Sample records for nagu soe tekk

  1. SOE for the Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Briers, Gary E.; And Others

    1989-01-01

    Eight articles in this this theme issue explore aspects of supervised occupational experience (SOE) in agriculture: definitions, new directions, the value of SOE, experiential learning, the science of agriculture, production agriculture, hydroponic technology, and Future Farmers of America proficiency awards. (SK)

  2. Supplemental shielding of BMIT SOE-1 at the Canadian Light Source

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bassey, Bassey; Abueidda, Abdallah; Cubbon, Grant; Street, Darin; Sabbir Ahmed, Asm; Wysokinski, Tomasz W.; Belev, George; Chapman, Dean

    2014-07-01

    High field superconducting wiggler beamlines present shielding challenges due to the high critical energy of the synchrotron spectrum. An unexpected, but predictable, weakness in the secondary optical enclosure (SOE-1) was discovered on the BioMedical Imaging and Therapy (BMIT) insertion device (ID) beamline 05ID-2 at the Canadian Light Source (CLS). SOE-1 is a monochromatic beam hutch; the beam in it is supplied by three monochromators housed in an upstream primary optical enclosure (POE-3). The initial shielding of SOE-1 was based on a shielding calculation against target scattered and direct monochromatic (fundamental and harmonics) beams from the monochromators in POE-3. During a radiation survey of the hutch, radiation above the expected level was measured at the downstream end of SOE-1. This increment in radiation level is attributed to scattered white beam into SOE-1 by a K-Edge subtraction (KES) monochromator's crystal (a single crystal monochromator) in POE-3. Though this is peculiar to the BMIT beamline 05ID-2, it may not be uncommon for other beamlines that use single crystal monochromators. Calculations of the level of expected leakage radiation due to the scattered white beam arriving on the downstream wall of the SOE-1 are presented, as well as the supplemental shielding that will reduce the leakage to less than 1 μSv/h as required at the CLS. Also presented are the installed supplemental shielding, and a comparison of the calculations and measurements of the dose rates on the back wall of SOE-1 End Wall, before and after installation of the supplemental shielding.

  3. Comparison of methane emission estimates from multiple measurement techniques at natural gas production pads

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

    Bell, Clay Samuel; Vaughn, Timothy L.; Zimmerle, Daniel

    This study presents the results of a campaign that estimated methane emissions at 268 gas production facilities in the Fayetteville shale gas play using onsite measurements (261 facilities) and two downwind methods - the dual tracer flux ratio method (Tracer Facility Estimate - TFE, 17 facilities) and the EPA Other Test Method 33a (OTM33A Facility Estimate - OFE, 50 facilities). A study onsite estimate (SOE) for each facility was developed by combining direct measurements and simulation of unmeasured emission sources, using operator activity data and emission data from literature. The SOE spans 0-403 kg/h and simulated methane emissions from liquidmore » unloadings account for 88% of total emissions estimated by the SOE, with 76% (95% CI [51%-92%]) contributed by liquid unloading at two facilities. TFE and SOE show overlapping 95% CI between individual estimates at 15 of 16 (94%) facilities where the measurements were paired, while OFE and SOE show overlapping 95% CI between individual estimates at 28 of 43 (65%) facilities. However, variance-weighted least-squares (VWLS) regressions performed on sets of paired estimates indicate statistically significant differences between methods. The SOE represents a lower bound of emissions at facilities where onsite direct measurements of continuously emitting sources are the primary contributor to the SOE, a sub-selection of facilities which minimizes expected inter-method differences for intermittent pneumatic controllers and the impact of episodically-emitting unloadings. At 9 such facilities, VWLS indicates that TFE estimates systematically higher emissions than SOE (TFE-to-SOE ratio = 1.6, 95% CI [1.2 to 2.1]). At 20 such facilities, VWLS indicates that OFE estimates systematically lower emissions than SOE (OFE-to-SOE ratio of 0.41 [0.26 to 0.90]). Given that SOE at these facilities is a lower limit on emissions, these results indicate that OFE is likely a less accurate method than SOE or TFE for this type of facility.« less

  4. Comparison of methane emission estimates from multiple measurement techniques at natural gas production pads

    DOE PAGES

    Bell, Clay Samuel; Vaughn, Timothy L.; Zimmerle, Daniel; ...

    2017-02-09

    This study presents the results of a campaign that estimated methane emissions at 268 gas production facilities in the Fayetteville shale gas play using onsite measurements (261 facilities) and two downwind methods - the dual tracer flux ratio method (Tracer Facility Estimate - TFE, 17 facilities) and the EPA Other Test Method 33a (OTM33A Facility Estimate - OFE, 50 facilities). A study onsite estimate (SOE) for each facility was developed by combining direct measurements and simulation of unmeasured emission sources, using operator activity data and emission data from literature. The SOE spans 0-403 kg/h and simulated methane emissions from liquidmore » unloadings account for 88% of total emissions estimated by the SOE, with 76% (95% CI [51%-92%]) contributed by liquid unloading at two facilities. TFE and SOE show overlapping 95% CI between individual estimates at 15 of 16 (94%) facilities where the measurements were paired, while OFE and SOE show overlapping 95% CI between individual estimates at 28 of 43 (65%) facilities. However, variance-weighted least-squares (VWLS) regressions performed on sets of paired estimates indicate statistically significant differences between methods. The SOE represents a lower bound of emissions at facilities where onsite direct measurements of continuously emitting sources are the primary contributor to the SOE, a sub-selection of facilities which minimizes expected inter-method differences for intermittent pneumatic controllers and the impact of episodically-emitting unloadings. At 9 such facilities, VWLS indicates that TFE estimates systematically higher emissions than SOE (TFE-to-SOE ratio = 1.6, 95% CI [1.2 to 2.1]). At 20 such facilities, VWLS indicates that OFE estimates systematically lower emissions than SOE (OFE-to-SOE ratio of 0.41 [0.26 to 0.90]). Given that SOE at these facilities is a lower limit on emissions, these results indicate that OFE is likely a less accurate method than SOE or TFE for this type of facility.« less

  5. Application of System Operational Effectiveness Methodology to Space Launch Vehicle Development and Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Watson, Michael D.; Kelley, Gary W.

    2012-01-01

    The Department of Defense (DoD) defined System Operational Effectiveness (SOE) model provides an exceptional framework for an affordable approach to the development and operation of space launch vehicles and their supporting infrastructure. The SOE model provides a focal point from which to direct and measure technical effectiveness and process efficiencies of space launch vehicles. The application of the SOE model to a space launch vehicle's development and operation effort leads to very specific approaches and measures that require consideration during the design phase. This paper provides a mapping of the SOE model to the development of space launch vehicles for human exploration by addressing the SOE model key points of measurement including System Performance, System Availability, Technical Effectiveness, Process Efficiency, System Effectiveness, Life Cycle Cost, and Affordable Operational Effectiveness. In addition, the application of the SOE model to the launch vehicle development process is defined providing the unique aspects of space launch vehicle production and operations in lieu of the traditional broader SOE context that examines large quantities of fielded systems. The tailoring and application of the SOE model to space launch vehicles provides some key insights into the operational design drivers, capability phasing, and operational support systems.

  6. A Method to Simultaneously Detect the Current Sensor Fault and Estimate the State of Energy for Batteries in Electric Vehicles.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jun; Wang, Jing; Li, Shiying; Cao, Binggang

    2016-08-19

    Recently, State of energy (SOE) has become one of the most fundamental parameters for battery management systems in electric vehicles. However, current information is critical in SOE estimation and current sensor is usually utilized to obtain the latest current information. However, if the current sensor fails, the SOE estimation may be confronted with large error. Therefore, this paper attempts to make the following contributions: Current sensor fault detection and SOE estimation method is realized simultaneously. Through using the proportional integral observer (PIO) based method, the current sensor fault could be accurately estimated. By taking advantage of the accurate estimated current sensor fault, the influence caused by the current sensor fault can be eliminated and compensated. As a result, the results of the SOE estimation will be influenced little by the fault. In addition, the simulation and experimental workbench is established to verify the proposed method. The results indicate that the current sensor fault can be estimated accurately. Simultaneously, the SOE can also be estimated accurately and the estimation error is influenced little by the fault. The maximum SOE estimation error is less than 2%, even though the large current error caused by the current sensor fault still exists.

  7. The Effectiveness of Public Simulated Oral Examinations in Preparation for the American Board of Surgery Certifying Examination: A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Pennell, Christopher; McCulloch, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether American Board of Surgery Certifying Examination (CE) performance is improved among residents who prepare using simulated oral examinations (SOEs). EMBASE and MEDLINE were searched using predefined search terms. No language restrictions were imposed and the latest search date was in November 2014. Included studies must have reported on residents training in a general surgery residency in the United States who used SOEs to prepare for the CE and have measured their performance against those without exposure to SOEs. Studies meeting inclusion criteria were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed and a fixed effects meta-analysis was performed to determine the net effect of SOEs on CE performance. Overall, 4 of 25 abstracts reviewed met inclusion criteria and are included in this review. The most common simulation format included public examinations in front of resident peers during scheduled education sessions. All 4 included studies trended toward improved performance with SOEs and in 2 of these studies the improvement was statistically significant. Overall, 3 studies were of adequate quality to perform a meta-analysis and demonstrated a relative risk for first-attempt CE success of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.07-1.39, p = 0.003) for residents preparing with SOEs compared to those without SOEs. The published literature evaluating SOEs is limited and generally of fair quality. A modest improvement in CE performance was identified when public SOEs were used as an educational tool aimed to improve professionalism and communication skills, encourage reading at home, and provide a regular review of clinically relevant topics. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. A Method to Simultaneously Detect the Current Sensor Fault and Estimate the State of Energy for Batteries in Electric Vehicles

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Jun; Wang, Jing; Li, Shiying; Cao, Binggang

    2016-01-01

    Recently, State of energy (SOE) has become one of the most fundamental parameters for battery management systems in electric vehicles. However, current information is critical in SOE estimation and current sensor is usually utilized to obtain the latest current information. However, if the current sensor fails, the SOE estimation may be confronted with large error. Therefore, this paper attempts to make the following contributions: Current sensor fault detection and SOE estimation method is realized simultaneously. Through using the proportional integral observer (PIO) based method, the current sensor fault could be accurately estimated. By taking advantage of the accurate estimated current sensor fault, the influence caused by the current sensor fault can be eliminated and compensated. As a result, the results of the SOE estimation will be influenced little by the fault. In addition, the simulation and experimental workbench is established to verify the proposed method. The results indicate that the current sensor fault can be estimated accurately. Simultaneously, the SOE can also be estimated accurately and the estimation error is influenced little by the fault. The maximum SOE estimation error is less than 2%, even though the large current error caused by the current sensor fault still exists. PMID:27548183

  9. A Nested-Splicing by Overlap Extension PCR Improves Specificity of this Standard Method.

    PubMed

    Karkhane, Ali Asghar; Yakhchali, Bagher; Rastgar Jazii, Ferdous; Bambai, Bijan; Aminzadeh, Saeed; Rahimi, Fatemeh

    2015-06-01

    Splicing by overlap extension (SOE) PCR is used to create mutation in the coding sequence of an enzyme in order to study the role of specific residues in protein's structure and function. We introduced a nested-SOE-PCR (N -SOE-PCR) in order to increase the specificity and generating mutations in a gene by SOE-PCR. Genomic DNA from Bacillus thermocatenulatus was extracted. Nested PCR was used to amplify B. thermocatenulatus lipase gene variants, namely wild type and mutant, using gene specific and mutagenic specific primers, followed by cloning in a suitable vector. Briefly in N-SOE-PCR method, instead of two pairs of primers, three pairs of primers are used to amplify a mutagenic fragment. Moreover, the first and second PCR products are slightly longer than PCR products in a conventional SOE. PCR products obtained from the first round of PCR are used for the second PCR by applying the nested and mutated primers. Following to the purification of the amplified fragments, they will be subject of the further purification and will be used as template to perform the third round of PCR using gene specific primers. In the end, the products will be cloned into a suitable vector for subsequent application. In comparison to the conventional SOE-PCR, the improved method (i.e. N-SOE-PCR) increases the yield and specificity of the products. In addition, the proposed method shows a large reduction in the non-specific products. By applying two more primers in the conventional SOE, the specificity of the method will be improved. This would be in part due to annealing of the primers further inside the amplicon that increases both the efficiency and a better attachment of the primers. Positioning of the primer far from both ends of an amplicon leads to an enhanced binding as well as increased affinity in the third round of amplification in SOE.

  10. Reducing Current Spread using Current Focusing in Cochlear Implant Users

    PubMed Central

    Landsberger, David M.; Padilla, Monica; Srinivasan, Arthi G.

    2012-01-01

    Cochlear implant performance in difficult listening situations is limited by channel interactions. It is known that partial tripolar (PTP) stimulation reduces the spread of excitation (SOE). However, the greater the degree of current focusing, the greater the absolute current required to maintain a fixed loudness. As current increases, so does SOE. In experiment 1, the SOE for equally loud stimuli with different degrees of current focusing is measured via a forward-masking procedure. Results suggest that at a fixed loudness, some but not all patients have a reduced SOE with PTP stimulation. Therefore, it seems likely that a PTP speech processing strategy could improve spectral resolution for only those patients with a reduced SOE. In experiment 2, the ability to discriminate different levels of current focusing was measured. In experiment 3, patients subjectively scaled verbal descriptors of stimuli of various levels of current focusing. Both discrimination and scaling of verbal descriptors correlated well with SOE reduction, suggesting that either technique have the potential to be used clinically to quickly predict which patients would receive benefit from a current focusing strategy. PMID:22230370

  11. Resolving Conflicts of Interest in State-Owned Enterprises

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Radon, Jenik; Thaler, Julius

    2005-01-01

    State-owned enterprises (SOEs) face conflicts of interest that stem from a government's dual role as an owner, operator and businessman on the one hand and as the protector of the public interest and therefore a regulator of the SOE on the other hand. Besides pursuing profit maximisation like any private business, SOEs often have a mandate if not…

  12. Disseminated Lyme disease presenting with nonsexual acute genital ulcers.

    PubMed

    Finch, Justin J; Wald, Jenna; Ferenczi, Katalin; Khalid, Saima; Murphy, Michael

    2014-11-01

    Nonsexual acute genital ulceration (NAGU) is a rare vulvar skin condition typically affecting girls and young women, characterized by acute onset of singular or multiple painful vaginal ulcers. The etiology of this ulcerative dermatosis has not been identified, although it has been associated with systemic infections. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an association with Lyme disease. A case of a woman with early disseminated Lyme disease presenting with NAGU is reported. A thorough workup ruled out other causes of genital ulceration, and the ulcers completely resolved after treatment with topical steroids and oral doxycycline. Although the etiology of NAGU is unknown, the vulvar ulcers may result from an exuberant immune response to infection. Most patients with NAGU exhibit nonspecific symptoms such as myalgias and fever, suggesting an infectious agent, but the majority have no identifiable pathogen. In addition to previously reported associations with systemic infection, which are reviewed herein, Lyme disease should be considered in women presenting with acute-onset genital ulcers.

  13. Sequence-of-events-driven automation of the deep space network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hill, R., Jr.; Fayyad, K.; Smyth, C.; Santos, T.; Chen, R.; Chien, S.; Bevan, R.

    1996-01-01

    In February 1995, sequence-of-events (SOE)-driven automation technology was demonstrated for a Voyager telemetry downlink track at DSS 13. This demonstration entailed automated generation of an operations procedure (in the form of a temporal dependency network) from project SOE information using artificial intelligence planning technology and automated execution of the temporal dependency network using the link monitor and control operator assistant system. This article describes the overall approach to SOE-driven automation that was demonstrated, identifies gaps in SOE definitions and project profiles that hamper automation, and provides detailed measurements of the knowledge engineering effort required for automation.

  14. Sequence-of-Events-Driven Automation of the Deep Space Network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hill, R., Jr.; Fayyad, K.; Smyth, C.; Santos, T.; Chen, R.; Chien, S.; Bevan, R.

    1996-01-01

    In February 1995, sequence-of-events (SOE)-driven automation technology was demonstrated for a Voyager telemetry downlink track at DSS 13. This demonstration entailed automated generation of an operations procedure (in the form of a temporal dependency network) from project SOE information using artificial intelligence planning technology and automated execution of the temporal dependency network using the link monitor and control operator assistant system. This article describes the overall approach to SOE-driven automation that was demonstrated, identifies gaps in SOE definitions and project profiles that hamper automation, and provides detailed measurements of the knowledge engineering effort required for automation.

  15. Comparing facility-level methane emission rate estimates at natural gas gathering and boosting stations

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

    Vaughn, Timothy L.; Bell, Clay S.; Yacovitch, Tara I.

    Coordinated dual-tracer, aircraft-based, and direct component-level measurements were made at midstream natural gas gathering and boosting stations in the Fayetteville shale (Arkansas, USA). On-site component-level measurements were combined with engineering estimates to generate comprehensive facility-level methane emission rate estimates ('study on-site estimates (SOE)') comparable to tracer and aircraft measurements. Combustion slip (unburned fuel entrained in compressor engine exhaust), which was calculated based on 111 recent measurements of representative compressor engines, accounts for an estimated 75% of cumulative SOEs at gathering stations included in comparisons. Measured methane emissions from regenerator vents on glycol dehydrator units were substantially larger than predicted bymore » modelling software; the contribution of dehydrator regenerator vents to the cumulative SOE would increase from 1% to 10% if based on direct measurements. Concurrent measurements at 14 normally-operating facilities show relative agreement between tracer and SOE, but indicate that tracer measurements estimate lower emissions (regression of tracer to SOE = 0.91 (95% CI = 0.83-0.99), R2 = 0.89). Tracer and SOE 95% confidence intervals overlap at 11/14 facilities. Contemporaneous measurements at six facilities suggest that aircraft measurements estimate higher emissions than SOE. Aircraft and study on-site estimate 95% confidence intervals overlap at 3/6 facilities. The average facility level emission rate (FLER) estimated by tracer measurements in this study is 17-73% higher than a prior national study by Marchese et al.« less

  16. Comparing facility-level methane emission rate estimates at natural gas gathering and boosting stations

    DOE PAGES

    Vaughn, Timothy L.; Bell, Clay S.; Yacovitch, Tara I.; ...

    2017-02-09

    Coordinated dual-tracer, aircraft-based, and direct component-level measurements were made at midstream natural gas gathering and boosting stations in the Fayetteville shale (Arkansas, USA). On-site component-level measurements were combined with engineering estimates to generate comprehensive facility-level methane emission rate estimates ('study on-site estimates (SOE)') comparable to tracer and aircraft measurements. Combustion slip (unburned fuel entrained in compressor engine exhaust), which was calculated based on 111 recent measurements of representative compressor engines, accounts for an estimated 75% of cumulative SOEs at gathering stations included in comparisons. Measured methane emissions from regenerator vents on glycol dehydrator units were substantially larger than predicted bymore » modelling software; the contribution of dehydrator regenerator vents to the cumulative SOE would increase from 1% to 10% if based on direct measurements. Concurrent measurements at 14 normally-operating facilities show relative agreement between tracer and SOE, but indicate that tracer measurements estimate lower emissions (regression of tracer to SOE = 0.91 (95% CI = 0.83-0.99), R2 = 0.89). Tracer and SOE 95% confidence intervals overlap at 11/14 facilities. Contemporaneous measurements at six facilities suggest that aircraft measurements estimate higher emissions than SOE. Aircraft and study on-site estimate 95% confidence intervals overlap at 3/6 facilities. The average facility level emission rate (FLER) estimated by tracer measurements in this study is 17-73% higher than a prior national study by Marchese et al.« less

  17. Appetite suppressing effect of Spinacia oleracea in rats: Involvement of the short term satiety signal cholecystokinin.

    PubMed

    Panda, Vandana; Shinde, Priyanka

    2017-06-01

    Spinacia oleracea (spinach) is a green leafy vegetable rich in antioxidant phyto-constituents such as flavonoids, polyphenols, carotenoids and vitamins. Fruits and vegetables rich in flavonoids are known to prevent weight gain by inducing satiety. The present study evaluates the appetite suppressing effect of a flavonoid rich extract of the spinach leaf (SOE) in rats. HPTLC of SOE was performed for detecting flavonoids. Rats were administered SOE (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg, p. o) and fluoxetine (6 mg/kg i. p) as a pre-meal for 14 days. Food intake and weight gain was observed daily during the treatment period. Serum levels of the short term satiety signals cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucose were measured on the 7th and 14thdays at different time points after start of meal to study the satiety inducing effect of SOE. HPTLC showed the presence of 14 flavonoids in SOE. SOE and fluoxetine treated rats showed a significant reduction in food intake and weight gain when compared with the normal control rats. On the 7th day of treatment, peak CCK levels were reached in 30 min after start of meal in fluoxetine treated rats and in 60 min in the remaining rats. On the 14th day, CCK peaking was observed in 30 min after start of meal in the fluoxetine as well as SOE 400 mg/kg treated rats. Peak glucose levels in all treatment groups were obtained in 60 min after start of feeding on both days of the study. It maybe concluded that SOE exhibited a promising appetite suppressing effect by inducing a quicker than normal release of CCK, thus eliciting an early onset of satiety in rats. This effect may be due to its high flavonoid content. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Spinacia oleracea extract attenuates disease progression and sub-chondral bone changes in monosodium iodoacetate-induced osteoarthritis in rats.

    PubMed

    Choudhary, Dharmendra; Kothari, Priyanka; Tripathi, Ashish Kumar; Singh, Sonu; Adhikary, Sulekha; Ahmad, Naseer; Kumar, Sudhir; Dev, Kapil; Mishra, Vijay Kumar; Shukla, Shubha; Maurya, Rakesh; Mishra, Prabhat R; Trivedi, Ritu

    2018-02-20

    Spinacia oleracea is an important dietary vegetable in India and throughout the world and has many beneficial effects. It is cultivated globally. However, its effect on osteoarthritis that mainly targets the cartilage cells remains unknown. In this study we aimed to evaluate the anti-osteoarthritic and chondro-protective effects of SOE on chemically induced osteoarthritis (OA). OA was induced by intra-patellar injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) at the knee joint in rats. SOE was then given orally at 250 and 500 mg.kg - 1  day - 1 doses for 28 days to these rats. Anti-osteoarthritic potential of SOE was evaluated by micro-CT, mRNA and protein expression of pro-inflammatory and chondrogenic genes, clinically relevant biomarker's and behavioural experiments. In vitro cell free and cell based assays indicated that SOE acts as a strong anti-oxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent. Histological analysis of knee joints at the end of the experiment by safranin-o and toluidine blue staining established its protective effect. Radiological data corroborated the findings with improvement in the joint space and irregularity of the articular and atrophied femoral condyles and tibial plateau. Micro-CT analysis of sub-chondral bone indicated that SOE had the ability to mitigate OA effects by increasing bone volume to tissue volume (BV/TV) which resulted in decrease of trabecular pattern factor (Tb.Pf) by more than 200%. SOE stimulated chondrogenic marker gene expression with reduction in pro-inflammatory markers. Purified compounds isolated from SOE exhibited increased Sox-9 and Col-II protein expression in articular chondrocytes. Serum and urine analysis indicated that SOE had the potential to down-regulate glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity, clinical markers of osteoarthritis like cartilage oligometric matrix protein (COMP) and CTX-II. Overall, this led to a significant improvement in locomotion and balancing activity in rats as assessed by Open-field and Rota

  19. Nutritional and Dietary Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Sathe, Nila; Andrews, Jeffrey C; McPheeters, Melissa L; Warren, Zachary E

    2017-06-01

    Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently use special diets or receive nutritional supplements to treat ASD symptoms. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of dietary interventions or nutritional supplements in ASD. Databases, including Medline and PsycINFO. Two investigators independently screened studies against predetermined criteria. One investigator extracted data with review by a second investigator. Investigators independently assessed the risk of bias and strength of evidence (SOE) (ie, confidence in the estimate of effects). Nineteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 4 with a low risk of bias, evaluated supplements or variations of the gluten/casein-free diet and other dietary approaches. Populations, interventions, and outcomes varied. Ω-3 supplementation did not affect challenging behaviors and was associated with minimal harms (low SOE). Two RCTs of different digestive enzymes reported mixed effects on symptom severity (insufficient SOE). Studies of other supplements (methyl B 12 , levocarnitine) reported some improvements in symptom severity (insufficient SOE). Studies evaluating gluten/casein-free diets reported some parent-rated improvements in communication and challenging behaviors; however, data were inadequate to make conclusions about the body of evidence (insufficient SOE). Studies of gluten- or casein-containing challenge foods reported no effects on behavior or gastrointestinal symptoms with challenge foods (insufficient SOE); 1 RCT reported no effects of camel's milk on ASD severity (insufficient SOE). Harms were disparate. Studies were small and short-term, and there were few fully categorized populations or concomitant interventions. There is little evidence to support the use of nutritional supplements or dietary therapies for children with ASD. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  20. Simplifying operations with an uplink/downlink integration toolkit

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Murphy, Susan C.; Miller, Kevin J.; Guerrero, Ana Maria; Joe, Chester; Louie, John J.; Aguilera, Christine

    1994-01-01

    The Operations Engineering Lab (OEL) at JPL has developed a simple, generic toolkit to integrate the uplink/downlink processes, (often called closing the loop), in JPL's Multimission Ground Data System. This toolkit provides capabilities for integrating telemetry verification points with predicted spacecraft commands and ground events in the Mission Sequence Of Events (SOE) document. In the JPL ground data system, the uplink processing functions and the downlink processing functions are separate subsystems that are not well integrated because of the nature of planetary missions with large one-way light times for spacecraft-to-ground communication. Our new closed-loop monitoring tool allows an analyst or mission controller to view and save uplink commands and ground events with their corresponding downlinked telemetry values regardless of the delay in downlink telemetry and without requiring real-time intervention by the user. An SOE document is a time-ordered list of all the planned ground and spacecraft events, including all commands, sequence loads, ground events, significant mission activities, spacecraft status, and resource allocations. The SOE document is generated by expansion and integration of spacecraft sequence files, ground station allocations, navigation files, and other ground event files. This SOE generation process has been automated within the OEL and includes a graphical, object-oriented SOE editor and real-time viewing tool running under X/Motif. The SOE toolkit was used as the framework for the integrated implementation. The SOE is used by flight engineers to coordinate their operations tasks, serving as a predict data set in ground operations and mission control. The closed-loop SOE toolkit allows simple, automated integration of predicted uplink events with correlated telemetry points in a single SOE document for on-screen viewing and archiving. It automatically interfaces with existing real-time or non real-time sources of information, to

  1. Simplifying operations with an uplink/downlink integration toolkit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murphy, Susan C.; Miller, Kevin J.; Guerrero, Ana Maria; Joe, Chester; Louie, John J.; Aguilera, Christine

    1994-11-01

    The Operations Engineering Lab (OEL) at JPL has developed a simple, generic toolkit to integrate the uplink/downlink processes, (often called closing the loop), in JPL's Multimission Ground Data System. This toolkit provides capabilities for integrating telemetry verification points with predicted spacecraft commands and ground events in the Mission Sequence Of Events (SOE) document. In the JPL ground data system, the uplink processing functions and the downlink processing functions are separate subsystems that are not well integrated because of the nature of planetary missions with large one-way light times for spacecraft-to-ground communication. Our new closed-loop monitoring tool allows an analyst or mission controller to view and save uplink commands and ground events with their corresponding downlinked telemetry values regardless of the delay in downlink telemetry and without requiring real-time intervention by the user. An SOE document is a time-ordered list of all the planned ground and spacecraft events, including all commands, sequence loads, ground events, significant mission activities, spacecraft status, and resource allocations. The SOE document is generated by expansion and integration of spacecraft sequence files, ground station allocations, navigation files, and other ground event files. This SOE generation process has been automated within the OEL and includes a graphical, object-oriented SOE editor and real-time viewing tool running under X/Motif. The SOE toolkit was used as the framework for the integrated implementation. The SOE is used by flight engineers to coordinate their operations tasks, serving as a predict data set in ground operations and mission control. The closed-loop SOE toolkit allows simple, automated integration of predicted uplink events with correlated telemetry points in a single SOE document for on-screen viewing and archiving. It automatically interfaces with existing real-time or non real-time sources of information, to

  2. Nephroprotective Effect of Sonchus oleraceus Extract against Kidney Injury Induced by Ischemia-Reperfusion in Wistar Rats

    PubMed Central

    Torres-González, Liliana; Cienfuegos-Pecina, Eduardo; Perales-Quintana, Marlene M.; Muñoz-Espinosa, Linda E.; Pérez-Rodríguez, Edelmiro

    2018-01-01

    Introduction Kidney ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is the main cause of delayed graft function in solid organ transplantation. Sonchus oleraceus is a plant with well-known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities; however, its effects on renal I/R are unknown. Objective To evaluate whether S. oleraceus extract (S.O.e.) has nephroprotective activity in an I/R model in Wistar rats. Materials and Methods Animal groups (n = 6): sham, I/R (45 min/15 h), S.O.e (300 mg/kg p.o.), and S.O.e + I/R (300 mg/kg, p.o.; 45 min/15 h). Renal function, proinflammatory cytokines, alanine aminotransferase, markers of oxidative stress, and histology were evaluated. Results None of the mediators evaluated differed significantly between the S.O.e and sham groups. Levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, malondialdehyde (MDA), and proinflammatory cytokines were higher, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) was lower in the I/R group than in the sham group. Histology showed tubular epithelial necrosis in the medulla and cortex in the I/R group. In the S.O.e + I/R group, S.O.e pretreatment attenuated the I/R-induced increases in BUN, creatinine, MDA, and proinflammatory cytokines induced, SOD was maintained, and histology showed discontinuous necrosis in the medulla but no necrosis in the cortex. Conclusions S.O.e was neither hepatotoxic nor nephrotoxic. S.O.e. pretreatment showed a nephroprotective effect against I/R. PMID:29643981

  3. Nephroprotective Effect of Sonchus oleraceus Extract against Kidney Injury Induced by Ischemia-Reperfusion in Wistar Rats.

    PubMed

    Torres-González, Liliana; Cienfuegos-Pecina, Eduardo; Perales-Quintana, Marlene M; Alarcon-Galvan, Gabriela; Muñoz-Espinosa, Linda E; Pérez-Rodríguez, Edelmiro; Cordero-Pérez, Paula

    2018-01-01

    Kidney ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is the main cause of delayed graft function in solid organ transplantation. Sonchus oleraceus is a plant with well-known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities; however, its effects on renal I/R are unknown. To evaluate whether S. oleraceus extract (S.O.e.) has nephroprotective activity in an I/R model in Wistar rats. Animal groups ( n = 6): sham, I/R (45 min/15 h), S.O.e (300 mg/kg p.o.), and S.O.e + I/R (300 mg/kg, p.o.; 45 min/15 h). Renal function, proinflammatory cytokines, alanine aminotransferase, markers of oxidative stress, and histology were evaluated. None of the mediators evaluated differed significantly between the S.O.e and sham groups. Levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, malondialdehyde (MDA), and proinflammatory cytokines were higher, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) was lower in the I/R group than in the sham group. Histology showed tubular epithelial necrosis in the medulla and cortex in the I/R group. In the S.O.e + I/R group, S.O.e pretreatment attenuated the I/R-induced increases in BUN, creatinine, MDA, and proinflammatory cytokines induced, SOD was maintained, and histology showed discontinuous necrosis in the medulla but no necrosis in the cortex. S.O.e was neither hepatotoxic nor nephrotoxic. S.O.e. pretreatment showed a nephroprotective effect against I/R.

  4. Genotype by region and season interactions on weaning weight in United States Angus cattle.

    PubMed

    Williams, J L; Lukaszewicz, M; Bertrand, J K; Misztal, I

    2012-10-01

    The objective of this study was to determine if weaning weight performance is genetically consistent across different environments in the United States. The American Angus Association provided weight and pedigree data. Weaning weights observed in the Southeast (SoE) and Northwest (NW) were the focus of this study, as these regions are perceived as opposite extremes in climate. The 2 most represented calving seasons in each region were fall and winter in the SoE and winter and spring in the NW. The original data were edited to remove weaning weight records outside of 3 SD from the respective region-season mean, contemporary groups smaller than 20, and single-sire contemporary groups. The final dataset included 884,465 weaning weight records with 64,907 from fall-born calves in the SoE, 74,820 from winter-born calves in the SoE, 346,724 from winter-born calves in the NW and 398,014 from spring-born calves in the NW. Weaning weights of calves born in different region-season classes adjusted to 205 d of age were considered different but genetically correlated traits in a multivariate analysis. The sole fixed effect was weaning contemporary group and random effects included direct, maternal, maternal permanent environment, and a residual. Direct heritability estimates differed little across environments: 0.31 and 0.35 for weight in fall- and winter-born calves in the SoE, and 0.29 and 0.32 for winter- and spring-born calves in NW. Maternal heritability estimates ranged from 0.12 in the NW to 0.16 the SoE. Genetic correlations spanned from 0.69 to 0.93 among direct effects and from 0.65 to 0.95 among maternal effects. All heritability estimates had small (0.01 to 0.04) SE. The most distinct environments appeared to be winter in SoE and spring in NW (correlations of 0.69 and 0.65 for the direct and maternal effects). Different choices of sires for different environments might be justified to achieve the growth performance expected.

  5. Instructor's Guide to Supervised Occupational Experience Programs for Vocational Agriculture Placement. Missouri Agricultural Education Series. Volume 11, Number 6, June 1978.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Bob R.; And Others

    Four units of instruction are provided in this curriculum guide designed for vocational agriculture teachers in planning and conducting classes for students with supervised occupational experience (SOE) placement programs. Unit 1 contains three lessons on starting an SOE program. Lesson topics are placement programs to consider, getting started in…

  6. What Does It Mean to Be Student Centered? An Institutional Case Study of edTPA Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fayne, Harriet; Qian, Gaoyin

    2016-01-01

    This longitudinal case study investigated how one School of Education (SOE), situated in an urban, commuter, public university, responded to the New York State mandate to require the edTPA for initial teacher certification. In order to engage faculty in the work of program redesign, SOE administrators employed a covert leadership approach. Based…

  7. Applying Western Organization Development in China: Lessons from a Case of Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Jia

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore a successful case of a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) as it applied western organization development (OD) approaches. Specifically, this study seeks to answer two questions: How has western organization development and change (OD/C) been applied in one Chinese SOE? and What lessons can be…

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

    Jenkins, T.F.; Thorne, P.G.; Myers, K.F.

    Salting-out solvent extraction (SOE) was compared with cartridge and membrane solid-phase extraction (SPE) for preconcentration of nitroaromatics, nitramines, and aminonitroaromatics prior to determination by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The solid phases used were manufacturer-cleaned materials, Porapak RDX for the cartridge method and Empore SDB-RPS for the membrane method. Thirty-three groundwater samples from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Indiana, were analyzed using the direct analysis protocol specified in SW846 Method 8330, and the results were compared with analyses conducted after preconcentration using SOE with acetonitrile, cartridge-based SPE, and membrane-based SPE. For high-concentration samples, analytical results from the three preconcentration techniquesmore » were compared with results from the direct analysis protocol; good recovery of all target analytes was achieved by all three pre-concentration methods. For low-concentration samples, results from the two SPE methods were correlated with results from the SOE method; very similar data was obtained by the SOE and SPE methods, even at concentrations well below 1 microgram/L.« less

  9. Plagiarism under a Magnifying-Glass

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Starovoytova, Diana

    2017-01-01

    This paper embodies the findings from a small part, of a larger study on plagiarism, at the School of Engineering (SOE). The study is a cross-sectional survey, conducted in an institutional setting. 15 senior academic members of staff (N = 15), from SOE were invited to complete a questionnaire. The questioner was pre-tested, to ensure its validity…

  10. Perceptions of Female High School Students on Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Madara, Diana Starovoytova; Namango, Sitati

    2016-01-01

    There is overwhelming evidence that females are underrepresented in engineering worldwide, and Kenya is not an exception. Recent study at School of Engineering (SOE), Moi University (MU) established that engineering parity ration was found to be 1.68 %, meaning that for every 59 students admitted to MU there was only one student admitted to SOE.…

  11. Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Fire Assay Workers and Their Children in Alaska, 2010–2011

    PubMed Central

    Kirk, Cassandra; Fearey, Donna; Castrodale, Louisa J.; Verbrugge, David; McLaughlin, Joseph

    2015-01-01

    In October 2010, an employee at Facility A in Alaska that performs fire assay analysis, an industrial technique that uses lead-containing flux to obtain metals from pulverized rocks, was reported to the Alaska Section of Epidemiology (SOE) with an elevated blood lead level (BLL) ≥10 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL). The SOE initiated an investigation; investigators interviewed employees, offered blood lead screening to employees and their families, and observed a visit to the industrial facility by the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health Section (AKOSH). Among the 15 employees with known work responsibilities, 12 had an elevated BLL at least once from October 2010 through February 2011. Of these 12 employees, 10 reported working in the fire assay room. Four children of employees had BLLs ≥5 μg/dL. Employees working in Facility A's fire assay room were likely exposed to lead at work and could have brought lead home. AKOSH inspectors reported that they could not share their consultative report with SOE investigators because of the confidentiality requirements of a federal regulation, which hampered Alaska SOE investigators from fully characterizing the lead exposure standards. PMID:26327721

  12. Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Fire Assay Workers and Their Children in Alaska, 2010-2011.

    PubMed

    Porter, Kimberly A; Kirk, Cassandra; Fearey, Donna; Castrodale, Louisa J; Verbrugge, David; McLaughlin, Joseph

    2015-01-01

    In October 2010, an employee at Facility A in Alaska that performs fire assay analysis, an industrial technique that uses lead-containing flux to obtain metals from pulverized rocks, was reported to the Alaska Section of Epidemiology (SOE) with an elevated blood lead level (BLL) ≥10 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL). The SOE initiated an investigation; investigators interviewed employees, offered blood lead screening to employees and their families, and observed a visit to the industrial facility by the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health Section (AKOSH). Among the 15 employees with known work responsibilities, 12 had an elevated BLL at least once from October 2010 through February 2011. Of these 12 employees, 10 reported working in the fire assay room. Four children of employees had BLLs ≥5 μg/dL. Employees working in Facility A's fire assay room were likely exposed to lead at work and could have brought lead home. AKOSH inspectors reported that they could not share their consultative report with SOE investigators because of the confidentiality requirements of a federal regulation, which hampered Alaska SOE investigators from fully characterizing the lead exposure standards.

  13. Economic reforms and health insurance in China.

    PubMed

    Du, Juan

    2009-08-01

    During the 1990s, Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and collective enterprises continually decreased coverage of public health insurance to their employees. This paper investigates this changing pattern of health insurance coverage in China using panel data from the China Nutrition and Health Survey (1991-2000). It is the first attempt in this literature that tries to identify precisely the effects of specific policies and reforms on health insurance coverage in the transitional period of China. The fixed effects linear model clustering at the province level is used for estimation, and results are compared to alternative models, including pooled OLS, random effects GLS model and fixed effects logit model. Strong empirical evidence is found that unemployment as a side effect of the Open Door Policy, and the deregulation of SOE and collective enterprises were the main causes for the decreasing trend. For example, urban areas that were highly affected by the Open Door Policy were associated with 17 percentage points decrease in the insurance coverage. Moreover, I found evidence that the gaps between SOE and non-SOE employees, collective and non-collective employees, urban and rural employees have considerably decreased during the ten years.

  14. How Does a Modern Field Artillery Cannon Battalion Operate in a Degraded, Denied, and Disrupted Space Operating Environment

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-06-09

    reports, a potential solution to communication shortfalls was the use of high frequency (HF) Harris radios that possess complex encryption... communications , positioning, and navigation do not properly function, is known as a Degraded, Denied, Disrupted Space Operating Environment (D3SOE).7...battalion operates in a D3SOE. This was a very relevant question for a force increasingly reliant on frequency modulated (FM) radio communication systems

  15. Strong Negative Interference by Calcium Dobesilate in Sarcosine Oxidase Assays for Serum Creatinine Involving the Trinder Reaction

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Xiuzhi; Hou, Li’an; Cheng, Xinqi; Zhang, Tianjiao; Yu, Songlin; Fang, Huiling; Xia, Liangyu; Qi, Zhihong; Qin, Xuzhen; Zhang, Lin; Liu, Qian; Liu, Li; Chi, Shuling; Hao, Yingying; Qiu, Ling

    2015-01-01

    Abstract The vasoprotective drug calcium dobesilate is known to interfere with creatinine (Cr) quantifications in sarcosine oxidase enzymatic (SOE) assays. The aim of this study was to investigate this interference in 8 different commercially available assays and to determine its clinical significance. In in vitro experiments, interference was evaluated at 3 Cr levels. For this, Cr was quantified by SOE assays in pooled serum supplemented with calcium dobesilate at final concentrations of 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 μg/mL. Percent bias was calculated relative to the drug-free specimen. For in vivo analyses, changes in serum concentrations of Cr, cystatin C (CysC; a renal function marker), and calcium dobesilate were monitored in healthy participants of group I before and after oral calcium dobesilate administration. In addition, variations in interference were also examined among different SOE assays using serum obtained from healthy participants of group II. Lastly, Cr levels from the 10 patients treated with calcium dobesilate were measured using 4 SOE assays and liquid chromatography-isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-IDMS/MS) for comparison. Our in vitro analyses indicated that the presence of 8 μg/mL calcium dobesilate resulted in a −4.4% to −36.3% reduction in Cr serum concentration compared to drug-free serum for 8 SOE assays examined. In vivo, Cr values decreased relative to the baseline level with increasing drug concentration, with the lowest Cr levels obtained at 2 or 3 hours after drug administration in participants of group I. The observed Cr concentrations for participants in group II were reduced by −28.5% to −3.1% and −60.5% to −11.6% at 0 and 2 hours after administration related to baseline levels. The Cr values of 10 patients measured by Roche, Beckman, Maker, and Merit Choice SOE assays showed an average deviation of −20.0%, −22.4%, −14.2%, and −29.6%, respectively, compared to values obtained by LC

  16. The value of including observational studies in systematic reviews was unclear: a descriptive study.

    PubMed

    Seida, Jennifer; Dryden, Donna M; Hartling, Lisa

    2014-12-01

    To evaluate (1) how often observational studies are included in comparative effectiveness reviews (CERs); (2) the rationale for including observational studies; (3) how data from observational studies are appraised, analyzed, and graded; and (4) the impact of observational studies on strength of evidence (SOE) and conclusions. Descriptive study of 23 CERs published through the Effective Health Care Program of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Authors searched for observational studies in 20 CERs, of which 18 included a median of 11 (interquartile range, 2-31) studies. Sixteen CERs incorporated the observational studies in their SOE assessments. Seventy-eight comparisons from 12 CERs included evidence from both trials and observational studies; observational studies had an impact on SOE and conclusions for 19 (24%) comparisons. There was diversity across the CERs regarding decisions to include observational studies; study designs considered; and approaches used to appraise, synthesize, and grade SOE. Reporting and methods guidance are needed to ensure clarity and consistency in how observational studies are incorporated in CERs. It was not always clear that observational studies added value in light of the additional resources needed to search for, select, appraise, and analyze such studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Potential effect of Olea europea leaves, Sonchus oleraceus leaves and Mangifera indica peel extracts on aromatase activity in human placental microsomes and CYP19A1 expression in MCF-7 cell line: Comparative study.

    PubMed

    Shaban, N Z; Hegazy, W A; Abdel-Rahman, S M; Awed, O M; Khalil, S A

    2016-08-29

    Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) provide novel approaches to the adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers. In this study, different plant extracts from Olea europaea leaves (OLE), Sonchus oleraceus L. (SOE) and Mangifera indica peels (MPE) were prepared to identify phytoconstituents and measure antioxidant capacities. The effects of these three extracts on aromatase activity in human placental microsomes were evaluated. Additionally, the effects of these extracts on tissue-specific promoter expression of CYP19A1 gene in cell culture model (MCF-7) were assessed using qRT-PCR. Results showed a concentration-dependent decrease in aromatase activity after treatment with OLE and MPE, whereas, SOE showed a biphasic effect. The differential effects of OLE, SOE and MPE on aromatase expression showed that OLE seems to be the most potent suppressor followed by SOE and then MPE. These findings indicate that OLE has effective inhibitory action on aromatase at both the enzymatic and expression levels, in addition to its cytotoxic effect against MCF-7 cells. Also, MPE may be has the potential to be used as a tissue-specific aromatase inhibitor (selective aromatase inhibitor) and it may be promising to develop a new therapeutic agent against ER+ breast cancer.

  18. Salting-out extraction of allicin from garlic (Allium sativum L.) based on ethanol/ammonium sulfate in laboratory and pilot scale.

    PubMed

    Li, Fenfang; Li, Qiao; Wu, Shuanggen; Tan, Zhijian

    2017-02-15

    Salting-out extraction (SOE) based on lower molecular organic solvent and inorganic salt was considered as a good substitute for conventional polymers aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) used for the extraction of some bioactive compounds from natural plants resources. In this study, the ethanol/ammonium sulfate was screened as the optimal SOE system for the extraction and preliminary purification of allicin from garlic. Response surface methodology (RSM) was developed to optimize the major conditions. The maximum extraction efficiency of 94.17% was obtained at the optimized conditions for routine use: 23% (w/w) ethanol concentration and 24% (w/w) salt concentration, 31g/L loaded sample at 25°C with pH being not adjusted. The extraction efficiency had no obvious decrease after amplification of the extraction. This ethanol/ammonium sulfate SOE is much simpler, cheaper, and effective, which has the potentiality of scale-up production for the extraction and purification of other compounds from plant resources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Correlates of Social Exclusion and Negative Labeling and Devaluation of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Rural Settings: Evidence from a General Household Survey in Zambézia Province, Mozambique

    PubMed Central

    Mukolo, Abraham; Blevins, Meridith; Victor, Bart; Vaz, Lara M. E.; Sidat, Mohsin; Vergara, Alfredo

    2013-01-01

    Background Increased HIV/AIDS knowledge and access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) have been hypothesized to decrease HIV stigma. However, stigma persists as a barrier to HIV services uptake. We studied the relationship between stigma, knowledge and attitudes towards HIV and its treatment, and confidence in the legal system (legal rights certitude). Methods We analyzed data from a household survey of 3749 randomly sampled female heads of households in 259 enumeration areas across 14 districts of Zambézia Province, Mozambique. The questionnaire included questions about beliefs, attitudes and behavior towards PLWHA, HIV transmission knowledge, treatment-related beliefs, and legal rights certitude. Factor analysis distinguished two stigma constructs: Negative labeling and devaluation (NLD) and social exclusion (SoE). Multivariable linear regression was used to determine the association between stigma, knowledge of HIV/AIDS, treatment-related beliefs, and legal rights certitude, while controlling for variance in socio-demographics. Results A 4-point increase in knowledge about HIV transmission was associated with more than a 3 unit decrease in NLD and SoE stigma scores (p<0.001). Given HIV transmission knowledge, a 25-point increase in legal rights certitude was associated with a 4.62 unit drop in NLD stigma (p<0.001); we did not detect an association between legal rights certitude and SoE stigma. Knowing at least one HIV positive person was associated with lower SoE (−3.17, 95% CI: −5.78, −0.56); no association with NLD (p = 0.1) was detected. ART efficacy belief was associated with higher NLD and lower SoE (2.90 increase and 6.94 decrease, respectively; p≤0.001). Conclusion Increasing knowledge about HIV transmission and access to ART are likely to reduce stigma, but neither of the two is a panacea. Raising community awareness of the legal rights of PLWHA might improve the efficacy of stigma reduction efforts. Strategies that focus on specific domains

  20. Defining the Risk and Associated Morbidity and Mortality of Severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection Among Infants with Chronic Lung Disease.

    PubMed

    Paes, Bosco; Fauroux, Brigitte; Figueras-Aloy, Josep; Bont, Louis; Checchia, Paul A; Simões, Eric A F; Manzoni, Paolo; Carbonell-Estrany, Xavier

    2016-12-01

    The REGAL (RSV evidence-a geographical archive of the literature) series provide a comprehensive review of the published evidence in the field of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Western countries over the last 20 years. This third publication covers the risk and burden of RSV infection in infants with chronic lung disease (CLD), formerly called bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). A systematic review was undertaken of publications between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2015 across PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov. Studies reporting data for hospital visits/admissions for RSV infection among infants with CLD/BPD who were not prophylaxed, as well as studies reporting RSV-associated morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs, were included. Burdens of disease data were compared with preterm infants without CLD/BPD, other high-risk groups and term infants. Study quality and strength of evidence (SOE) were graded using recognized criteria. A total of 1837 studies were identified and 39 were included. CLD/BPD is a significant independent risk factor for RSV hospitalization [RSVH (odds ratio 2.2-7.2); high SOE]. Infants and young children with CLD/BPD had high RSVH rates which were generally similar in Europe, the United States, and Canada, mostly varying between 12 and 21%. Infants with CLD also had a longer length of hospital stay than other high-risk groups and term infants (high SOE). On average, infants spent 4-11 days in hospital (moderate SOE). Once hospitalized for RSV, affected children were at risk for a more severe course of disease than children with no RSVH (moderate SOE). Severe RSV infection in infants and young children with CLD/BPD poses a significant health burden in Western countries. Further studies focussing on the burden of RSV infection in this well-recognized population at high risk for severe disease are needed to help improve outcomes and plan allocation of healthcare resources. AbbVie.

  1. Preventing and De-escalating Aggressive Behavior Among Adult Psychiatric Patients: A Systematic Review of the Evidence.

    PubMed

    Gaynes, Bradley N; Brown, Carrie L; Lux, Linda J; Brownley, Kimberly A; Van Dorn, Richard A; Edlund, Mark J; Coker-Schwimmer, Emmanuel; Weber, Rachel Palmieri; Sheitman, Brian; Zarzar, Theodore; Viswanathan, Meera; Lohr, Kathleen N

    2017-08-01

    The project goal was to compare the effectiveness of strategies to prevent and de-escalate aggressive behaviors among psychiatric patients in acute care settings, including interventions for reducing use of seclusion and restraint. Relevant databases were systematically reviewed for comparative studies of violence prevention and de-escalation strategies involving adult psychiatric patients in acute care settings. Studies (trials and cohort studies) were required to report on aggression or seclusion or restraint outcomes. Both risk of bias, an indicator of quality of individual studies, and strength of evidence (SOE) for each outcome were independently assessed by two study personnel. Seventeen primary studies met inclusion criteria. Evidence was limited for benefits and harms; information about characteristics that might modify the interventions' effectiveness, such as race or ethnicity, was especially limited. All but one study had a medium or high risk of bias and thus presented worrisome limitations. For prevention, risk assessment reduced both aggression and use of seclusion and restraint (low SOE), and multimodal interventions reduced the use of seclusion and restraint (low SOE). SOE for all other interventions, whether aimed at preventing or de-escalating aggression, and for modifying characteristics was insufficient. Available evidence about strategies for preventing and de-escalating aggressive behavior among psychiatric patients is very limited. Two preventive strategies, risk assessment and multimodal interventions consistent with the Six Core Strategies principles, may effectively lower aggressive behavior and use of seclusion and restraint, but more research is needed on how best to prevent and de-escalate aggressive behavior in acute care settings.

  2. Visual appearance of a virtual upper limb modulates the temperature of the real hand: a thermal imaging study in Immersive Virtual Reality.

    PubMed

    Tieri, Gaetano; Gioia, Annamaria; Scandola, Michele; Pavone, Enea F; Aglioti, Salvatore M

    2017-05-01

    To explore the link between Sense of Embodiment (SoE) over a virtual hand and physiological regulation of skin temperature, 24 healthy participants were immersed in virtual reality through a Head Mounted Display and had their real limb temperature recorded by means of a high-sensitivity infrared camera. Participants observed a virtual right upper limb (appearing either normally, or with the hand detached from the forearm) or limb-shaped non-corporeal control objects (continuous or discontinuous wooden blocks) from a first-person perspective. Subjective ratings of SoE were collected in each observation condition, as well as temperatures of the right and left hand, wrist and forearm. The observation of these complex, body and body-related virtual scenes resulted in increased real hand temperature when compared to a baseline condition in which a 3d virtual ball was presented. Crucially, observation of non-natural appearances of the virtual limb (discontinuous limb) and limb-shaped non-corporeal objects elicited high increase in real hand temperature and low SoE. In contrast, observation of the full virtual limb caused high SoE and low temperature changes in the real hand with respect to the other conditions. Interestingly, the temperature difference across the different conditions occurred according to a topographic rule that included both hands. Our study sheds new light on the role of an external hand's visual appearance and suggests a tight link between higher-order bodily self-representations and topographic regulation of skin temperature. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Tonsillectomy Versus Watchful Waiting for Recurrent Throat Infection: A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Morad, Anna; Sathe, Nila A; Francis, David O; McPheeters, Melissa L; Chinnadurai, Sivakumar

    2017-02-01

    The effectiveness of tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy ("tonsillectomy") for recurrent throat infection compared with watchful waiting is uncertain. To compare sleep, cognitive, behavioral, and health outcomes of tonsillectomy versus watchful waiting in children with recurrent throat infections. MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Two investigators independently screened studies against predetermined criteria. One investigator extracted data with review by a second. Investigators independently assessed risk of bias and strength of evidence (SOE) and confidence in the estimate of effects. Seven studies including children with ≥3 infections in the previous 1 to 3 years addressed this question. In studies reporting baseline data, number of infections/sore throats decreased from baseline in both groups, with greater decreases in sore throat days, clinician contacts, diagnosed group A streptococcal infections, and school absences in tonsillectomized children in the short term (<12 months). Quality of life was not markedly different between groups at any time point. Few studies fully categorized infection/sore throat severity; attrition was high. Throat infections, utilization, and school absences improved in the first postsurgical year in tonsillectomized children versus children not receiving surgery. Benefits did not persist over time; longer-term outcomes are limited. SOE is moderate for reduction in short-term throat infections and insufficient for longer-term reduction. SOE is low for no difference in longer-term streptococcal infection reduction. SOE is low for utilization and missed school reduction in the short term, low for no difference in longer-term missed school, and low for no differences in quality of life. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  4. Groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh-21 Years of research.

    PubMed

    Chakraborti, Dipankar; Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Mukherjee, Amitava; Alauddin, Mohammad; Hassan, Manzurul; Dutta, Rathindra Nath; Pati, Shymapada; Mukherjee, Subhash Chandra; Roy, Shibtosh; Quamruzzman, Quazi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Morshed, Salim; Islam, Tanzima; Sorif, Shaharir; Selim, Md; Islam, Md Razaul; Hossain, Md Monower

    2015-01-01

    Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Bangladesh first identified their groundwater arsenic contamination in 1993. But before the international arsenic conference in Dhaka in February 1998, the problem was not widely accepted. Even in the international arsenic conference in West-Bengal, India in February, 1995, representatives of international agencies in Bangladesh and Bangladesh government attended the conference but they denied the groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh. School of Environmental Studies (SOES), Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India first identified arsenic patient in Bangladesh in 1992 and informed WHO, UNICEF of Bangladesh and Govt. of Bangladesh from April 1994 to August 1995. British Geological Survey (BGS) dug hand tube-wells in Bangladesh in 1980s and early 1990s but they did not test the water for arsenic. Again BGS came back to Bangladesh in 1992 to assess the quality of the water of the tube-wells they installed but they still did not test for arsenic when groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effects in West Bengal in Bengal delta was already published in WHO Bulletin in 1988. From December 1996, SOES in collaboration with Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH), Bangladesh started analyzing hand tube-wells for arsenic from all 64 districts in four geomorphologic regions of Bangladesh. So far over 54,000 tube-well water samples had been analyzed by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS). From SOES water analysis data at present we could assess status of arsenic groundwater contamination in four geo-morphological regions of Bangladesh and location of possible arsenic safe groundwater. SOES and DCH also made some preliminary work with their medical team to identify patients suffering from arsenic related diseases. SOES further analyzed few thousands biological samples (hair, nail, urine and skin scales) and foodstuffs for arsenic to know arsenic body burden and people sub

  5. Errors in the 2017 APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD: What the Data Actually Says.

    PubMed

    Dominguez, Sarah K; Lee, Christopher W

    2017-01-01

    The American Psychological Association (APA) Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) concluded that there was strong evidence for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), cognitive therapy (CT), and exposure therapy yet weak evidence for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). This is despite the findings from an associated systematic review which concluded that EMDR leads to loss of PTSD diagnosis and symptom reduction. Depression symptoms were also found to improve more with EMDR than control conditions. In that review, EMDR was marked down on strength of evidence (SOE) for symptom reduction for PTSD. However, there were several problems with the conclusions of that review. Firstly, in assessing the evidence in one of the studies, the reviewers chose an incorrect measure that skewed the data. We recalculated a meta-analysis with a more appropriate measure and found the SOE improved. The resulting effect size for EMDR on PTSD symptom reduction compared to a control condition was large for studies that meet the APA inclusion criteria (SMD = 1.28) and the heterogeneity was low ( I 2 = 43%). Secondly, even if the original measure was chosen, we highlight inconsistencies with the way SOE was assessed for EMDR, CT, and CPT. Thirdly, we highlight two papers that were omitted from the analysis. One of these was omitted without any apparent reason. It found EMDR superior to a placebo control. The other study was published in 2015 and should have been part of APA guidelines since they were published in 2017. The inclusion of either study would have resulted in an improvement in SOE. Including both studies results in standard mean difference and confidence intervals that were better for EMDR than for CPT or CT. Therefore, the SOE should have been rated as moderate and EMDR assessed as at least equivalent to these CBT approaches in the APA guidelines. This would bring the APA guidelines in

  6. Errors in the 2017 APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD: What the Data Actually Says

    PubMed Central

    Dominguez, Sarah K.; Lee, Christopher W.

    2017-01-01

    The American Psychological Association (APA) Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) concluded that there was strong evidence for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), cognitive therapy (CT), and exposure therapy yet weak evidence for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). This is despite the findings from an associated systematic review which concluded that EMDR leads to loss of PTSD diagnosis and symptom reduction. Depression symptoms were also found to improve more with EMDR than control conditions. In that review, EMDR was marked down on strength of evidence (SOE) for symptom reduction for PTSD. However, there were several problems with the conclusions of that review. Firstly, in assessing the evidence in one of the studies, the reviewers chose an incorrect measure that skewed the data. We recalculated a meta-analysis with a more appropriate measure and found the SOE improved. The resulting effect size for EMDR on PTSD symptom reduction compared to a control condition was large for studies that meet the APA inclusion criteria (SMD = 1.28) and the heterogeneity was low (I2= 43%). Secondly, even if the original measure was chosen, we highlight inconsistencies with the way SOE was assessed for EMDR, CT, and CPT. Thirdly, we highlight two papers that were omitted from the analysis. One of these was omitted without any apparent reason. It found EMDR superior to a placebo control. The other study was published in 2015 and should have been part of APA guidelines since they were published in 2017. The inclusion of either study would have resulted in an improvement in SOE. Including both studies results in standard mean difference and confidence intervals that were better for EMDR than for CPT or CT. Therefore, the SOE should have been rated as moderate and EMDR assessed as at least equivalent to these CBT approaches in the APA guidelines. This would bring the APA guidelines in line

  7. Tonsillectomy Versus Watchful Waiting for Recurrent Throat Infection: A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    Morad, Anna; Sathe, Nila A.; Francis, David O.; McPheeters, Melissa L.

    2017-01-01

    CONTEXT: The effectiveness of tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy (“tonsillectomy”) for recurrent throat infection compared with watchful waiting is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To compare sleep, cognitive, behavioral, and health outcomes of tonsillectomy versus watchful waiting in children with recurrent throat infections. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. STUDY SELECTION: Two investigators independently screened studies against predetermined criteria. DATA EXTRACTION: One investigator extracted data with review by a second. Investigators independently assessed risk of bias and strength of evidence (SOE) and confidence in the estimate of effects. RESULTS: Seven studies including children with ≥3 infections in the previous 1 to 3 years addressed this question. In studies reporting baseline data, number of infections/sore throats decreased from baseline in both groups, with greater decreases in sore throat days, clinician contacts, diagnosed group A streptococcal infections, and school absences in tonsillectomized children in the short term (<12 months). Quality of life was not markedly different between groups at any time point. LIMITATIONS: Few studies fully categorized infection/sore throat severity; attrition was high. CONCLUSIONS: Throat infections, utilization, and school absences improved in the first postsurgical year in tonsillectomized children versus children not receiving surgery. Benefits did not persist over time; longer-term outcomes are limited. SOE is moderate for reduction in short-term throat infections and insufficient for longer-term reduction. SOE is low for no difference in longer-term streptococcal infection reduction. SOE is low for utilization and missed school reduction in the short term, low for no difference in longer-term missed school, and low for no differences in quality of life. PMID:28096515

  8. Comparing extraction rates of fossil fuel producers against global climate goals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rekker, Saphira A. C.; O'Brien, Katherine R.; Humphrey, Jacquelyn E.; Pascale, Andrew C.

    2018-06-01

    Meeting global and national climate goals requires action and cooperation from a multitude of actors1,2. Current methods to define greenhouse gas emission targets for companies fail to acknowledge the unique influence of fossil fuel producers: combustion of reported fossil fuel reserves has the potential to push global warming above 2 °C by 2050, regardless of other efforts to mitigate climate change3. Here, we introduce a method to compare the extraction rates of individual fossil fuel producers against global climate targets, using two different approaches to quantify a burnable fossil fuel allowance (BFFA). BFFAs are calculated and compared with cumulative extraction since 2010 for the world's ten largest investor-owned companies and ten largest state-owned entities (SOEs), for oil and for gas, which together account for the majority of global oil and gas reserves and production. The results are strongly influenced by how BFFAs are quantified; allocating based on reserves favours SOEs over investor-owned companies, while allocating based on production would require most reduction to come from SOEs. Future research could refine the BFFA to account for equity, cost-effectiveness and emissions intensity.

  9. A physics-based fractional order model and state of energy estimation for lithium ion batteries. Part II: Parameter identification and state of energy estimation for LiFePO4 battery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiaoyu; Pan, Ke; Fan, Guodong; Lu, Rengui; Zhu, Chunbo; Rizzoni, Giorgio; Canova, Marcello

    2017-11-01

    State of energy (SOE) is an important index for the electrochemical energy storage system in electric vehicles. In this paper, a robust state of energy estimation method in combination with a physical model parameter identification method is proposed to achieve accurate battery state estimation at different operating conditions and different aging stages. A physics-based fractional order model with variable solid-state diffusivity (FOM-VSSD) is used to characterize the dynamic performance of a LiFePO4/graphite battery. In order to update the model parameter automatically at different aging stages, a multi-step model parameter identification method based on the lexicographic optimization is especially designed for the electric vehicle operating conditions. As the battery available energy changes with different applied load current profiles, the relationship between the remaining energy loss and the state of charge, the average current as well as the average squared current is modeled. The SOE with different operating conditions and different aging stages are estimated based on an adaptive fractional order extended Kalman filter (AFEKF). Validation results show that the overall SOE estimation error is within ±5%. The proposed method is suitable for the electric vehicle online applications.

  10. Probability based remaining capacity estimation using data-driven and neural network model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yujie; Yang, Duo; Zhang, Xu; Chen, Zonghai

    2016-05-01

    Since large numbers of lithium-ion batteries are composed in pack and the batteries are complex electrochemical devices, their monitoring and safety concerns are key issues for the applications of battery technology. An accurate estimation of battery remaining capacity is crucial for optimization of the vehicle control, preventing battery from over-charging and over-discharging and ensuring the safety during its service life. The remaining capacity estimation of a battery includes the estimation of state-of-charge (SOC) and state-of-energy (SOE). In this work, a probability based adaptive estimator is presented to obtain accurate and reliable estimation results for both SOC and SOE. For the SOC estimation, an n ordered RC equivalent circuit model is employed by combining an electrochemical model to obtain more accurate voltage prediction results. For the SOE estimation, a sliding window neural network model is proposed to investigate the relationship between the terminal voltage and the model inputs. To verify the accuracy and robustness of the proposed model and estimation algorithm, experiments under different dynamic operation current profiles are performed on the commercial 1665130-type lithium-ion batteries. The results illustrate that accurate and robust estimation can be obtained by the proposed method.

  11. Increasing the practice of questioning among pediatric nurses: "The Growing Culture of Clinical Inquiry" project.

    PubMed

    Laibhen-Parkes, Natasha

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes an innovative methodology implemented in an acute care pediatric setting to build nurses' confidence and competence in questioning practice. The Growing Culture of Clinical Inquiry (GCCI) project was composed of several evidence-based strategies to attain and maintain a spirit of clinical inquiry. These strategies included PowerPoint presentations, evidence-based practice (EBP) unit champions, patient-intervention-comparison-outcome (PICO) boxes, Clinical Inquiry Posters, summaries of evidence (SOE), layman's SOE, medical librarian in-services, and journal clubs. After 1 year of implementation, the GCCI project was evaluated and found to be a promising methodology for fostering a culture of inquiry among pediatric nurses. © 2014.

  12. Politics of oil in Venezuela: A decision-making analysis of PDVSA's internationalisation policy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baena, Cesar E.

    The high degree of international vertical integration achieved by the Venezuelan state oil enterprise, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), has placed it among the most important oil multinationals (MNs). The policy of creating downstream outlets through the establishment of foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the form of refinery assets was given the term of 'internationalisation'. By analysing PDVSA's internationalisation policy, the thesis explores the difficulties encountered by a major state-owned enterprise (SOE) from a developing country in its efforts to grow beyond national borders. The study focuses on the impact of democratic bargaining on the process of oil policymaking in Venezuela, stressing the constraints posed by politics on PDVSA's efforts to expand its foreign operations. Specifically, the study examines the intricate policymaking process that shaped the origins and the development of PDVSA's internationalisation policy, underlying the events and factors that influenced each one of its three distinguishable phases: adoption, formulation, and implementation. The tensions between politics and corporate strategy are highlighted at the core of the policymaking process. The study also looks at the relationship between the oil industry and the other two key decision-making centres involved in the oil policymaking process: the executive and Congress. In exploring the ways in which each one of them sought to influence policy outcome, the study attempts to gain insight into the main factors that prompted the tensions among the policy actors involved. Three environments, or pressure-generating centres, constantly exert influence on the oil industry: the oil market, the political context and the government's financial situation. By seeking to determine the industry's response to their pervasive influence on policy formulation and implementation, this research ascertains the extent to which these variables influenced the decision-making process that

  13. The Electromagnetic Spectrum: Using Light and Color To Search for Astronomical Origins.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Denise; Eisenhamer, Bonnie; DeVore, Edna

    2003-01-01

    Discusses various ways to use the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Origin's Education Forum's Electromagnetic Spectrum poster to teach earth science concepts. Includes the poster. (SOE)

  14. Nursing intensive care skills training: a nurse led, short, structured, and practical training program, developed and tested in a resource-limited setting.

    PubMed

    De Silva, A Pubudu; Stephens, Tim; Welch, John; Sigera, Chathurani; De Alwis, Sunil; Athapattu, Priyantha; Dharmagunawardene, Dilantha; Olupeliyawa, Asela; de Abrew, Ashwini; Peiris, Lalitha; Siriwardana, Somalatha; Karunathilake, Indika; Dondorp, Arjen; Haniffa, Rashan

    2015-04-01

    To assess the impact of a nurse-led, short, structured training program for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in a resource-limited setting. A training program using a structured approach to patient assessment and management for ICU nurses was designed and delivered by local nurse tutors in partnership with overseas nurse trainers. The impact of the course was assessed using the following: pre-course and post-course self-assessment, a pre-course and post-course Multiple Choice Questionnaire (MCQ), a post-course Objective Structured Clinical Assessment station, 2 post-course Short Oral Exam (SOE) stations, and post-course feedback questionnaires. In total, 117 ICU nurses were trained. Post-MCQ scores were significantly higher when compared with pre-MCQ (P < .0001). More than 95% passed the post-course Objective Structured Clinical Assessment (patient assessment) and SOE 1 (arterial blood gas analysis), whereas 76.9% passed SOE 2 (3-lead electrocardiogram analysis). The course was highly rated by participants, with 98% believing that this was a useful experience. Nursing Intensive Care Skills Training was highly rated by participants and was effective in improving the knowledge of the participants. This sustainable short course model may be adaptable to other resource-limited settings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Three Forms of Energy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Petursson, Sigthor

    2003-01-01

    Identifies practical ways to introduce students to thermodynamic concepts, such as heat and mechanical energy. Introduces three different energy transformations that everyone should be able to envisage. (SOE)

  16. 76 FR 64960 - Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-19

    ... Atomic Energy Agency Notification Following a Domestic Nuclear Power Plant Incident, and (5) Senior Official Exercise/ Principal Level Exercise SOE/PLE 3-10 Nuclear Power Plant Communications Update. The...

  17. Conceptualizing Ecology: A Learning Cycle Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lauer, Thomas E.

    2003-01-01

    Proposes a teaching strategy to teach ecological concepts and terminology through the use of games and simulations. Includes examples from physiological ecology, population ecology, and ecosystem ecology. (Author/SOE)

  18. New Species Found!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reinemann, Deborah; Thomas, Jolie

    2003-01-01

    Explains a 4th grade lesson on oceans in which students create imaginary marine animals. Creatively assesses student understanding of habitat and adaptation. Overviews 14 lessons in the oceanography unit. (SOE)

  19. Evolution and Creationism: One Long Argument.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Good, Ron

    2003-01-01

    Discusses the dilemma between evolution and creationism in biology teaching. Explains the position of the Louisiana House Education Committee and presents an example from the Louisiana State University (LSU). (Author/SOE)

  20. State-Owned Enterprises and Economic Reform in Vietnam

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-11-01

    and must be dealt with by a comprehensive program of SOE privatization. Only then will Vietnam enjoy the benefits of sustained economic growth as reforms unlock market forces and enhance economic stability .

  1. What childhood obesity prevention programmes work? A systematic review and meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Y.; Cai, L.; Wu, Y.; Wilson, R. F.; Weston, C.; Fawole, O.; Bleich, S. N.; Cheskin, L. J.; Showell, N. N.; Lau, B. D.; Chiu, D. T.; Zhang, A.; Segal, J.

    2015-01-01

    Summary Previous reviews of childhood obesity prevention have focused largely on schools and findings have been inconsistent. Funded by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health, we systematically evaluated the effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention programmes conducted in high-income countries and implemented in various settings. We searched MEDLINE®, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL®, ClinicalTrials.gov and the Cochrane Library from inception through 22 April 2013 for relevant studies, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and natural experiments, targeting diet, physical activity or both, and conducted in children aged 2–18 in high-income countries. Two reviewers independently abstracted the data. The strength of evidence (SOE) supporting interventions was graded for each study setting (e.g. home, school). Meta-analyses were performed on studies judged sufficiently similar and appropriate to pool using random effect models. This paper reported our findings on various adiposity-related outcomes. We identified 147 articles (139 intervention studies) of which 115 studies were primarily school based, although other settings could have been involved. Most were conducted in the United States and within the past decade. SOE was high for physical activity-only interventions delivered in schools with home involvement or combined diet–physical activity interventions delivered in schools with both home and community components. SOE was moderate for school-based interventions targeting either diet or physical activity, combined interventions delivered in schools with home or community components or combined interventions delivered in the community with a school component. SOE was low for combined interventions in childcare or home settings. Evidence was insufficient for other interventions. In conclusion, at least moderately strong evidence supports the effectiveness of school

  2. Myth, Music, and Science: Teaching the Philosophy of Science through the Use of Non-Scientific Examples.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slowik, Edward

    2003-01-01

    Explores the benefits of utilizing non-scientific examples and analogies in teaching philosophy of science courses. Utilizes a lengthy analogy between musical styles and Kuhn's theory of scientific revolution to demonstrate this strategy. (SOE)

  3. Lawson's Shoehorn, or Should the Philosophy of Science Be Rated 'X'?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allchin, Douglas

    2003-01-01

    Addresses Lawson's (2002) interpretations of Galileo's discovery of the moons of Jupiter and other cases that exhibit historical errors. Suggests that such cases can distort history and lessons about the nature of science. (SOE)

  4. A Descriptive Survey of Anesthesiology Residency Simulation Programs: How Are Programs Preparing Residents for the New American Board of Anesthesiology APPLIED Certification Examination?

    PubMed

    Isaak, Robert S; Chen, Fei; Arora, Harendra; Martinelli, Susan M; Zvara, David A; Stiegler, Marjorie P

    2017-09-01

    Anesthesiology residency programs may need new simulation-based programs to prepare residents for the new Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) component of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) Primary Certification process. The design of such programs may require significant resources, including faculty time, expertise, and funding, as are currently needed for structured oral examination (SOE) preparation. This survey analyzed the current state of US-based anesthesiology residency programs regarding simulation-based educational programming for SOE and OSCE preparation. An online survey was distributed to every anesthesiology residency program director in the United States. The survey included 15 to 46 questions, depending on each respondent's answers. The survey queried current practices and future plans regarding resident preparation specifically for the ABA APPLIED examination, with emphasis on the OSCE. Descriptive statistics were summarized. χ and Fisher exact tests were used to test the differences in proportions across groups. Spearman rank correlation was used to examine the association between ordinal variables. The responding 66 programs (49%) were a representative sample of all anesthesiology residencies (N = 136) in terms of geographical location (χ P = .58). There was a low response rate from small programs that have 12 or fewer clinical anesthesia residents. Ninety-one percent (95% confidence interval [CI], 84%-95%) of responders agreed that it is the responsibility of the program to specifically prepare residents for primary certification, and most agreed that it is important to practice SOEs (94%; 95% CI, 88%-97%) and OSCEs (89%; 95% CI, 83%-94%). While 100% of respondents reported providing mock SOEs, only 31% (95% CI, 24%-40%) of respondents provided mock OSCE experiences. Of those without an OSCE program, 75% (95% CI, 64%-83%) reported plans to start one. The most common reasons for not having an OSCE program already in place

  5. Ignition of Hydrogen Balloons by Model-Rocket-Engine Igniters.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartman, Nicholas T.

    2003-01-01

    Describes an alternative method for exploding hydrogen balloons as a classroom demonstration. Uses the method of igniting the balloons via an electronic match. Includes necessary materials to conduct the demonstration and discusses potential hazards. (SOE)

  6. Understanding Greek Primary School Children's Comprehension of Sun Exposure.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Piperakis, Stylianos M.; Papadimitriou, Vasiliki; Piperakis, Michael M.; Zisis, Panagiotis

    2003-01-01

    Assesses Greek primary school children's understanding of sun exposure during summer vacation. Results indicate that children know the damaging effects of long time exposure and the precautions that should be taken during summer bathing. (Author/SOE)

  7. Technology and Science Education: Starting Points, Research Programs, and Trends.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linn, Marcia C.

    2003-01-01

    Explores technology in science education in five paths: (1) science texts and lectures; (2) science discussions and collaboration; (3) data collection and representation; (4) science visualization; and (5) science simulation and modeling. (Contains 92 references.) (Author/SOE)

  8. Stargazing in Your Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rios, Jose

    2003-01-01

    Explains the design of a planetarium that can be used by middle school teachers to teach earth science concepts such as the solar system, the lunar cycle, and seasons. Includes materials and procedures for making the planetarium. (SOE)

  9. Supermarket Proteases.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hagar, William G.; Bullerwell, Lornie D.

    2003-01-01

    Presents a laboratory activity on enzymes. Uses common items found in the supermarket that contain protease enzymes, such as contact lens cleaner and meat tenderizer. Demonstrates the digestion of gelatin proteins as part of enzymatic reactions. (Author/SOE)

  10. What Is the Impact of Beach Debris?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fortner, Rosanne W.; Jax, Dan

    2003-01-01

    Presents a marine education activity. Students construct a web of changes that shows potential problems caused by solid waste on beaches. They then determine whether each change is an increase or a decrease from previous conditions. (Author/SOE)

  11. Of Maggots Murder: Forensic Entomology in the Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carloye, Lisa

    2003-01-01

    Presents a hands-on lesson in biology in which students evaluate the evidence from four death scenarios. Students use knowledge of ecological principles, specifically ecological succession, and insect biology. Recommends three web sites related to the subject. (SOE)

  12. Dual-Particle Imaging System with Neutron Spectroscopy for Safeguard Applications

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

    Hamel, Michael C.; Weber, Thomas M.

    2017-11-01

    A dual-particle imager (DPI) has been designed that is capable of detecting gamma-ray and neutron signatures from shielded SNM. The system combines liquid organic and NaI(Tl) scintillators to form a combined Compton and neutron scatter camera. Effective image reconstruction of detected particles is a crucial component for maximizing the performance of the system; however, a key deficiency exists in the widely used iterative list-mode maximum-likelihood estimation-maximization (MLEM) image reconstruction technique. For MLEM a stopping condition is required to achieve a good quality solution but these conditions fail to achieve maximum image quality. Stochastic origin ensembles (SOE) imaging is a goodmore » candidate to address this problem as it uses Markov chain Monte Carlo to reach a stochastic steady-state solution. The application of SOE to the DPI is presented in this work.« less

  13. The Zoo, Benchmarks & You: How To Reach the Oregon State Benchmarks with Zoo Resources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    2002

    This document aligns Oregon state educational benchmarks and standards with Oregon Zoo resources. Benchmark areas examined include English, mathematics, science, social studies, and career and life roles. Brief descriptions of the programs offered by the zoo are presented. (SOE)

  14. What Is a Primate?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGee, Elizabeth

    2003-01-01

    Describes a series of hands-on experiments that engage students in hypothesis testing and promotes active learning of the concepts of evolution and adaptation. Laboratory exercises demonstrate how features of the hands and eyes distinguish primates from other mammals. (SOE)

  15. Teaching Evolution through the Founder Effect: A Standards-Based Activity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leonard, William H.; Edmondson, Elizabeth

    2003-01-01

    Presents an activity called "The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, Founder Effect, and Evolution" to allow students to learn about evolution in an engaging, constructivist manner. The activity also uses the tools of mathematics to learn several related biology concepts. (Author/SOE)

  16. WISE Design for Knowledge Integration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linn, Marcia C.; Clark, Douglas; Slotta, James D.

    2003-01-01

    Examines the implementation of Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE), which can incorporate modeling tools and hand-held devices. Describes WISE design team practices, features of the WISE learning environment, and patterns of feature use in WISE library projects. (SOE)

  17. Introduction to Eye-Opening Technology: The Electromagnetic Spectrum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Denise; Eisenhamer, Bonnie; DeVore, Edna; Bianchi, Luciana

    2003-01-01

    Provides classroom activities centered around how the electromagnetic spectrum yields vital insights about the evolution of the universe. Activities targeted for grade levels 6-12 illustrate the importance of light and color in space exploration. Includes a poster. (Author/SOE)

  18. Allchin's Shoehorn, or Why Science Is Hypothetico-Deductive.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawson, Anton E.

    2003-01-01

    Criticizes Allchin's article about Lawson's analysis of Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's moons. Suggests that a careful analysis of the way humans spontaneously process information and reason supports a general hypothetico-deductive theory of human information processing, reasoning, and scientific discovery. (SOE)

  19. Space: The Final Frontier!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roy, Ken

    2003-01-01

    Discusses the importance of laboratory safety in science classrooms. Urges middle school teachers to address class size in an effort to establish and maintain a safe working environment. Answers a teacher's question related to having newts and salamanders in the classroom. (SOE)

  20. A Prairie Pharmacy: An Introduction to Herbalism.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Susan A.

    2003-01-01

    Presents a laboratory activity to teach medical biology to undergraduate nonmajor business students. Uses herbalism as the theme concept to integrate subjects, such as anatomy, physiology, medical theory, and terminology. Includes topics, such as herb collection, medicine preparation, and herb storage. (SOE)

  1. Egg-in-the-Bottle Demonstration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goates, Wayne

    2003-01-01

    Presents a science experiment to introduce the concept of air pressure based on a demonstration aired on the television show "Watch Mr. Wizard" in 1951. Illustrates the way temperature affects pressure. Discusses some safety concerns and possible extensions to the activity. (SOE)

  2. Supraorbital electrical stimulation in management of chronic type tension headache: A randomized controlled study.

    PubMed

    Hamed, Nashwa S

    2018-02-01

    Headache disorders are considered one of the ten most disabling conditions, for both males and females, according to the World Health Organization. Chronic type tension headache (CTTH) has a prevalence of 2-3% within the general population. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of stimulating noninvasively the trigeminal nerve in the supraorbital area (SOES) for treatment of CTTH. In an 8-week period of intervention, 45 patients were divided equally into three groups. Both group A "study" and group B received conventional physical therapy program three times a week. Group A received additional SOES for 20 minutes daily. Group C was on prescribed medications only. Assessments occurred pre and post intervention using Headache Impact Test (HIT), headache frequency, and visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. In between groups, comparison showed statistically significant differences between all groups (p < 0.000). Within-group comparisons showed that both groups A and B showed a significant improvement in all measured data. Improvement percent of group A was HIT = 18.4% and VAS = 63.0%, p ≤ 0.0001, and group B was HIT = 12.5% and VAS = 28.2%, p ≤ 0.0002, while group C showed no significant improvement with improvement percent HIIT = 1.2% and VAS = 8.6%, p ≤ 0.5. Patients in groups A and B reported less headache frequencies than group C. SOES had positive therapeutic results for treatment of CTTH.

  3. Teaching Evolution & the Nature of Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farber, Paul

    2003-01-01

    The theory of evolution provides direction in many fields, such as ecology, genetics, and embryology. Examines issues concerning the teaching of the subject in the United States. Presents a case study approach to teach about the nature of science using the theory of evolution. (SOE)

  4. The Role of Photographs and Films in Kettlewell's Popularizations of the Phenomenon of Industrial Melanism.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rudge, David Wyss

    2003-01-01

    Discusses why public perceptions of the importance of Kettlewell's investigations on the phenomenon of industrial melanism diverge from those of researchers who actually work on the phenomenon. Explains the important role photographic and film depictions of differential bird predation play in Kettlewell's popularizations. (Author/SOE)

  5. Gone Fishing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olson-Demme, Hillary; Kisiel, Jim

    2003-01-01

    Presents a hands-on activity in which students create a model of an ocean ecosystem to gain an understanding of how humans can alter biodiversity through their actions. Uses differing levels of fishing technology to explore the concepts of sustainability and overfishing. (Author/SOE)

  6. Hot Salsa: A Laboratory Exercise Exploring the Scientific Method.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levri, Edward P.; Levri, Maureen A.

    2003-01-01

    Presents a laboratory exercise on spicy food and body temperature that introduces the scientific method to introductory biology students. Suggests that when students perform their own experiments which they have developed, it helps with their understanding of and confidence in doing science. (Author/SOE)

  7. Squid Dissection: From Pen to Ink.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Cindy; Kisiel, Jim

    2003-01-01

    Introduces students to dissection, which is an important part of scientific discovery. Students not only gain an understanding of the anatomy of a squid, but also develop a sense of responsibility and respect for the animal that they are using as a learning tool. (Author/SOE)

  8. Build an Earthquake City! Grades 6-8.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rushton, Erik; Ryan, Emily; Swift, Charles

    In this activity, students build a city out of sugar cubes, bouillon cubes, and gelatin cubes. The city is then put through simulated earthquakes to see which cube structures withstand the shaking the best. This activity requires a 50-minute time period for completion. (Author/SOE)

  9. Structures and reaction pathways of the molybdenum centres of sulfite-oxidizing enzymes by pulsed EPR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Enemark, John H; Astashkin, Andrei V; Raitsimring, Arnold M

    2008-12-01

    SOEs (sulfite-oxidizing enzymes) are physiologically vital and occur in all forms of life. During the catalytic cycle, the five-co-ordinate square pyramidal oxo-molybdenum active site passes through the Mo(V) state, and intimate details of the structure can be obtained from variable frequency pulsed EPR spectroscopy through the hyperfine and nuclear quadrupole interactions of nearby magnetic nuclei. By employing variable spectrometer operational frequencies, it is possible to optimize the measurement conditions for difficult quadrupolar nuclei of interest (e.g. (17)O, (33)S, (35)Cl and (37)Cl) and to simplify the interpretation of the spectra. Isotopically labelled model Mo(V) compounds provide further insight into the electronic and geometric structures and chemical reactions of the enzymes. Recently, blocked forms of SOEs having co-ordinated sulfate, the reaction product, were detected using (33)S (I=3/2) labelling. This blocking of product release is a possible contributor to fatal human sulfite oxidase deficiency in young children.

  10. Structural and oxidative stabilization of spray dried fish oil microencapsulates with gum arabic and sage polyphenols: Characterization and release kinetics.

    PubMed

    Binsi, P K; Nayak, Natasha; Sarkar, P C; Jeyakumari, A; Muhamed Ashraf, P; Ninan, George; Ravishankar, C N

    2017-03-15

    The synergistic efficacy of gum arabic and sage polyphenols in stabilising capsule wall and protecting fish oil encapsulates from heat induced disruption and oxidative deterioration during spray drying was assessed. The emulsions prepared with sodium caseinate as wall polymer, gum arabic as wall co-polymer and sage extract as wall stabiliser was spray dried using a single fluid nozzle. Fish oil encapsulates stabilised with gum arabic and sage extract (SOE) exhibited significantly higher encapsulation efficiency compared to encapsulates containing gum arabic alone (FOE). Scanning electron microscopic and atomic force microscopic images revealed uniform encapsulates with good sphericity and smooth surface for SOE, compared to FOE powder. In vitro oil release of microencapsulates indicated negligible oil release in buffered saline whereas more than 80% of the oil loaded in encapsulates were released in simulated GI fluids. The encapsulates containing sage extract showed a lower rate of lipid oxidation during storage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Replacement Sequence of Events Generator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fisher, Forest; Gladden, Daniel Wenkert Roy; Khanampompan, Teerpat

    2008-01-01

    The soeWINDOW program automates the generation of an ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations)-compliant sub-RSOE (Replacement Sequence of Events) by extracting a specified temporal window from an RSOE while maintaining page header information. RSOEs contain a significant amount of information that is not ITAR-compliant, yet that foreign partners need to see for command details to their instrument, as well as the surrounding commands that provide context for validation. soeWINDOW can serve as an example of how command support products can be made ITAR-compliant for future missions. This software is a Perl script intended for use in the mission operations UNIX environment. It is designed for use to support the MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) instrument team. The tool also provides automated DOM (Distributed Object Manager) storage into the special ITAR-okay DOM collection, and can be used for creating focused RSOEs for product review by any of the MRO teams.

  12. A Stochastic Imaging Technique for Spatio-Spectral Characterization of Special Nuclear Material

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamel, Michael C.

    Radiation imaging is advantageous for detecting, locating and characterizing special nuclear material (SNM) in complex environments. A dual-particle imager (DPI) has been designed that is capable of detecting gamma-ray and neutron signatures from shielded SNM. The system combines liquid organic and NaI(Tl) scintillators to form a combined Compton and neutron scatter camera. Effective image reconstruction of detected particles is a crucial component for maximizing the performance of the system; however, a key deficiency exists in the widely used list-mode maximum-likelihood estimation-maximization (MLEM) image reconstruction technique. The steady-state solution produced by this iterative method will have poor quality compared to solutions produced with fewer iterations. A stopping condition is required to achieve a better solution but these conditions fail to achieve maximum image quality. Stochastic origin ensembles (SOE) imaging is a good candidate to address this problem as it uses Markov chain Monte Carlo to reach a stochastic steady-state solution that has image quality comparable to the best MLEM solution. The application of SOE to the DPI is presented in this work. SOE was originally applied in medical imaging applications with no mechanism to isolate spectral information based on location. This capability is critical for non-proliferation applications as complex radiation environments with multiple sources are often encountered. This dissertation extends the SOE algorithm to produce spatially dependent spectra and presents experimental result showing that the technique was effective for isolating a 4.1-kg mass of weapons grade plutonium (WGPu) when other neutron and gamma-ray sources were present. This work also demonstrates the DPI as an effective tool for localizing and characterizing highly enriched uranium (HEU). A series of experiments were performed with the DPI using a deuterium-deuterium (DD) and deuterium-tritium (DT) neutron generator, as well as

  13. A new intravenous fat emulsion containing soybean oil, medium-chain triglycerides, olive oil, and fish oil: a single-center, double-blind randomized study on efficacy and safety in pediatric patients receiving home parenteral nutrition.

    PubMed

    Goulet, Olivier; Antébi, Helena; Wolf, Claude; Talbotec, Cécile; Alcindor, Louis-Gérald; Corriol, Odile; Lamor, Michèle; Colomb-Jung, Virginie

    2010-01-01

    SMOFlipid 20% is an intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) containing soybean oil, medium-chain triglycerides, olive oil, and fish oil developed to provide energy, essential fatty acids (FAs), and long-chain ω-3 FAs as a mixed emulsion containing α-tocopherol. The aim was to assess the efficacy and safety of this new ILE in pediatric patients receiving home parenteral nutrition (HPN) compared with soybean oil emulsion (SOE). This single-center, randomized, double-blind study included 28 children on HPN allocated to receive either SMOFlipid 20% (n = 15) or a standard SOE (Intralipid 20%, n = 13). ILE was administered 4 to 5 times per week (goal dose, 2.0 g/kg/d) within a parenteral nutrition regimen. Assessments, including safety and efficacy parameters, were performed on day 0 and after the last study infusion (day 29). Lipid peroxidation was determined by measurement of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). There were no significant differences in laboratory safety parameters, including liver enzymes, between the groups on day 29. The mean ± standard deviation changes in the total bilirubin concentration between the initial and final values (day 29 to day 0) were significantly different between groups: SMOFlipid group -1.5 ± 2.4 µmol/L vs SOE group 2.3 ± 3.5 µmol/L, P < .01; 95% confidence interval [CI], -6.2 to -1.4). In plasma and red blood cell (RBC) phospholipids, the ω-3 FAs C20:5ω-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid) and + C22:6ω-3 (docosahexaenoic acid) increased significantly in the SMOFlipid group on day 29. The ω-3:ω-6 FA ratio was significantly elevated with SMOFlipid 20% compared with SOE group (plasma, day 29: 0.15 ± 0.06 vs 0.07 ± 0.02, P < .01, 95% CI, 0.04-0.11; and RBC, day 29: 0.23 ± 0.07 vs 0.14 ± 0.04, P < .01, 95% CI, 0.04-0.13). Plasma α-tocopherol concentration increased significantly more with SMOFlipid 20% (15.7 ± 15.9 vs 5.4 ± 15.2 µmol/L, P < .05; 95% CI, -2.1 to 22.6). The low-density lipoprotein-TBARS concentrations were

  14. Predation at the Shore.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cook, Helen M.; Matthews, Catherine E.; Hildreth, David P.; Couch, Emma

    2003-01-01

    Describes 10 predator/prey relationships that occur on the coast. Predators are compared to criminals and prey to their victims along with details of crime scenes. Accurately describes the habits and habitats of the criminals and presents games and activities that feature the relationships between predators and their prey. (Author/SOE)

  15. Australia State of the Environment 2011--A Resource for Science Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marsack, Peter; Shepherd, Lee-Anne; Bartlett, Anni

    2013-01-01

    Australia State of the Environment 2011 (SoE 2011) is a comprehensive review of the Australian environment, providing an independent and authoritative snapshot of the state of our continent. The report presents relevant and useful information to the public and decision makers to improve understanding of environmental issues and support better…

  16. Assessment of Multiple Physician Competencies in Postgraduate Training: Utility of the Structured Oral Examination

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jefferies, Ann; Simmons, Brian; Ng, Eugene; Skidmore, Martin

    2011-01-01

    Competency based medical education involves assessing physicians-in-training in multiple roles. Training programs are challenged by the need to introduce appropriate yet feasible assessment methods. We therefore examined the utility of a structured oral examination (SOE) in the assessment of the 7 CanMEDS roles (Medical Expert, Communicator,…

  17. The Great Fossil Fiasco: Teaching about Peer Review.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gift, Nancy; Krasny, Marianne

    2003-01-01

    Describes a lesson that engages middle school students in learning about peer review. Uses the article "Archaeoraptor Fossil Trail," which was published in the November, 1999 issue of "National Geographic" as an example of a real life story of how peer review forces scientists to critically re-examine a fossil discovery. (SOE)

  18. The Wisconsin-Spencer Doctoral Research Program: An Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leonard, Mary; Fennema, Elizabeth

    2008-01-01

    Background/Context: At a time when educational research is recognized as capable of improving teaching and learning, it is under attack for falling short of this promise. Part of the solution lies in improving the preparation of educational researchers. Toward this goal, the UW-Madison School of Education (SOE) participated with the Spencer…

  19. Entrepreneurial Training Project in China: Retraining Laid-Off Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Bingxin; Vongalis-Macrow, Athena

    2012-01-01

    Despite the tremendous economic progress made by the Chinese economy, averaging a nine percent growth per year, one section of the community remains outside the economic boom. As state-owned enterprises (SOEs) restructure into more efficient organisations able to compete in the global economy, the plight of workers within these enterprises has…

  20. Challenges in Retraining Workers Laid-Off by State-Owned Enterprises in China: Findings from a Field Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Bingxin; Lewis, Ramon; Greenwood, Kenneth Mark

    2012-01-01

    This article addresses one of the many sensitive and challenging problems generated by China's era of reform and economic growth: the need to retrain or educate laid-off (displaced) workers from state owned enterprises (SOEs). It does so to provide valuable insight for those responsible for the changes associated with the move to the current…

  1. An Examination of the Opinions and Supervised Occupational Experience Programs of Selected Vocational Agricultural Instructors in the U.S. Staff Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bobbitt, Frank

    A study was made of the opinions and programs of a selected group of 77 vocational agriculture instructors to determine the status of supervised occupational experience (SOE) programs among secondary agricultural instructors who had been identified as some of the best in the states surveyed. Of particular interest was the relative role that the…

  2. Witnessing of Cheating-in-Exams Behavior and Factors Sustaining Integrity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Starovoytova, Diana; Arimi, Milton

    2017-01-01

    This study is a fraction of a larger research on cheating, at the School of Engineering (SOE). The study design used a descriptive survey approach and a document analysis. A designed confidential self-report questioner was used as the main instrument, for this study, with the sample size of 100 subjects and response rate of 95%. The tool was…

  3. What is the Best Insulator: Air, Styrofoam, Foil, or Cotton? Grades 3-5.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rushton, Erik; Ryan, Emily; Swift, Charles

    Contrary to what many students think, heat flows from hot to cold. Working in groups of 3-4, students investigate the properties of insulators in attempts to keep a cup of water from freezing and, once it is frozen, to keep it from melting. This activity requires a 4.5-hour time period for completion. (Author/SOE)

  4. Low temperature solid oxide electrolytes (LT-SOE): A review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, B.; Ghosh, S.; Aich, S.; Roy, B.

    2017-01-01

    Low temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LT-SOFC) can be a source of power for vehicles, online grid, and at the same time reduce system cost, offer high reliability, and fast start-up. A huge amount of research work, as evident from the literature has been conducted for the enhancement of the ionic conductivity of LT electrolytes in the last few years. The basic conduction mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages of different LT oxide ion conducting electrolytes {BIMEVOX systems, bilayer systems including doped cerium oxide/stabilised bismuth oxide and YSZ/DCO}, mixed ion conducting electrolytes {doped cerium oxides/alkali metal carbonate composites}, and proton conducting electrolytes {doped and undoped BaCeO3, BaZrO3, etc.} are discussed here based on the recent research articles. Effect of various material aspects (composition, doping, layer thickness, etc.), fabrication methods (to achieve different microstructures and particle size), design related strategies (interlayer, sintering aid etc.), characterization temperature & environment on the conductivity of the electrolytes and performance of the fuel cells made from these electrolytes are shown in tabular form and discussed. The conductivity of the electrolytes and performance of the corresponding fuel cells are compared. Other applications of the electrolytes are mentioned. A few considerations regarding the future prospects are pointed.

  5. Defense Acquisition University Program Managers Tool Kit

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-01

    46–47 Goal 2: Affordable System Operational Effectiveness (SOE) ................................ 48 Goal... System Development and Demonstration 6.6 BA 6 RDT&E Management Support --- BA 7 Operational System Development *NOTE: Although similar, titles of the...addition, the “ Operational System Development” Budget Activity for RDT&E BA 7 is not considered MFP 6. While correctly funded with RDT&E dollars

  6. Factors Affecting Cheating-Behavior at Undergraduate-Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Starovoytova, Diana; Namango, Saul

    2016-01-01

    This study is a fraction of a larger research on cheating in exams at the School of Engineering (SOE). The study design used a descriptive survey approach and a document analysis. A designed confidential self report questioner was applied as the main instrument for this study, with the sample size of 100 subjects, and a response rate of 95%. The…

  7. Effect of electrode impedance on spread of excitation and pitch perception using electrically coupled “dual-electrode” stimulation

    PubMed Central

    Hughes, Michelle L.; Baudhuin, Jacquelyn L.; Goehring, Jenny L.

    2014-01-01

    Objective In newer-generation Cochlear Ltd. cochlear implants, two adjacent electrodes can be electrically coupled to produce a single contact or “dual electrode” (DE). The goal of the present study was to evaluate whether relatively large impedance differences (>3.0 kOhms) between coupled electrodes affect the excitation pattern and pitch percepts produced by the DE. Design Fifteen electrode pairs in six recipients were tested. Neural spread-of-excitation (SOE) patterns and pitch perception were measured for adjacent physical electrodes (PEs) and the resulting DE to determine if the lower-impedance PE in the pair dominates the DE response pattern. Results were compared to a “normative sample” (impedance differences <3.0 kOhms) from two earlier studies. Results In general, SOE patterns for DEs more closely approximated those of the lower-impedance PE in each pair. The DE was more easily distinguished in pitch from the higher-impedance PE than the lower-impedance PE. The ECAP and perceptual results generally differed from those of the normative group. Conclusions Impedance differences between adjacent PEs should be considered if DE stimulation is implemented in future research studies or clinical coding strategies. PMID:25250960

  8. Ultra-High Efficiency, High-Concentration PV System Based On Spectral Division Between GaInP/GaInAs/Ge And BPC Silicon Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benítez, P.; Mohedano, R.; Buljan, M.; Miñano, J. C.; Sun, Y.; Falicoff, W.; Vilaplana, J.; Chaves, J.; Biot, G.; López, J.

    2011-12-01

    A novel HCPV nonimaging concentrator concept with high concentration (>500×) is presented. It uses the combination of a commercial concentration GaInP/GaInAs/Ge 3J cell and a concentration Back-Point-Contact (BPC) concentration silicon cell for efficient spectral utilization, and external confinement techniques for recovering the 3J cell's reflection. The primary optical element (POE) is a flat Fresnel lens and the secondary optical element (SOE) is a free-form RXI-type concentrator with a band-pass filter embedded it, both POE and SOE performing Köhler integration to produce light homogenization. The band-pass filter sends the IR photons in the 900-1200 nm band to the silicon cell. Computer simulations predict that four-terminal terminal designs could achieve ˜46% added cell efficiencies using commercial 39% 3J and 26% Si cells. A first proof-of concept receiver prototype has been manufactured using a simpler optical architecture (with a lower concentration, ˜100× and lower simulated added efficiency), and experimental measurements have shown up to 39.8% 4J receiver efficiency using a 3J with peak efficiency of 36.9%.

  9. Free-form Fresnel RXI Köhler design with spectrum-splitting for photovoltaics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buljan, M.; Benítez, P.; Mohedano, R.; Miñano, J. C.; Sun, Y.; Falicoff, W.; Vilaplana, J.; Chaves, J.; Biot, G.; López, J.

    2011-10-01

    Here we present a novel optical design of the high concentration photovoltaics (HPCV) nonimaging concentrator (>500x) with built-in spectrum splitting concept. The primary optical element (POE) is a flat Fresnel lens and the secondary optical element (SOE) is a free-form RXI-type concentrator with a band-pass filter embedded in it, both POE and SOE performing Köhler integration to produce light homogenization on the target. It uses the combination of a commercial concentration GaInP/GaInAs/Ge 3J cell and a concentration Back-Point-Contact (BPC) silicon cell for efficient spectral utilization, and external confinement techniques for recovering the 3J cell's reflection. Design targets equivalent cell efficiency ~46% using commercial 39% 3J and 26% Si cells, and CPV module efficiency greater than 38%, achieved at a concentration level larger than 500X and wide acceptance angle (+/-1°). A first proof-of concept receiver prototype has been manufactured using a simpler optical architecture (with a lower concentration, ~100x and lower simulated added efficiency), and experimental measurements have shown up to 39.8% 4J receiver efficiency using a 3J with peak efficiency of 36.9%.

  10. Pitch ranking, electrode discrimination, and physiological spread of excitation using current steering in cochlear implants

    PubMed Central

    Goehring, Jenny L.; Neff, Donna L.; Baudhuin, Jacquelyn L.; Hughes, Michelle L.

    2014-01-01

    The first objective of this study was to determine whether adaptive pitch-ranking and electrode-discrimination tasks with cochlear-implant (CI) recipients produce similar results for perceiving intermediate “virtual-channel” pitch percepts using current steering. Previous studies have not examined both behavioral tasks in the same subjects with current steering. A second objective was to determine whether a physiological metric of spatial separation using the electrically evoked compound action potential spread-of-excitation (ECAP SOE) function could predict performance in the behavioral tasks. The metric was the separation index (Σ), defined as the difference in normalized amplitudes between two adjacent ECAP SOE functions, summed across all masker electrodes. Eleven CII or 90 K Advanced Bionics (Valencia, CA) recipients were tested using pairs of electrodes from the basal, middle, and apical portions of the electrode array. The behavioral results, expressed as d′, showed no significant differences across tasks. There was also no significant effect of electrode region for either task. ECAP Σ was not significantly correlated with pitch ranking or electrode discrimination for any of the electrode regions. Therefore, the ECAP separation index is not sensitive enough to predict perceptual resolution of virtual channels. PMID:25480063

  11. Use of HIV PEPSE and Hepatitis B vaccine following the introduction of a SARC.

    PubMed

    Bennett, Judy; Johnson, Sandie

    2011-11-01

    Adherence to local guidelines on the use of HIV post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and hepatitis B vaccine following sexual assault was evaluated by means of audit. Forensic Medical Examiners (FMEs) were asked to complete an audit form after conducting sexual offence examinations at Gloucester Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). Only one HIV PEP pack was prescribed during the six and a half month audit period. Examination of the SARC records of the allegations made by complainants did not reveal any high-risk cases involving a failure to offer HIV post-exposure prophylaxis following sexual exposure (PEPSE). The majority of the examinations performed at the SARC were carried out by trained sexual offence examiners (SOEs). The audit indicates that these SOEs were considering the appropriate use of HIV PEPSE and hepatitis B vaccine when they performed examinations. Some examinations were performed by general forensic medical examiners who completed the audit forms infrequently. It was not possible to determine whether these examiners were considering the appropriate use of HIV PEPSE and hepatitis treatments. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

  12. Prediction of metabolites of epoxidation reaction in MetaTox.

    PubMed

    Rudik, A V; Dmitriev, A V; Bezhentsev, V M; Lagunin, A A; Filimonov, D A; Poroikov, V V

    2017-10-01

    Biotransformation is a process of the chemical modifications which may lead to the reactive metabolites, in particular the epoxides. Epoxide reactive metabolites may cause the toxic effects. The prediction of such metabolites is important for drug development and ecotoxicology studies. Epoxides are formed by some oxidation reactions, usually catalysed by cytochromes P450, and represent a large class of three-membered cyclic ethers. Identification of molecules, which may be epoxidized, and indication of the specific location of epoxide functional group (which is called SOE - site of epoxidation) are important for prediction of epoxide metabolites. Datasets from 355 molecules and 615 reactions were created for training and validation. The prediction of SOE is based on a combination of LMNA (Labelled Multilevel Neighbourhood of Atom) descriptors and Bayesian-like algorithm implemented in PASS software and MetaTox web-service. The average invariant accuracy of prediction (AUC) calculated in leave-one-out and 20-fold cross-validation procedures is 0.9. Prediction of epoxide formation based on the created SAR model is included as the component of MetaTox web-service ( http://www.way2drug.com/mg ).

  13. More Ways to Obtain Publications | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    More Ways to Obtain Publications More Ways to Obtain Publications Through the NREL Library or one information products. The NREL Library The library is open M-F, 8:00 a.m 5:00 p.m. Email or call 303-275-4215 Loan Service. Our OCLC symbol is SOE. Search the NREL Library The NREL Library has extensive resources

  14. Are We Tracking the Dragon? Ensuring the Intelligence Community is Properly Postured to Monitor an Emerging China

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-03-01

    franchise conferred by secrets is at the root of why U.S. intelligence made puzzle solving its principal Cold War business….For the mysteries…information...Enterprises (SOEs). As a corollary, local entrepreneurship has been emphasized. There has also been a growing application of market forces, and the...decentralize the economy and encourage entrepreneurship on the part of local leaders has robbed the center of much of its ability to force environmental

  15. Dynamical model of binary asteroid systems through patched three-body problems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferrari, Fabio; Lavagna, Michèle; Howell, Kathleen C.

    2016-08-01

    The paper presents a strategy for trajectory design in the proximity of a binary asteroid pair. A novel patched approach has been used to design trajectories in the binary system, which is modeled by means of two different three-body systems. The model introduces some degrees of freedom with respect to a classical two-body approach and it is intended to model to higher accuracy the peculiar dynamical properties of such irregular and low gravity field bodies, while keeping the advantages of having a full analytical formulation and low computational cost required. The neighborhood of the asteroid couple is split into two regions of influence where two different three-body problems describe the dynamics of the spacecraft. These regions have been identified by introducing the concept of surface of equivalence (SOE), a three-dimensional surface that serves as boundary between the regions of influence of each dynamical model. A case of study is presented, in terms of potential scenario that may benefit of such an approach in solving its mission analysis. Cost-effective solutions to land a vehicle on the surface of a low gravity body are selected by generating Poincaré maps on the SOE, seeking intersections between stable and unstable manifolds of the two patched three-body systems.

  16. Heavy Metal Uptake by C. esculentus, S. alterniflora and Agronomic Plants from Contaminated Soils and Sediments.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-02-28

    in March and potted in April. Seed sowing will ta..-e place in mid-May. The species sown will include a grass. wheat, lettuce and radish and C... effects varied. Soe started negativeLy, and became positive; others remained negative ( radish ), and others were positive aLl the time (wheat). ALL...agronomic plants selected were radish (Webb’s French Break- fast), lettuce (Paris White), wheat (spring), red fescue (Merlin) and ryegrass (S24). Each

  17. PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY AFTER NEXT

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2000-08-01

    machine tools and workforce training), and, above all, money (to support the modernization of Chinese factories and product l ines)—but also “software...shipbuilding capacity. This overcapacity is exacerbated by an endemic lack of sufficient capital. The government often does not have enough money to put...arms industries reportedly are among biggest money -losers.110 As a result, most SOEs are burdened with 30 considerable debt, much of which is

  18. A History of the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) 1964-1985

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-12-01

    Advlwry Cu.rctl Lqu i fWTU1l rv.lu.1 tl~ CLmn!tteo.o r t"l..kral .... m.ro . • Progr.n UJmntl t"t’ H,Hl er PI~ Camu (t~ M.I:soe.uch oInJ ~1 0fTTU...Illinois, 16 Dec. 1983, Records of Prof. William J. Hall, University of Illinois. 21. Ibid.; James J. Costello, University Counsel, to Albert E. Jenner

  19. Sustaining Unconventional Warfare

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-05-23

    unavailable or infrequent, resulting in a shortfall of the OSS’ ability to provide agents the radio. To overcome the shortage Donovan ordered all individuals...deploying to theaters accompanied with an SSTR-1. This simple system enabled the OSS to overcome the shortage and cease the practice. The other...to the invasion. It took both the OSS and SOE to overcome these setbacks. They were both placed under SHAEF that fall and were designated Special

  20. A Laboratory Evaluation of Liquid Cooled Vests for Non-Combatants

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-04-01

    intermediate between these extremes have been or could be used by, for example, firefighters, stokers, furnace workers , surgeons (to inhibit sweating ...M., and Stein, R.W. (1976) An ice-cooling garment for mine rescue workers . Report PB-254487, US Department of Commerce, Washington DC, USA. Edwards...ermoregulatory sdeating of three sabjects. All su:-ects stated that the vests co-vide_ so,-e relief from heat stress, but no effects of eat st-ess on

  1. Beamlines of the biomedical imaging and therapy facility at the Canadian light source - part 3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wysokinski, Tomasz W.; Chapman, Dean; Adams, Gregg; Renier, Michel; Suortti, Pekka; Thomlinson, William

    2015-03-01

    The BioMedical Imaging and Therapy (BMIT) facility provides synchrotron-specific imaging and radiation therapy capabilities [1-4]. We describe here the Insertion Device (ID) beamline 05ID-2 with the beam terminated in the SOE-1 (Secondary Optical Enclosure) experimental hutch. This endstation is designed for imaging and therapy research primarily in animals ranging in size from mice to humans to horses, as well as tissue specimens including plants. Core research programs include human and animal reproduction, cancer imaging and therapy, spinal cord injury and repair, cardiovascular and lung imaging and disease, bone and cartilage growth and deterioration, mammography, developmental biology, gene expression research as well as the introduction of new imaging methods. The source for the ID beamline is a multi-pole superconducting 4.3 T wiggler [5]. The high field gives a critical energy over 20 keV. The high critical energy presents shielding challenges and great care must be taken to assess shielding requirements [6-9]. The optics in the POE-1 and POE-3 hutches [4,10] prepare a monochromatic beam that is 22 cm wide in the last experimental hutch SOE-1. The double crystal bent-Laue or Bragg monochromator, or the single-crystal K-edge subtraction (KES) monochromator provide an energy range appropriate for imaging studies in animals (20-100+ keV). SOE-1 (excluding the basement structure 4 m below the experimental floor) is 6 m wide, 5 m tall and 10 m long with a removable back wall to accommodate installation and removal of the Large Animal Positioning System (LAPS) capable of positioning and manipulating animals as large as a horse [11]. This end-station also includes a unique detector positioner with a vertical travel range of 4.9 m which is required for the KES imaging angle range of +12.3° to -7.3°. The detector positioner also includes moveable shielding integrated with the safety shutters. An update on the status of the other two end-stations at BMIT, described

  2. Comparisons of auction mechanisms in a multiple unit setting: A consideration for restructuring electric power markets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bernard, John Charles

    The objective of this study was to compare the performance of five single sided auctions that could be used in restructured electric power markets across different market sizes in a multiple unit setting. Auction selection would profoundly influence an industry over $200 billion in size in the United States, and the consequences of implementing an inappropriate mechanism would be great. Experimental methods were selected to analyze the auctions. Two rounds of experiments were conducted, the first testing the sealed offer last accepted offer (LAO) and first rejected offer (FRO), and the clock English (ENG) and sealed offer English (SOE) in markets of sizes two and six. The FRO, SOE, and ENG used the same pricing rule. Second round testing was on the LAO, FRO, and the nonuniform price multiple unit Vickrey (MUV) in markets of sizes two, four, and six. Experiments lasted 23 and 75 periods for rounds 1 and 2 respectively. Analysis of variance and contrast analysis were used to examine the data. The four performance measures used were price, efficiency, profits per unit, and supply revelation. Five basic principles were also assessed: no sales at losses, all low cost capacity should be offered and sold, no high cost capacity should sell, and the market should clear. It was expected group size and auction type would affect performance. For all performance measures, group size was a significant variable, with smaller groups showing poorer performance. Auction type was significant only for the efficiency performance measure, where clock auctions outperformed the others. Clock auctions also proved superior for the first four principles. The FRO performed poorly in almost all situations, and should not be a preferred mechanism in any market. The ENG was highly efficient, but expensive for the buyer. The SOE appeared superior to the FRO and ENG. The clock improves efficiency over the FRO while less information kept prices under the ENG. The MUV was superior in revealing costs

  3. Coal Conversion at Picatinny Arsenal and Forts Campbell, Bragg, and Gordon: A Feasibility Study

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-12-01

    David M. Joncich is Chief, USACERL-FE, and Dr. Michael J. O’Connor is Chief, USACERL-FL. The USACERL technical editor was William J. Wolfe, Information...PanFr apel B4. S.. .......................................... U ,20 .. .... . .... ........ .. ’.... . ... .. i"....... 20 .......... .......... 1...i ~ ~ Chng In X Fgr14 Efe oEsatio Rat onte LC of a iolFrdSoe lnFr apel * S S i S e• B * S S e S e S SS* e e o * S S

  4. Free-form Fresnel RXI-RR Köhler design for high-concentration photovoltaics with spectrum-splitting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buljan, M.; Benítez, P.; Mohedano, R.; Miñano, J. C.; Sun, Y.; Falicoff, W.; Vilaplana, J.; Chaves, J.; Biot, G.; López, J.

    2011-10-01

    Development of a novel HCPV nonimaging concentrator with high concentration (>500x) and built-in spectrum splitting concept is presented. It uses the combination of a commercial concentration GaInP/GaInAs/Ge 3J cell and a concentration Back-Point-Contact (BPC) silicon cell for efficient spectral utilization, and external confinement techniques for recovering the 3J cell's reflection. The primary optical element (POE) is a flat Fresnel lens and the secondary optical element (SOE) is a free-form RXI-type concentrator with a band-pass filter embedded in it - Both the POE and SOE performing Köhler integration to produce light homogenization on the receiver. The band-pass filter transmits the IR photons in the 900-1200 nm band to the silicon cell. A design target of an "equivalent" cell efficiency ~46% is predicted using commercial 39% 3J and 26% Si cells. A projected CPV module efficiency of greater than 38% is achievable at a concentration level larger than 500X with a wide acceptance angle of +/-1°. A first proof-of concept receiver prototype has been manufactured using a simpler optical architecture (with a lower concentration, ~100x and lower simulated added efficiency), and experimental measurements have shown up to 39.8% 4J receiver efficiency using a 3J cell with a peak efficiency of 36.9%.

  5. HAL: a hierarchical format for storing and analyzing multiple genome alignments.

    PubMed

    Hickey, Glenn; Paten, Benedict; Earl, Dent; Zerbino, Daniel; Haussler, David

    2013-05-15

    Large multiple genome alignments and inferred ancestral genomes are ideal resources for comparative studies of molecular evolution, and advances in sequencing and computing technology are making them increasingly obtainable. These structures can provide a rich understanding of the genetic relationships between all subsets of species they contain. Current formats for storing genomic alignments, such as XMFA and MAF, are all indexed or ordered using a single reference genome, however, which limits the information that can be queried with respect to other species and clades. This loss of information grows with the number of species under comparison, as well as their phylogenetic distance. We present HAL, a compressed, graph-based hierarchical alignment format for storing multiple genome alignments and ancestral reconstructions. HAL graphs are indexed on all genomes they contain. Furthermore, they are organized phylogenetically, which allows for modular and parallel access to arbitrary subclades without fragmentation because of rearrangements that have occurred in other lineages. HAL graphs can be created or read with a comprehensive C++ API. A set of tools is also provided to perform basic operations, such as importing and exporting data, identifying mutations and coordinate mapping (liftover). All documentation and source code for the HAL API and tools are freely available at http://github.com/glennhickey/hal. hickey@soe.ucsc.edu or haussler@soe.ucsc.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  6. Internal Administrative Control: Its Applicability to the Marine Corps.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-06-01

    activities and units, or ly regulatory and sulervisozy agencies. Ziautz contends that "internal auditing is a very effective source oil mcnitcring in many...to ccapare the perfcrmance cf a functional area with the standards set forth in the SOE, it should be determined if the SCP is 100 currezt and complies...SC 2990’ COMCABWEST El Toro CA 92709 CG Fourth MAW New Orleans LA 70146 CG MCB Camp Lejeune NC 28542 CG MCAGCC Twentynine Palms CA 92278 125

  7. Spectral Factorization and Homogenization Methods for Modeling and Control of Flexible Structures.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-12-15

    to the computation of hybrid, state-space modeling of an integrated space platform . Throughout this effort we have focused on the potential for...models can provide an effective tool for analysis of dynamics of vibrations and their effect on small angle motions for complex space platforms . In this... WIX 1 v .41(Ac 0 0o4 1 2.. 9 2% - L .0U V)V14IC Ma a * 9L 0 a soe - a a.. x m c 4. i.! 0~~~I W ** PMiscellaneous Routines• Power Series Expansion

  8. Grand Forks - East Grand Forks Urban Water Resources Study. Grand Forks Flood Fight Manual

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-07-01

    insurance is available for residential and commercial structures and contents at actuarial rates. As of 30 April 1980, 1258 policies were in effect...STATION #3 (WW) CLOSE SHEAR OATE ON LEW« M.VD. ON RIVER SOE OF IMKE. (S) PUCE PUMP M CATCH ■ ASM ON OTHER «DC OF MKE CLOSE SHEAR OATE ON OKE AT ISIS mVBMM...DRIVE. (S>* PUCE PUMP M CATCH « ASM ON OTHER SBC OF (NKE CLOU SHEAR OATE AT UFT STATION «S M MANHOU «WW> SWITCH OVER UFT STATION «I - CLOSE OATE

  9. The Soviet Naval Indian Ocean Squadron. Raison d’Etre: Action or Reaction?

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-09-01

    THESIS * THE SOVIET NAVAL INDIAN OCEAN SQUADRON R-AISON D’ETRE: ACTION OR. REACTION? by C) Allen Marvin Stout C..) La ~j September 1983 Thesis Advisor...but the anti-carrier forces were allowed to rede - ploy elsewhere. The bcttom line, then, is as expected. The Squadron has both active and reactive... Pon so bl tS 0 S 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 1 S 1 6 I ~ ~ O ofnbmt soesUB 0 6 S @0 0a 1 2 5 S 1 5 I Iba IOT Ilw om Djiout aI ~ IcbSitm I Ia 110

  10. [Development of health care services in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the Ottoman empire].

    PubMed

    Masić, I

    1991-01-01

    Organized health service in Bosnia and Herzegovina practically started by the treatment of the sick in the Hadji Sinan's Tekke that was founded in 1768. Before that, the civilian population had been mainly treated in their homes, while the army were treated in barracks or hired hans (inns). As late as the nineteenth century, health care was provided by quack doctors, treating physicians or surgeons and barbers, who were trained, beside the circumcision of male children, for tooth extraction, broken bone setting, and sometimes even for performing minor surgical operations (a specially trained barber called djerah). The first trained medical personnel were the Franciscans and Jews, who studied at the Universities of Italy, Austria, Hungary etc. The first Muslim trained physicians studied at the Medical Faculty in Istanbul. The first ones were: Dr. Mehmed Serbić and Dr. Zarif Skender, while the first Bosnian graduate in pharmacy was Jakov Sumbul. In Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina worked many a doctor who came from abroad. The majority of them converted to Islam and worked in the barracks, and later on in the Turkish Military Hospital when it was founded in Sarajevo. All of them played an important role in the prevention and treatment of the most frequent mass infectious and non-infectious diseases that were raging among the population--plague, cholera, syphilis, leprosy, tuberculosis, fungoid diseases etc.

  11. Comparison of primary optics in amonix CPV arrays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nayak, Aditya; Kinsey, Geoffrey S.; Liu, Mingguo; Bagienski, William; Garboushian, Vahan

    2012-10-01

    The Amonix CPV system utilizes an acrylic Fresnel lens Primary Optical Element (POE) and a reflective Secondary Optical Element (SOE). Improvements in the optical design have contributed to more than 10% increase in rated power last year. In order to further optimize the optical power path, Amonix is looking at various trade-offs in optics, including, concentration, optical materials, reliability, and cost. A comparison of optical materials used for manufacturing the primary optical element and optical design trade off's used to maximize power output will be presented. Optimization of the power path has led to the demonstration of a module lens-area efficiency of 35% in outdoor testing at Amonix.

  12. Communication—Electrolysis at High Efficiency with Remarkable Hydrogen Production Rates

    DOE PAGES

    Wood, Anthony; He, Hongpeng; Joia, Tahir; ...

    2016-01-20

    Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) can be used to produce hydrogen with very high efficiencies at remarkable hydrogen production rates. Through microstructural and compositional modification, conventional low cost Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) materials have been used to create a Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) that can achieve remarkable current density at cell voltages allowing higher conversion efficiency than current commercial electrolysers. Current densities in excess of 6 A/cm2 have been achieved at 800°C with a cell voltage of < 1.67 V. This cell shows a more than 3-fold increase in hydrogen production rate at higher efficiency than established commercial electrolysers.

  13. Quantum design rules for single molecule logic gates.

    PubMed

    Renaud, N; Hliwa, M; Joachim, C

    2011-08-28

    Recent publications have demonstrated how to implement a NOR logic gate with a single molecule using its interaction with two surface atoms as logical inputs [W. Soe et al., ACS Nano, 2011, 5, 1436]. We demonstrate here how this NOR logic gate belongs to the general family of quantum logic gates where the Boolean truth table results from a full control of the quantum trajectory of the electron transfer process through the molecule by very local and classical inputs practiced on the molecule. A new molecule OR gate is proposed for the logical inputs to be also single metal atoms, one per logical input.

  14. Animal versus plant protein and adult bone health: A systematic review and meta-analysis from the National Osteoporosis Foundation

    PubMed Central

    Chung, Mei; Fu, Zhuxuan; Insogna, Karl L.; Karlsen, Micaela C.; LeBoff, Meryl S.; Shapses, Sue A.; Sackey, Joachim; Shi, Jian; Weaver, Connie M.

    2018-01-01

    Background Protein may have both beneficial and detrimental effects on bone health depending on a variety of factors, including protein source. Objective The aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the effects of animal versus plant protein intake on bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC) and select bone biomarkers in healthy adults. Methods Searches across five databases were conducted through 10/31/16 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies in healthy adults that examined the effects of animal versus plant protein intake on 1) total body (TB), total hip (TH), lumbar spine (LS) or femoral neck (FN) BMD or TB BMC for at least one year, or 2) select bone formation and resorption biomarkers for at least six months. Strength of evidence (SOE) was assessed and random effect meta-analyses were performed. Results Seven RCTs examining animal vs. isoflavone-rich soy (Soy+) protein intake in 633 healthy peri-menopausal (n = 1) and post-menopausal (n = 6) women were included. Overall risk of bias was medium. Limited SOE suggests no significant difference between Soy+ vs. animal protein on LS, TH, FN and TB BMD, TB BMC, and bone turnover markers BSAP and NTX. Meta-analysis results showed on average, the differences between Soy+ and animal protein groups were close to zero and not significant for BMD outcomes (LS: n = 4, pooled net % change: 0.24%, 95% CI: -0.80%, 1.28%; TB: n = 3, -0.24%, 95% CI: -0.81%, 0.33%; FN: n = 3, 0.13%, 95% CI: -0.94%, 1.21%). All meta-analyses had no statistical heterogeneity. Conclusions These results do not support soy protein consumption as more advantageous than animal protein, or vice versa. Future studies are needed examining the effects of different protein sources in different populations on BMD, BMC, and fracture. PMID:29474360

  15. Presentation-order effects for aesthetic stimulus preference.

    PubMed

    Englund, Mats P; Hellström, Åke

    2012-10-01

    For preference comparisons of paired successive musical excerpts, Koh (American Journal of Psychology, 80, 171-185, 1967) found time-order effects (TOEs) that correlated negatively with stimulus valence-the first (vs. the second) of two unpleasant (vs. two pleasant) excerpts tended to be preferred. We present three experiments designed to investigate whether valence-level-dependent order effects for aesthetic preference (a) can be accounted for using Hellström's (e.g., Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 5, 460-477, 1979) sensation-weighting (SW) model, (b) can be generalized to successive and to simultaneous visual stimuli, and (c) vary, in accordance with the stimulus weighting, with interstimulus interval (ISI; for successive stimuli) or stimulus duration (for simultaneous stimuli). Participants compared paired successive jingles (Exp. 1), successive color patterns (Exp. 2), and simultaneous color patterns (Exp. 3), selecting the preferred stimulus. The results were well described by the SW model, which provided a better fit than did two extended versions of the Bradley-Terry-Luce model. Experiments 1 and 2 revealed higher weights for the second stimulus than for the first, and negatively valence-level-dependent TOEs. In Experiment 3, there was no laterality effect on the stimulus weighting and no valence-level-dependent space-order effects (SOEs). In terms of the SW model, the valence-level-dependent TOEs can be explained as a consequence of differential stimulus weighting in combination with stimulus valence varying from low to high, and the absence of valence-level-dependent SOEs as a consequence of the absence of differential weighting. For successive stimuli, there were no important effects of ISI on weightings and TOEs, and, for simultaneous stimuli, duration had only a small effect on the weighting.

  16. Designing physics video hooks for science students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McHugh, M.; McCauley, V.

    2016-01-01

    This paper offers an insight into the design structure of physics video hooks that were developed by the Science Education Resource design team in the school of education (SOE) in National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway). A hook, is an instructional technique used to stimulate student attention (Hunter 1994, Lemov 2010), interest (Jewett 2013) and engagement (McCrory 2011, Riendeau 2013). The physics video hooks followed a design framework that is illustrated below by breaking down the centre of gravity (COG) hook. Various design principles and elements embedded within the COG hook are presented with examples and the time they occur within the video. The intention of this article is that the design can be replicated and modified to aid teachers and designers in the development of a multitude of classroom based multimedia resources.

  17. Transportation Lines on the Mississippi River System and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway; Transportation Series 4; 1980.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-05-01

    MISS. 39180 20 /1W TOWING d FUE.ING CO., INC. P, 0. ox 20 SCOTT OEPOT. W. VA. 25560 32 WALET BARGE RENTALS, I-4C, P. 0. BOX 235 LOC !AUVILLE. LA...lEST 9 AGE. TANK, lOc 264d 264 330 925 11| -3A22 22, 800OS P014 BRIE CITY, 1978ISTE L TE’I rX, WAYNE WEST SoE00 10 24G 26di0 5, 500 11 20, 3627 * DO O...1l20 1200 3O 370 60 20 350 7*, BITS NONE ASBEVIiLE. 1965 1LA. SB 19 DOo -; 14’ * 380 20 - 600 " 44SPUES 00 v3 L976S01 0 300 20 - 350 -, BITOS 30 319e 1

  18. NOAA Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas 2016: Volcanic arc and Backarc Basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stern, R. J.; Brounce, M. N.; Chadwick, B.; Fryer, P. B.; Glickson, D.; Merle, S. G.

    2016-12-01

    Legs 1 and 3 of NOAA Okeanos Explorer EX1605 devoted a total of 17 ROV dives to exploring the Mariana magmatic arc and backarc basin (BAB). Dives were carried out on 11 submarine arc volcanoes, the submerged slopes of two volcanic islands, and at 3 BAB sites along 1000 km of the Mariana arc system. Four of the studied arc volcanoes are extinct, three are dormant, and six are active. All BAB dives were on the spreading ridge between 15-17°N, which is volcanically active. Geologic highpoints of these dives include: 1) discovery of an extinct hydrothermal chimney ( 15m tall) in Fina Nagu A (Leg 1, Dive 7; L1D7); 2) observations of very fresh (<3 years old) BAB pillow basalts (L1D9); 3) discovery of a very active BAB hydrothermal field (T 340°C, active chimneys up to 30m tall; L1D11); 4) examination of Esmeralda Bank crater floor (active venting but too murky to find vents; L1D19); 5) discovery of hydrothermal vents with vent fauna on Chamorro volcano (L3D7; T 30°C, active chimneys 2m tall); and 6) examination of active venting and S degassing at 500-350 m depth on Daikoku volcano (L3D9). Video clips of some of the most exciting discoveries and examinations will be presented. We plan to compare previous bathymetry over the active volcanoes with what was collected during EX1605 to quantify how these edifices have changed since when these were previously mapped, over the past 13 years or less. These dives also provided visual evidence in support of the hypothesis that individual edifices of the Fina Nagu Volcanic Complex increase in age from NE to SW, interpreted as due to the motion of actively-extending lithosphere of the southern Mariana BAB to the SW over a relatively fixed source of arc magma above the subducting Pacific plate (Brounce et al. G3 2016). Continuous interaction between biologists and geologists on EX1605 allowed us to identify regions of high faunal density on hard substrates around some active volcanoes, for example Esmeralda Bank, presumably

  19. A preliminary assessment of a medium-enthalpy geothermal resource in Nagu (Tibet) people's republic of China

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

    Battistelli, A.; Rivera, R.J.; D'Amore, F.

    1991-01-01

    The Nagqu geothermal field is a single-phase, liquid-dominated system at reservoir conditions, having a high gas content. This field is located at an elevation of about 4,500 m (asl), in the vicinity of the City of Nagqu, which is one of the most important cities of Tibet.The reservoir rock is made of a highly fractured, low-permeability sedimentary sequence. During the implementation of the study described in this paper, fluid production was mainly obtained from two out of four possible productive wells. The main fault systems are located in a NE-SW and E-W directions, which seem to control fluid movement atmore » depth. The geothermal field is restricted to a small area where hydrothermal manifestations are located. Reservoir temperature is 114 C, gas content is in the range of 0.5 to 0.6% by mass, being mainly CO{sub 2}. Reservoir transmissivity in the area of the wells is very high. Reservoir response to changes in flow rate in any of the producing wells could be detected almost immediately in the observation wells, which were distant between 300 to 900 m, depending on the production-observation well arrangement. Calcium carbonate scaling was present in all producing wells. This deposition was controlled by the CO{sub 2} partial pressure. Description of well testing results is provided, as well as the thermodynamics and geochemistry of reservoir fluids.« less

  20. Online Estimation of Model Parameters of Lithium-Ion Battery Using the Cubature Kalman Filter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Yong; Yan, Rusheng; Tian, Jindong; Zhou, Shijie; Hu, Chao

    2017-11-01

    Online estimation of state variables, including state-of-charge (SOC), state-of-energy (SOE) and state-of-health (SOH) is greatly crucial for the operation safety of lithium-ion battery. In order to improve estimation accuracy of these state variables, a precise battery model needs to be established. As the lithium-ion battery is a nonlinear time-varying system, the model parameters significantly vary with many factors, such as ambient temperature, discharge rate and depth of discharge, etc. This paper presents an online estimation method of model parameters for lithium-ion battery based on the cubature Kalman filter. The commonly used first-order resistor-capacitor equivalent circuit model is selected as the battery model, based on which the model parameters are estimated online. Experimental results show that the presented method can accurately track the parameters variation at different scenarios.

  1. Ventana{trade mark, serif} power train features and performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohedano, R.; Benitez, P.; Zamora, P.; Miñano, J. C.; Mendes, J.; Cvetkovic, A.; Vilaplana, J.; Hernandez, M.; Chaves, J.; Biot, G.

    2013-09-01

    Most CPV systems are based on Fresnel lenses. Among these, LPI-patented Fresnel-Köhler (FK) concentrator outstands owing to performance and practical reasons. The Ventana{trade mark, serif} power train is the first off-the-shelf commercial product based on the FK and comprises both the primary (POE) lenses (a 36-units 1×1 m2 acrylic panel) and glass (or silica glass) secondary optics (SOE). This high concentration optical train (Cg=1,024×, ˜250mm optical depth) fits with 5×5 mm2 (at least) solar cells. The optical train is the fruit of a 1-year development that has included design, modeling, prototyping and characterization, and through the process we had the opportunity to find out how well the actual performance correlates with models, but also learned practical aspects of a CPV system of this kind, some of which have very positive impact on system performance and reliability.

  2. Discovering causal pathways linking genomic events to transcriptional states using Tied Diffusion Through Interacting Events (TieDIE).

    PubMed

    Paull, Evan O; Carlin, Daniel E; Niepel, Mario; Sorger, Peter K; Haussler, David; Stuart, Joshua M

    2013-11-01

    Identifying the cellular wiring that connects genomic perturbations to transcriptional changes in cancer is essential to gain a mechanistic understanding of disease initiation, progression and ultimately to predict drug response. We have developed a method called Tied Diffusion Through Interacting Events (TieDIE) that uses a network diffusion approach to connect genomic perturbations to gene expression changes characteristic of cancer subtypes. The method computes a subnetwork of protein-protein interactions, predicted transcription factor-to-target connections and curated interactions from literature that connects genomic and transcriptomic perturbations. Application of TieDIE to The Cancer Genome Atlas and a breast cancer cell line dataset identified key signaling pathways, with examples impinging on MYC activity. Interlinking genes are predicted to correspond to essential components of cancer signaling and may provide a mechanistic explanation of tumor character and suggest subtype-specific drug targets. Software is available from the Stuart lab's wiki: https://sysbiowiki.soe.ucsc.edu/tiedie. jstuart@ucsc.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  3. The Italian corporate system in a network perspective (1952-1983)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bargigli, L.; Giannetti, R.

    2018-03-01

    We study the Italian network of boards in four benchmark years covering different decades, when important economic structural shifts occurred. We find that the latter did not significantly disturb its structure as a small world. At the same time, we do not find a strong peculiarity of the Italian variety of capitalism and its corporate governance system. Typical properties of small world networks are at levels which are not dissimilar from those of other developed economies. Even the steady decrease of density that we observe is recurrent in many other national systems. The composition of the core of the most connected boards remains also quite stable over time. Among the most central boards we always find those of banks and insurances, as well as those of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). At the same time, the system underwent two significant dynamic adjustments in the Sixties (nationalization of electrical industry) and Seventies (financial restructuring after the "big inflation") which are revealed by modifications in the core and in the community structure.

  4. Word Criticality Analysis. MOS: 16B. Skill Levels 1 & 2

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-09-01

    43* 2 UI3L, 29.1 2 §CT;:It’:iLL 1.12 2 ACCA 97.1 55.1 43.1 2 2 4,CITUI L 1.1 521 21l 9i 9 P ~ 1.2 2 hA~T)U h 24.1 10-.2 58.1 2.1. 2 A.;aifl U95. 2591...2 17 SOE 16.1 3.tl z J KS ’ f1 . 942.1 4e1 I v/ k Y1 MCS WOR LIT sy rtE AT SM U-2 AG P~~~- .s...:’<.- 14o -!2 7 2~ LVRI4RO LIST 66Y 22G1 140 *17142...71. 4 d1LLY 6? f1 4 NJ51 4l 22#1, 63.1 13.?2 5.2 17,1l 16.1 4 C tM; 4 Cx:v 1::CE. 1 1 7.2 4 Ci ’IF 37. 4 C t .C V1 E It C~C-’ 4:: I! D. 4 C0,; .) 2

  5. Closing the quality gap: revisiting the state of the science (vol. 2: the patient-centered medical home).

    PubMed Central

    Williams, John W; Jackson, George L; Powers, Benjamin J; Chatterjee, Ranee; Bettger, Janet Prvu; Kemper, Alex R; Hasselblad, Vic; Dolor, Rowena J; Irvine, R Julian; Heidenfelder, Brooke L; Kendrick, Amy S; Gray, Rebecca

    2012-01-01

    OBJECTIVES As part of the Closing the Quality Gap: Revisiting the State of the Science series of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), this systematic review sought to identify completed and ongoing evaluations of the comprehensive patient-centered medical home (PCMH), summarize current evidence for this model, and identify evidence gaps. DATA SOURCES We searched PubMed®, CINAHL®, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for published English-language studies, and a wide variety of databases and Web resources to identify ongoing or recently completed studies. REVIEW METHODS Two investigators per study screened abstracts and full-text articles for inclusion, abstracted data, and performed quality ratings and evidence grading. Our functional definition of PCMH was based on the definition used by AHRQ. We included studies that explicitly claimed to be evaluating PCMH and those that did not but which met our functional definition. RESULTS Seventeen studies with comparison groups evaluated the effects of PCMH (Key Question [KQ] 1). Older adults in the United States were the most commonly studied population (8 of 17 studies). PCMH interventions had a small positive impact on patient experiences (including patient-perceived care coordination) and small to moderate positive effects on preventive care services (moderate strength of evidence [SOE]). Staff experiences were also improved by a small to moderate degree (low SOE). There were too few studies to estimate effects on clinical or most economic outcomes. Twenty-one of 27 studies reported approaches that addressed all 7 major PCMH components (KQ 2), including team-based care, sustained partnership, reorganized care or structural changes to care, enhanced access, coordinated care, comprehensive care, and a systems-based approach to quality. A total of 51 strategies were used to address the 7 major PCMH components. Twenty-two of 27 studies reported information on financial systems used to

  6. Chimeric forms of furin and TGN38 are transported with the plasma membrane in the trans-Golgi network via distinct endosomal pathways.

    PubMed

    Mallet, W G; Maxfield, F R

    1999-07-26

    Furin and TGN38 are menbrane proteins that cycle between the plasma membrane and the trans-Golgi network (TGN), each maintaining a predominant distribution in the TGN. We have used chimeric proteins with an extracellular Tac domain and the cytoplasmic domain of TGN38 or furin to study the trafficking of these proteins in endosomes. Previously, we demonstrated that the postendocytic trafficking of Tac-TGN38 to the TGN is via the endocytic recycling pathway (Ghosh, R.N.,W.G. Mallet,T.T. Soe,T.E.McGraw, and F.R. Maxfield.1998.J. Cell Biol.142:923-936). Here we show that internalized Tac-furin is delivered to the TGN through late endosomes, bypassing the endocytic recycling compartment. The transport of Tac-furin from late endosomes to the TGN appears to proceed via an efficient, single-pass mechanism. Delivery of Tac-furin but not Tac-TGN38 to the TGN is blocked by nocodazole, and the two pathways are also differentially affected by wortmannin. These studies demonstrate the existence of two independentpathways for endosomal transport of proteins to the TGN from the plasma membrane.

  7. History and Perspectives of Nuclear Medicine in Myanmar

    PubMed Central

    Mar, Win

    2018-01-01

    Nuclear Medicine was established in Myanmar in 1963 by Dr Soe Myint and International Atomic Energy expert Dr R. Hochel at Yangon General Hospital. Nuclear medicine diagnostic and therapeutic services started with Probe Scintillation Detector Systems and rectilinear scanner. In the early stage, many Nuclear Medicine specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) spent some time in Myanmar and made significant contributions to the development of Nuclear Medicine in our country. The department participated in various IAEA technical cooperation projects and regional cooperation projects. By the late 1990s, new centers were established in Mandalay, Naypyidaw, and North Okkalapa Teaching Hospital of University of Medicine 11, Yangon. The training program related to Nuclear Medicine includes a postgraduate master’s degree (three years) at the University of Medicine. Currently, all centers are equipped with SPECT, SPECT-CT, PET-CT, and cyclotron in Yangon General Hospital. Up until now, the International Atomic Energy Agency has been playing a crucial role in the growth and development of Nuclear Medicine in Myanmar. Our vision is to provide a wide spectrum of nuclear medicine services at a level compatible with the international standards to become a Center of Excellence. PMID:29333470

  8. [Construction of eukaryotic recombinant vector and expression in COS7 cell of LipL32-HlyX fusion gene from Leptospira serovar Lai].

    PubMed

    Huang, Bi; Bao, Lang; Zhong, Qi; Zhang, Huidong; Zhang, Ying

    2009-04-01

    This study was conducted to construct eukaryotic recombinant vector of LipL32-HlyX fusion gene from Leptospira serovar Lai and express it in mammalian cell. Both of LipL32 gene and HlyX gene were amplified from Leptospira strain O17 genomic DNA by PCR. Then with the two genes as template, LipL32-HlyX fusion gene was obtained by SOE PCR (gene splicing by overlap extension PCR). The fusion gene was then cloned into pcDNA3.1 by restriction nuclease digestion. Having been transformed into E. coli DH5alpha, the recombiant plasmid was identified by restriction nuclease digestion, PCR analysis and sequencing. The recombinant plasmid was then transfected into COS7 cell whose expression was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. RT-PCR amplified a fragment about 2000 bp and Western blotting analysis found a specific band about 75 KD which was consistent with the expected fusion protein size. In conclusion, the successful construction of eukaryotic recombinant vector containing LipL32-HlyX fusion gene and the effective expression in mammalian have laid a foundation for the application of Leptospira DNA vaccine.

  9. Experimental characterization of Fresnel-Köhler concentrators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zamora, Pablo; Benítez, Pablo; Mohedano, Rubén; Cvetković, Aleksandra; Vilaplana, Juan; Li, Yang; Hernández, Maikel; Chaves, Julio; Miñano, Juan C.

    2012-01-01

    Most cost-effective concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) systems are based on an optical train comprising two stages, the first being a Fresnel lens. Among them, the Fresnel-Köhler (FK) concentrator stands out owing to both performance and practical reasons. We describe the experimental measurements procedure for FK concentrator modules. This procedure includes three main types of measurements: electrical efficiency, acceptance angle, and irradiance uniformity at the solar cell plane. We have collected here the performance features of two different FK prototypes (ranging different f-numbers, concentration ratios, and cell sizes). The electrical efficiencies measured in both prototypes are high and fit well with the models, achieving values up to 32.7% (temperature corrected, and with no antireflective coating on SOE or POE surfaces) in the best case. The measured angular transmission curves show large acceptance angles, again perfectly matching the expected values [measured concentration acceptance product (CAP) values over 0.56]. The irradiance pattern on the cell (obtained with a digital camera) shows an almost perfectly uniform distribution, as predicted by raytrace simulations. All these excellent on-sun results confirm the FK concentrator as a potentially cost-effective solution for the CPV market.

  10. j5 v2.8.4

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

    Hillson, Nathan

    j5 automates and optimizes the design of the molecular biological process of cloning/constructing DNA. j5 enables users to benefit from (combinatorial) multi-part scar-less SLIC, Gibson, CPEC, Golden Gate assembly, or variants thereof, for which automation software does not currently exist, without the intense labor currently associated with the process. j5 inputs a list of the DNA sequences to be assembled, along with a Genbank, FASTA, jbei-seq, or SBOL v1.1 format sequence file for each DNA source. Given the list of DNA sequences to be assembled, j5 first determines the cost-minimizing assembly strategy for each part (direct synthesis, PCR/SOE, or oligo-embedding),more » designs DNA oligos with Primer3, adds flanking homology sequences (SLIC, Gibson, and CPEC; optimized with Primer3 for CPEC) or optimized overhang sequences (Golden Gate) to the oligos and direct synthesis pieces, and utilizes BLAST to check against oligo mis-priming and assembly piece incompatibility events. After identifying DNA oligos that are already contained within a local collection for reuse, the program estimates the total cost of direct synthesis and new oligos to be ordered. In the instance that j5 identifies putative assembly piece incompatibilities (multiple pieces with high flanking sequence homology), the program suggests hierarchical subassemblies where possible. The program outputs a comma-separated value (CSV) file, viewable via Excel or other spreadsheet software, that contains assembly design information (such as the PCR/SOE reactions to perform, their anticipated sizes and sequences, etc.) as well as a properly annotated genbank file containing the sequence resulting from the assembly, and appends the local oligo library with the oligos to be ordered j5 condenses multiple independent assembly projects into 96-well format for high-throughput liquid-handling robotics platforms, and generates configuration files for the PR-PR biology-friendly robot programming language. j5 thus

  11. Mechanical tolerances study through simulations and experimental characterization for a 1000X micro-concentrator CPV module

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ritou, Arnaud; Voarino, Philippe; Goubault, Baptiste; David, Nadine; Bernardis, Sarah; Raccurt, Olivier; Baudrit, Mathieu

    2017-09-01

    Existing CPV technology markets are not compliant with a standard configuration. Concentrations vary from several suns to more than 1000 suns and the optical technology used could be very different. Nowadays, the market trends are moving toward more and more compact optical systems in order to exploit the Light Emitting Diode (LED) like approach. The aim is to increase the optical efficiency by using an ultra-short focal distance and to improve thermal management. Moreover the efficiency to weight ratio is increasing and the solar cell size becomes sub-millimetric. With these conditions, more stringent mechanical tolerances are essential to ensure an optimum optical alignment between cells and optics. A new process of micro-concentrator manufacturing is developed in this work. This process enables manufacturing and auto-alignment of Primary Optical Elements (POE) with Secondary Optical Elements (SOE) and solar cells with respect to certain mechanical tolerances. A 1000X micro-concentrator is manufactured with 0.6 x 0.6 mm² triple-junction cells and molded silicone optics. Mechanical alignment defects are studied by ray-tracing simulations and a prototype is characterized with respect to its mechanical behavior. An efficiency of 33.4% is measured with a Cell-to-Module ratio of 77.8%.

  12. ISRU Technologies for Mars Life Support

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Finn, John E.; Kliss, Mark; Sridhar, K. R.; Iacomini, Christie

    2001-01-01

    Life support systems can take advantage of elements in the atmosphere of Mars to provide for necessary consumables such as oxygen and buffer gas for makeup of leakage. In situ consumables production (ISCP) can be performed effectively in conjunction with in situ propellant production, in which oxygen and methane are manufactured for rocket fuel. This project considers ways of achieving the optimal system objectives from the two sometimes competing objectives of ISPP and ISCP. In previous years we worked on production of a nitrogen-argon buffer gas as a by- product of the CO2 acquisition and compression system. Recently we have been focusing on combined electrolysis of water vapor and carbon dioxide. Combined electrolysis of water vapor and carbon dioxide is essential for reducin,o the complexity of a combined ISPP/ISCP plant. Using a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) for this combined process would be most advantageous for it allows mainly gas phase reactions, O2 gas delivered from the electrolyzer is free of any H2O vapor, and SOE is already a proven technology for pure CO2 electrolysis. Combined SOEC testing is conducted at The University of Arizona in the Space Technologies Laboratory (STL) of the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department.

  13. Gene disruption in Salmonella typhimurim by modified λ Red disruption system.

    PubMed

    Ahani Azari, A; Zahraei Salehi, T; Nayeri Fasaei, B; Alebouyeh, M

    2015-01-01

    There are many techniques to knock out directed genes in bacteria, some of which have been described in Salmonella species. In this study, a combination of SOEing PCR method and the λ Red disruption system were used to disrupt phoP gene in wild type and standard strains of Salmonella typhimurium. Three standards PCR and one fusion PCR reactions were performed to construct a linear DNA including upstream and downstream of phoP gene and Kanamycin cassette. As a template plasmid, we used pKD4 which carries kanamycin gene flanked by FRT (FLP recognition target) sites. The resulting construct was electroporated into prepared competent cells of S. typhimurium. The transformants colonies related to the standard strain appeared on the LB-Km-agar plates after incubation, but there was no colony on LB-Km-agar plates corresponding to the wild type strain. The failure in transformation of the wild type strain may be because of inflexibility of the λ Red disruption system in this strain or its unique restriction-modification system. However, by this construct we are able to generate phoP mutant in many of the Salmonella species due to high homology of the phoP gene which exists in different species.

  14. The Role of Auditory Evoked Potentials in the Context of Cochlear Implant Provision.

    PubMed

    Hoth, Sebastian; Dziemba, Oliver Christian

    2017-12-01

    : Auditory evoked potentials (AEP) are highly demanded during the whole process of equipping patients with cochlear implants (CI). They play an essential role in preoperative diagnostics, intraoperative testing, and postoperative monitoring of auditory performance and success. The versatility of AEP's is essentially enhanced by their property to be evokable by acoustic as well as electric stimuli. Thus, the electric responses of the auditory system following acoustic stimulation and recorded by the conventional surface technique as well as by transtympanic derivation from the promontory (Electrocochleography [ECochG]) are used for the quantitative determination of hearing loss and, additionally, electrically evoked compound actions potentials (ECAP) can be recorded with the intracochlear electrodes of the implant just adjacent to the stimulation electrode to check the functional integrity of the device and its coupling to the auditory system. The profile of ECAP thresholds is used as basis for speech processor fitting, the spread of excitation (SOE) allows the identification of electrode mislocations such as array foldover, and recovery functions may serve to optimize stimulus pulse rate. These techniques as well as those relying on scalp surface activity originating in the brainstem or the auditory cortex accompany the CI recipient during its whole life span and they offer valuable insights into functioning and possible adverse effects of the CI for clinical and scientific purposes.

  15. Readiness of freight transportation system at special economic zone of Lhokseumawe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fithra, Herman; Sirojuzilam, Saleh, Sofyan M.; Erlina

    2017-11-01

    Geo-economic advantages of Lhokseumawe and Aceh Utara District lies on the geographical location of Aceh crossed by Sea Lane of Communication (Sloc), the Malacca Strait. Located at the Malacca Strait, the Special Economic Zone (Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus/ KEK) of Arun Lhokseumawe has a comparative advantage to be part of the global production network or the global value chain. This study aims to determine freight transportation system to support KEK Lhokseumawe, especially the availability of multimodal transport and multimodal infrastructure. The result shows that KEK Lhokseumawe driven by SOEs in Lhokseumawe and Aceh Utara is urgent to be realized for economic acceleration and to grow new economic growth in Aceh. Multimodal transport in KEK Lhokseumawe is also available, including Ro-Ro ships, train availability from Dewantara sub-district to Muara Batu Sub-district, various types of truck with small, medium and large capacity. The available multimodal infrastructure includes international sea ports, road network connectivity with structure pavement rating of 94.62%, and railroad tracks indicating that multimodal transportation in KEK Lhokseumawe are ready to utilize. Regulatory requirements relating to the operation of all ports in KEK Lhokseumawe as export / import gate are required and serve the loading and loading activities of Containers, and as a place of origin of goods on the east coast of Aceh.

  16. An efficient method for variable region assembly in the construction of scFv phage display libraries using independent strand amplification

    PubMed Central

    Sotelo, Pablo H.; Collazo, Noberto; Zuñiga, Roberto; Gutiérrez-González, Matías; Catalán, Diego; Ribeiro, Carolina Hager; Aguillón, Juan Carlos; Molina, María Carmen

    2012-01-01

    Phage display library technology is a common method to produce human antibodies. In this technique, the immunoglobulin variable regions are displayed in a bacteriophage in a way that each filamentous virus displays the product of a single antibody gene on its surface. From the collection of different phages, it is possible to isolate the virus that recognizes specific targets. The most common form in which to display antibody variable regions in the phage is the single chain variable fragment format (scFv), which requires assembly of the heavy and light immunoglobulin variable regions in a single gene. In this work, we describe a simple and efficient method for the assembly of immunoglobulin heavy and light chain variable regions in a scFv format. This procedure involves a two-step reaction: (1) DNA amplification to produce the single strand form of the heavy or light chain gene required for the fusion; and (2) mixture of both single strand products followed by an assembly reaction to construct a complete scFv gene. Using this method, we produced 6-fold more scFv encoding DNA than the commonly used splicing by overlap extension PCR (SOE-PCR) approach. The scFv gene produced by this method also proved to be efficient in generating a diverse scFv phage display library. From this scFv library, we obtained phages that bound several non-related antigens, including recombinant proteins and rotavirus particles. PMID:22692130

  17. Design of a solar collector system formed by a Fresnel lens and a CEC coupled to plastic fibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viera-González, Perla M.; Sánchez-Guerrero, Guillermo E.; Ceballos-Herrera, Daniel E.; Selvas-Aguilar, Romeo

    2015-08-01

    Among the main challenges for systems based in solar concentrators and plastic optical fibers (POF) the accuracy needed for the solar tracking is founded. One approach to overcome these requirements is increasing acceptance angle of the components, usually by secondary optical elements (SOE), however this technique is effective for photovoltaic applications but it has not been analyzed for systems coupled to POFs for indoor illumination. On this subject, it is presented a numerical analysis of a solar collector assembled by a Fresnel lens as primary optical element (POE) combined with a compound elliptical concentrator (CEC) coupled to POF in order to compare its performance under incidence angle direction and also to show a trade-off analysis for two different Fresnel lens shapes, imaging and nonimaging, used in the collector system. The description of the Fresnel lenses and its designs are included, in addition to the focal areas with space and angular distribution profiles considering the optimal alignment with the source and maximum permissible incident angle for each case. For both systems the coupling between the optical components is analyzed and the total performance is calculated, having as result its comparison for indoor illumination. In both cases, the systems have better performance increasing the final output power, but the angular tolerance only was improved for the system with nonimaging concentrator that had an efficiency over 80% with acceptance angles 𝜃𝑖 ≤ 2° and, the system integrated by the imaging lens, presented an efficiency ratio over 75% for acceptance angles 𝜃𝑖 ≤ 0.7°.

  18. Arsenic contamination of groundwater and its induced health effects in Shahpur block, Bhojpur district, Bihar state, India: risk evaluation.

    PubMed

    Chakraborti, Dipankar; Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Ahamed, Sad; Dutta, Rathindra Nath; Pati, Shyamapada; Mukherjee, Subhash Chandra

    2016-05-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the magnitude of groundwater arsenic contamination in Shahpur block of Bhojpur district, Bihar state, India and its health effects such as dermal, neurological, obstetric effects, and cancer risk. The School of Environmental Studies (SOES) collected 4704 tube-well water samples from all 88 villages of Shahpur, which were analyzed for arsenic. We found 40.3 and 21.1 % of the tube-wells had arsenic above 10 and 50 μg/l, respectively, with maximum concentration of 1805 μg/l. The study shows that 75,000, 39,000, and 10,000 people could be exposed to arsenic-contaminated water greater than 10, 50, and 300 μg/l, respectively. Our medical team examined 1422 villagers from Shahpur and registered 161 (prevalence rate, 11.3 %) with arsenical skin lesions. Arsenical skin lesions were also observed in 29 children of 525 screened. We analyzed 579 biological samples (hair, nail, and urine) from Shahpur and found that 82, 89, and 91 % of hair, nail, and urine, respectively, had arsenic above the normal levels, indicating many people in the study area are sub-clinically affected. Arsenical neuropathy was observed in 48 % of 102 arsenicosis patients. The study also found that arsenic exposed women with severe skin lesions had adversely affected their pregnancies. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were also estimated based on the generated data. Safe drinking water supply is urgently required to combat arsenic situation in affected villages of Shahpur.

  19. The Regulatory Roles of ncRNA Rli60 in Adaptability of Listeria monocytogenes to Environmental Stress and Biofilm Formation.

    PubMed

    Peng, Ye-Long; Meng, Qing-Ling; Qiao, Jun; Xie, Kun; Chen, Cheng; Liu, Tian-Li; Hu, Zheng-Xiang; Ma, Yu; Cai, Xue-Peng; Chen, Chuang-Fu

    2016-07-01

    Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium. It is well adapted to external environments and able to infect both humans and animals. To understand the impacts of ncRNA Rli60 on the adaptability of L. monocytogenes to environmental stresses and biofilm formation, a rli60 deletion strain of L. monocytogenes (LM-Δrli60) was constructed using splicing by overlap extension PCR (SOE-PCR) and homologous recombination and then compared it with wild-type strain L. monocytogenes EGD-e in the aspects of adaptability to environmental stresses by measuring their growth under stresses of different temperatures, and acidic, alkaline, hypertonic and alcoholic conditions, and capability of biofilm formation by using crystal violet staining, as well as the transcriptional levels of genes (gltB and gltC) related to the biofilm formation by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). The results showed that (1) the growth of LM-Δrli60 strain was significantly slower under environmental stresses of low temperature (30 °C), high temperature (42 °C), as well as alkaline and alcoholic conditions, (2) the amount of biofilm formed by LM-Δrli60 was attenuated, and (3) the transcriptional levels of gltB and gltC genes at 24 h and 48 h in LM-Δrli60 revealed a significant reduction. Overall, the results confirmed that ncRNA Rli60 plays important roles in regulating the adaptability of L. monocytogenes to environmental stresses and biofilm formation possibly through impacting the expression of gltB and gltC genes.

  20. Asthenospheric outflow from the shrinking Philippine Sea Plate: Evidence from Hf-Nd isotopes of southern Mariana lavas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ribeiro, Julia M.; Stern, Robert J.; Martinez, Fernando; Woodhead, Jon; Chen, Min; Ohara, Yasuhiko

    2017-11-01

    At subduction zones, sinking of the downgoing lithosphere is thought to enable a return flow of asthenospheric mantle around the slab edges, so that the asthenosphere from underneath the slab invades the ambient mantle flowing underneath the volcanic arc and the backarc basin. For instance at the northern end of the Lau Basin, trench retreat and slab rollback enable toroidal return flow of Samoan mantle beneath a transform margin to provide a supply of fresh, undepleted Indian mantle that feeds the backarc spreading center. Questions, however, arise about the sense of mantle flow when plate kinematics predict that the trench is advancing, as seen in the Mariana convergent margin. Does the mantle flow in or does it escape outward through slab tears or gaps? Here, we address the origin and sense of asthenospheric mantle flow supplying the southern Mariana convergent margin, a region of strong extension occurring above the subducting Pacific plate. Does the asthenosphere flow northward, from underneath the Pacific plate and Caroline hotspot through a slab tear or gap, or does it flow outward from the Mariana Trough, which possesses a characteristic Indian Ocean isotopic signature? To address these questions, we integrate geodetic data along with new Hf-Nd isotopic data for fresh basaltic lavas from three tectonic provinces in the southernmost Marianas: the Fina Nagu volcanic complex, the Malaguana-Gadao backarc spreading ridge and the SE Mariana forearc rift. Our results indicate that Indian mantle flows outward and likely escapes through slab tears or gaps to accommodate shrinking of the Philippine Sea plate. We thus predict that asthenospheric flow around the Pacific slab at the southern Mariana Trench is opposite to that predicted by most subduction-driven mantle flow models.

  1. Generation of a mouse scFv library specific for porcine aminopeptidase N using the T7 phage display system.

    PubMed

    Sun, Dongbo; Shi, Hongyan; Chen, Jianfei; Shi, Da; Zhu, Qinghe; Zhang, Hong; Liu, Shengwang; Wang, Yunfeng; Qiu, Huaji; Feng, Li

    2012-06-01

    Porcine aminopeptidase N (pAPN) is a common cellular receptor for swine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). To investigate single-chain fragment variable (scFv) repertoire against pAPN, the genes encoding the immunoglobulin light chain variable region (VL) and heavy chain variable region (VH) were amplified by reverse transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using a series of degenerate primers from the spleen of BABL/c mice immunized with native pAPN. The VL and VH amplicons were combined randomly by a 12 amino acid flexible linker by splicing by overlap extension PCR (SOE-PCR), which produced the scFv gene repertoire. After ligation of the scFv gene repertoire into the T7Select10-3b vector, a mouse scFv phage library specific for pAPN was produced through in vitro packaging. The primary scFv library against pAPN contained 2.0×10(7) recombinant phage clones, and the titer of the amplified library was 3.6×10(9)pfu/mL. BstNI restriction analysis and DNA sequencing revealed that 28 phage clones from the primary pAPN scFv library showed excellent diversity. The effectiveness of the scFv library against pAPN was verified further by phage ELISA using the recombinant protein of the pAPN C subunit as coating antigen. The construction and evaluation of a murine scFv library against the common receptor pAPN of porcine coronaviruses TGEV and PEDV using the T7 phage display system are described. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Using magnons to probe spintronic materials properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McMichael, Robert

    2012-02-01

    For many spin-based electronic devices, from the read sensors in modern hard disk drives to future spintronic logic concepts, the device physics originates in spin polarized currents in ferromagnetic metals. In this talk, I will describe a novel ``Spin Wave Doppler'' method that uses the interaction of spin waves with spin-polarized currents to determine the spin drift velocity and the spin current polarization [1]. Owing to differences between the band structures of majority-spin and minority-spin electrons, the electrical current also carries an angular momentum current and magnetic moment current. Passing these coupled currents though a magnetic wire changes the linear excitations of the magnetization, i.e spin waves. Interestingly, the excitations can be described as drifting ``downstream'' with the electron flow. We measure this drift velocity by monitoring the spin-wave-mediated transmission between pairs of periodically patterned antennas on magnetic wires as a function of current density in the wire. The transmission frequency resonance shifts by 2πδf = vk where the drift velocity v is proportional to both the current density and the current polarization P. I will discuss measurements of the spin polarization of the current in Ni80Fe20 [2], and novel alloys (CoFe)1-xGax [3] and (Ni80Fe20)1-xGdx [4]. [4pt] [1] V. Vlaminck and M. Bailleul, Science, 322, 410 (2008) [0pt] [2] M. Zhu, C. L. Dennis, and R. D. McMichael, Phys. Rev. B, 81, 140407 (2010). [0pt] [3] M. Zhu, B. D. Soe, R. D. McMichael, M. J. Carey, S. Maat, and J. R. Childress, Appl. Phys. Lett., 98, 072510 (2011). [0pt] [4] R. L. Thomas, M. Zhu, C. L. Dennis, V. Misra and R. D. McMichael, J. Appl. Phys., 110, 033902 (2011).

  3. The central active site arginine in sulfite oxidizing enzymes alters kinetic properties by controlling electron transfer and redox interactions.

    PubMed

    Hsiao, Ju-Chun; McGrath, Aaron P; Kielmann, Linda; Kalimuthu, Palraj; Darain, Farzana; Bernhardt, Paul V; Harmer, Jeffrey; Lee, Mihwa; Meyers, Kimberley; Maher, Megan J; Kappler, Ulrike

    2018-01-01

    A central conserved arginine, first identified as a clinical mutation leading to sulfite oxidase deficiency, is essential for catalytic competency of sulfite oxidizing molybdoenzymes, but the molecular basis for its effects on turnover and substrate affinity have not been fully elucidated. We have used a bacterial sulfite dehydrogenase, SorT, which lacks an internal heme group, but transfers electrons to an external, electron accepting cytochrome, SorU, to investigate the molecular functions of this arginine residue (Arg78). Assay of the SorT Mo centre catalytic competency in the absence of SorU showed that substitutions in the central arginine (R78Q, R78K and R78M mutations) only moderately altered SorT catalytic properties, except for R78M which caused significant reduction in SorT activity. The substitutions also altered the Mo-centre redox potentials (Mo VI/V potential lowered by ca. 60-80mV). However, all Arg78 mutations significantly impaired the ability of SorT to transfer electrons to SorU, where activities were reduced 17 to 46-fold compared to SorT WT , precluding determination of kinetic parameters. This was accompanied by the observation of conformational changes in both the introduced Gln and Lys residues in the crystal structure of the enzymes. Taking into account data collected by others on related SOE mutations we propose that the formation and maintenance of an electron transfer complex between the Mo centre and electron accepting heme groups is the main function of the central arginine, and that the reduced turnover and increases in K Msulfite are caused by the inefficient operation of the oxidative half reaction of the catalytic cycle in enzymes carrying these mutations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Protective effect of Acer mono Max. sap on water immersion restraint stress-induced gastric ulceration.

    PubMed

    Park, Chul-Hong; Son, Hyung-U; Son, Minsik; Lee, Sang-Han

    2011-09-01

    Acer mono Max. sap (AmMs) is called 'Gol-Li-Su' or 'Go-Lo-Soe' in Korean, which means 'water beneficial to the bones'. It is reported that the sap contains several types of minerals and sugars. In particular, the calcium concentration of the sap is 36.5 times higher than that of commercial mineral water. Apart from its anti-osteoporosis effect, no reports have addressed the biological activities of AmMs against degenerative diseases. In the present study, we investigated whether AmMs alleviates gastric ulcer-related symptoms in a stress-induced mouse model. To assess the effect of AmMs on gastric ulcer-like symptoms, we carried out a water immersion restraint (WIRE) test and found that AmMs has potential in alleviating gastric ulcers in a concentration-dependent manner. These results indicate that the nutritional factors of the sap mitigate the gastric ulcer-related symptoms caused by stress-induced gastric lesions in mice. AmMs-treated mice exhibited a significant decrease in the ulcer index as compared to those treated with omeprazole or L-arginine. To examine one potential mechanism underlying this effect, we performed reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to ascertain whether molecular markers were associated with the mitigation of the gastric lesions. Epithelial and/or tissue nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was assessed to determine whether or not the genes were down-regulated dose-dependently by the sap. The levels of these enzymes were found to be lower in the tissue samples treated with AmMs compared with the levels in the control samples. These findings collectively suggest that AmMs significantly protects the gastric mucosa against WIRE stress-induced gastric lesions, at least in part, by alleviating inducible NOS and/or neuronal NOS expression.

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

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

    2013-12-01

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

  6. DOE Chair of Excellence in Environmental Disciplines-Final Technical Report

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

    Kurunganty, Sastry; Loran, Roberto; Roque-Malherbe, Rolando

    The report Massie Chair of Excellence Program at Universidad del Turabo, contract DE-FG02-95EW12610, during the period of 9/29/1995 to 9/29/2011. The initial program aims included development of academic programs in the Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Research and Development focused initially on environmentally friendly processes and later revised also include: renewable energy and international cooperation. From 1995 -2005, the Program at UT lead the establishment of the new undergraduate program in electrical engineering at the School of Engineering (SoE), worked on requirements to achieve ABET accreditation of the SoE B.S. Mechanical Engineering and B.S. Electrical Engineering programs, mentored junior faculty,more » taught undergraduate courses in electrical engineering, and revised the electrical engineering curriculum. Engineering undergraduate laboratories were designed and developed. The following research sub-project was developed: Research and development of new perovskite-alumina hydrogen permeable asymmetrical nanostructured membranes for hydrogen purification, and extremely high specific surface area silica materials for hydrogen storage in the form of ammonia, Dr. Rolando Roque-Malherbe Subproject PI, Dr. Santander Nieto and Mr. Will Gómez Research Assistants. In 2006, the Massie Chair of Excellence Program was transferred to the National Nuclear Security Agency, NNSA and DNN. DoE required a revised proposal aligned with the priorities of the Administration. The revised approved program aims included: (1) Research (2) Student Development: promote the development of minority undergraduate and graduate students through research teams, internships, conferences, new courses; and, (3) Support: (a) Research administration and (b) Dissemination through international conferences, the UT Distinguished Lecturer Series in STEM fields and at the annual Universidad del Turabo (UT) Researchers Conference. Research included: Sub-Project 1: Synthesis

  7. Construction of a hepatitis B virus neutralizing chimeric monoclonal antibody recognizing escape mutants of the viral surface antigen (HBsAg).

    PubMed

    Golsaz-Shirazi, Forough; Amiri, Mohammad Mehdi; Farid, Samira; Bahadori, Motahareh; Bohne, Felix; Altstetter, Sebastian; Wolff, Lisa; Kazemi, Tohid; Khoshnoodi, Jalal; Hojjat-Farsangi, Mohammad; Chudy, Michael; Jeddi-Tehrani, Mahmood; Protzer, Ulrike; Shokri, Fazel

    2017-08-01

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global burden on the health-care system and is considered as the tenth leading cause of death in the world. Over 248 million patients are currently suffering from chronic HBV infection worldwide and annual mortality rate of this infection is 686000. The "a" determinant is a hydrophilic region present in all antigenic subtypes of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and antibodies against this region can neutralize the virus and are protective against all subtypes. We have recently generated a murine anti-HBs monoclonal antibody (4G4), which can neutralize HBV infection in HepaRG cells and recognize most of the escape mutant forms of HBsAg. Here, we describe the production and characterization of the chimeric human-murine antibody 4G4 (c-4G4). Variable region genes of heavy and light chains of the m-4G4 were cloned and fused to constant regions of human kappa and IgG1 by splice overlap extension (SOE) PCR. The chimeric antibody was expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO)-K1 cells and purified from culture supernatant. Competition ELISA proved that both antibodies bind the same epitope within HBsAg. Antigen-binding studies using ELISA and Western blot showed that c-4G4 has retained the affinity and specificity of the parental murine antibody, and displayed a similar pattern of reactivity to 13 escape mutant forms of HBsAg. Both, the parental and c-4G4 showed a comparably high HBV neutralization capacity in cell culture even at the lowest concentration (0.6μg/ml). Due to the ability of c-4G4 to recognize most of the sub-genotypes and escape mutants of HBsAg, this antibody either alone or in combination with other anti-HBs antibodies could be considered as a potent alternative for Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) as an HBV infection prophylactic or for passive immunotherapy against HBV infection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Regenerative Performance of the NASA Symmetrical Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cable, Thomas L.; Setlock, John A.; Farmer, Serene C.; Eckel, Andy J.

    2009-01-01

    The NASA Glenn Research Center is developing both a novel cell design (BSC) and a novel ceramic fabrication technique to produce fuel cells predicted to exceed a specific power density of 1.0 kW/kg. The NASA Glenn cell design has taken a completely different approach among planar designs by removing the metal interconnect and returning to the use of a thin, doped LaCrO3 interconnect. The cell is structurally symmetrical. Both electrodes support the thin electrolyte and contain micro-channels for gas flow-- a geometry referred to as a bi-electrode supported cell or BSC. The cell characteristics have been demonstrated under both SOFC and SOE conditions. Electrolysis tests verify that this cell design operates at very high electrochemical voltage efficiencies (EVE) and high H2O conversion percentages, even at the low flow rates predicted for closed loop systems encountered in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications. For UAVs the volume, weight and the efficiency are critical as they determine the size of the water tank, the solar panel size, and other system requirements. For UAVs, regenerative solid oxide fuel cell stacks (RSOFC) use solar panels during daylight to generate power for electrolysis and then operate in fuel cell mode during the night to power the UAV and electronics. Recent studies, performed by NASA for a more electric commercial aircraft, evaluated SOFCs for auxiliary power units (APUs). System studies were also conducted for regenerative RSOFC systems. One common requirement for aerospace SOFCs and RSOFCs, determined independently in each application study, was the need for high specific power density and volume density, on the order of 1.0 kW/kg and greater than 1.0 kW/L. Until recently the best reported performance for SOFCs was 0.2 kW/kg or less for stacks. NASA Glenn is working to prototype the light weight, low volume BSC design for such high specific power aerospace applications.

  9. Operation of hydropower generation systems in the Alps under future climate and socio-economic drivers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anghileri, Daniela; Castelletti, Andrea; Burlando, Paolo

    2015-04-01

    Alpine hydropower systems are an important source of renewable energy for many countries in Europe. In Switzerland, for instance, they represent the most important domestic source of renewable energy (around 55%). However, future hydropower production may be threatened by unprecedented challenges, such as a decreasing water availability, due to climate change (CC) and associated glacier retreat, and uncertain operating conditions, such as future power needs and highly fluctuating demand on the energy market. This second aspect has gained increasingly relevance since the massive introduction of solar and wind generating systems in the portfolios of many European countries. Because hydropower systems have the potential to provide backup storage of energy to compensate for fluctuations that are typical, for instance, of solar and wind generation systems, it is important to investigate how the increased demand for flexible operation, together with climate change challenge and fluctuating markets, can impact their operating policies. The Swiss Competence Center on Supply of Electricity (www.sccer-soe.ch) has been recently established to explore new potential paths for the development of future power generation systems. In this context, we develop modelling and optimization tools to design and assess new operation strategies for hydropower systems to increase their reliability, flexibility, and robustness to future operation conditions. In particular, we develop an advanced modelling framework for the integrated simulation of the operation of hydropower plants, which accounts for CC-altered streamflow regimes, new demand and market conditions, as well as new boundary conditions for operation (e.g., aquatic ecosystem conservation). The model construction consists of two primary components: a physically based and spatially distributed hydrological model, which describes the relevant hydrological processes at the basin scale, and an agent based decision model, which

  10. Ensemble prediction of air quality using the WRF/CMAQ model system for health effect studies in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Jianlin; Li, Xun; Huang, Lin; Ying, Qi; Zhang, Qiang; Zhao, Bin; Wang, Shuxiao; Zhang, Hongliang

    2017-11-01

    Accurate exposure estimates are required for health effect analyses of severe air pollution in China. Chemical transport models (CTMs) are widely used to provide spatial distribution, chemical composition, particle size fractions, and source origins of air pollutants. The accuracy of air quality predictions in China is greatly affected by the uncertainties of emission inventories. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model with meteorological inputs from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model were used in this study to simulate air pollutants in China in 2013. Four simulations were conducted with four different anthropogenic emission inventories, including the Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC), the Emission Inventory for China by School of Environment at Tsinghua University (SOE), the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), and the Regional Emission inventory in Asia version 2 (REAS2). Model performance of each simulation was evaluated against available observation data from 422 sites in 60 cities across China. Model predictions of O3 and PM2.5 generally meet the model performance criteria, but performance differences exist in different regions, for different pollutants, and among inventories. Ensemble predictions were calculated by linearly combining the results from different inventories to minimize the sum of the squared errors between the ensemble results and the observations in all cities. The ensemble concentrations show improved agreement with observations in most cities. The mean fractional bias (MFB) and mean fractional errors (MFEs) of the ensemble annual PM2.5 in the 60 cities are -0.11 and 0.24, respectively, which are better than the MFB (-0.25 to -0.16) and MFE (0.26-0.31) of individual simulations. The ensemble annual daily maximum 1 h O3 (O3-1h) concentrations are also improved, with mean normalized bias (MNB) of 0.03 and mean normalized errors (MNE) of 0.14, compared to MNB of 0.06-0.19 and

  11. High-resolution cross-borehole thermal tracer testing in granite: preliminary field results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brixel, Bernard; Klepikova, Maria; Jalali, Mohammadreza; Amann, Florian; Loew, Simon

    2017-04-01

    Understanding how heat is transported, stored and exchanged across fractured media is becoming increasingly relevant in our society, as manifested from the growing popularity of modern technologies relying on the subsurface to either source or store heat. One good example is the utilization of heat from deep hydrothermal or petrothermal systems to generate electricity for base load power generation, a technology also known as deep geothermal energy (DGE). While very attractive in principle, the number of geothermal fields producing economical levels of electricity to this day is still very limited - largely due to the difficulty of either locating deep reservoirs that are both sufficiently hot and permeable or, in the absence of the latter, creating them. In this context, the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research - Supply of Electricity (SCCER - SoE) is carrying out an in situ stimulation and circulation (ISC) experiment at the Grimsel Test Site (GTS), an underground rock lab located in the Aar massif, in the Swiss Alps. The circulation experiment planned for the post-stimulation phase represents one of the key components of this experimental research program, and the outcome of this test is expected to ultimately provide key insights in the factors controlling the performance of enhanced geothermal reservoirs. Therefore, to support the design of this experiment, short-term thermal tracer tests (TTT) were conducted with the objective to (i) assess the feasibility of conducting TTTs in a relatively intact granite (where fluid flow is controlled by a limited number of discrete fractures); (ii) determine optimal experimental setups; and to ultimately (iii) monitor thermal breakthroughs at high spatial and temporal resolution, providing insights on heat transport and complementing the characterization of hydrogeological conditions carried out through conventional means (e.g. hydraulic and/or solute tracer tests). Presented herein are the results of a 10-day

  12. The Parasol Protocol: An Implementation Science Study of HIV Continuum of Care Interventions for Gay Men and Transgender Women in Burma/Myanmar.

    PubMed

    Wirtz, Andrea L; Naing, Soe; Clouse, Emily; Thu, Kaung Htet; Mon, Sandra Hsu Hnin; Tun, Zin Min; Baral, Stefan; Paing, Aung Zayar; Beyrer, Chris

    2017-05-17

    . Aims 2 and 3 participants will be prospectively followed for 12 months with data collection including interviewer-administered sociobehavioral survey, CD4 POC, and viral load testing occurring biannually. Participants who accept peer navigation will be compared to those who decline peer navigation. Analyses will estimate the impact of CD4 POC on engagement in care and the impact of peer navigation on ART adherence and viral load. Formative qualitative research was conducted in June and September 2015 and led to further refinement of recruitment methods, HIVST instructions and counseling, and peer navigation methods. Aim 1 recruitment began in November 2015 with subsequent enrollment into Aims 2 and 3 and is currently ongoing. These innovative interventions may resolve gaps in the HIV care continuum among MSM and TW and future implementation may aid in curbing the HIV epidemic among MSM and TW in Myanmar. ©Andrea L Wirtz, Soe Naing, Emily Clouse, Kaung Htet Thu, Sandra Hsu Hnin Mon, Zin Min Tun, Stefan Baral, Aung Zayar Paing, Chris Beyrer. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 17.05.2017.

  13. Did opening of the South China Sea impact development of the Asian Monsoon? Results from Oligocene microfossils, IODP Site U1435, northern South China Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kulhanek, Denise K.; Su, Xin; Li, Qianyu; Gregory, Mitch; Warny, Sophie; Clift, Peter D.

    2016-04-01

    conditions. Warm-water indicators such as Discoaster and Sphenolithus are relatively common throughout the interval, with a small increase in abundance near the top of the section. On the other hand, species sensitive to nutrient and/or salinity conditions, such as Helicosphaera and Braarudosphaera, vary in abundance throughout the section. These variations may be linked to changes in rainfall intensity and runoff/nutrient input from the adjacent continent, reflecting variations in the monsoon. These records, together with other Oligocene records from the northern South China Sea, should help to shed light on variations in the Asian Monsoon during the transition from Greenhouse to Icehouse conditions in the Oligocene. References: Clift, P.D., Hodges, K.V., Heslop, D., Hannigan, R., Van Long, H., and Calves, G., 2008. Correlation of Himalayan exhumation rates and Asian monsoon intensity. Nature Geoscience, 1: 875-880. Guo, Z.T., Ruddiman, W.F., Hao, Q.Z., Wu, H.B., Qiao, Y.S., Zhu, R.X., Peng, S.Z., Wei, J.J., Yuan, B.Y., and Liu, T.S., 2002. Onset of Asian desertification by 22 Myr ago inferred from loess deposits in China. Nature, 416: 159-163. Licht, A., van Cappelle, M., Abels, H.A., Ladant, J.-B., Trabucho-Alexandre, J., France-Lanord, C., Donnadieu, Y., Vandenberghe, J., Rigaudier, T., Lécuyer, C., Terry Jr., D., Adriaens, R., Boura, A., Guo, Z., Aung Naing Soe, Quade, J., Dupont-Nivet, and Jaeger, J.-J., 2014. Asian monsoons in a late Eocene greenhouse world. Nature, 513: 501-506.

  14. Surgical orbital decompression for thyroid eye disease.

    PubMed

    Boboridis, Kostas G; Bunce, Catey

    2011-12-07

    Orbital decompression is an established procedure for the management of exophthalmos and visual rehabilitation from optic neuropathy in cases of thyroid eye disease. Numerous procedures for removal of orbital bony wall, fat or a combination of these for a variety of indications in different stages of the disease have been well reported in the medical literature. However, the relative effectiveness and safety of these procedures in relation to the various indications remains unclear. To review current published evidence for the effectiveness of surgical orbital decompression for disfiguring proptosis in adult thyroid eye disease and summa rise information on possible complications and the quality of life from the studies identified. We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register) (The Cochrane Library 2011, Issue 10), MEDLINE (January 1950 to October 2011), EMBASE (January 1980 to October 2011), the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) (www.controlled-trials.com) and ClinicalTrials.gov (http://clinicaltrials.gov). There were no date or language restrictions in the electronic searches for trials. The electronic databases were last searched on 6 October 2011. We searched oculoplastic textbooks, conference proceedings from the European and American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ESOPRS, ASOPRS), European Ophthalmological Society (SOE), the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) for the years 2000 to 2009 to identify relevant data. We attempted to contact researchers who are active in this field for information about further published or unpublished studies. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with no restriction on date or language comparing two or more surgical methods for orbital decompression with removal of bony wall, orbital fat or a combination of both for disfiguring proptosis or comparison of surgical techniques

  15. EDITORIAL: From reciprocal space to real space in surface science From reciprocal space to real space in surface science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartels, Ludwig; Ernst, Karl-Heinz

    2012-09-01

    and Hans-Joachim Freund Mapping the first electronic resonances of a Cu phthalocyanine STM tunnel junctionW-H Soe, C Manzano, H S Wong and C Joachim Epitaxial Bi allotropes on quasicrystal surfaces as templates for adsorption of pentacene and fullereneH R Sharma, J A Smerdon, K M Young and R McGrath Island formation and manipulation of prochiral azobenzene derivatives on Au(111)Sofia Selvanathan, Maike V Peters, Stefan Hecht and Leonhard Grill