclusion: The proposed unifying method provides accurate electron density estimation and bone detection based on multi-parametric MRI of the head with highly heterogeneous anatomy. This could allow for accurate dose calculation and reference image generation for patient setup in MRI-based radiation treatment planning.« less

Soft Computing Application in Fault Detection of Induction Motor

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

Konar, P.; Puhan, P. S.; Chattopadhyay, P. Dr.

2010-10-26

The paper investigates the effectiveness of different patter classifier like Feed Forward Back Propagation (FFBPN), Radial Basis Function (RBF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) for detection of bearing faults in Induction Motor. The steady state motor current with Park's Transformation has been used for discrimination of inner race and outer race bearing defects. The RBF neural network shows very encouraging results for multi-class classification problems and is hoped to set up a base for incipient fault detection of induction motor. SVM is also found to be a very good fault classifier which is highly competitive with RBF.

Harmony search method: theory and applications.

PubMed

Gao, X Z; Govindasamy, V; Xu, H; Wang, X; Zenger, K

2015-01-01

The Harmony Search (HS) method is an emerging metaheuristic optimization algorithm, which has been employed to cope with numerous challenging tasks during the past decade. In this paper, the essential theory and applications of the HS algorithm are first described and reviewed. Several typical variants of the original HS are next briefly explained. As an example of case study, a modified HS method inspired by the idea of Pareto-dominance-based ranking is also presented. It is further applied to handle a practical wind generator optimal design problem.

HTV-4 hatch closing

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-03

ISS036-E-039129 (3 Sept. 2013) --- European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 36 flight engineer, closes the hatch in the vestibule between the International Space Station’s Harmony node and the Japanese "Kounotori" H2 Transfer Vehicle-4 (HTV-4) in preparation to release the HTV-4 ending its one-month stay at the space station. The automated resupply craft will be grappled by the Canadarm2, removed from the Harmony node and released for a destructive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

HTV-4 hatch closing

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-03

ISS036-E-039132 (3 Sept. 2013) --- European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, both Expedition 36 flight engineers, close the hatch in the vestibule between the International Space Station’s Harmony node and the Japanese "Kounotori" H2 Transfer Vehicle-4 (HTV-4) in preparation to release the HTV-4 ending its one-month stay at the space station. The automated resupply craft will be grappled by the Canadarm2, removed from the Harmony node and released for a destructive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

Discovering weighted patterns in intron sequences using self-adaptive harmony search and back-propagation algorithms.

PubMed

Huang, Yin-Fu; Wang, Chia-Ming; Liou, Sing-Wu

2013-01-01

A hybrid self-adaptive harmony search and back-propagation mining system was proposed to discover weighted patterns in human intron sequences. By testing the weights under a lazy nearest neighbor classifier, the numerical results revealed the significance of these weighted patterns. Comparing these weighted patterns with the popular intron consensus model, it is clear that the discovered weighted patterns make originally the ambiguous 5SS and 3SS header patterns more specific and concrete.

Discovering Weighted Patterns in Intron Sequences Using Self-Adaptive Harmony Search and Back-Propagation Algorithms

PubMed Central

Wang, Chia-Ming; Liou, Sing-Wu

2013-01-01

A hybrid self-adaptive harmony search and back-propagation mining system was proposed to discover weighted patterns in human intron sequences. By testing the weights under a lazy nearest neighbor classifier, the numerical results revealed the significance of these weighted patterns. Comparing these weighted patterns with the popular intron consensus model, it is clear that the discovered weighted patterns make originally the ambiguous 5SS and 3SS header patterns more specific and concrete. PMID:23737711

Prepping Orbital Sciences? Cygnus commercial cargo spacecraft for undock

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-10-21

ISS037-E-016758 (21 Oct. 2013) --- European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 37 flight engineer, gives a thumbs up signal after closing the hatch between the International Space Station’s Harmony node and the Orbital Sciences’ Cygnus commercial cargo spacecraft in preparation for its release after completing a successful demonstration mission to the space station. Cygnus delivered 1,300 pounds of gear on Sept. 29 when it arrived and was captured by Canadarm2 and berthed to the Harmony node.

Vision-based algorithms for near-host object detection and multilane sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenue, Surender K.

1995-01-01

Vision-based sensing can be used for lane sensing, adaptive cruise control, collision warning, and driver performance monitoring functions of intelligent vehicles. Current computer vision algorithms are not robust for handling multiple vehicles in highway scenarios. Several new algorithms are proposed for multi-lane sensing, near-host object detection, vehicle cut-in situations, and specifying regions of interest for object tracking. These algorithms were tested successfully on more than 6000 images taken from real-highway scenes under different daytime lighting conditions.

Wavelength- or Polarization-Selective Thermal Infrared Detectors for Multi-Color or Polarimetric Imaging Using Plasmonics and Metamaterials

PubMed Central

Ogawa, Shinpei; Kimata, Masafumi

2017-01-01

Wavelength- or polarization-selective thermal infrared (IR) detectors are promising for various novel applications such as fire detection, gas analysis, multi-color imaging, multi-channel detectors, recognition of artificial objects in a natural environment, and facial recognition. However, these functions require additional filters or polarizers, which leads to high cost and technical difficulties related to integration of many different pixels in an array format. Plasmonic metamaterial absorbers (PMAs) can impart wavelength or polarization selectivity to conventional thermal IR detectors simply by controlling the surface geometry of the absorbers to produce surface plasmon resonances at designed wavelengths or polarizations. This enables integration of many different pixels in an array format without any filters or polarizers. We review our recent advances in wavelength- and polarization-selective thermal IR sensors using PMAs for multi-color or polarimetric imaging. The absorption mechanism defined by the surface structures is discussed for three types of PMAs—periodic crystals, metal-insulator-metal and mushroom-type PMAs—to demonstrate appropriate applications. Our wavelength- or polarization-selective uncooled IR sensors using various PMAs and multi-color image sensors are then described. Finally, high-performance mushroom-type PMAs are investigated. These advanced functional thermal IR detectors with wavelength or polarization selectivity will provide great benefits for a wide range of applications. PMID:28772855

Wavelength- or Polarization-Selective Thermal Infrared Detectors for Multi-Color or Polarimetric Imaging Using Plasmonics and Metamaterials.

PubMed

Ogawa, Shinpei; Kimata, Masafumi

2017-05-04

Wavelength- or polarization-selective thermal infrared (IR) detectors are promising for various novel applications such as fire detection, gas analysis, multi-color imaging, multi-channel detectors, recognition of artificial objects in a natural environment, and facial recognition. However, these functions require additional filters or polarizers, which leads to high cost and technical difficulties related to integration of many different pixels in an array format. Plasmonic metamaterial absorbers (PMAs) can impart wavelength or polarization selectivity to conventional thermal IR detectors simply by controlling the surface geometry of the absorbers to produce surface plasmon resonances at designed wavelengths or polarizations. This enables integration of many different pixels in an array format without any filters or polarizers. We review our recent advances in wavelength- and polarization-selective thermal IR sensors using PMAs for multi-color or polarimetric imaging. The absorption mechanism defined by the surface structures is discussed for three types of PMAs-periodic crystals, metal-insulator-metal and mushroom-type PMAs-to demonstrate appropriate applications. Our wavelength- or polarization-selective uncooled IR sensors using various PMAs and multi-color image sensors are then described. Finally, high-performance mushroom-type PMAs are investigated. These advanced functional thermal IR detectors with wavelength or polarization selectivity will provide great benefits for a wide range of applications.

Kinetics of T-cell receptor-dependent antigen recognition determined in vivo by multi-spectral normalized epifluorescence laser scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favicchio, Rosy; Zacharakis, Giannis; Oikonomaki, Katerina; Zacharopoulos, Athanasios; Mamalaki, Clio; Ripoll, Jorge

2012-07-01

Detection of multiple fluorophores in conditions of low signal represents a limiting factor for the application of in vivo optical imaging techniques in immunology where fluorescent labels report for different functional characteristics. A noninvasive in vivo Multi-Spectral Normalized Epifluorescence Laser scanning (M-SNELS) method was developed for the simultaneous and quantitative detection of multiple fluorophores in low signal to noise ratios and used to follow T-cell activation and clonal expansion. Colocalized DsRed- and GFP-labeled T cells were followed in tandem during the mounting of an immune response. Spectral unmixing was used to distinguish the overlapping fluorescent emissions representative of the two distinct cell populations and longitudinal data reported the discrete pattern of antigen-driven proliferation. Retrieved values were validated both in vitro and in vivo with flow cytometry and significant correlation between all methodologies was achieved. Noninvasive M-SNELS successfully quantified two colocalized fluorescent populations and provides a valid alternative imaging approach to traditional invasive methods for detecting T cell dynamics.

Cross-Modal Correspondence Among Vision, Audition, and Touch in Natural Objects: An Investigation of the Perceptual Properties of Wood.

PubMed

Kanaya, Shoko; Kariya, Kenji; Fujisaki, Waka

2016-10-01

Certain systematic relationships are often assumed between information conveyed from multiple sensory modalities; for instance, a small figure and a high pitch may be perceived as more harmonious. This phenomenon, termed cross-modal correspondence, may result from correlations between multi-sensory signals learned in daily experience of the natural environment. If so, we would observe cross-modal correspondences not only in the perception of artificial stimuli but also in perception of natural objects. To test this hypothesis, we reanalyzed data collected previously in our laboratory examining perceptions of the material properties of wood using vision, audition, and touch. We compared participant evaluations of three perceptual properties (surface brightness, sharpness of sound, and smoothness) of the wood blocks obtained separately via vision, audition, and touch. Significant positive correlations were identified for all properties in the audition-touch comparison, and for two of the three properties regarding in the vision-touch comparison. By contrast, no properties exhibited significant positive correlations in the vision-audition comparison. These results suggest that we learn correlations between multi-sensory signals through experience; however, the strength of this statistical learning is apparently dependent on the particular combination of sensory modalities involved. © The Author(s) 2016.

Detecting recurrent gene mutation in interaction network context using multi-scale graph diffusion.

PubMed

Babaei, Sepideh; Hulsman, Marc; Reinders, Marcel; de Ridder, Jeroen

2013-01-23

Delineating the molecular drivers of cancer, i.e. determining cancer genes and the pathways which they deregulate, is an important challenge in cancer research. In this study, we aim to identify pathways of frequently mutated genes by exploiting their network neighborhood encoded in the protein-protein interaction network. To this end, we introduce a multi-scale diffusion kernel and apply it to a large collection of murine retroviral insertional mutagenesis data. The diffusion strength plays the role of scale parameter, determining the size of the network neighborhood that is taken into account. As a result, in addition to detecting genes with frequent mutations in their genomic vicinity, we find genes that harbor frequent mutations in their interaction network context. We identify densely connected components of known and putatively novel cancer genes and demonstrate that they are strongly enriched for cancer related pathways across the diffusion scales. Moreover, the mutations in the clusters exhibit a significant pattern of mutual exclusion, supporting the conjecture that such genes are functionally linked. Using multi-scale diffusion kernel, various infrequently mutated genes are found to harbor significant numbers of mutations in their interaction network neighborhood. Many of them are well-known cancer genes. The results demonstrate the importance of defining recurrent mutations while taking into account the interaction network context. Importantly, the putative cancer genes and networks detected in this study are found to be significant at different diffusion scales, confirming the necessity of a multi-scale analysis.

The Boom in 3D-Printed Sensor Technology

PubMed Central

Xu, Yuanyuan; Wu, Xiaoyue; Guo, Xiao; Kong, Bin; Zhang, Min; Qian, Xiang; Mi, Shengli; Sun, Wei

2017-01-01

Future sensing applications will include high-performance features, such as toxin detection, real-time monitoring of physiological events, advanced diagnostics, and connected feedback. However, such multi-functional sensors require advancements in sensitivity, specificity, and throughput with the simultaneous delivery of multiple detection in a short time. Recent advances in 3D printing and electronics have brought us closer to sensors with multiplex advantages, and additive manufacturing approaches offer a new scope for sensor fabrication. To this end, we review the recent advances in 3D-printed cutting-edge sensors. These achievements demonstrate the successful application of 3D-printing technology in sensor fabrication, and the selected studies deeply explore the potential for creating sensors with higher performance. Further development of multi-process 3D printing is expected to expand future sensor utility and availability. PMID:28534832

Development of module for neural network identification of attacks on applications and services in multi-cloud platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parfenov, D. I.; Bolodurina, I. P.

2018-05-01

The article presents the results of developing an approach to detecting and protecting against network attacks on the corporate infrastructure deployed on the multi-cloud platform. The proposed approach is based on the combination of two technologies: a softwareconfigurable network and virtualization of network functions. The approach for searching for anomalous traffic is to use a hybrid neural network consisting of a self-organizing Kohonen network and a multilayer perceptron. The study of the work of the prototype of the system for detecting attacks, the method of forming a learning sample, and the course of experiments are described. The study showed that using the proposed approach makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of the obfuscation of various types of attacks and at the same time does not reduce the performance of the network

Patient-Specific Seizure Detection in Long-Term EEG Using Signal-Derived Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD)-based Dictionary Approach.

PubMed

Kaleem, Muhammad; Gurve, Dharmendra; Guergachi, Aziz; Krishnan, Sridhar

2018-06-25

The objective of the work described in this paper is development of a computationally efficient methodology for patient-specific automatic seizure detection in long-term multi-channel EEG recordings. Approach: A novel patient-specific seizure detection approach based on signal-derived Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD)-based dictionary approach is proposed. For this purpose, we use an empirical framework for EMD-based dictionary creation and learning, inspired by traditional dictionary learning methods, in which the EMD-based dictionary is learned from the multi-channel EEG data being analyzed for automatic seizure detection. We present the algorithm for dictionary creation and learning, whose purpose is to learn dictionaries with a small number of atoms. Using training signals belonging to seizure and non-seizure classes, an initial dictionary, termed as the raw dictionary, is formed. The atoms of the raw dictionary are composed of intrinsic mode functions obtained after decomposition of the training signals using the empirical mode decomposition algorithm. The raw dictionary is then trained using a learning algorithm, resulting in a substantial decrease in the number of atoms in the trained dictionary. The trained dictionary is then used for automatic seizure detection, such that coefficients of orthogonal projections of test signals against the trained dictionary form the features used for classification of test signals into seizure and non-seizure classes. Thus no hand-engineered features have to be extracted from the data as in traditional seizure detection approaches. Main results: The performance of the proposed approach is validated using the CHB-MIT benchmark database, and averaged accuracy, sensitivity and specificity values of 92.9%, 94.3% and 91.5%, respectively, are obtained using support vector machine classifier and five-fold cross-validation method. These results are compared with other approaches using the same database, and the suitability of the approach for seizure detection in long-term multi-channel EEG recordings is discussed. Significance: The proposed approach describes a computationally efficient method for automatic seizure detection in long-term multi-channel EEG recordings. The method does not rely on hand-engineered features, as are required in traditional approaches. Furthermore, the approach is suitable for scenarios where the dictionary once formed and trained can be used for automatic seizure detection of newly recorded data, making the approach suitable for long-term multi-channel EEG recordings. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Hindcast experiments of the derecho in Estonia on 08 August, 2010: Modelling derecho with NWP model HARMONIE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toll, Velle; Männik, Aarne; Luhamaa, Andres; Rõõm, Rein

2015-05-01

On August 8, 2010, a derecho swept over Northern Europe, causing widespread wind damage and more than 2 million Euros in economic loss in Estonia during its most destructive stage. This paper presents a modelling study of the derecho-producing storm utilising the Hirlam Aladin Research for Mesoscale Operational Numerical Weather Prediction in Europe (HARMONIE) model. The model setup is chosen to mimic near-future, nearly kilometre-scale, operational environments in European national weather services. The model simulations are compared to remote sensing and in situ observations. The HARMONIE model is capable of reproducing the wind gust severity and precipitation intensity. Moreover, 2.5-km grid spacing is shown to be sufficient for producing a reliable signal of the severe convective storm. Storm dynamics are well simulated, including the rear inflow jet. Although the model performance is promising, a strong dependence on the initial data, a weak trailing stratiform precipitation region and an incorrect timing of the storm are identified.

Mathematics and Physics: The Idea of a Pre-Established Harmony

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kragh, Helge

2015-07-01

For more than a century the notion of a pre-established harmony between the mathematical and physical sciences has played an important role not only in the rhetoric of mathematicians and theoretical physicists, but also as a doctrine guiding much of their research. Strongly mathematized branches of physics, such as the vortex theory of atoms popular in Victorian Britain, were not unknown in the nineteenth century, but it was only in the environment of fin-de-siècle Germany that the idea of a pre-established harmony really took off and became part of the mathematicians' ideology. Important historical figures were in this respect David Hilbert, Hermann Minkowski and, somewhat later, Albert Einstein. Roughly similar ideas can be found also among British theorists, among whom Arthur Eddington, Arthur Milne, and Paul Dirac are singled out. Although largely limited to the period 1870-1940, the paper also considers Max Tegmark's recent hypothesis of the universe (or multiverse) being a one-to-one reflection of mathematical structures.

The opto-mechanical design of HARMONI: a first light integral field spectrograph for the E-ELT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thatte, Niranjan A.; Tecza, Mathias; Freeman, David; Gallie, Angus M.; Montgomery, David; Clarke, Fraser; Fragoso-Lopez, Ana Belén.; Fuentes, Javier; Gago, Fernando; Garcia, Adolfo; Gracia, Felix; Kosmalski, Johan; Lynn, James; Sosa, Dario; Arribas, Santiago; Bacon, Roland; Davies, Roger L.; Fusco, Thierry; Lunney, David; Mediavilla, Evencio; Remillieux, Alban; Schnetler, Hermine

2012-09-01

HARMONI is a visible and near-IR integral field spectrograph, providing the E-ELT's spectroscopic capability at first light. It obtains simultaneous spectra of 32000 spaxels, at a range of resolving powers from R~4000 to R~20000, covering the wavelength range from 0.47 to 2.45 μm. The 256 × 128 spaxel field of view has four different plate scales, with the coarsest scale (40 mas) providing a 5″ × 10″ FoV, while the finest scale is a factor of 10 finer (4mas). We describe the opto-mechanical design of HARMONI, prior to the start of preliminary design, including the main subsystems - namely the image de-rotator, the scale-changing optics, the splitting and slicing optics, and the spectrographs. We also present the secondary guiding system, the pupil imaging optics, the field and pupil stops, the natural guide star wavefront sensor, and the calibration unit.

Harmony of Coastal Community Regarding Its Ethnic Religion and Cultural Diversity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aghsari, Diah; Suardi Wekke, Ismail; Abbas, Nurlaelah

2018-05-01

West Papua is often known to be the miniature of Indonesia. The diversity of ethnicity, religion and culture embraced by the people of West Papua is very much like the concept of Bhinneka and Tunggal Ika. However, there is a negative stigma towards the people of West Papua, namely in its underdevelopment and conflicts. This research was conducted in West Papua using the observation method, library research and interview. This study aimed at providing an overview of West Papua using emic and etic approaches. The people of West Papua have an ingredient to maintain harmony, namely through local wisdom such as the term “One Stove Three Stones”, “One House Four Doors” and the principle of brotherhood that is held firmly. Ultimately, this forms a culture of understanding in the community and establishes religious harmony. Apparently, the negative stigma of outsiders about West Papua is formed by the mass media as well as films containing negative elements about West Papua. Therefore, there is a misperception about the people of West Papua.

The mediating role of psychological need satisfaction in relationships between types of passion for sport and athlete burnout.

PubMed

Curran, Thomas; Appleton, Paul R; Hill, Andrew P; Hall, Howard K

2013-01-01

Research indicates that obsessive and harmonious passion can explain variability in burnout through various mediating processes (e.g., Vallerand, Paquet, Phillippe, & Charest, 2010). The current study extended previous research (Curran, Appleton, Hill, & Hall, 2011; Gustafsson, Hassmén, & Hassmén, 2011) by testing a model in which the effects of passion for sport on athlete burnout were mediated by psychological need satisfaction. One hundred and seventy-three academy soccer players completed self-report measures of passion for sport, psychological need satisfaction, and athlete burnout. Results indicated that psychological need satisfaction mediated the relationship between harmonious passion and athlete burnout but not obsessive passion and athlete burnout. The findings indicate that the inverse relationship between harmonious passion and burnout can be explained by higher levels of psychological need satisfaction. However, this was not the case for obsessive passion, which was not associated with psychological need satisfaction or most symptoms of athlete burnout.

Construction of nested maximin designs based on successive local enumeration and modified novel global harmony search algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Jin; Li, Xinyu; Xiao, Mi; Xu, Junnan; Zhang, Lin

2017-01-01

Engineering design often involves different types of simulation, which results in expensive computational costs. Variable fidelity approximation-based design optimization approaches can realize effective simulation and efficiency optimization of the design space using approximation models with different levels of fidelity and have been widely used in different fields. As the foundations of variable fidelity approximation models, the selection of sample points of variable-fidelity approximation, called nested designs, is essential. In this article a novel nested maximin Latin hypercube design is constructed based on successive local enumeration and a modified novel global harmony search algorithm. In the proposed nested designs, successive local enumeration is employed to select sample points for a low-fidelity model, whereas the modified novel global harmony search algorithm is employed to select sample points for a high-fidelity model. A comparative study with multiple criteria and an engineering application are employed to verify the efficiency of the proposed nested designs approach.

Segmentation of MRI Brain Images with an Improved Harmony Searching Algorithm.

PubMed

Yang, Zhang; Shufan, Ye; Li, Guo; Weifeng, Ding

2016-01-01

The harmony searching (HS) algorithm is a kind of optimization search algorithm currently applied in many practical problems. The HS algorithm constantly revises variables in the harmony database and the probability of different values that can be used to complete iteration convergence to achieve the optimal effect. Accordingly, this study proposed a modified algorithm to improve the efficiency of the algorithm. First, a rough set algorithm was employed to improve the convergence and accuracy of the HS algorithm. Then, the optimal value was obtained using the improved HS algorithm. The optimal value of convergence was employed as the initial value of the fuzzy clustering algorithm for segmenting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain images. Experimental results showed that the improved HS algorithm attained better convergence and more accurate results than those of the original HS algorithm. In our study, the MRI image segmentation effect of the improved algorithm was superior to that of the original fuzzy clustering method.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-11-01

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

Segmentation of MRI Brain Images with an Improved Harmony Searching Algorithm

PubMed Central

Yang, Zhang; Li, Guo; Weifeng, Ding

2016-01-01

The harmony searching (HS) algorithm is a kind of optimization search algorithm currently applied in many practical problems. The HS algorithm constantly revises variables in the harmony database and the probability of different values that can be used to complete iteration convergence to achieve the optimal effect. Accordingly, this study proposed a modified algorithm to improve the efficiency of the algorithm. First, a rough set algorithm was employed to improve the convergence and accuracy of the HS algorithm. Then, the optimal value was obtained using the improved HS algorithm. The optimal value of convergence was employed as the initial value of the fuzzy clustering algorithm for segmenting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain images. Experimental results showed that the improved HS algorithm attained better convergence and more accurate results than those of the original HS algorithm. In our study, the MRI image segmentation effect of the improved algorithm was superior to that of the original fuzzy clustering method. PMID:27403428

HARMONI instrument control electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gigante, José V.; Rodríguez Ramos, Luis F.; Zins, Gerard; Schnetler, Hermine; Pecontal, Arlette; Herreros, José Miguel; Clarke, Fraser; Bryson, Ian; Thatte, Niranjan

2014-07-01

HARMONI is an integral field spectrograph working at visible and near-infrared wavelengths over a range of spatial scales from ground layer corrected to fully diffraction-limited. The instrument has been chosen to be part of the first-light complement at the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). This paper describes the instrument control electronics to be developed at IAC. The large size of the HARMONI instrument, its cryogenic operation, and the fact that it must operate with enhanced reliability is a challenge from the point of view of the control electronics design. The present paper describes a design proposal based on the current instrument requirements and intended to be fully compliant with the ESO E-ELT standards, as well as with the European EMC and safety standards. The modularity of the design and the use of COTS standard hardware will benefit the project in several aspects, as reduced costs, shorter schedule by the use of commercially available components, and improved quality by the use of well proven solutions.

Maternal cultural values and parenting practices: longitudinal associations with Chinese adolescents' aggression.

PubMed

Shuster, Michael M; Li, Yan; Shi, Junqi

2012-04-01

Interrelations among cultural values, parenting practices, and adolescent aggression were examined using longitudinal data collected from Chinese adolescents and their mothers. Adolescents' overt and relational aggression were assessed using peer nominations at Time 1 (7th grade) and Time 2 (9th grade). Mothers reported endorsement of cultural values (collectivism and social harmony) and parenting practices (psychological control and inductive reasoning) at Time 1. While controlling for Time 1 adolescent aggression, maternal collectivism and social harmony indirectly and longitudinally linked to adolescent aggression through maternal parenting practices. Specifically, maternal collectivism was positively related to inductive reasoning, which, in turn, negatively related to adolescent overt aggression at Time 2. Similarly, maternal social harmony negatively related to psychological control that positively predicted later adolescent relational aggression. Results of the present study shed light on mechanisms through which culture may indirectly influence adolescent aggression. Copyright © 2011 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LOSITAN: a workbench to detect molecular adaptation based on a Fst-outlier method.

PubMed

Antao, Tiago; Lopes, Ana; Lopes, Ricardo J; Beja-Pereira, Albano; Luikart, Gordon

2008-07-28

Testing for selection is becoming one of the most important steps in the analysis of multilocus population genetics data sets. Existing applications are difficult to use, leaving many non-trivial, error-prone tasks to the user. Here we present LOSITAN, a selection detection workbench based on a well evaluated Fst-outlier detection method. LOSITAN greatly facilitates correct approximation of model parameters (e.g., genome-wide average, neutral Fst), provides data import and export functions, iterative contour smoothing and generation of graphics in a easy to use graphical user interface. LOSITAN is able to use modern multi-core processor architectures by locally parallelizing fdist, reducing computation time by half in current dual core machines and with almost linear performance gains in machines with more cores. LOSITAN makes selection detection feasible to a much wider range of users, even for large population genomic datasets, by both providing an easy to use interface and essential functionality to complete the whole selection detection process.

Penalty Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Dim Targets Detection in Sensor Systems

PubMed Central

Huang, Dayu; Xue, Anke; Guo, Yunfei

2012-01-01

In order to detect and track multiple maneuvering dim targets in sensor systems, an improved dynamic programming track-before-detect algorithm (DP-TBD) called penalty DP-TBD (PDP-TBD) is proposed. The performances of tracking techniques are used as a feedback to the detection part. The feedback is constructed by a penalty term in the merit function, and the penalty term is a function of the possible target state estimation, which can be obtained by the tracking methods. With this feedback, the algorithm combines traditional tracking techniques with DP-TBD and it can be applied to simultaneously detect and track maneuvering dim targets. Meanwhile, a reasonable constraint that a sensor measurement can originate from one target or clutter is proposed to minimize track separation. Thus, the algorithm can be used in the multi-target situation with unknown target numbers. The efficiency and advantages of PDP-TBD compared with two existing methods are demonstrated by several simulations. PMID:22666074

Detection of Multi-Layer and Vertically-Extended Clouds Using A-Train Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joiner, J.; Vasilkov, A. P.; Bhartia, P. K.; Wind, G.; Platnick, S.; Menzel, W. P.

2010-01-01

The detection of mUltiple cloud layers using satellite observations is important for retrieval algorithms as well as climate applications. In this paper, we describe a relatively simple algorithm to detect multiple cloud layers and distinguish them from vertically-extended clouds. The algorithm can be applied to coincident passive sensors that derive both cloud-top pressure from the thermal infrared observations and an estimate of solar photon pathlength from UV, visible, or near-IR measurements. Here, we use data from the A-train afternoon constellation of satellites: cloud-top pressure, cloud optical thickness, the multi-layer flag from the Aqua MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the optical centroid cloud pressure from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). For the first time, we use data from the CloudSat radar to evaluate the results of a multi-layer cloud detection scheme. The cloud classification algorithms applied with different passive sensor configurations compare well with each other as well as with data from CloudSat. We compute monthly mean fractions of pixels containing multi-layer and vertically-extended clouds for January and July 2007 at the OMI spatial resolution (l2kmx24km at nadir) and at the 5kmx5km MODIS resolution used for infrared cloud retrievals. There are seasonal variations in the spatial distribution of the different cloud types. The fraction of cloudy pixels containing distinct multi-layer cloud is a strong function of the pixel size. Globally averaged, these fractions are approximately 20% and 10% for OMI and MODIS, respectively. These fractions may be significantly higher or lower depending upon location. There is a much smaller resolution dependence for fractions of pixels containing vertically-extended clouds (approx.20% for OMI and slightly less for MODIS globally), suggesting larger spatial scales for these clouds. We also find higher fractions of vertically-extended clouds over land as compared with ocean, particularly in the tropics and summer hemisphere.

An extended diffraction tomography method for quantifying structural damage using numerical Green's functions.

PubMed

Chan, Eugene; Rose, L R Francis; Wang, Chun H

2015-05-01

Existing damage imaging algorithms for detecting and quantifying structural defects, particularly those based on diffraction tomography, assume far-field conditions for the scattered field data. This paper presents a major extension of diffraction tomography that can overcome this limitation and utilises a near-field multi-static data matrix as the input data. This new algorithm, which employs numerical solutions of the dynamic Green's functions, makes it possible to quantitatively image laminar damage even in complex structures for which the dynamic Green's functions are not available analytically. To validate this new method, the numerical Green's functions and the multi-static data matrix for laminar damage in flat and stiffened isotropic plates are first determined using finite element models. Next, these results are time-gated to remove boundary reflections, followed by discrete Fourier transform to obtain the amplitude and phase information for both the baseline (damage-free) and the scattered wave fields. Using these computationally generated results and experimental verification, it is shown that the new imaging algorithm is capable of accurately determining the damage geometry, size and severity for a variety of damage sizes and shapes, including multi-site damage. Some aspects of minimal sensors requirement pertinent to image quality and practical implementation are also briefly discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Harmony Search Algorithm for Word Sense Disambiguation.

PubMed

Abed, Saad Adnan; Tiun, Sabrina; Omar, Nazlia

2015-01-01

Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) is the task of determining which sense of an ambiguous word (word with multiple meanings) is chosen in a particular use of that word, by considering its context. A sentence is considered ambiguous if it contains ambiguous word(s). Practically, any sentence that has been classified as ambiguous usually has multiple interpretations, but just one of them presents the correct interpretation. We propose an unsupervised method that exploits knowledge based approaches for word sense disambiguation using Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) based on a Stanford dependencies generator (HSDG). The role of the dependency generator is to parse sentences to obtain their dependency relations. Whereas, the goal of using the HSA is to maximize the overall semantic similarity of the set of parsed words. HSA invokes a combination of semantic similarity and relatedness measurements, i.e., Jiang and Conrath (jcn) and an adapted Lesk algorithm, to perform the HSA fitness function. Our proposed method was experimented on benchmark datasets, which yielded results comparable to the state-of-the-art WSD methods. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the dependency generator, we perform the same methodology without the parser, but with a window of words. The empirical results demonstrate that the proposed method is able to produce effective solutions for most instances of the datasets used.

Harmony Search Algorithm for Word Sense Disambiguation

PubMed Central

Abed, Saad Adnan; Tiun, Sabrina; Omar, Nazlia

2015-01-01

Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) is the task of determining which sense of an ambiguous word (word with multiple meanings) is chosen in a particular use of that word, by considering its context. A sentence is considered ambiguous if it contains ambiguous word(s). Practically, any sentence that has been classified as ambiguous usually has multiple interpretations, but just one of them presents the correct interpretation. We propose an unsupervised method that exploits knowledge based approaches for word sense disambiguation using Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) based on a Stanford dependencies generator (HSDG). The role of the dependency generator is to parse sentences to obtain their dependency relations. Whereas, the goal of using the HSA is to maximize the overall semantic similarity of the set of parsed words. HSA invokes a combination of semantic similarity and relatedness measurements, i.e., Jiang and Conrath (jcn) and an adapted Lesk algorithm, to perform the HSA fitness function. Our proposed method was experimented on benchmark datasets, which yielded results comparable to the state-of-the-art WSD methods. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the dependency generator, we perform the same methodology without the parser, but with a window of words. The empirical results demonstrate that the proposed method is able to produce effective solutions for most instances of the datasets used. PMID:26422368

Life after cervical cancer: quality of life among Chinese women.

PubMed

Zeng, Ying Chun; Li, Dingmei; Loke, Alice Yuen

2011-09-01

This study explored the meaning of "quality of life" among Chinese survivors of cervical cancer and the impact of cervical cancer survivorship on these women's quality of life. Written responses were used as the means of data collection. The qualitative data were analyzed by using a qualitative content analysis. The meaning of "quality of life", as perceived by 35 Chinese survivors of cervical cancer, included being free of disease, having a good standard of living, having a harmonious family atmosphere, and having a harmonious sex life. The impact of cervical cancer on the Chinese women's quality of life included physical and psychological sequelae, family distress, financial burden, and disruptions to their social functioning and sexual life. Nevertheless, there were positive gains that were reported by these survivors, including changes in their outlook on life, treasuring their life, and better family relationships. This study revealed that the Chinese survivors of cervical cancer identified their sexual life as one of the essential indicators of quality of life. It is necessary to raise nurses' awareness so that women's sexuality-related concerns are addressed. Health professionals also should provide relevant supportive care in order to address this target population's physical and psychosocial needs across the survivorship continuum. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes: A cytotoxicity study in relation to functionalization, dose and dispersion.

PubMed

Zhou, Lulu; Forman, Henry Jay; Ge, Yi; Lunec, Joseph

2017-08-01

Chemical functionalization broadens carbon nanotube (CNT) applications, conferring new functions, but at the same time potentially altering toxicity. Although considerable experimental data related to CNT toxicity, at the molecular and cellular levels, have been reported, there is very limited information available for the corresponding mechanism involved (e.g. cell apoptosis and genotoxicity). The threshold dose for safe medical application in relation to both pristine and functionalized carbon nanotubes remains ambiguous. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro cytotoxicity of pristine and functionalized (OH, COOH) multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for cell viability, oxidant detection, apoptosis and DNA mutations, to determine the non-toxic dose and influence of functional group in a human lung-cancer cell line exposed to 1-1000μg/ml MWCNTs for 24, 48 and 72h. The findings suggest that pristine MWCNTs induced more cell death than functionalized MWCNTs while functionalized MWCNTs are more genotoxic compared to their pristine form. The level of both dose and dispersion in the matrix used should be taken into consideration before applying further clinical applications of MWCNTs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Dynamical Model of Pitch Memory Provides an Improved Basis for Implied Harmony Estimation.

PubMed

Kim, Ji Chul

2017-01-01

Tonal melody can imply vertical harmony through a sequence of tones. Current methods for automatic chord estimation commonly use chroma-based features extracted from audio signals. However, the implied harmony of unaccompanied melodies can be difficult to estimate on the basis of chroma content in the presence of frequent nonchord tones. Here we present a novel approach to automatic chord estimation based on the human perception of pitch sequences. We use cohesion and inhibition between pitches in auditory short-term memory to differentiate chord tones and nonchord tones in tonal melodies. We model short-term pitch memory as a gradient frequency neural network, which is a biologically realistic model of auditory neural processing. The model is a dynamical system consisting of a network of tonotopically tuned nonlinear oscillators driven by audio signals. The oscillators interact with each other through nonlinear resonance and lateral inhibition, and the pattern of oscillatory traces emerging from the interactions is taken as a measure of pitch salience. We test the model with a collection of unaccompanied tonal melodies to evaluate it as a feature extractor for chord estimation. We show that chord tones are selectively enhanced in the response of the model, thereby increasing the accuracy of implied harmony estimation. We also find that, like other existing features for chord estimation, the performance of the model can be improved by using segmented input signals. We discuss possible ways to expand the present model into a full chord estimation system within the dynamical systems framework.

[Ecological and economic harmony evaluation and spatial evolution of the Hexi corridor, northwest China].

PubMed

Liu, Hai-long; Shi, Pei-ji; Li, Sheng-mei; Tong, Hua-li; Nie, Xiao-ying; Wei, Wei

2014-12-01

The relationship between economic development and environment and the evolution characteristics of spatial pattern in Hexi Corridor of Northwest China were analyzed based on Landsat images in 1985, 1995, 2000 and 2011 with twenty counties in Hexi Corridor chosen as the basic research units. The ecological economic harmony during 1985-2011 was estimated according to ESV (ecosystem services value) and EEH (ecological and economic harmony) index with the ecosystem services value estimation methods. The results showed that the land type of the study area dramatically changed during the study period, the grassland decreased badly, and the construction land and cultivated land increased quickly. The ESV showed an overall downward trend, especially in the Shiyang River basin and the middle of Heihe River. The ESV in the Shule River basin in this period. After 2000, the economic growth speeded up visibly in the study area. The economic development concentrated in the resource-based cities and regional central cities, and declined from the center of corridor to the both sides. The ecological-economic relation in Hexi Corridor experienced a transformation of "preliminary deterioration--further deterioration--low grade coordination". The EEH had large changes in the Shiyang River basin and the middle of Heihe River, which experienced a transformation of "conflict--more conflicts--less conflicts", however, there was little change in Shule River basin. The development mode and the comprehensive reclamation of Shiyang River basin and Heihe River basin had a significant influence on the regional ecological and economic harmony.

Sibling relationship patterns and their associations with child competence and problem behavior.

PubMed

Buist, Kirsten L; Vermande, Marjolijn

2014-08-01

The present study is the first to examine patterns in sibling relationship quality and the associations of these patterns with internalizing and externalizing problem behavior, as well as self-perceived competence, in middle childhood. Self-report questionnaires (e.g., Sibling Relationship Questionnaire, Self-Perception Profile for Children, Youth Self Report) were administered among 1,670 Dutch children (Mage = 11.40 years, SD = .83) attending 51 different Dutch schools. Three sibling relationship clusters were found: a conflictual cluster (low on warmth, high on conflict), an affect-intense cluster (above average on warmth and conflict), and a harmonious cluster (high on warmth, low on conflict). Sister pairs were underrepresented in the conflictual cluster and overrepresented in the harmonious cluster. Children with conflictual sibling relationships reported significantly more internalizing and externalizing problems, and lower academic and social competence and global self-worth, than children with harmonious sibling relationships. Children with affect-intense sibling relationships reported less aggression and better social competence than children with conflictual sibling relationships. Our findings indicate that it is fruitful to combine indices of sibling warmth and conflict to examine sibling relationship types. Relationship types differed significantly concerning internalizing and externalizing problems, but also concerning self-perceived competence. These findings extend our knowledge about sibling relationship types and their impact on different aspects of child adjustment. Whereas harmonious sibling relationships are the most beneficial for adjustment, sibling conflict mainly has a negative effect on adjustment in combination with lack of sibling warmth. Implications and future directions are discussed.

DMS Advanced Applications for Accommodating High Penetrations of DERs and Microgrids: Preprint

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

Pratt, Annabelle; Veda, Santosh; Maitra, Arindam

Efficient and effective management of the electrical distribution system requires an integrated system approach for Distribution Management Systems (DMS), Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), Distributed Energy Resources Management System (DERMS), and microgrids to work in harmony. This paper highlights some of the outcomes from a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Electricity (OE) project, including 1) Architecture of these integrated systems, and 2) Expanded functions of two example DMS applications, Volt-VAR optimization (VVO) and Fault Location, Isolation and Service Restoration (FLISR), to accommodate DER. For these two example applications, the relevant DER Group Functions necessary to support communication between DMSmore » and Microgrid Controller (MC) in grid-tied mode are identified.« less

DMS Advanced Applications for Accommodating High Penetrations of DERs and Microgrids

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

Pratt, Annabelle; Veda, Santosh; Maitra, Arindam

Efficient and effective management of the electric distribution system requires an integrated approach to allow various systems to work in harmony, including distribution management systems (DMS), distributed energy resources (DERs), distributed energy resources management systems, and microgrids. This study highlights some outcomes from a recent project sponsored by the US Department of Energy, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, including information about (i) the architecture of these integrated systems and (ii) expanded functions of two example DMS applications to accommodate DERs: volt-var optimisation and fault location, isolation, and service restoration. In addition, the relevant DER group functions necessary tomore » support communications between the DMS and a microgrid controller in grid-tied mode are identified.« less

Control concepts for the alleviation of windshears and gusts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rynaski, E. G.; Govindaraj, K. S.

1982-01-01

Automatic control system design methods for gust and shear alleviation were studied. It is shown that automatic gust/shear alleviation systems can be quite effective if both throttle and elevator are used in harmony to produce the forces and moments required to counter the effects of the windshear. Regulation with respect to ground speed or airspeed results in very similar system designs. The application of the NASA total energy probe in the detection of windshear and criteria for alleviation is considered. The theory and application of robust output observers is extended. Design examples show how implementation of the control laws can be accomplished using observers, and thereby resulting in less complex control system configurations.

Multi-gas interaction modeling on decorated semiconductor interfaces: A novel Fermi distribution-based response isotherm and the inverse hard/soft acid/base concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laminack, William; Gole, James

2015-12-01

A unique MEMS/NEMS approach is presented for the modeling of a detection platform for mixed gas interactions. Mixed gas analytes interact with nanostructured decorating metal oxide island sites supported on a microporous silicon substrate. The Inverse Hard/Soft acid/base (IHSAB) concept is used to assess a diversity of conductometric responses for mixed gas interactions as a function of these nanostructured metal oxides. The analyte conductometric responses are well represented using a combination diffusion/absorption-based model for multi-gas interactions where a newly developed response absorption isotherm, based on the Fermi distribution function is applied. A further coupling of this model with the IHSAB concept describes the considerations in modeling of multi-gas mixed analyte-interface, and analyte-analyte interactions. Taking into account the molecular electronic interaction of both the analytes with each other and an extrinsic semiconductor interface we demonstrate how the presence of one gas can enhance or diminish the reversible interaction of a second gas with the extrinsic semiconductor interface. These concepts demonstrate important considerations in the array-based formats for multi-gas sensing and its applications.

Non-Negative Spherical Deconvolution (NNSD) for estimation of fiber Orientation Distribution Function in single-/multi-shell diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Cheng, Jian; Deriche, Rachid; Jiang, Tianzi; Shen, Dinggang; Yap, Pew-Thian

2014-11-01

Spherical Deconvolution (SD) is commonly used for estimating fiber Orientation Distribution Functions (fODFs) from diffusion-weighted signals. Existing SD methods can be classified into two categories: 1) Continuous Representation based SD (CR-SD), where typically Spherical Harmonic (SH) representation is used for convenient analytical solutions, and 2) Discrete Representation based SD (DR-SD), where the signal profile is represented by a discrete set of basis functions uniformly oriented on the unit sphere. A feasible fODF should be non-negative and should integrate to unity throughout the unit sphere S(2). However, to our knowledge, most existing SH-based SD methods enforce non-negativity only on discretized points and not the whole continuum of S(2). Maximum Entropy SD (MESD) and Cartesian Tensor Fiber Orientation Distributions (CT-FOD) are the only SD methods that ensure non-negativity throughout the unit sphere. They are however computational intensive and are susceptible to errors caused by numerical spherical integration. Existing SD methods are also known to overestimate the number of fiber directions, especially in regions with low anisotropy. DR-SD introduces additional error in peak detection owing to the angular discretization of the unit sphere. This paper proposes a SD framework, called Non-Negative SD (NNSD), to overcome all the limitations above. NNSD is significantly less susceptible to the false-positive peaks, uses SH representation for efficient analytical spherical deconvolution, and allows accurate peak detection throughout the whole unit sphere. We further show that NNSD and most existing SD methods can be extended to work on multi-shell data by introducing a three-dimensional fiber response function. We evaluated NNSD in comparison with Constrained SD (CSD), a quadratic programming variant of CSD, MESD, and an L1-norm regularized non-negative least-squares DR-SD. Experiments on synthetic and real single-/multi-shell data indicate that NNSD improves estimation performance in terms of mean difference of angles, peak detection consistency, and anisotropy contrast between isotropic and anisotropic regions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Closing the Loop for Memory Prostheses: Detecting the Role of Hippocampal Neural Ensembles Using Nonlinear Models

PubMed Central

Hampson, Robert E.; Song, Dong; Chan, Rosa H.M.; Sweatt, Andrew J.; Riley, Mitchell R.; Goonawardena, Anushka V.; Marmarelis, Vasilis Z.; Gerhardt, Greg A.; Berger, Theodore W.; Deadwyler, Sam A.

2012-01-01

A major factor involved in providing closed loop feedback for control of neural function is to understand how neural ensembles encode online information critical to the final behavioral endpoint. This issue was directly assessed in rats performing a short-term delay memory task in which successful encoding of task information is dependent upon specific spatiotemporal firing patterns recorded from ensembles of CA3 and CA1 hippocampal neurons. Such patterns, extracted by a specially designed nonlinear multi-input multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear mathematical model, were used to predict successful performance online via a closed loop paradigm which regulated trial difficulty (time of retention) as a function of the “strength” of stimulus encoding. The significance of the MIMO model as a neural prosthesis has been demonstrated by substituting trains of electrical stimulation pulses to mimic these same ensemble firing patterns. This feature was used repeatedly to vary “normal” encoding as a means of understanding how neural ensembles can be “tuned” to mimic the inherent process of selecting codes of different strength and functional specificity. The capacity to enhance and tune hippocampal encoding via MIMO model detection and insertion of critical ensemble firing patterns shown here provides the basis for possible extension to other disrupted brain circuitry. PMID:22498704

Multi-microphone adaptive array augmented with visual cueing.

PubMed

Gibson, Paul L; Hedin, Dan S; Davies-Venn, Evelyn E; Nelson, Peggy; Kramer, Kevin

2012-01-01

We present the development of an audiovisual array that enables hearing aid users to converse with multiple speakers in reverberant environments with significant speech babble noise where their hearing aids do not function well. The system concept consists of a smartphone, a smartphone accessory, and a smartphone software application. The smartphone accessory concept is a multi-microphone audiovisual array in a form factor that allows attachment to the back of the smartphone. The accessory will also contain a lower power radio by which it can transmit audio signals to compatible hearing aids. The smartphone software application concept will use the smartphone's built in camera to acquire images and perform real-time face detection using the built-in face detection support of the smartphone. The audiovisual beamforming algorithm uses the location of talking targets to improve the signal to noise ratio and consequently improve the user's speech intelligibility. Since the proposed array system leverages a handheld consumer electronic device, it will be portable and low cost. A PC based experimental system was developed to demonstrate the feasibility of an audiovisual multi-microphone array and these results are presented.

Temperature-Dependent Photoluminescence Imaging and Characterization of a Multi-Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Defect Area

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

Johnston, S.; Yan, F.; Li, J.

2011-01-01

Photoluminescence (PL) imaging is used to detect areas in multi-crystalline silicon that appear dark in band-to-band imaging due to high recombination. Steady-state PL intensity can be correlated to effective minority-carrier lifetime, and its temperature dependence can provide additional lifetime-limiting defect information. An area of high defect density has been laser cut from a multi-crystalline silicon solar cell. Both band-to-band and defect-band PL imaging have been collected as a function of temperature from {approx}85 to 350 K. Band-to-band luminescence is collected by an InGaAs camera using a 1200-nm short-pass filter, while defect band luminescence is collected using a 1350-nm long passmore » filter. The defect band luminescence is characterized by cathodoluminescence. Small pieces from adjacent areas within the same wafer are measured by deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). DLTS detects a minority-carrier electron trap level with an activation energy of 0.45 eV on the sample that contained defects as seen by imaging.« less

Temperature-Dependent Photoluminescence Imaging and Characterization of a Multi-Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Defect Area: Preprint

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

Johnston, S.; Yan, F.; Li, J.

2011-07-01

Photoluminescence (PL) imaging is used to detect areas in multi-crystalline silicon that appear dark in band-to-band imaging due to high recombination. Steady-state PL intensity can be correlated to effective minority-carrier lifetime, and its temperature dependence can provide additional lifetime-limiting defect information. An area of high defect density has been laser cut from a multi-crystalline silicon solar cell. Both band-to-band and defect-band PL imaging have been collected as a function of temperature from ~85 to 350 K. Band-to-band luminescence is collected by an InGaAs camera using a 1200-nm short-pass filter, while defect band luminescence is collected using a 1350-nm long passmore » filter. The defect band luminescence is characterized by cathodo-luminescence. Small pieces from adjacent areas within the same wafer are measured by deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). DLTS detects a minority-carrier electron trap level with an activation energy of 0.45 eV on the sample that contained defects as seen by imaging.« less

Fiber Loop Ringdown — a Time-Domain Sensing Technique for Multi-Function Fiber Optic Sensor Platforms: Current Status and Design Perspectives

PubMed Central

Wang, Chuji

2009-01-01

Fiber loop ringdown (FLRD) utilizes an inexpensive telecommunications light source, a photodiode, and a section of single-mode fiber to form a uniform fiber optic sensor platform for sensing various quantities, such as pressure, temperature, strain, refractive index, chemical species, biological cells, and small volume of fluids. In FLRD, optical losses of a light pulse in a fiber loop induced by changes in a quantity are measured by the light decay time constants. FLRD measures time to detect a quantity; thus, FLRD is referred to as a time-domain sensing technique. FLRD sensors have near real-time response, multi-pass enhanced high-sensitivity, and relatively low cost (i.e., without using an optical spectral analyzer). During the last eight years since the introduction of the original form of fiber ringdown spectroscopy, there has been increasing interest in the FLRD technique in fiber optic sensor developments, and new application potential is being explored. This paper first discusses the challenging issues in development of multi-function, fiber optic sensors or sensor networks using current fiber optic sensor sensing schemes, and then gives a review on current fiber optic sensor development using FLRD technique. Finally, design perspectives on new generation, multi-function, fiber optic sensor platforms using FLRD technique are particularly presented. PMID:22408471

Silicon photonic integrated circuit swept-source optical coherence tomography receiver with dual polarization, dual balanced, in-phase and quadrature detection.

PubMed

Wang, Zhao; Lee, Hsiang-Chieh; Vermeulen, Diedrik; Chen, Long; Nielsen, Torben; Park, Seo Yeon; Ghaemi, Allan; Swanson, Eric; Doerr, Chris; Fujimoto, James

2015-07-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a widely used three-dimensional (3D) optical imaging method with many biomedical and non-medical applications. Miniaturization, cost reduction, and increased functionality of OCT systems will be critical for future emerging clinical applications. We present a silicon photonic integrated circuit swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) coherent receiver with dual polarization, dual balanced, in-phase and quadrature (IQ) detection. We demonstrate multiple functional capabilities of IQ polarization resolved detection including: complex-conjugate suppressed full-range OCT, polarization diversity detection, and polarization-sensitive OCT. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a silicon photonic integrated receiver for OCT. The integrated coherent receiver provides a miniaturized, low-cost solution for SS-OCT, and is also a key step towards a fully integrated high speed SS-OCT system with good performance and multi-functional capabilities. With further performance improvement and cost reduction, photonic integrated technology promises to greatly increase penetration of OCT systems in existing applications and enable new applications.

Silicon photonic integrated circuit swept-source optical coherence tomography receiver with dual polarization, dual balanced, in-phase and quadrature detection

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhao; Lee, Hsiang-Chieh; Vermeulen, Diedrik; Chen, Long; Nielsen, Torben; Park, Seo Yeon; Ghaemi, Allan; Swanson, Eric; Doerr, Chris; Fujimoto, James

2015-01-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a widely used three-dimensional (3D) optical imaging method with many biomedical and non-medical applications. Miniaturization, cost reduction, and increased functionality of OCT systems will be critical for future emerging clinical applications. We present a silicon photonic integrated circuit swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) coherent receiver with dual polarization, dual balanced, in-phase and quadrature (IQ) detection. We demonstrate multiple functional capabilities of IQ polarization resolved detection including: complex-conjugate suppressed full-range OCT, polarization diversity detection, and polarization-sensitive OCT. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a silicon photonic integrated receiver for OCT. The integrated coherent receiver provides a miniaturized, low-cost solution for SS-OCT, and is also a key step towards a fully integrated high speed SS-OCT system with good performance and multi-functional capabilities. With further performance improvement and cost reduction, photonic integrated technology promises to greatly increase penetration of OCT systems in existing applications and enable new applications. PMID:26203382

A brief review on the history of human functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) development and fields of application.

PubMed

Ferrari, Marco; Quaresima, Valentina

2012-11-01

This review is aimed at celebrating the upcoming 20th anniversary of the birth of human functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). After the discovery in 1992 that the functional activation of the human cerebral cortex (due to oxygenation and hemodynamic changes) can be explored by NIRS, human functional brain mapping research has gained a new dimension. fNIRS or optical topography, or near-infrared imaging or diffuse optical imaging is used mainly to detect simultaneous changes in optical properties of the human cortex from multiple measurement sites and displays the results in the form of a map or image over a specific area. In order to place current fNIRS research in its proper context, this paper presents a brief historical overview of the events that have shaped the present status of fNIRS. In particular, technological progresses of fNIRS are highlighted (i.e., from single-site to multi-site functional cortical measurements (images)), introduction of the commercial multi-channel systems, recent commercial wireless instrumentation and more advanced prototypes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Harmony Search Method: Theory and Applications

PubMed Central

Gao, X. Z.; Govindasamy, V.; Xu, H.; Wang, X.; Zenger, K.

2015-01-01

The Harmony Search (HS) method is an emerging metaheuristic optimization algorithm, which has been employed to cope with numerous challenging tasks during the past decade. In this paper, the essential theory and applications of the HS algorithm are first described and reviewed. Several typical variants of the original HS are next briefly explained. As an example of case study, a modified HS method inspired by the idea of Pareto-dominance-based ranking is also presented. It is further applied to handle a practical wind generator optimal design problem. PMID:25945083

Zen leadership: balancing energy for mind, body, and spirit harmony.

PubMed

Swanson, J W

2000-01-01

This article explores leadership characteristics and practices that assist us both professionally and personally to be authentic and integrated in mind, body, and spirit for harmony. The transformational leadership characteristics--courage; belief in people; value driven; a life-long learner and teacher; a complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty expert; and a visionary leader--all deal with the leader's ability to develop relationships through teamwork, collaboration, networking, mentoring, and establishing boundaries. The author realized the importance of reflection to maintaining a healthy relationship not only with others but also with self.

Radon Spectrum and Its Application for Small Moving Target Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

cumulative distribution function) starts separating from the exact distribution only at the very end of the upper tail, normally in the 610−= faP or...131059.1 −×= PNtotal (15) According to (15), for instance, to determine the threshold for 610−= faP , a total 91059.1 × samples shall...is the incomplete Gamma function9 Suppose we require a false-alarm rate of 610−= faP for the original data, therefore after non-coherent multi

Development of Advanced Signal Processing and Source Imaging Methods for Superparamagnetic Relaxometry

PubMed Central

Huang, Ming-Xiong; Anderson, Bill; Huang, Charles W.; Kunde, Gerd J.; Vreeland, Erika C.; Huang, Jeffrey W.; Matlashov, Andrei N.; Karaulanov, Todor; Nettles, Christopher P.; Gomez, Andrew; Minser, Kayla; Weldon, Caroline; Paciotti, Giulio; Harsh, Michael; Lee, Roland R.; Flynn, Edward R.

2017-01-01

Superparamagnetic Relaxometry (SPMR) is a highly sensitive technique for the in vivo detection of tumor cells and may improve early stage detection of cancers. SPMR employs superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION). After a brief magnetizing pulse is used to align the SPION, SPMR measures the time decay of SPION using Super-conducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) sensors. Substantial research has been carried out in developing the SQUID hardware and in improving the properties of the SPION. However, little research has been done in the pre-processing of sensor signals and post-processing source modeling in SPMR. In the present study, we illustrate new pre-processing tools that were developed to: 1) remove trials contaminated with artifacts, 2) evaluate and ensure that a single decay process associated with bounded SPION exists in the data, 3) automatically detect and correct flux jumps, and 4) accurately fit the sensor signals with different decay models. Furthermore, we developed an automated approach based on multi-start dipole imaging technique to obtain the locations and magnitudes of multiple magnetic sources, without initial guesses from the users. A regularization process was implemented to solve the ambiguity issue related to the SPMR source variables. A procedure based on reduced chi-square cost-function was introduced to objectively obtain the adequate number of dipoles that describe the data. The new pre-processing tools and multi-start source imaging approach have been successfully evaluated using phantom data. In conclusion, these tools and multi-start source modeling approach substantially enhance the accuracy and sensitivity in detecting and localizing sources from the SPMR signals. Furthermore, multi-start approach with regularization provided robust and accurate solutions for a poor SNR condition similar to the SPMR detection sensitivity in the order of 1000 cells. We believe such algorithms will help establishing the industrial standards for SPMR when applying the technique in pre-clinical and clinical settings. PMID:28072579

Prosthodontic Rehabilitation of the Patient with Severely Worn Dentition: A Case Report

PubMed Central

Hatami, Mahnaz; Sabouhi, Mahmoud; Samanipoor, Siamak; Badrian, Hamid

2012-01-01

The management of tooth wear has been a subject of increasing interest from both preventive and restorative points of view. This paper describes the full mouth rehabilitation of a 63-year-old bruxer man with a severely worn dentition and other dental problems including unsuitable restorations and several missing teeth. The treatment entailed using cast posts and cores, metal-ceramic restorations, and a removable partial denture. As with the treatment procedure of such cases, equal-intensity centric occlusal contacts on all teeth and an anterior guidance in harmony with functional jaw movements were especially taken into account. PMID:22830062

Effective communication and supervision in the biomedical engineering department.

PubMed

Xu, Y; Wald, A; Cappiello, J

1997-01-01

It is important for biomedical engineering supervisors to master the art of effective communication. Supervisors who have effective communication skills can successfully initiate creative programs and generate a harmonious working atmosphere. Using effective communication, they can promote good working conditions, such as high morale, worker initiative and loyalty to the department, which are almost impossible to measure but imperative for a successful department. However, effective communication tends to be neglected by supervisors who are either functional specialists or managerial generalists. This paper presents several cases of what effective communication truly is and discusses some potential factors that may lead to ineffective communication.

Multi-factor authentication

DOEpatents

Hamlet, Jason R; Pierson, Lyndon G

2014-10-21

Detection and deterrence of spoofing of user authentication may be achieved by including a cryptographic fingerprint unit within a hardware device for authenticating a user of the hardware device. The cryptographic fingerprint unit includes an internal physically unclonable function ("PUF") circuit disposed in or on the hardware device, which generates a PUF value. Combining logic is coupled to receive the PUF value, combines the PUF value with one or more other authentication factors to generate a multi-factor authentication value. A key generator is coupled to generate a private key and a public key based on the multi-factor authentication value while a decryptor is coupled to receive an authentication challenge posed to the hardware device and encrypted with the public key and coupled to output a response to the authentication challenge decrypted with the private key.

Development of "one-pot" method for multi-class compounds in porcine formula feed by multi-function impurity adsorption cleaning followed ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry detection.

PubMed

Wang, Peilong; Wang, Xiao; Zhang, Wei; Su, Xiaoou

2014-02-01

A novel and efficient determination method for multi-class compounds including β-agonists, sedatives, nitro-imidazoles and aflatoxins in porcine formula feed based on a fast "one-pot" extraction/multifunction impurity adsorption (MFIA) clean-up procedure has been developed. 23 target analytes belonging to four different class compounds could be determined simultaneously in a single run. Conditions for "one-pot" extraction were studied in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the multi-class compounds in porcine formula feed samples were extracted and purified with methanol contained ammonia and absorbents by one step. The compounds in extracts were purified by using multi types of absorbent based on MFIA in one pot. The multi-walled carbon nanotubes were employed to improved clean-up efficiency. Shield BEH C18 column was used to separate 23 target analytes, followed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) detection using an electro-spray ionization source in positive mode. Recovery studies were done at three fortification levels. Overall average recoveries of target compounds in porcine formula feed at each levels were >51.6% based on matrix fortified calibration with coefficients of variation from 2.7% to 13.2% (n=6). The limit of determination (LOD) of these compounds in porcine formula feed sample matrix was <5.0 μg/kg. This method was successfully applied in screening and confirmation of target drugs in >30 porcine formula feed samples. It was demonstrated that the integration of the MFIA protocol with the MS/MS instrument could serve as a valuable strategy for rapid screening and reliable confirmatory analysis of multi-class compounds in real samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

MO detector (MOD): a dual-function optical modulator-detector for on-chip communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shuai; Zhang, Ruoyu; Peng, Jiaxin; Narayana, Vikram K.; Dalir, Hamed; El-Ghazawi, Tarek; Sorger, Volker J.

2018-04-01

Physical challenges at the device and interconnect level limit both network and computing energy efficiency. While photonics is being considered to address interconnect bottlenecks, optical routing is still limited by electronic circuitry, requiring substantial overhead for optical-electrical-optical conversion. Here we show a novel design of an integrated broadband photonic-plasmonic hybrid device termed MODetector featuring dual light modulation and detection function to act as an optical transceiver in the photonic network-on-chip. With over 10 dB extinction ratio and 0.8 dB insertion loss at the modulation state, this MODetector provides 0.7 W/A responsivity in the detection state with 36 ps response time. This multi-functional device: (i) eliminates OEO conversion, (ii) reduces optical losses from photodetectors when not needed, and (iii) enables cognitive routing strategies for network-on-chips.

A Three-Step Resolution-Reconfigurable Hazardous Multi-Gas Sensor Interface for Wireless Air-Quality Monitoring Applications.

PubMed

Choi, Subin; Park, Kyeonghwan; Lee, Seungwook; Lim, Yeongjin; Oh, Byungjoo; Chae, Hee Young; Park, Chan Sam; Shin, Heugjoo; Kim, Jae Joon

2018-03-02

This paper presents a resolution-reconfigurable wide-range resistive sensor readout interface for wireless multi-gas monitoring applications that displays results on a smartphone. Three types of sensing resolutions were selected to minimize processing power consumption, and a dual-mode front-end structure was proposed to support the detection of a variety of hazardous gases with wide range of characteristic resistance. The readout integrated circuit (ROIC) was fabricated in a 0.18 μm CMOS process to provide three reconfigurable data conversions that correspond to a low-power resistance-to-digital converter (RDC), a 12-bit successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a 16-bit delta-sigma modulator. For functional feasibility, a wireless sensor system prototype that included in-house microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensing devices and commercial device products was manufactured and experimentally verified to detect a variety of hazardous gases.

Enhanced sensitivity of self-assembled-monolayer-based SPR immunosensor for detection of benzaldehyde using a single-step multi-sandwich immunoassay.

PubMed

Gobi, K Vengatajalabathy; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi; Toko, Kiyoshi; Ikezaki, Hidekazu; Miura, Norio

2007-04-01

This paper describes the fabrication and sensing characteristics of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunosensor for detection of benzaldehyde (BZ). The functional sensing surface was fabricated by the immobilization of a benzaldehyde-ovalbumin conjugate (BZ-OVA) on Au-thiolate SAMs containing carboxyl end groups. Covalent binding of BZ-OVA on SAM was found to be dependent on the composition of the base SAM, and it is improved very much with the use of a mixed monolayer strategy. Based on SPR angle measurements, the functional sensor surface is established as a compact monolayer of BZ-OVA bound on the mixed SAM. The BZ-OVA-bound sensor surface undergoes immunoaffinity binding with anti-benzaldehyde antibody (BZ-Ab) selectively. An indirect inhibition immunoassay principle has been applied, in which analyte benzaldehyde solution was incubated with an optimal concentration of BZ-Ab for 5 min and injected over the sensor chip. Analyte benzaldehyde undergoes immunoreaction with BZ-Ab and makes it inactive for binding to BZ-OVA on the sensor chip. As a result, the SPR angle response decreases with an increase in the concentration of benzaldehyde. The fabricated immunosensor demonstrates a low detection limit (LDL) of 50 ppt (pg mL(-1)) with a response time of 5 min. Antibodies bound to the sensor chip during an immunoassay could be detached by a brief exposure to acidic pepsin. With this surface regeneration, reusability of the same sensor chip for as many as 30 determination cycles has been established. Sensitivity has been enhanced further with the application of an additional single-step multi-sandwich immunoassay step, in which the BZ-Ab bound to the sensor chip was treated with a mixture of biotin-labeled secondary antibody, streptavidin and biotin-bovine serum albumin (Bio-BSA) conjugate. With this approach, the SPR sensor signal increased by ca. 12 times and the low detection limit improved to 5 ppt with a total response time of no more than ca. 10 min. Figure A single-step multi-sandwich immunoassay step increases SPR sensor signal by ca. 12 times affording a low detection limit for benzaldehyde of 5 ppt.

Passion, Trait Self-Control, and Wellbeing: Comparing Two Mediation Models Predicting Wellbeing.

PubMed

Briki, Walid

2017-01-01

Research has found that passion and trait self-control represented key determinants of wellbeing. Yet, no study to date has attempted to investigate the mediating influences of trait self-control and passion for accounting for the relationships between passion, trait self-control, and wellbeing (dependent variable). Using different frameworks, such as the dualistic model of passion and the neo-socioanalytic theory, the present study proposed two mediation models, considering either trait self-control (model 1) or passion (model 2) as the mediating variable. Five hundred nine volunteers from the United States (326 females and 183 males; M age = 31.74, SD age = 11.05, from 18 to 70 years old), who reported being passionate about a specific activity (e.g., fishing, swimming, blogging; M passion = 5.94, SD passion = 0.89), answered questionnaires assessing harmonious and obsessive passion, trait self-control, and wellbeing (measured through hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing scales). Preliminary analyses revealed that both models were significant ( model 1: absolute GoF = 0.366, relative GoF = 0.971, outer model GoF = 0.997, inner model GoF = 0.973, R 2 = 18.300%, p < 0.001; model 2: absolute GoF = 0.298; relative GoF = 0.980; outer model GoF = 0.997; inner model GoF = 0.982; R 2 = 12.111%, p < 0.001). Correlational analyses revealed positive relationships between harmonious passion, trait self-control, and wellbeing, and no relationships of obsessive passion with trait self-control and wellbeing. Mediation analyses revealed that trait self-control significantly mediated the relationship between harmonious passion and wellbeing (i.e., partial mediation, VAF = 33.136%). Harmonious passion appeared to significantly mediate the positive effect of trait self-control on wellbeing; however, the size of the mediating effect indicated that (almost) no mediation would take place (i.e., VAF = 11.144%). The present study is the first to examine the relationships between passion, trait self-control, and wellbeing, and supports the view that trait self-control and harmonious passion represent not only adaptive and powerful constructs, but also key determinants of wellbeing. Implications for the study of passion, trait self-control and wellbeing are discussed.

Harmony as a convergence attractor that minimizes the energy expenditure and variability in physiological gait and the loss of harmony in cerebellar ataxia.

PubMed

Serrao, Mariano; Chini, Giorgia; Iosa, Marco; Casali, Carlo; Morone, Giovanni; Conte, Carmela; Bini, Fabiano; Marinozzi, Franco; Coppola, Gianluca; Pierelli, Francesco; Draicchio, Francesco; Ranavolo, Alberto

2017-10-01

The harmony of the human gait was recently found to be related to the golden ratio value (ϕ). The ratio between the duration of the stance and that of the swing phases of a gait cycle was in fact found to be close to ϕ, which implies that, because of the fractal property of autosimilarity of that number, the gait ratios stride/stance, stance/swing, swing/double support, were not significantly different from one another. We studied a group of patients with cerebellar ataxia to investigate how the differences between their gait ratios and the golden ratio are related to efficiency and stability of their gait, assessed by energy expenditure and stride-to-stride variability, respectively. The gait of 28 patients who were affected by degenerative cerebellar ataxia and of 28 healthy controls was studied using a stereophotogrammetric system. The above mentioned gait ratios, the energy expenditure estimated using the pelvis reconstructed method and the gait variability in terms of the stride length were computed, and their relationships were analyzed. Matching procedures have also been used to avoid multicollinearity biases. The gait ratio values of the patients were farther from the controls (and hence from ϕ), even in speed matched conditions (P=0.011, Cohen's D=0.76), but not when the variability and energy expenditure were matched between the two groups (Cohen's D=0.49). In patients with cerebellar ataxia, the farther the stance-swing ratio was from ϕ, the larger the total mechanical work (R 2 adj =0.64). Further, a significant positive correlation was observed between the difference of the gait ratio from the golden ratio and the severity of the disease (R=0.421, P=0.026). Harmony of gait appears to be a benchmark of physiological gait leading to physiological energy recovery and gait reliability. Neurorehabilitation of patients with ataxia might benefit from the restoration of harmony of their locomotor patterns. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Passion, Trait Self-Control, and Wellbeing: Comparing Two Mediation Models Predicting Wellbeing

PubMed Central

Briki, Walid

2017-01-01

Research has found that passion and trait self-control represented key determinants of wellbeing. Yet, no study to date has attempted to investigate the mediating influences of trait self-control and passion for accounting for the relationships between passion, trait self-control, and wellbeing (dependent variable). Using different frameworks, such as the dualistic model of passion and the neo-socioanalytic theory, the present study proposed two mediation models, considering either trait self-control (model 1) or passion (model 2) as the mediating variable. Five hundred nine volunteers from the United States (326 females and 183 males; Mage = 31.74, SDage = 11.05, from 18 to 70 years old), who reported being passionate about a specific activity (e.g., fishing, swimming, blogging; Mpassion = 5.94, SDpassion = 0.89), answered questionnaires assessing harmonious and obsessive passion, trait self-control, and wellbeing (measured through hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing scales). Preliminary analyses revealed that both models were significant (model 1: absolute GoF = 0.366, relative GoF = 0.971, outer model GoF = 0.997, inner model GoF = 0.973, R2 = 18.300%, p < 0.001; model 2: absolute GoF = 0.298; relative GoF = 0.980; outer model GoF = 0.997; inner model GoF = 0.982; R2 = 12.111%, p < 0.001). Correlational analyses revealed positive relationships between harmonious passion, trait self-control, and wellbeing, and no relationships of obsessive passion with trait self-control and wellbeing. Mediation analyses revealed that trait self-control significantly mediated the relationship between harmonious passion and wellbeing (i.e., partial mediation, VAF = 33.136%). Harmonious passion appeared to significantly mediate the positive effect of trait self-control on wellbeing; however, the size of the mediating effect indicated that (almost) no mediation would take place (i.e., VAF = 11.144%). The present study is the first to examine the relationships between passion, trait self-control, and wellbeing, and supports the view that trait self-control and harmonious passion represent not only adaptive and powerful constructs, but also key determinants of wellbeing. Implications for the study of passion, trait self-control and wellbeing are discussed. PMID:28611704

Applying ISO 11929:2010 Standard to detection limit calculation in least-squares based multi-nuclide gamma-ray spectrum evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanisch, G.

2017-05-01

The concepts of ISO 11929 (2010) are applied to evaluation of radionuclide activities from more complex multi-nuclide gamma-ray spectra. From net peak areas estimated by peak fitting, activities and their standard uncertainties are calculated by weighted linear least-squares method with an additional step, where uncertainties of the design matrix elements are taken into account. A numerical treatment of the standard's uncertainty function, based on ISO 11929 Annex C.5, leads to a procedure for deriving decision threshold and detection limit values. The methods shown allow resolving interferences between radionuclide activities also in case of calculating detection limits where they can improve the latter by including more than one gamma line per radionuclide. The co"mmon single nuclide weighted mean is extended to an interference-corrected (generalized) weighted mean, which, combined with the least-squares method, allows faster detection limit calculations. In addition, a new grouped uncertainty budget was inferred, which for each radionuclide gives uncertainty budgets from seven main variables, such as net count rates, peak efficiencies, gamma emission intensities and others; grouping refers to summation over lists of peaks per radionuclide.

Falling-incident detection and throughput enhancement in a multi-camera video-surveillance system.

PubMed

Shieh, Wann-Yun; Huang, Ju-Chin

2012-09-01

For most elderly, unpredictable falling incidents may occur at the corner of stairs or a long corridor due to body frailty. If we delay to rescue a falling elder who is likely fainting, more serious consequent injury may occur. Traditional secure or video surveillance systems need caregivers to monitor a centralized screen continuously, or need an elder to wear sensors to detect falling incidents, which explicitly waste much human power or cause inconvenience for elders. In this paper, we propose an automatic falling-detection algorithm and implement this algorithm in a multi-camera video surveillance system. The algorithm uses each camera to fetch the images from the regions required to be monitored. It then uses a falling-pattern recognition algorithm to determine if a falling incident has occurred. If yes, system will send short messages to someone needs to be noticed. The algorithm has been implemented in a DSP-based hardware acceleration board for functionality proof. Simulation results show that the accuracy of falling detection can achieve at least 90% and the throughput of a four-camera surveillance system can be improved by about 2.1 times. Copyright © 2011 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Smart nanomaterials for biomedics.

PubMed

Choi, Soonmo; Tripathi, Anuj; Singh, Deepti

2014-10-01

Nanotechnology has become important in various disciplines of technology and science. It has proven to be a potential candidate for various applications ranging from biosensors to the delivery of genes and therapeutic agents to tissue engineering. Scaffolds for every application can be tailor made to have the appropriate physicochemical properties that will influence the in vivo system in the desired way. For highly sensitive and precise detection of specific signals or pathogenic markers, or for sensing the levels of particular analytes, fabricating target-specific nanomaterials can be very useful. Multi-functional nano-devices can be fabricated using different approaches to achieve multi-directional patterning in a scaffold with the ability to alter topographical cues at scale of less than or equal to 100 nm. Smart nanomaterials are made to understand the surrounding environment and act accordingly by either protecting the drug in hostile conditions or releasing the "payload" at the intended intracellular target site. All of this is achieved by exploiting polymers for their functional groups or incorporating conducting materials into a natural biopolymer to obtain a "smart material" that can be used for detection of circulating tumor cells, detection of differences in the body analytes, or repair of damaged tissue by acting as a cell culture scaffold. Nanotechnology has changed the nature of diagnosis and treatment in the biomedical field, and this review aims to bring together the most recent advances in smart nanomaterials.