Sensory Interactions for Head and Trunk Control in Space in Young and Older Adults During Normal and Narrow-Base Walking.

PubMed

Zhang, Fang; Deshpande, Nandini

2016-01-01

Fifteen young (20-30 years old) and 15 older (>65 years old) healthy participants were recruited to investigate age-related differences in head and trunk control under suboptimal vestibular conditions (galvanic vestibular stimulation, or GVS) and vision conditions during normal and narrow-based walking. Head-roll velocity decreased in the blurred-vision condition and marginally increased with GVS in older but not in young participants. Head pitch increased, whereas head-roll velocity decreased in narrow-base walking. Trunk pitch, trunk-pitch velocity, and gait speed increased with GVS, whereas trunk-pitch velocity and gait speed decreased in narrow-base walking. Marginally increased head-roll velocity in the older participants possibly suggests decreased integrative ability of the central nervous system in elderly people. The changes in head control during narrow-base walking may be an attempt to simplify the interpretation of the vestibular signal and increase otolith sensitivity. The complexity of controlling the trunk in the mediolateral direction was suggested by different strategies used for trunk control in different conditions.

Methylation patterns in marginal zone lymphoma.

PubMed

Arribas, Alberto J; Bertoni, Francesco

Promoter DNA methylation is a major regulator of gene expression and transcription. The identification of methylation changes is important for understanding disease pathogenesis, for identifying prognostic markers and can drive novel therapeutic approaches. In this review we summarize the current knowledge regarding DNA methylation in MALT lymphoma, splenic marginal zone lymphoma, nodal marginal zone lymphoma. Despite important differences in the study design for different publications and the existence of a sole large and genome-wide methylation study for splenic marginal zone lymphoma, it is clear that DNA methylation plays an important role in marginal zone lymphomas, in which it contributes to the inactivation of tumor suppressors but also to the expression of genes sustaining tumor cell survival and proliferation. Existing preclinical data provide the rationale to target the methylation machinery in these disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of psychotropic medications

PubMed Central

Mitchell, Philip B

2000-01-01

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of a number of psychotropic medications has proven to be of value, enabling minimization of the limitations of considerable genetic variability in their metabolism and the high rates of poor compliance with many psychiatric disorders. Therapeutic ranges have been established for lithium, some of the tricyclic antidepressants, and clozapine. TDM has also been shown to be useful in avoiding toxicity (as many psychotropics have narrow therapeutic indices), particularly that due to interactions with other compounds. PMID:10759685

Origin of narrow terranes and adjacent major terranes occurring along the denali fault in the eastern and central alaska range, alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nokleberg, W.J.; Richter, D.H.

2007-01-01

Several narrow terranes occur along the Denali fault in the Eastern and Central Alaska Range in Southern Alaska. These terranes are the Aurora Peak, Cottonwood Creek, Maclaren, Pingston, and Windy terranes, and a terrane of ultramafic and associated rocks. Exterior to the narrow terranes to the south is the majorWrangellia island arc composite terrane, and to the north is the major Yukon Tanana metamorphosed continental margin terrane. Overlying mainly the northern margin of the Wrangellia composite terrane are the Kahiltna overlap assemblage to the west, and the Gravina- Nutzotin-Gambier volcanic-plutonic- sedimentary belt to the east and southeast. The various narrow terranes are interpreted as the result of translation of fragments of larger terranes during two major tectonic events: (1) Late Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous accretion of the Wrangellia island arc composite terrane (or superterrane composed of the Wrangellia, Peninsular, and Alexander terranes) and associated subduction zone complexes; and (2) starting in about the Late Cretaceous, dextral transport of the Wrangellia composite terrane along the Denali fault. These two major tectonic events caused: (1) entrapment of a lens of oceanic lithosphere along the suture belt between the Wrangellia composite terrane and the North American Craton Margin and outboard accreted terranes to form the ultramafic and mafic part of the terrane of ultramafic and associated rocks, (2) subsequent dextral translation along the Denali fault of the terrane of ultramafic and associated rocks, (3) dextral translation along the Denali fault of the Aurora Peak, Cottonwood Creek, and Maclaren and continental margin arc terranes from part of the Coast plutonic-metamorphic complex (Coast-North Cascade plutonic belt) in the southwest Yukon Territory or Southeastern Alaska, (4) dextral translation along the Denali fault of the Pingston passive continental margin from a locus along the North American Continental Margin, and (5

Structure and evolution of the eastern Gulf of Aden conjugate margins from seismic reflection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

d'Acremont, Elia; Leroy, Sylvie; Beslier, Marie-Odile; Bellahsen, Nicolas; Fournier, Marc; Robin, Cécile; Maia, Marcia; Gente, Pascal

2005-03-01

The Gulf of Aden is a young and narrow oceanic basin formed in Oligo-Miocene time between the rifted margins of the Arabian and Somalian plates. Its mean orientation, N75°E, strikes obliquely (50°) to the N25°E opening direction. The western conjugate margins are masked by Oligo-Miocene lavas from the Afar Plume. This paper concerns the eastern margins, where the 19-35 Ma breakup structures are well exposed onshore and within the sediment-starved marine shelf. Those passive margins, about 200 km distant, are non-volcanic. Offshore, during the Encens-Sheba cruise we gathered swath bathymetry, single-channel seismic reflection, gravity and magnetism data, in order to compare the structure of the two conjugate margins and to reconstruct the evolution of the thinned continental crust from rifting to the onset of oceanic spreading. Between the Alula-Fartak and Socotra major fracture zones, two accommodation zones trending N25°E separate the margins into three N110°E-trending segments. The margins are asymmetric: offshore, the northern margin is narrower and steeper than the southern one. Including the onshore domain, the southern rifted margin is about twice the breadth of the northern one. We relate this asymmetry to inherited Jurassic/Cretaceous rifts. The rifting obliquity also influenced the syn-rift structural pattern responsible for the normal faults trending from N70°E to N110°E. The N110°E fault pattern could be explained by the decrease of the influence of rift obliquity towards the central rift, and/or by structural inheritance. The transition between the thinned continental crust and the oceanic crust is characterized by a 40 km wide zone. Our data suggest that its basement is made up of thinned continental crust along the southern margin and of thinned continental crust or exhumed mantle, more or less intruded by magmatic rocks, along the northern margin.

Early Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Sampling of Margins From Tumor Bed and Worse Local Control.

PubMed

Maxwell, Jessica H; Thompson, Lester D R; Brandwein-Gensler, Margaret S; Weiss, Bernhard G; Canis, Martin; Purgina, Bibianna; Prabhu, Arpan V; Lai, Chi; Shuai, Yongli; Carroll, William R; Morlandt, Anthony; Duvvuri, Umamaheswar; Kim, Seungwon; Johnson, Jonas T; Ferris, Robert L; Seethala, Raja; Chiosea, Simion I

2015-12-01

Positive margins are associated with poor prognosis among patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, wide variation exists in the margin sampling technique. To determine the effect of the margin sampling technique on local recurrence (LR) in patients with stage I or II oral tongue SCC. A retrospective study was conducted from January 1, 1986, to December 31, 2012, in 5 tertiary care centers following tumor resection and elective neck dissection in 280 patients with pathologic (p)T1-2 pN0 oral tongue SCC. Analysis was conducted from June 1, 2013, to January 20, 2015. In group 1 (n = 119), tumor bed margins were not sampled. In group 2 (n = 61), margins were examined from the glossectomy specimen, found to be positive or suboptimal, and revised with additional tumor bed margins. In group 3 (n = 100), margins were primarily sampled from the tumor bed without preceding examination of the glossectomy specimen. The margin status (both as a binary [positive vs negative] and continuous [distance to the margin in millimeters] variable) and other clinicopathologic parameters were compared across the 3 groups and correlated with LR. Local recurrence. Age, sex, pT stage, lymphovascular or perineural invasion, and adjuvant radiation treatment were similar across the 3 groups. The probability of LR-free survival at 3 years was 0.9 and 0.8 in groups 1 and 3, respectively (P = .03). The frequency of positive glossectomy margins was lowest in group 1 (9 of 117 [7.7%]) compared with groups 2 and 3 (28 of 61 [45.9%] and 23 of 95 [24.2%], respectively) (P < .001). Even after excluding cases with positive margins, the median distance to the closest margin was significantly narrower in group 3 (2 mm) compared with group 1 (3 mm) (P = .008). The status (positive vs negative) of margins obtained from the glossectomy specimen correlated with LR (P = .007), while the status of tumor bed margins did not. The status of the tumor bed margin was 24% sensitive (95

The rifted margin of Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClain, J. S.; Orcutt, J. A.

The structure of rifted continental margins has always been of great scientific interest, and now, with dwindling economic oil deposits, these complex geological features assume practical importance as well. The ocean-continent transition is, by definition, laterally heterogeneous and likely to be extremely complicated. The southernmost shotpoints (4, 5, and 6) in the U.S. Geological Survey seismic refraction profile in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia lie within a transition region and thus provide a testing ground for methods that treat wave propagation in laterally heterogeneous media. This portion of the profile runs from the Farasan Islands in the Red Sea across the coast line and the Hijaz-Asir escarpment into the Hijaz-Asir tectonic province. Because the southernmost shotpoint is within the margin of the Saudi sub-continent, the full transition region is not sampled. Furthermore, such an experiment is precluded by the narrowness of the purely oceanic portion of the Red Sea.

Radiobiological Impact of Reduced Margins and Treatment Technique for Prostate Cancer in Terms of Tumor Control Probability (TCP) and Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP)

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

Jensen, Ingelise, E-mail: inje@rn.d; Carl, Jesper; Lund, Bente

2011-07-01

Dose escalation in prostate radiotherapy is limited by normal tissue toxicities. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of margin size on tumor control and side effects for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) treatment plans with increased dose. Eighteen patients with localized prostate cancer were enrolled. 3DCRT and IMRT plans were compared for a variety of margin sizes. A marker detectable on daily portal images was presupposed for narrow margins. Prescribed dose was 82 Gy within 41 fractions to the prostate clinical target volume (CTV). Tumor control probability (TCP) calculations based on themore » Poisson model including the linear quadratic approach were performed. Normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) was calculated for bladder, rectum and femoral heads according to the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman method. All plan types presented essentially identical TCP values and very low NTCP for bladder and femoral heads. Mean doses for these critical structures reached a minimum for IMRT with reduced margins. Two endpoints for rectal complications were analyzed. A marked decrease in NTCP for IMRT plans with narrow margins was seen for mild RTOG grade 2/3 as well as for proctitis/necrosis/stenosis/fistula, for which NTCP <7% was obtained. For equivalent TCP values, sparing of normal tissue was demonstrated with the narrow margin approach. The effect was more pronounced for IMRT than 3DCRT, with respect to NTCP for mild, as well as severe, rectal complications.« less

Early Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma Sampling of Margins From Tumor Bed and Worse Local Control

PubMed Central

Maxwell, Jessica H.; Thompson, Lester D. R.; Brandwein-Gensler, Margaret S.; Weiss, Bernhard G.; Canis, Martin; Purgina, Bibianna; Prabhu, Arpan V.; Lai, Chi; Shuai, Yongli; Carroll, William R.; Morlandt, Anthony; Duvvuri, Umamaheswar; Kim, Seungwon; Johnson, Jonas T.; Ferris, Robert L.; Seethala, Raja; Chiosea, Simion I.

2017-01-01

IMPORTANCE Positive margins are associated with poor prognosis among patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, wide variation exists in the margin sampling technique. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of the margin sampling technique on local recurrence (LR) in patients with stage I or II oral tongue SCC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A retrospective study was conducted from January 1, 1986, to December 31, 2012, in 5 tertiary care centers following tumor resection and elective neck dissection in 280 patients with pathologic (p)T1-2 pN0 oral tongue SCC. Analysis was conducted from June 1, 2013, to January 20, 2015. INTERVENTIONS In group 1 (n = 119), tumor bed margins were not sampled. In group 2 (n = 61), margins were examined from the glossectomy specimen, found to be positive or suboptimal, and revised with additional tumor bed margins. In group 3 (n = 100), margins were primarily sampled from the tumor bed without preceding examination of the glossectomy specimen. The margin status (both as a binary [positive vs negative] and continuous [distance to the margin in millimeters] variable) and other clinicopathologic parameters were compared across the 3 groups and correlated with LR. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Local recurrence. RESULTS Age, sex, pT stage, lymphovascular or perineural invasion, and adjuvant radiation treatment were similar across the 3 groups. The probability of LR-free survival at 3 years was 0.9 and 0.8 in groups 1 and 3, respectively (P = .03). The frequency of positive glossectomy margins was lowest in group 1 (9 of 117 [7.7%]) compared with groups 2 and 3 (28 of 61 [45.9%] and 23 of 95 [24.2%], respectively) (P < .001). Even after excluding cases with positive margins, the median distance to the closest margin was significantly narrower in group 3 (2 mm) compared with group 1 (3 mm) (P = .008). The status (positive vs negative) of margins obtained from the glossectomy specimen correlated with LR (P = .007), while

Radiobiological impact of reduced margins and treatment technique for prostate cancer in terms of tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP).

PubMed

Jensen, Ingelise; Carl, Jesper; Lund, Bente; Larsen, Erik H; Nielsen, Jane

2011-01-01

Dose escalation in prostate radiotherapy is limited by normal tissue toxicities. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of margin size on tumor control and side effects for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) treatment plans with increased dose. Eighteen patients with localized prostate cancer were enrolled. 3DCRT and IMRT plans were compared for a variety of margin sizes. A marker detectable on daily portal images was presupposed for narrow margins. Prescribed dose was 82 Gy within 41 fractions to the prostate clinical target volume (CTV). Tumor control probability (TCP) calculations based on the Poisson model including the linear quadratic approach were performed. Normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) was calculated for bladder, rectum and femoral heads according to the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman method. All plan types presented essentially identical TCP values and very low NTCP for bladder and femoral heads. Mean doses for these critical structures reached a minimum for IMRT with reduced margins. Two endpoints for rectal complications were analyzed. A marked decrease in NTCP for IMRT plans with narrow margins was seen for mild RTOG grade 2/3 as well as for proctitis/necrosis/stenosis/fistula, for which NTCP <7% was obtained. For equivalent TCP values, sparing of normal tissue was demonstrated with the narrow margin approach. The effect was more pronounced for IMRT than 3DCRT, with respect to NTCP for mild, as well as severe, rectal complications. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The crustal structure of the southern Argentine margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Katharina; Franke, Dieter; Schnabel, Michael; Schreckenberger, Bernd; Heyde, Ingo; Krawczyk, Charlotte M.

2012-06-01

Multichannel reflection seismic profiles, combined with gravimetric and magnetic data provide insight into the crustal structure of the southernmost Argentine margin, at the transition from a rifted to a transform margin and outline the extent of the North Falkland Graben. Based on these data, we establish a regional stratigraphic model for the post-rift sediments, comprising six marker horizons with a new formation in the Barremian/Lower Cretaceous. Our observations support that a N-S trending subsidiary branch of the North Falkland Graben continues along the continental shelf and slope to the Argentine basin. During the rift phase, a wide shelf area was affected by the E-W extension, subsequently forming the North Falkland Graben and the subsidiary branch along which finally breakup occurred. We propose the division of the margin in two segments: a N-S trending rifted margin and an E-W trending transform margin. This is further underpinned by crustal scale gravity modelling. Three different tectono-dynamic processes shaped the study area. (1) The Triassic/Early Jurassic extensional phase resulting in the formation of the North Falkland Graben and additional narrower rift grabens ended synchronously with the breakup of the South Atlantic in the early Valanginian. (2) Extensional phase related to the opening of the South Atlantic. (3) The transform margin was active in the study area from about Hauterivian times and activity lasted until late Cretaceous/early Cenozoic. Both, the rifted margin and the transform margin are magma-poor. Very limited structures may have a volcanic origin but are suggested to be post-rift. The oceanic crust was found to be unusually thin, indicating a deficit in magma supply during formation. These findings in combination with the proposed breakup age in the early Valanginian that considerably predates the formation of the Paraná-Etendeka continental flood basalt provinces in Brazil and Namibia question the influence of the Tristan da

A review on therapeutic drug monitoring of immunosuppressant drugs.

PubMed

Mohammadpour, Niloufar; Elyasi, Sepideh; Vahdati, Naser; Mohammadpour, Amir Hooshang; Shamsara, Jamal

2011-11-01

: Immunosuppressants require therapeutic drug monitoring because of their narrow therapeutic index and significant inter-individual variability in blood concentrations. This variability can be because of factors like drug-nutrient interactions, drug-disease interactions, renal-insufficiency, inflammation and infection, gender, age, polymorphism and liver mass. Drug monitoring is widely practiced especially for cyclosporine, tacrolimus, sirolimus and mycophenolic acid. CYCLOSPORINE: Therapeutic monitoring of immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine is a critical requirement because of intra- and inter-patient variability of drug absorption, narrow therapeutic window and drug induced nephrotoxicity. MYCOPHENOLIC ACID MPA: Some reasons for therapeutic drug monitoring of MPA during post-transplant period include: relationship between MPA pharmacokinetic parameters and clinical outcomes, Inter-patient pharmacokinetic variability for MPA despite fixed MMF doses, alternations of MPA pharmacokinetics during the first months after transplantation, drug- drug interaction and influence of kidney function on MPA pharmacokinetic. SIROLIMUS: A recent review of the pharmacokinetics of sirolimus suggested a therapeutic range of 5 to 10 μg l(-1) in whole blood. However, the only consensus guidelines published on the therapeutic monitoring of sirolimus concluded that there was not enough information available about the clinical use of the drug to make recommendations. TACROLIMUS: Sudies have shown, in kidney and liver transplant patients, significant associations of low tacrolimus concentrations with rejection and of high concentrations with nephrotoxicity. Although the feasibility of a limited sampling scheme to predict AUC has been demonstrated, as yet, trough, or pre-dose, whole blood concentration monitoring is still the method of choice.

GLORIA mosaic of the Gulf of Alaska and the British Columbia margin: Deep-sea channels, margin deformation, and the Queen Charlotte fault

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

Bruns, T.R.; Carlson, P.R.; Stevenson, A.J.

1990-05-01

GLORIA images collected from 1986 to 1989 show sea-floor morphology from the shelf break seaward to 400 km in the Gulf of Alaska and a 70-km-wide swath along British Columbia. Along the Aleutian convergent margin sediment is dominantly trapped in mid-slope basins, where few canyons reach the trench. Accretionary wedge structures range from highly discontinuous to long and continuous. The Yakutat transition margin is either extensively cut by dendritic drainages or, at sea-valley mouths, covered by glacially derived sediment. Young structures underlie the slope from Middleton Island to Pamplona Spur, but are absent from Pamplona Spur to Cross Sound. Alongmore » the southeast Alaska transform margin the Queen Charlotte fault is imaged as a narrow linear feature. The fault steps westward at Tuzo Wilson Knolls, which likely is a spreading ridge segment. Large anticlines lie seaward of and trend parallel to the fault. On the abyssal plain off the Shumagin margin inherited structural and bathymetric features trend parallel to magnetic anomalies, and trench parallel features reflect faulting as the ocean plate bends into the trench. To the north, three turbidite systems drain the margin. The Surveyor system begins between Pamplona Spur and Alsek Canyon and empties into the Aleutian Trench. The Chirikof system arises near Cross Sound and ends in turbidite fans south of the Kodiak-Bowie Seamount chain, a relic Chirikov channel that once carried sediment westward to the Aleutian Trench. The Mukluk and Horizon channels start along southeast Alaska and end 1,000 km away on the Tufts abyssal plain.« less

NF-κB deregulation in splenic marginal zone lymphoma.

PubMed

Spina, Valeria; Rossi, Davide

2016-08-01

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma is a rare mature B-cell malignancy involving the spleen, bone marrow and blood. Over the past years, the rapid expansion of sequencing technologies allowing the genome-wide assessment of genomic, epigenetic and transcriptional changes has revolutionized our understanding of the biological basis of splenic marginal zone lymphoma by providing a comprehensive and unbiased view of the genes/pathways that are deregulated in this disease. NF-κB is a family of transcription factors that plays critical roles in development, survival, and activation of B lymphocytes. Consistent with the physiological involvement of NF-κB signalling in proliferation and commitment of mature B-cells to the marginal zone of the spleen, many oncogenic mutations involved in constitutive activation of the NF-κB pathway were recently identified in splenic marginal zone lymphoma. This review describes the progress in understanding the mechanism of NF-κB activation in splenic marginal zone lymphoma, including molecular, epigenetic and post-transcriptional modifications of NF-κB genes and of upstream pathways, and discusses how information gained from these efforts has provided new insights on potential targets of diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic relevance for splenic marginal zone lymphoma. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Seismic evidence for widespread serpentinized forearc upper mantle along the Cascadia margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brocher, T.M.; Parsons, T.; Trehu, A.M.; Snelson, C.M.; Fisher, M.A.

2003-01-01

Petrologic models suggest that dehydration and metamorphism of subducting slabs release water that serpentinizes the overlying forearc mantle. To test these models, we use the results of controlled-source seismic surveys and earthquake tomography to map the upper mantle along the Cascadia margin forearc. We find anomalously low upper-mantle velocities and/or weak wide-angle reflections from the top of the upper mantle in a narrow region along the margin, compatible with recent teleseismic studies and indicative of a serpentinized upper mantle. The existence of a hydrated forearc upper-mantle wedge in Cascadia has important geological and geophysical implications. For example, shearing within the upper mantle, inferred from seismic reflectivity and consistent with its serpentinite rheology, may occur during aseismic slow slip events on the megathrust. In addition, progressive dehydration of the hydrated mantle wedge south of the Mendocino triple junction may enhance the effects of a slap gap during the evolution of the California margin.

Transition from magma dominant to magma poor rifting along the Nova Scotia Continental Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, K. H.; Louden, K. E.; Nedimović, M. R.; Whitehead, M.; Farkas, A.; Watremez, L.; Dehler, S. A.

2011-12-01

Passive margins have been characterized as magma-dominant (volcanic) or magma-poor (non-volcanic). However, the conditions under which margins might switch states are not well understood as they typically have been studied as end member examples in isolation to each other. The Nova Scotia (NS) continental margin, however, offers an opportunity to study the nature of such a transition between the magma-dominant US East Coast margin to the south and the magma-poor Newfoundland margin to the north within a single rift segment. This transition is evidenced by a clear along-strike reduction in features characteristic of syn-rift volcanism from south-to-north along the NS margin, such as the weakening of the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA) and the coincident disappearance of seaward dipping reflector sequences (SDRS) on multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection profiles. Results from recent industry MCS profiles along and across the margin suggest a potentially narrow magma-dominant to magma-poor along-strike transition between the southern and the central NS margin. Such a transition is broadly consistent with results of several widely-spaced, across-strike ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) wide-angle profiles. In the southern region, the crustal structure exhibits a narrow (~120-km wide) ocean-continent transition (OCT) with a high velocity (7.2 km/s) lower crust, interpreted as a gabbro-rich underplated melt, beneath the SDRS and the ECMA, similar to crustal models across the US East Coast. In contrast, profiles across the central and northern margin contain a much wider OCT (150-200-km wide) underlain by a low velocity mantle layer (7.3-7.9 km/s), interpreted as partially serpentinized olivine, which is similar to the magma-poor Newfoundland margin to the north. However, the central-to-northern OBS profiles also exhibit significant variations within the OCT and the along-strike continuity of these OCT structures is not yet clear. In November 2010, we acquired, in the

Is Perceptual Narrowing Too Narrow?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cashon, Cara H.; Denicola, Christopher A.

2011-01-01

There is a growing list of examples illustrating that infants are transitioning from having earlier abilities that appear more "universal," "broadly tuned," or "unconstrained" to having later abilities that appear more "specialized," "narrowly tuned," or "constrained." Perceptual narrowing, a well-known phenomenon related to face, speech, and…

Brain death and marginal grafts in liver transplantation.

PubMed

Jiménez-Castro, M B; Gracia-Sancho, J; Peralta, C

2015-06-04

It is well known that most organs for transplantation are currently procured from brain-dead donors; however, the presence of brain death is an important risk factor in liver transplantation. In addition, one of the mechanisms to avoid the shortage of liver grafts for transplant is the use of marginal livers, which may show higher risk of primary non-function or initial poor function. To our knowledge, very few reviews have focused in the field of liver transplantation using brain-dead donors; moreover, reviews that focused on both brain death and marginal grafts in liver transplantation, both being key risk factors in clinical practice, have not been published elsewhere. The present review aims to describe the recent findings and the state-of-the-art knowledge regarding the pathophysiological changes occurring during brain death, their effects on marginal liver grafts and summarize the more controversial topics of this pathology. We also review the therapeutic strategies designed to date to reduce the detrimental effects of brain death in both marginal and optimal livers, attempting to explain why such strategies have not solved the clinical problem of liver transplantation.

Therapeutic cloning: from consequences to contradiction.

PubMed

Coors, Marilyn

2002-06-01

The British Parliament legalized therapeutic cloning in December 2000 despite opposition from the European Union. The watershed event in Parliament's move was the active and unprecedented government support for the generation and destruction of human embryonic life merely as a means of medical advancement. This article contends that the utilitarian analysis of this procedure is necessary to identify the real world risks of therapeutic cloning but insufficient to identify the breach of defensible ethical limits that this procedure represents. A value-oriented approach to Kantian ethics demonstrates that the utilitarian endorsement of therapeutic cloning entails a contradiction of the necessity of human vulnerability and a faulty valuation of the human embryo. The concern is that a narrow utilitarian focus ultimately commodifies human embryonic life and preferences outcomes as the sole determinant of moral value.

Retrospective cohort clinical investigation of a dental implant with a narrow diameter and short length for the partial rehabilitation of extremely atrophic jaws.

PubMed

Maló, Paulo S; de Araújo Nobre, Miguel A; Lopes, Armando V; Ferro, Ana S

2017-01-01

We investigated the short-term clinical outcomes of narrow-diameter short-length implants for the fixed-prosthetic partial rehabilitation of extremely resorbed jaws. Twenty-three patients requiring partial rehabilitations with narrow-platform short-length implants in any jaw were included in this study. In total, 30 implants 3.3 mm in diameter and 7 (n = 15 implants) or 8.5 (n = 15 implants) mm in length were inserted. The primary outcome measure was implant cumulative survival rate (CSR); the secondary outcome measures were marginal bone resorption at 1 and 3 years and the incidence of biologic and mechanical complications. Five patients (21.7%) with six implants (20%) were lost to follow-up. Two implants failed in two patients, yielding a CSR at 3 years of follow-up of 93.4%. The average (standard deviation) marginal bone resorption was 1.34 mm (0.95 mm) after the first year and 1.38 mm (0.78 mm) after the third year. Biologic complications occurred in three patients; mechanical complications occurred in three patients. Despite the limitations of the study, our findings show that the use of new narrow-diameter short-length implants for the rehabilitation of extremely atrophic regions is viable in the short-term, and can be considered a treatment alternative in extremely resorbed jaws.

Diffuse Extension of the Southern Mariana Margin: Implications for Subduction Zone Infancy and Plate Tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, F.; Stern, R. J.; Kelley, K. A.; Ohara, Y.; Sleeper, J. D.; Ribeiro, J. M.; Brounce, M. N.

2017-12-01

Opening of the southern Mariana margin takes place in contrasting modes: Extension normal to the trench forms crust that is passively accreted to a rigid Philippine Sea plate and forms along focused and broad accretion axes. Extension also occurs parallel to the trench and has split apart an Eocene-Miocene forearc terrain accreting new crust diffusely over a 150-200 km wide zone forming a pervasive volcano-tectonic fabric oriented at high angles to the trench and the backarc spreading center. Earthquake seismicity indicates that the forearc extension is active over this broad area and basement samples date young although waning volcanic activity. Diffuse formation of new oceanic crust and lithosphere is unusual; in most oceanic settings extension rapidly focuses to narrow plate boundary zones—a defining feature of plate tectonics. Diffuse crustal accretion has been inferred to occur during subduction zone infancy, however. We hypothesize that, in a near-trench extensional setting, the continual addition of water from the subducting slab creates a weak overriding hydrous lithosphere that deforms broadly. This process counteracts mantle dehydration and strengthening proposed to occur at mid-ocean ridges that may help to focus deformation and melt delivery to narrow plate boundary zones. The observations from the southern Mariana margin suggest that where lithosphere is weakened by high water content narrow seafloor spreading centers cannot form. These conditions likely prevail during subduction zone infancy, explaining the diffuse contemporaneous volcanism inferred in this setting.

Molecular pathogenesis of splenic and nodal marginal zone lymphoma.

PubMed

Spina, Valeria; Rossi, Davide

Genomic studies have improved our understanding of the biological basis of splenic (SMZL) and nodal (NMZL) marginal zone lymphoma by providing a comprehensive and unbiased view of the genes/pathways that are deregulated in these diseases. Consistent with the physiological involvement of NOTCH, NF-κB, B-cell receptor and toll-like receptor signaling in mature B-cells differentiation into the marginal zone B-cells, many oncogenic mutations of genes involved in these pathways have been identified in SMZL and NMZL. Beside genetic lesions, also epigenetic and post-transcriptional modifications contribute to the deregulation of marginal zone B-cell differentiation pathways in SMZL and NMZL. This review describes the progress in understanding the molecular mechanism underlying SMZL and NMZL, including molecular and post-transcriptional modifications, and discusses how information gained from these efforts has provided new insights on potential targets of diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic relevance in SMZL and NMZL. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sediment delivery to the Gulf of Alaska: source mechanisms along a glaciated transform margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dobson, M.R.; O'Leary, D.; Veart, M.

1998-01-01

Sediment delivery to the Gulf of Alaska occurs via four areally extensive deep-water fans, sourced from grounded tidewater glaciers. During periods of climatic cooling, glaciers cross a narrow shelf and discharge sediment down the continental slope. Because the coastal terrain is dominated by fjords and a narrow, high-relief Pacific watershed, deposition is dominated by channellized point-source fan accumulations, the volumes of which are primarily a function of climate. The sediment distribution is modified by a long-term tectonic translation of the Pacific plate to the north along the transform margin. As a result, the deep-water fans are gradually moved away from the climatically controlled point sources. Sets of abandoned channels record the effect of translation during the Plio-Pleistocene.

Therapeutic dormancy to delay postsurgical glioma recurrence: the past, present and promise of focal hypothermia.

PubMed

Wion, Didier

2017-07-01

Surgery precedes both radiotherapy and chemotherapy as the first-line therapy for glioma. However, despite multimodal treatment, most glioma patients die from local recurrence in the resection margin. Glioma surgery is inherently lesional, and the response of brain tissue to surgery includes hemostasis, angiogenesis, reactive gliosis and inflammation. Unfortunately, these processes are also associated with tumorigenic side-effects. An increasing amount of evidence indicates that the response to a surgery-related brain injury is hijacked by residual glioma cells and participates in the local regeneration of tumor tissues at the resection margin. Inducing therapeutic hypothermia in the brain has long been used to treat the secondary damage, such as neuroinflammation and edema, that are caused by accidental traumatic brain injuries. There is compelling evidence to suggest that inducing therapeutic hypothermia at the resection margin would delay the local recurrence of glioma by (i) limiting cell proliferation, (ii) disrupting the pathological connection between inflammation and glioma recurrence, and (iii) limiting the consequences of the functional heterogeneity and complexity inherent to the tumor ecosystem. While the global whole-body cooling methods that are currently used to treat stroke in clinical practice may not adequately treat the resection margin, the future lies in implantable focal microcooling devices similar to those under development for the treatment of epilepsy. Preclinical and clinical strategies to evaluate focal hypothermia must be implemented to prevent glioma recurrence in the resection margin. Placing the resection margin in a state of hibernation may potentially provide such a long-awaited therapeutic breakthrough.

Modelling of sea floor spreading initiation and rifted continental margin formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tymms, V. J.; Isimm Team

2003-04-01

Recent observations of depth dependent (heterogeneous) stretching where upper crustal extension is much less than that of the lower crust and lithospheric mantle at both non-volcanic and volcanic margins plus the discovery of broad domains of exhumed continental mantle at non-volcanic rifted margins are not predicted by existing quantitative models of rifted margin formation which are usually based on intra-continental rift models subjected to very large stretching factors. New conceptual and quantitative models of rifted margin formation are required. Observations and continuum mechanics suggest that the dominant process responsible for rifted continental margin formation is sea-floor spreading of the young ocean ridge, rather than pre-breakup intra-continental rifting. Simple fluid flow models of ocean ridge processes using analytical iso-viscous corner-flow demonstrate that the divergent motion of the upwelling mantle beneath the ocean ridge, when viewed in the reference frame of the young continental margin, shows oceanward flow of the lower continental crust and lithospheric mantle of the young rifted margin giving rise to depth dependent stretching as observed. Single-phase fluid-models have been developed to model the initiation of sea-floor spreading and the thermal, stretching and thinning evolution of the young rifted continental margin. Finite element fluid-flow modelling incorporating the evolving temperature dependent viscosity field on the fluid flow also show depth dependent stretching of the young continental margin. Two-phase flow models of ocean ridges incorporating the transport of both solid matrix and melt fluid (Spiegelman &Reynolds 1999) predict the divergent motion of the asthenosphere and lithosphere matrix, and the focusing of basaltic melt into the narrow axial zone spreading centre at ocean ridges. We are adapting two-phase flow models for application to the initiation of sea-floor spreading and rifted continental margin formation. i

Can breathing-like pressure oscillations reverse or prevent narrowing of small intact airways?

PubMed

Harvey, Brian C; Parameswaran, Harikrishnan; Lutchen, Kenneth R

2015-07-01

Periodic length fluctuations of airway smooth muscle during breathing are thought to modulate airway responsiveness in vivo. Recent animal and human intact airway studies have shown that pressure fluctuations simulating breathing can only marginally reverse airway narrowing and are ineffective at protecting against future narrowing. However, these previous studies were performed on relatively large (>5 mm diameter) airways, which are inherently stiffer than smaller airways for which a preponderance of airway constriction in asthma likely occurs. The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of breathing-like transmural pressure oscillations to reverse induced narrowing and/or protect against future narrowing of smaller, more compliant intact airways. We constricted smaller (luminal diameter = 2.92 ± 0.29 mm) intact airway segments twice with ACh (10(-6) M), once while applying tidal-like pressure oscillations (5-15 cmH2O) before, during, and after inducing constriction (Pre + Post) and again while only imposing the tidal-like pressure oscillation after induced constriction (Post Only). Smaller airways were 128% more compliant than previously studied larger airways. This increased compliance translated into 196% more strain and 76% greater recovery (41 vs. 23%) because of tidal-like pressure oscillations. Larger pressure oscillations (5-25 cmH2O) caused more recovery (77.5 ± 16.5%). However, pressure oscillations applied before and during constriction resulted in the same steady-state diameter as when pressure oscillations were only applied after constriction. These data show that reduced straining of the airways before a challenge likely does not contribute to the emergence of airway hyperreactivity observed in asthma but may serve to sustain a given level of constriction. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Quantitative calculation and numerical modeling of the conjugate margins of the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, D.; Pérez-Gussinyé, M.; Wang, W.; Bai, Y.

2017-12-01

South China margin rifted on the tectonic setting of the early active continental margin since Cenozoic. The present South China Sea (SCS) opened at 32 Ma and showed propagation from east to west, with different crustal and sedimentary structures at the conjugate continental margins. Based on the latest high-quality multi-channel seismic data, bathymetric data, and other obtained seismic profiles, the asymmetric characteristics between the conjugate margins of the SCS are revealed. Spatial variation of morphology, basement structure and marginal faults are discovered among the SCS margin profiles. We calculate the lithospheric stretching factors and analyze the anomalous post-rift subsidence from two typical seismic profiles in the conjugate margins of the SCS, with integrated method of 2D forward and inversion based on flexural-cantilever model. We propose a differential extension model to explain the spatial differences in the SCS margins and emphasize the role of detachment fault in evolutionary process. Numerical modeling has a great advantage in studying the rifted margin formation mechanism. Dynamic modeling for the formation of asymmetric conjugate margins of the SCS is carried out by solving the thermal-mechanical equation, based on the viscoelastic-plastic model. The results show that the width and symmetry of the margin are controlled by the crustal rheological structure and sedimentation rate. Crust with lower strength is prone to distributed and persistent faulting instead of strain localization, which results in the wider margin. On the contrary, the stronger crust would generate large faults and lead to strain localization in a small amount of them, easier to form narrow continental margin. Large sediment loading is favorable for the development of large faults, meanwhile, the subsequent thermal effect reduces the crustal viscosity. A sudden transition zone of sedimentation rate is prone to strain localization and accelerates the crust rift, which may

Examining the margins: a concept analysis of marginalization.

PubMed

Vasas, Elyssa B

2005-01-01

The aim of this analysis is to explore the concept of social marginalization for the purpose of concept development. Specifically, the article intends to clarify the relationship between health disparities and marginalization and generate knowledge about working with people who are socially marginalized. Concept development evolved from the critical analysis of relevant literature generated through searches of nursing and social science databases. Literature was organized thematically and themes related to marginalization as a social process were included and analyzed. The article explores the challenges of using marginalization as an independent concept and suggests areas for future inquiry and research.

The Narrow-Line Region of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Ardila, A.; Binette, Luc; Pastoriza, Miriani G.; Donzelli, Carlos J.

2000-08-01

This work studies the optical emission-line properties and physical conditions of the narrow-line region (NLR) of seven narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1's) for which high signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopic observations were available. The resolution is 340 km s-1 (at Hα) over the wavelength interval 3700-9500 Å, enabling us to separate the broad and narrow components of the permitted emission lines. Our results show that the flux carried out by the narrow component of Hβ is, on average, 50% of the total line flux. As a result, the [O III] λ5007/Hβ ratio emitted in the NLR varies from 1 to 5, instead of the universally adopted value of 10. This has strong implications for the required spectral energy distribution that ionizes the NLR gas. Photoionization models that consider a NLR composed of a combination of matter-bounded and ionization-bounded clouds are successful at explaining the low [O III] λ5007/Hβ ratio and the weakness of low-ionization lines of NLS1's. Variation of the relative proportion of these two type of clouds nicely reproduces the dispersion of narrow-line ratios found among the NLS1 sample. Assuming similar physical model parameters of both NLS1's and the normal Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548, we show that the observed differences of emission-line ratios between these two groups of galaxies can be explained, to a first approximation, in terms of the shape of the input ionizing continuum. Narrow emission-line ratios of NLS1's are better reproduced by a steep power-law continuum in the EUV-soft X-ray region, with spectral index α~-2. Flatter spectral indices (α~-1.5) match the observed line ratios of NGC 5548 but are unable to provide a good match to the NLS1 ratios. This result is consistent with ROSAT observations of NLS1's, which show that these objects are characterized by steeper power-law indices than those of Seyfert 1 galaxies with strong broad optical lines. Based on observations made at CASLEO. Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito

The Seismicity of Two Hyperextended Margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redfield, Tim; Terje Osmundsen, Per

2013-04-01

A seismic belt marks the outermost edge of Scandinavia's proximal margin, inboard of and roughly parallel to the Taper Break. A similar near- to onshore seismic belt runs along its inner edge, roughly parallel to and outboard of the asymmetric, seaward-facing escarpment. The belts converge at both the northern and southern ends of Scandinavia, where crustal taper is sharp and the proximal margin is narrow. Very few seismic events have been recorded on the intervening, gently-tapering Trøndelag Platform. Norway's distribution of seismicity is systematically ordered with respect to 1) the structural templates of high-beta extension that shaped the thinning gradient during Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous time, and 2) the topographically resurgent Cretaceous-Cenozoic "accommodation phase" family of escarpments that approximate the innermost limit of crustal thinning [See Redfield and Osmundsen (2012) for diagrams, definitions, discussion, and supporting citations.] Landwards from the belt of earthquake epicenters that mark the Taper Break the crust consistently thickens, and large fault arrays tend to sole out at mid crustal levels. Towards the sea the crystalline continental crust is hyperextended, pervasively faulted, and generally very thin. Also, faulting and serpentinization may have affected the uppermost parts of the distal margin's lithospheric mantle. Such contrasting structural conditions may generate a contrasting stiffness: for a given stress, more strain can be accommodated in the distal margin than in the less faulted proximal margin. By way of comparison, inboard of the Taper Break on the gently-tapered Trøndelag Platform, faulting was not penetrative. There, similar structural conditions prevail and proximal margin seismicity is negligible. Because stress concentration can occur where material properties undergo significant contrast, the necking zone may constitute a natural localization point for post-thinning phase earthquakes. In Scandinavia

Crustal architecture of the oblique-slip conjugate margins of George V Land and southeast Australia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stagg, H.M.J.; Reading, A.M.

2007-01-01

A conceptual, lithospheric-scale cross-section of the conjugate, oblique-slip margins of George V Land, East Antarctica, and southeast Australia (Otway Basin) has been constructed based on the integration of seismic and sample data. This cross-section is characterised by asymmetry in width and thickness, and depth-dependent crustal extension at breakup in the latest Maastrichtian. The broad Antarctic margin (~360 km apparent rift width) developed on thick crust (~42 km) of the Antarctic craton, whereas the narrow Otway margin (~220 km) developed on the thinner crust (~31 km) of the Ross–Delamerian Orogen. The shallow basement (velocities ~5.5 km.s-1) and the deep continental crust (velocities >6.4 km.s-1) appear to be largely absent across the central rift, while the mid-crustal, probably granitic layer (velocities ~6 km.s-1) is preserved. Comparison with published numerical models suggests that the shallow basement and deep crust may have been removed by simple shear, whereas the mid-crust has been ductilely deformed.

The role of intraoperative narrow-band imaging in transoral laser microsurgery for early and moderately advanced glottic cancer.

PubMed

Klimza, Hanna; Jackowska, Joanna; Piazza, Cesare; Banaszewski, Jacek; Wierzbicka, Malgorzata

2018-03-01

Trans-oral laser microsurgery is an established technique for the treatment of early and moderately advanced laryngeal cancer. The authors intend to test the usefulness of narrow-band imaging in the intraoperative assessment of the larynx mucosa in terms of specifying surgical margins. Forty-four consecutive T1-T2 glottic cancers treated with trans-oral laser microsurgery Type I-VI cordectomy were presented. Suspected areas (90 samples/44 patients) were biopsied under the guidance of narrow-band imaging and white light and sent for frozen section. Our study revealed that 75 of 90 (83.3%) white light and narrow-band imaging-guided samples were histopathologically positive: 30 (40%) were confirmed as carcinoma in situ or invasive carcinoma and 45 (60%) as moderate to severe dysplasia. In 6 patients mucosa was suspected only in narrow-band imaging, with no suspicion under white light. Thus, in these 6 patients 18/90 (20%) samples were taken. In 5/6 patients 16/18 (88.8%) samples were positive in frozen section: in 6/18 (33.3%) carcinoma (2 patients), 10/18 (66.6%) severe dysplasia was confirmed (3 patients). In 1 patient 2/18 (11.1%) samples were negative in frozen section. Presented analysis showed, that sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of white light was 79.5%, 20% and 71.1% respectively, while narrow-band imaging was 100%, 0.0% and 85.7%, respectively. The intraoperative use of narrow-band imaging proved to be valuable in the visualization of suspect areas of the mucosa. Narrow-band imaging confirms the suspicions undertaken in white light and importantly, it showed microlesions beyond the scope of white light. Copyright © 2018 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Male Contraception: Research, New Methods, and Implications for Marginalized Populations.

PubMed

Plana, Olivia

2017-07-01

The majority of research on contraception has focused on manipulating the female reproductive system. Recent studies have identified novel contraceptives for males, including hormonal- and nonhormonal-based therapeutics. Although these new contraceptives are still undergoing clinical trials, their development and potential future use in society necessitate serious consideration of their implications for reproductive health. Through my analysis of the research conducted on male contraception over time and the current therapeutics available, it is clear that male contraception has the potential to shift societal gender dynamics and provide males with greater control over their own reproduction. This article also identifies the implications of these novel contraceptives for marginalized populations, especially men of color and men of lower socioeconomic positions. To overcome barriers to contraception among these populations, public policy efforts are needed in order to motivate the development of programs that facilitate coverage of these new male contraceptives by health plans and to increase their availability to underserved communities. Health care providers will be responsible for educating patients about these novel male contraception options and the need to continue using existing methods (e.g., condoms) in order to prevent sexually transmitted infections. This article analyzes the research conducted on male contraception and identifies the implications of these novel therapeutics for marginalized groups of men in the United States to identify the interventions that will be necessary to help ensure that all men have access to these promising scientific innovations.

Male Contraception: Research, New Methods, and Implications for Marginalized Populations

PubMed Central

Plana, Olivia

2015-01-01

The majority of research on contraception has focused on manipulating the female reproductive system. Recent studies have identified novel contraceptives for males, including hormonal- and nonhormonal-based therapeutics. Although these new contraceptives are still undergoing clinical trials, their development and potential future use in society necessitate serious consideration of their implications for reproductive health. Through my analysis of the research conducted on male contraception over time and the current therapeutics available, it is clear that male contraception has the potential to shift societal gender dynamics and provide males with greater control over their own reproduction. This article also identifies the implications of these novel contraceptives for marginalized populations, especially men of color and men of lower socioeconomic positions. To overcome barriers to contraception among these populations, public policy efforts are needed in order to motivate the development of programs that facilitate coverage of these new male contraceptives by health plans and to increase their availability to underserved communities. Health care providers will be responsible for educating patients about these novel male contraception options and the need to continue using existing methods (e.g., condoms) in order to prevent sexually transmitted infections. This article analyzes the research conducted on male contraception and identifies the implications of these novel therapeutics for marginalized groups of men in the United States to identify the interventions that will be necessary to help ensure that all men have access to these promising scientific innovations. PMID:26206159

Crustal Structure of the Ionian Basin and Eastern Sicily Margin: Results From a Wide-Angle Seismic Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dellong, David; Klingelhoefer, Frauke; Kopp, Heidrun; Graindorge, David; Margheriti, Lucia; Moretti, Milena; Murphy, Shane; Gutscher, Marc-Andre

2018-03-01

In the Ionian Sea (central Mediterranean) the slow convergence between Africa and Eurasia results in the formation of a narrow subduction zone. The nature of the crust of the subducting plate remains debated and could represent the last remnants of the Neo-Tethys ocean. The origin of the Ionian basin is also under discussion, especially concerning the rifting mechanisms as the Malta Escarpment could represent a remnant of this opening. This subduction retreats toward the south-east (motion occurring since the last 35 Ma) but is confined to the narrow Ionian basin. A major lateral slab tear fault is required to accommodate the slab roll-back. This fault is thought to propagate along the eastern Sicily margin but its precise location remains controversial. This study focuses on the deep crustal structure of the eastern Sicily margin and the Malta Escarpment. We present two two-dimensional P wave velocity models obtained from forward modeling of wide-angle seismic data acquired onboard the R/V Meteor during the DIONYSUS cruise in 2014. The results image an oceanic crust within the Ionian basin as well as the deep structure of the Malta Escarpment, which presents characteristics of a transform margin. A deep and asymmetrical sedimentary basin is imaged south of the Messina strait and seems to have opened between the Calabrian and Peloritan continental terranes. The interpretation of the velocity models suggests that the tear fault is located east of the Malta Escarpment, along the Alfeo fault system.

Narrow band gap amorphous silicon semiconductors

DOEpatents

Madan, A.; Mahan, A.H.

1985-01-10

Disclosed is a narrow band gap amorphous silicon semiconductor comprising an alloy of amorphous silicon and a band gap narrowing element selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ge, and Pb, with an electron donor dopant selected from the group consisting of P, As, Sb, Bi and N. The process for producing the narrow band gap amorphous silicon semiconductor comprises the steps of forming an alloy comprising amorphous silicon and at least one of the aforesaid band gap narrowing elements in amount sufficient to narrow the band gap of the silicon semiconductor alloy below that of amorphous silicon, and also utilizing sufficient amounts of the aforesaid electron donor dopant to maintain the amorphous silicon alloy as an n-type semiconductor.

A case of distal extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with two positive resection margins.

PubMed

Warner, Wayne A; Ramcharan, Wesley; Harnanan, Dave; Umakanthan, Srikanth; Maharaj, Ravi

2016-11-01

Cholangiocarcinoma is an uncommon primary malignancy of the biliary tract that is challenging to diagnose and treat effectively due to its relatively silent and late clinical presentation. The present study reports a case of a 60-year-old male with distal extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with a 3-week history of painless obstructive jaundice symptoms and subjective weight loss. Imaging revealed an obstructing lesion in the common bile duct, just distal to the entrance of the cystic duct. Pathology revealed moderately differentiated cholangiocarcinoma with two positive proximal resection margins. The two positive resection margins presented a challenge during surgery and points to an urgent need for further studies to better illuminate diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients with similar clinicopathological presentation.

Single-Center Experience Using Marginal Liver Grafts in Korea.

PubMed

Park, P-J; Yu, Y-D; Yoon, Y-I; Kim, S-R; Kim, D-S

2018-05-01

Liver transplantation (LT) is an established therapeutic modality for patients with end-stage liver disease. The use of marginal donors has become more common worldwide due to the sharp increase in recipients, with a consequent shortage of suitable organs. We analyzed our single-center experience over the last 8 years in LT to evaluate the outcomes of using so-called "marginal donors." We retrospectively analyzed the database of all LTs performed at our institution from 2009 to 2017. Only patients undergoing deceased-donor LTs were analyzed. Marginal grafts were defined as livers from donors >60 years of age, livers from donors with serum sodium levels >155 mEq, graft steatosis >30%, livers with cold ischemia time ≥12 hours, livers from donors who were hepatitis B or C virus positive, livers recovered from donation after cardiac death, and livers split between 2 recipients. Patients receiving marginal grafts (marginal group) were compared with patients receiving standard grafts (standard group). A total of 106 patients underwent deceased-donor LT. There were 55 patients in the standard group and 51 patients in the marginal group. There were no significant differences in terms of age, sex, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, underlying liver disease, presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, and hospital stay between the 2 groups. Although the incidence of acute cellular rejection, cytomegalovirus infection, and postoperative complications was similar between the 2 groups, the incidence of early allograft dysfunction was higher in the marginal group. With a median follow-up of 26 months, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall and graft (death-censored) survivals in the marginal group were 85.5%, 75%, and 69.2% and 85.9%, 83.6%, and 77.2%, respectively. Patient overall survival and graft survival (death-censored) were significantly lower in the marginal group (P = .023 and P = .048, respectively). On multivariate analysis, receiving a marginal graft (hazard ratio [HR

Along-strike supply of volcanic rifted margins: Implications for plume-influenced rifting and sudden along-strike transitions between volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranero, C. R.; Phipps Morgan, J.

2006-12-01

The existence of sudden along-strike transitions between volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margins is an important constraint for conceptual models of rifting and continental breakup. We think there is a promising indirect approach to infer the maximum width of the region of upwelling that exists beneath a rifted margin during the transition from rifting to seafloor-spreading. We infer this width of ~30km from the minimum length of the ridge-offsets that mark the limits of the `region of influence' of on-ridge plumes on the axial relief, axial morphology, and crustal thickness along the ridge and at the terminations of fossil volcanic rifted margins. We adopt Vogt's [1972] hypothesis for along-ridge asthenospheric flow in a narrow vertical slot beneath the axis of plume-influenced `macro-segments' and volcanic rifted margins. We find that: (1) There is a threshold distance to the lateral offsets that bound plume-influenced macrosegments; all such `barrier offsets' are greater than ~30km, while smaller offsets do not appear to be a barrier to along-axis flow. This pattern is seen in the often abrupt transitions between volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margins; these transitions coincide with >30km ridge offsets that mark the boundary between the smooth seafloor morphology and thick crust of a plume- influenced volcanic margin and a neighboring non-volcanic margin, as recorded in 180Ma rifting of the early N. Atlantic, the 42Ma rifting of the Kerguelen-Broken Ridge, and the 66Ma Seychelles-Indian rifting in the Indian Ocean. (2) A similar pattern is seen in the often abrupt transitions between `normal' and plume-influenced mid- ocean ridge segments, which is discussed in a companion presentation by Phipps Morgan and Ranero (this meeting). (3) The coexistance of adjacent volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margin segments is readily explained in this conceptual framework. If the volcanic margin macrosegment is plume-fed by hot asthenosphere along an axial ridge slot

Effect of Margin Designs on the Marginal Adaptation of Zirconia Copings.

PubMed

Habib, Syed Rashid; Al Ajmi, Mohammed Ginan; Al Dhafyan, Mohammed; Jomah, Abdulrehman; Abualsaud, Haytham; Almashali, Mazen

2017-09-01

The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the effect of Shoulder versus Chamfer margin design on the marginal adaptation of zirconia (Zr) copings. 40 extracted molar teeth were mounted in resin and prepared for zirconia crowns with two margin preparation designs (20=Shoulder and 20=Chamfer). The copings were manufactured by Cercon® (DeguDent GmbH, Germany) using the CAD/CAM system for each tooth. They were tried on each tooth, cemented, thermocycled, re-embedded in resin and were subsequently cross sectioned centrally into two equal mesial and distal halves. They were examined under electron microscope at 200 X magnification and the measurements were recorded at 5 predetermined points in micrometers (µm). The o verall mean marginal gap for the two groups was found to be 206.98+42.78µm with Shoulder margin design (Marginal Gap=199.50+40.72µm) having better adaptation compared to Chamfer (Marginal Gap=214.46+44.85µm). The independent-samples t-test showed a statistically non-significant difference (p=.113) between the means of marginal gap for Shoulder and Chamfer margin designs and the measurements were recorded at 5 predetermined points for the two groups. The Chamfer margin design appeared to offer the same adaptation results as the Shoulder margin design.

Peri-implant soft tissue and marginal bone adaptation on implant with non-matching healing abutments: micro-CT analysis.

PubMed

Finelle, Gary; Papadimitriou, Dimitrios E V; Souza, André B; Katebi, Negin; Gallucci, German O; Araújo, Mauricio G

2015-04-01

To assess (i) the outcome of changing the horizontal-offset dimension on the peri-implant soft tissues and the crestal bone and (ii) the effect of different healing abutments (flared vs. straight) on the marginal peri-implant soft tissues and crestal bone. Two-piece dental implants diameters of 3.5 and 4.5 mm were placed at least 1 mm subcrestal in five beagle dogs. Three different investigational groups: (i) 3.5-mm-diameter implant with narrow healing abutment (3.5N), (ii) 4.5-mm-diameter implant with narrow healing abutment (4.5N), and (iii) 3.5-mm-diameter implant with wide healing abutment (3.5W), were assessed. After 4 months of healing, the vertical distance from the marginal crestal bone (MB) to the implant shoulder (IS); the vertical distance from the IS to the first bone-to-implant contact; and the horizontal distance of bone ingrowth on the implant platform were measured with a high-resolution micro-CT (Xradia MicroXCT-200 system). Implants with a narrow healing caps showed an interproximal MB located between 0 and 1 mm above the implant shoulder, while the 3.5W group exhibits a mean value -0.50 mm. As all implants in group 3.5N presented a fBIC located at the level of the IS. For the 4.5N group, the mean fBIC-IS distance was -0.52 mm apically to the IS. For the 3.5WC group, the mean fBIC-IS distance was -1.42 mm. Horizontal bone apposition was only observed for the 3.5N group and the 4.5N group. The dimension of the horizontal offset would play a minimal role in reducing bone remodeling, whereas the configuration of the transmucosal component would directly influence marginal bone remodeling. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Lower Crustal Strength Controls on Melting and Serpentinization at Magma-Poor Margins: Potential Implications for the South Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ros, Elena; Pérez-Gussinyé, Marta; Araújo, Mario; Thoaldo Romeiro, Marco; Andrés-Martínez, Miguel; Morgan, Jason P.

2017-12-01

Rifted continental margins may present a predominantly magmatic continent-ocean transition (COT), or one characterized by large exposures of serpentinized mantle. In this study we use numerical modeling to show the importance of the lower crustal strength in controlling the amount and onset of melting and serpentinization during rifting. We propose that the relative timing between both events controls the nature of the COT. Numerical experiments for half-extension velocities <=10 mm/yr suggest there is a genetic link between margin tectonic style and COT nature that strongly depends on the lower crustal strength. Our results imply that very slow extension velocities (< 5 mm/yr) and a strong lower crust lead to margins characterized by large oceanward dipping faults, strong syn-rift subsidence and abrupt crustal tapering beneath the continental shelf. These margins can be either narrow symmetric or asymmetric and present a COT with exhumed serpentinized mantle underlain by some magmatic products. In contrast, a weak lower crust promotes margins with a gentle crustal tapering, small faults dipping both ocean- and landward and small syn-rift subsidence. Their COT is predominantly magmatic at any ultra-slow extension velocity and perhaps underlain by some serpentinized mantle. These margins can also be either symmetric or asymmetric. Our models predict that magmatic underplating mostly underlies the wide margin at weak asymmetric conjugates, whereas the wide margin is mainly underlain by serpentinized mantle at strong asymmetric margins. Based on this conceptual template, we propose different natures for the COTs in the South Atlantic.

Hydrocarbon gas seeps of the convergent Hikurangi margin, North Island, New Zealand

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvenvolden, K.A.; Pettinga, J.R.

1989-01-01

Two hydrocarbon gas seeps, located about 13 km apart, have distinctive molecular and isotopic compositions. These seeps occur within separate tectonic melange units of narrow parallel trending and structurally complex zones with incorporated upper Cretaceous and Palaeogene passive continental margin deposits which are now compressively deformed and imbricated along the convergent Hikurangi margin of North Island, New Zealand. At Brookby Station within the Coastal High, the seeping hydrocarbon gas has a methane/ethane ratio of 48 and ??13C and ??D values of methane of -45.7 and -188???, respectively (relative to the PDB and SMOW standards). Within the complex core of the Elsthorpe Anticline at Campbell Station seep, gas has a methane/ethane ratio of about 12000, and the methane has ??13C and ??D values of -37.4 and -170???, respectively. The source of the gases cannot be positively identified, but the gases probably originate from the thermal decomposition of organic matter in tectonically disturbed upper Cretaceous and/or lower Tertiary sedimentary rocks of passive margin affinity and reach the surface by migration along thrust faults associated with tectonic melange. The geochemical differences between the two gases may result from differences in burial depths of similar source sediment. ?? 1989.

A case of distal extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with two positive resection margins

PubMed Central

Warner, Wayne A.; Ramcharan, Wesley; Harnanan, Dave; Umakanthan, Srikanth; Maharaj, Ravi

2016-01-01

Cholangiocarcinoma is an uncommon primary malignancy of the biliary tract that is challenging to diagnose and treat effectively due to its relatively silent and late clinical presentation. The present study reports a case of a 60-year-old male with distal extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with a 3-week history of painless obstructive jaundice symptoms and subjective weight loss. Imaging revealed an obstructing lesion in the common bile duct, just distal to the entrance of the cystic duct. Pathology revealed moderately differentiated cholangiocarcinoma with two positive proximal resection margins. The two positive resection margins presented a challenge during surgery and points to an urgent need for further studies to better illuminate diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients with similar clinicopathological presentation. PMID:27895774

Geophysical evidence for a transform margin offshore Western Algeria: a witness of a subduction-transform edge propagator?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badji, Rabia; Charvis, Philippe; Bracene, Rabah; Galve, Audrey; Badsi, Madjid; Ribodetti, Alessandra; Benaissa, Zahia; Klingelhoefer, Frauke; Medaouri, Mourad; Beslier, Marie-Odile

2015-02-01

For the first time, a deep seismic data set acquired in the frame of the Algerian-French SPIRAL program provides new insights regarding the origin of the westernmost Algerian margin and basin. We performed a tomographic inversion of traveltimes along a 100-km-long wide-angle seismic profile shot over 40 ocean bottom seismometers offshore Mostaganem (Northwestern Algeria). The resulting velocity model and multichannel seismic reflection profiles show a thin (3-4 km thick) oceanic crust. The narrow ocean-continent transition (less than 10 km wide) is bounded by vertical faults and surmounted by a narrow almost continuous basin filled with Miocene to Quaternary sediments. This fault system, as well as the faults organized in a negative-flower structure on the continent side, marks a major strike-slip fault system. The extremely sharp variation of the Moho depth (up to 45 ± 3°) beneath the continental border underscores the absence of continental extension in this area. All these features support the hypothesis that this part of the margin from Oran to Tenes, trending N65-N70°E, is a fossil subduction-transform edge propagator fault, vestige of the propagation of the edge of the Gibraltar subduction zone during the westward migration of the Alborán domain.

[The margin of autonomy of nurses in psychiatry: for a clinical approach in the institution].

PubMed

Langellotti, Grégory

2013-01-01

In care units, nurses operate in working environments which offer them a margin of autonomy. When they seize upon this opportunity, they invent therapeutics tools. Their creativity as well as the pleasure given in the care contributes to the clinical dynamics within the institution.

The role of the margins in ice stream dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Echelmeyer, Keith; Harrison, William

1993-01-01

At first glance, it would appear that the bed of the active ice stream plays a much more important role in the overall force balance than do the margins, especially because the ratio of the half-width to depth for a typical ice stream is large (15:1 to 50:1). On the other hand, recent observations indicate that at least part of the ice stream is underlain by a layer of very weak till (shear strength about 2 kPa), and this weak basal layer would then imply that some or all of the resistive drag is transferred to the margins. In order to address this question, a detailed velocity profile near Upstream B Camp, which extends from the center of the ice stream, across the chaotic shear margin, and onto the Unicorn, which is part of the slow-moving ice sheet was measured. Comparison of this observed velocity profile with finite-element models of flow shows several interesting features. First, the shear stress at the margin is on the order of 130 kPa, while the mean value along the bed is about 15 kPa. Integration of these stresses along the boundaries indicates that the margins provide 40 to 50 percent, and the bed, 60 to 40 percent of the total resistive drag needed to balance the gravitational driving stress in this region. (The range of values represents calculations for different values of surface slope.) Second, the mean basal stress predicted by the models shows that the entire bed cannot be blanketed by the weak till observed beneath upstream B - instead there must be a distribution of weak till and 'sticky spots' (e.g., 85 percent till and 15 percent sticky spots of resistive stress equal to 100 kPa). If more of the bed were composed of weak till, then the modeled velocity would not match that observed. Third, the ice must exhibit an increasing enhancement factor as the margins are approached (E equals 10 in the chaotic zone), in keeping with laboratory measurements on ice under prolonged shear strain. Also, there is either a narrow zone of somewhat stiffer ice (E

The role of the margins in ice stream dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echelmeyer, Keith; Harrison, William

1993-07-01

At first glance, it would appear that the bed of the active ice stream plays a much more important role in the overall force balance than do the margins, especially because the ratio of the half-width to depth for a typical ice stream is large (15:1 to 50:1). On the other hand, recent observations indicate that at least part of the ice stream is underlain by a layer of very weak till (shear strength about 2 kPa), and this weak basal layer would then imply that some or all of the resistive drag is transferred to the margins. In order to address this question, a detailed velocity profile near Upstream B Camp, which extends from the center of the ice stream, across the chaotic shear margin, and onto the Unicorn, which is part of the slow-moving ice sheet was measured. Comparison of this observed velocity profile with finite-element models of flow shows several interesting features. First, the shear stress at the margin is on the order of 130 kPa, while the mean value along the bed is about 15 kPa. Integration of these stresses along the boundaries indicates that the margins provide 40 to 50 percent, and the bed, 60 to 40 percent of the total resistive drag needed to balance the gravitational driving stress in this region. (The range of values represents calculations for different values of surface slope.) Second, the mean basal stress predicted by the models shows that the entire bed cannot be blanketed by the weak till observed beneath upstream B - instead there must be a distribution of weak till and 'sticky spots' (e.g., 85 percent till and 15 percent sticky spots of resistive stress equal to 100 kPa). If more of the bed were composed of weak till, then the modeled velocity would not match that observed. Third, the ice must exhibit an increasing enhancement factor as the margins are approached (E equals 10 in the chaotic zone), in keeping with laboratory measurements on ice under prolonged shear strain. Also, there is either a narrow zone of somewhat stiffer ice (E

One-millimeter cancer-free margin is curative for colorectal liver metastases: a propensity score case-match approach.

PubMed

Hamady, Zaed Z R; Lodge, J Peter A; Welsh, Fenella K; Toogood, Giles J; White, Alan; John, Timothy; Rees, Myrddin

2014-03-01

To investigate the influence of clear surgical resection margin width on disease recurrence rate after intentionally curative resection of colorectal liver metastases. There is consensus that a histological positive resection margin is a predictor of disease recurrence after resection of colorectal liver metastases. The dispute, however, over the width of cancer-free resection margin required is ongoing. Analysis of observational prospectively collected data for 2715 patients who underwent primary resection of colorectal liver metastases from 2 major hepatobiliary units in the United Kingdom. Histological cancer-free resection margin was classified as positive (if cancer cells present at less than 1 mm from the resection margin) or negative (if the distance between the cancer and the margin is 1 mm or more). The negative margin was further classified according to the distance from the tumor in millimeters. Predictors of disease-free survival were analyzed in univariate and multivariate analyses. A case-match analysis by a propensity score method was undertaken to reduce bias. A 1-mm cancer-free resection margin was sufficient to achieve 33% 5-year overall disease-free survival. Extra margin width did not add disease-free survival advantage (P > 0.05). After the propensity case-match analysis, there is no statistical difference in disease-free survival between patients with negative narrow and wider margin clearance [hazard ratio (HR) 1.0; 95% (confidence interval) CI: 0.9-1.2; P = 0.579 at 5-mm cutoff and HR 1.1; 95% CI: 0.96-1.3; P = 0.149 at 10-mm cutoff]. Patients with extrahepatic disease and positive lymph node primary tumor did not have disease-free survival advantage despite surgical margin clearance (9 months for <1-mm vs 12 months for ≥1-mm margin clearance; P = 0.062). One-mm cancer-free resection margin achieved in patients with colorectal liver metastases should now be considered the standard of care.

The Afar-Red Sea-Gulf of Aden volcanic margins system : early syn-rift segmentation and tectono-magmatic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stab, Martin; Leroy, Sylvie; Bellahsen, Nicolas; Pik, Raphaël; Ayalew, Dereje; Yirgu, Gezahegn; Khanbari, Khaled

2017-04-01

The Afro-Arabian rift system is characterized by complex interactions between magmatism and rifting, leading to long-term segmentation of the associated continental margins. However, past studies focused on specific rift segments and no attempt has yet been made to reconcile them into a single comprehensive geodynamic model. To address this, we present interpretations of seismic profiles offshore the Eritrea-Yemeni margins in the southern Red Sea and the Yemeni margin in the Gulf of Aden and reassess the regional geodynamic evolution including the new tectonic evolution of the Central Afar Magmatic margin. We point out the role of two major transform zones in structuring the volcanism and faulting of the Red Sea-Afar-Aden margins. We show that those transform zones not only control the present-day rift organization, but were also active since the onset of rifting in Oligocene times. Early syn-rift transform zones control the emplacement and the development of seaward-dipping-reflector wedges immediately after the Continental Flood basalts (30 Ma), and are closely associated with mantle plume melts in the course of the segment extension. The margins segmentation thus appears to reflect the underlying mantle dynamics and thermal anomaly, which have directly influenced the style of rifting (wide vs. narrow rift), in controlling the development of preferential lithospheric thinning and massive transfer of magmas in the crust.

Rotation, narrowing and preferential reactivation of brittle structures during oblique rifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huismans, R. S.; Duclaux, G.; May, D.

2017-12-01

Occurrence of multiple faults populations with contrasting orientations in oblique continental rifts and passive margins has long sparked debate about relative timing of deformation events and tectonic interpretations. Here, we use high-resolution three-dimensional thermo-mechanical numerical modeling to characterize the evolution of the structural style associated with moderately oblique rifting in the continental lithosphere. Automatic analysis of the distribution of active extensional shears at the surface of the model demonstrates a characteristic deformation sequence. We show that upon localization, Phase 1 wide oblique en-échelon grabens develop, limited by extensional shears oriented orthogonal to σ3. Subsequent widening of the grabens is accompanied by a progressive rotation of the Phase 1 extensional shears that become sub-orthogonal the plate motion direction. Phase 2 is marked by narrowing of active deformation resulting from thinning of the continental lithosphere and development of a second-generation of extensional shears. During Phase 2 deformation localizes both on plate motion direction-orthogonal structures that reactivate rotated Phase 1 shears, and on new oblique structures orthogonal to σ3. Finally, Phase 3 consists in the oblique rupture of the continental lithosphere and produces an oceanic domain where oblique ridge segments are linked with highly oblique accommodation zones. We conclude that while new structures form normal to σ3 in an oblique rift, progressive rotation and long-term reactivation of Phase 1 structures promotes orthorhombic fault systems, critical to accommodate upper crustal extension and control oblique passive margin architecture. The distribution, orientation, and evolution of frictional-plastic structures observed in our models is remarkably similar to documented fault populations in the Gulf of Aden conjugate passive margins, which developed in moderately oblique extensional settings.

Crustal structure and extension mode in the northwestern margin of the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Jinwei; Wu, Shiguo; McIntosh, Kirk; Mi, Lijun; Liu, Zheng; Spence, George

2016-06-01

Combining multi-channel seismic reflection and gravity modeling, this study has investigated the crustal structure of the northwestern South China Sea margin. These data constrain a hyper-extended crustal area bounded by basin-bounding faults corresponding to an aborted rift below the Xisha Trough with a subparallel fossil ridge in the adjacent Northwest Sub-basin. The thinnest crust is located in the Xisha Trough, where it is remnant lower crust with a thickness of less than 3 km. Gravity modeling also revealed a hyper-extended crust across the Xisha Trough. The postrift magmatism is well developed and more active in the Xisha Trough and farther southeast than on the northwestern continental margin of the South China Sea; and the magmatic intrusion/extrusion was relatively active during the rifting of Xisha Trough and the Northwest Sub-basin. A narrow continent-ocean transition zone with a width of ˜65 km bounded seaward by a volcanic buried seamount is characterized by crustal thinning, rift depression, low gravity anomaly and the termination of the break-up unconformity seismic reflection. The aborted rift near the continental margin means that there may be no obvious detachment fault like that in the Iberia-Newfoundland type margin. The symmetric rift, extreme hyper-extended continental crust and hotter mantle materials indicate that continental crust underwent stretching phase (pure-shear deformation), thinning phase and breakup followed by onset of seafloor spreading and the mantle-lithosphere may break up before crustal-necking in the northwestern South China Sea margin.

Cretaceous plate interaction during the formation of the Colombian plateau, Northandean margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kammer, Andreas; Piraquive, Alejandro; Díaz, Sebastián

2015-04-01

The Cretaceous subduction cycle at the Northandean margin ends with an accretionary event that welds the plateau rocks of the present Western Cordillera to the continental margin. A suture between plateau and rock associations of the continental margin is well exposed at the western border of the Central Cordillera, but overprinted by intense block tectonics. Analyzed in detail, its evolution tracks an increased coupling between lower and upper plate, as may be accounted for by the following stages: 1) The Cretaceous plateau suite records at its onset passive margin conditions, as it encroaches on the continental margin and accounts for an extensional event that triggered the emplacement of ultramafic and mafic igneous rock suites along major faults. 2) An early subduction stage of a still moderate plate coupling is documented by the formation of a magmatic arc in an extensional setting that may have been prompted by slab retreat. Convergence direction was oblique, as attested the transfer of strike-slip displacements to the forearc region. 3) A phase of strong plate interaction entailed the delamination of narrow crustal flakes and their entrainment to depths below the petrologic Moho, as evidenced by their present association to serpentinites in a setting that bears characteristics of a subduction channel. 4) During the final collisional stage deformation is transferred to the lower plate, where the stacking of imbricate sheets, combined with their erosional unloading, led to the formation of an antiformal bulge that fed a foreland basin. - The life time of this Cretaceous subduction cycle was strictly synchronous to the construction of the Colombian plateau. With the final collisional stage magmatic activity vanished. This coincidence incites to explore a relationship between plume activity and subduction.

Crustal structure and inferred extension mode in the northern margin of the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, J.; Wu, S.; McIntosh, K. D.; Mi, L.; Spence, G.

2016-12-01

Combining multi-channel seismic reflection and satellite gravity data, this study has investigated the crustal structure and magmatic activities of the northern South China Sea (SCS) margin. Results show that a broad continent-ocean transition zone (COT) with more than 140 km wide is characterized by extensive igneous intrusion/extrusion and hyper-extended continental crust in the northeastern SCS margin, a broader COT with 220-265 km wide is characterized by crustal thinning, rift depression, structural highs with igneous rock and perhaps a volcanic zone or a zone of tilted fault blocks at the distal edge in the mid-northern SCS margin, and a narrow COT with 65 km wide bounded seawards by a volcanic buried seamount is characterized by extremely hyper-extended continental crust in the northwestern SCS margin, where the remnant crust with less than 3 km thick is bounded by basin-bounding faults corresponding to an aborted rift below the Xisha Trough with a sub-parallel fossil ridge in the adjacent Northwest Sub-basin. Results from gravity modeling and seismic refraction data show that a high velocity layer (HVL) is present in the outer shelf and slope below extended continental crust in the eastern portion of the northern SCS margin and is thickest (up to 10 km) in the Dongsha Uplift where the HVL gradually thins to east and west below the lower slope and finally terminates at the Manila Trench and Baiyun sag of the Pearl River Mouth Basin. The magmatic intrusions/extrusions and HVL may be related to partial melting caused by decompression of passive, upwelling asthenosphere which resulted primarily in post-rifting underplating and magmatic emplacement or modification of the crust. The northern SCS margin is closer to those of the magma-poor margins than those of volcanic margins, but the aborted rift near the northwestern continental margin shows that there may be no obvious detachment fault like that in the Iberia-Newfoundland type margin. The symmetric aborted

Firn thickness variations across the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream margins indicating nonlinear densification rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riverman, K. L.; Anandakrishnan, S.; Alley, R. B.; Peters, L. E.; Christianson, K. A.; Muto, A.

2013-12-01

Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) is the largest ice stream in Greenland, draining approximately 8.4% of the ice sheet's area. The flow pattern and stability mechanism of this ice stream are unique to others in Greenland and Antarctica, and merit further study to ascertain the sensitivity of this ice stream to future climate change. Geophysical methods are valuable tools for this application, but their results are sensitive to the structure of the firn and any spatial variations in firn properties across a given study region. Here we present firn data from a 40-km-long seismic profile across the upper reaches of NEGIS, collected in the summer of 2012 as part of an integrated ground-based geophysical survey. We find considerable variations in firn thickness that are coincident with the ice stream shear margins, where a thinner firn layer is present within the margins, and a thicker, more uniform firn layer is present elsewhere in our study region. Higher accumulation rates in the marginal surface troughs due to drift-snow trapping can account for some of this increased densification; however, our seismic results also highlight enhanced anisotropy within the firn and upper ice column that is confined to narrow bands within the shear margins. We thus interpret these large firn thickness variations and abrupt changes in anisotropy as indicators of firn densification dependent on the effective stress state as well as the overburden pressure, suggesting that the strain rate increases nonlinearly with stress across the shear margins. A GPS strain grid maintained for three weeks across both margins observed strong side shearing, with rapid stretching and then compression along particle paths, indicating large deviatoric stresses in the margins. This work demonstrates the importance of developing a high-resolution firn densification model when conducting geophysical field work in regions possessing a complex ice flow history; it also motivates the need for a more

Narrow-headed garter snake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nowak, Erika M.

2006-01-01

The narrow-headed garter snake is a harmless, nonvenomous snake that is distinguished by its elongated, triangular-shaped head and the red or dark spots on its olive to tan body. Today, the narrow-headed garter snake is a species of special concern in the United States because of its decline over much of its historic range. Arizona's Oak Creek has historically contained the largest population of narrow-headed garter snakes in the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Arizona Game and Fish Department jointly funded research by USGS scientists in Oak Creek to shed light on the factors causing declining population numbers. The research resulted in better understanding of the snake's habitat needs, winter and summer range, and dietary habits. Based on the research findings, the U.S. Forest Service has developed recommendations that visitors and local residents can adopt to help slow the decline of the narrow-headed garter snake in Oak Creek.

Marginal and happy? The need for uniqueness predicts the adjustment of marginal immigrants.

PubMed

Debrosse, Régine; de la Sablonnière, Roxane; Rossignac-Milon, Maya

2015-12-01

Marginalization is often presented as the strategy associated with the worst adjustment for immigrants. This study identifies a critical variable that buffers marginal immigrants from the negative effects of marginalization on adjustment: The need for uniqueness. In three studies, we surveyed immigrants recruited on university campuses (n = 119, n = 116) and in the field (n = 61). Among marginal immigrants, a higher need for uniqueness predicted higher self-esteem (Study 1), affect (Study 2), and life satisfaction (Study 3), and marginally higher happiness (Study 2) and self-esteem (Study 3). No relationship between the need for uniqueness and adjustment was found among non-marginal immigrants. The adaptive value of the need for uniqueness for marginal immigrants is discussed. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

NRC Continental Margins Workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsouros, Mary Hope

The Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council is organizing a workshop, “Continental Margins: Evolution of Passive Continental Margins and Active Marginal Processes,” to stimulate discussion and longterm planning in the scientific community about the evolution of all types of continental margins. We want to coordinate academic, industry, and government agency efforts in this field, and to enhance communication between sea-based and land-based research programs.The continental margins constitute the only available record of the long-term dynamic interaction of oceanic and continental lithosphere. Of great interest are the unique structures and thick sedimentary sequences associated with this interaction. A major focus of the workshop will be to define strategies for exploring and understanding the continental margins in three dimensions and through geologic time. The workshop will be divided into 7 working groups, each concentrating on a major issue in continental margins research. A background document is being prepared summarizing recent research in specific continental margin fields and identifying key scientific and technical issues.

Major Paleostress Field Differences on Complementary Margins of the South Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salomon, E.; Koehn, D.; Passchier, C. W.; Hackspacher, P. C.; Glasmacher, P. A.

2013-12-01

We present a detailed study of paleostress fields of the Namibian and Brazilian passive continental margins of the South Atlantic to address a general debate on whether or not these complementary margins experienced similar tectonic histories (e.g. Cobbold et al., 2001; Al-Hajri et al., 2009; Japsen et al., 2012). In our study, we compare the NW of Namibia and the SE of Brazil with each other. These areas are largely covered by the flood basalts of the Paraná-Etendeka-Large Igneous Province overlying Neo-Proterozoic basement of the Pan-African orogeny. With an age of ~133 Ma the basalts were emplaced just before or during the onset of the South Atlantic opening and thus serve as a good time marker for rift- and post-rift-related tectonics. We studied mainly fault planes and associated striations within the flood basalts and compared the resulting stress patterns of both margins. Results reveal remarkable differences in the stress patterns for SE Brazil and NW Namibia. In NW Namibia, a WSW-ENE directed extensional stress field dominates and fits well with extension of the original continental rift and the passive margin. A second extensional stress field (σ3 SSW oriented) and a strike-slip system (σ1 NW oriented) appear only subdued. In contrast, the SE of Brazil is mainly characterized by two strike-slip systems (σ1 oriented SW and E, respectively) whereas an extensional stress field is almost non-existent. The strike-slip faulting of the Brazilian study area occur widespread across SE Brazil as they are also evident in other paleostress studies of the region and might thus be the result of far-field stresses. Margin-parallel faults are scarce, so it appears that rift-related extension was restricted to a narrower strip along the continent-ocean boundary, now lying offshore. In NW Namibia, the faults of the extensional stress regime run parallel to the sub-margin-parallel basement structure (i.e. shear zones and foliation) and hence indicate a reactivation of

Therapeutic gold, silver, and platinum nanoparticles.

PubMed

Yamada, Miko; Foote, Matthew; Prow, Tarl W

2015-01-01

There are an abundance of nanoparticle technologies being developed for use as part of therapeutic strategies. This review focuses on a narrow class of metal nanoparticles that have therapeutic potential that is a consequence of elemental composition and size. The most widely known of these are gold nanoshells that have been developed over the last two decades for photothermal ablation in superficial cancers. The therapeutic effect is the outcome of the thickness and diameter of the gold shell that enables fine tuning of the plasmon resonance. When these metal nanoparticles are exposed to the relevant wavelength of light, their temperature rapidly increases. This in turn induces a localized photothermal ablation that kills the surrounding tumor tissue. Similarly, gold nanoparticles have been developed to enhance radiotherapy. The high-Z nature of gold dramatically increases the photoelectric cross-section. Thus, the photoelectric effects are significantly increased. The outcome of these interactions is enhanced tumor killing with lower doses of radiation, all while sparing tissue without gold nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles have been used for their wound healing properties in addition to enhancing the tumor-killing effects of anticancer drugs. Finally, platinum nanoparticles are thought to serve as a reservoir for platinum ions that can induce DNA damage in cancer cells. The future is bright with the path to clinical trials is largely cleared for some of the less complex therapeutic metal nanoparticle systems. © 2014 The Authors. WIREs Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Arrayed antibody library technology for therapeutic biologic discovery.

PubMed

Bentley, Cornelia A; Bazirgan, Omar A; Graziano, James J; Holmes, Evan M; Smider, Vaughn V

2013-03-15

Traditional immunization and display antibody discovery methods rely on competitive selection amongst a pool of antibodies to identify a lead. While this approach has led to many successful therapeutic antibodies, targets have been limited to proteins which are easily purified. In addition, selection driven discovery has produced a narrow range of antibody functionalities focused on high affinity antagonism. We review the current progress in developing arrayed protein libraries for screening-based, rather than selection-based, discovery. These single molecule per microtiter well libraries have been screened in multiplex formats against both purified antigens and directly against targets expressed on the cell surface. This facilitates the discovery of antibodies against therapeutically interesting targets (GPCRs, ion channels, and other multispanning membrane proteins) and epitopes that have been considered poorly accessible to conventional discovery methods. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Bioactive glass fillers reduce bacterial penetration into marginal gaps for composite restorations

PubMed Central

Khvostenko, D.; Hilton, T. J.; Ferracane, J. L.; Mitchell, J. C.; Kruzic, J. J.

2015-01-01

Objectives Bioactive glass (BAG) is known to possess antimicrobial and remineralizing properties; however, the use of BAG as a filler for resin based composite restorations to slow recurrent caries has not been studied. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of 15 wt% BAG additions to a resin composite on bacterial biofilms penetrating into marginal gaps of simulated tooth fillings in vitro during cyclic mechanical loading. Methods Human molars were machined into approximately 3 mm thick disks of dentin and 1.5–2 mm deep composite restorations were placed. A narrow 15–20 micrometer wide dentin-composite gap was allowed to form along half of the margin by not applying dental adhesive to that region. Two different 72 wt% filled composites were used, one with 15 wt% BAG filler (15BAG) and the balance silanated strontium glass and one filled with OX-50 and silanated strontium glass without BAG (0BAG – control). Samples of both groups had Streptococcus mutans biofilms grown on the surface and were tested inside a bioreactor for two weeks while subjected to periods of cyclic mechanical loading. After post-test biofilm viability was confirmed, each specimen was fixed in glutaraldehyde, gram positive stained, mounted in resin and cross-sectioned to reveal the gap profile. Depth of biofilm penetration for 0BAG and 15BAG was quantified as the fraction of gap depth. The data were compared using a Student’s t-test. Results The average depth of bacterial penetration into the marginal gap for the 15BAG samples was significantly smaller (~61%) in comparison to 0BAG, where 100% penetration was observed for all samples with the biofilm penetrating underneath of the restoration in some cases. Significance BAG containing resin dental composites reduce biofilm penetration into marginal gaps of simulated tooth restorations. This suggests BAG containing composites may have the potential to slow the development and propagation of secondary tooth

Narrow Networks on the Individual Marketplace in 2017.

PubMed

Polski, Daniel; Weiner, Janet; Zhang, Yuehan

2017-09-01

This Issue Brief describes the breadth of physician networks on the ACA marketplaces in 2017. We find that the overall rate of narrow networks is 21%, which is a decline since 2014 (31%) and 2016 (25%). Narrow networks are concentrated in plans sold on state-based marketplaces, at 42%, compared to 10% of plans on federally-facilitated marketplaces. Issuers that have traditionally offered Medicaid coverage have the highest prevalence of narrow network plans at 36%, with regional/local plans and provider-based plans close behind at 27% and 30%. We also find large differences in narrow networks by state and by plan type.

Geophysical evidence for a transform margin in Northwestern Algeria: possible vestige of a Subduction-Transform Edge Propagator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badji, R.; Charvis, P.; Bracene, R.; Galve, A.; Badsi, M.; Ribodetti, A.; Benaissa, Z.; Klingelhoefer, F.; Medaouri, M.; Beslier, M.

2013-12-01

This work is part of the Algerian-French SPIRAL program (Sismique Profonde et Investigation Régionale du Nord de l'Algérie) which provides unprecedented images of the deep structure of the western Algerian Margin based on several wide-angle and multichannel seismic data shot across the Algerian Margin. One of the different hypotheses for the opening of the western Mediterranean Sea, we are testing is that the western part of the Algerian margin was possibly part of the southern edge of the Alboran continental block during its westward migration related to the rollback of the Betic-Rif-Alboran subduction zone. A tomographic inversion of the first arrival traveltimes along a 100-km long wide-angle seismic profile shot over 40 Ocean Bottom Seismometers, across the Margin offshore Mostaganem (Northwestern Algerian Margin) was conducted. The final model reveals striking feature in the deep structure of the margin from north to south: 1- the oceanic crust is as thin as 4-km, with velocities ranging from 5.0 to 7.1 km/s, covered by a 3.3 km thick sedimentary pile (seismic velocities from 1.5 to 5.0 km/s) characterized by an intense diapiric activity of the Messinian salt layer. 2- a sharp transition zone, less than 10 km wide, with seismic velocities intermediate between oceanic seismic velocities (observed northward) and continental seismic velocities (observed southward). This zone coincides with narrow and elongated pull apart basins imaged by multichannel seismic data. No evidence of volcanism nor of exhumed serpentinized upper mantle as described along many extensional continental margins are observed along this segment of the margin. 3- a thinned continental crust coincident with a rapid variation of the Moho depth imaged from 12 to ~20 km with a dip up to 50%. The seafloor bathymetry is showing a steep continental slope (>20%). Either normal or inverse faults are observed along MCS lines shot in the dip direction but they do not present large vertical

Improving Lithium Therapeutics by Crystal Engineering of Novel Ionic Cocrystals

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Current United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved lithium salts are plagued with a narrow therapeutic window. Recent attempts to find alternative drugs have identified new chemical entities, but lithium’s polypharmacological mechanisms for treating neuropsychiatric disorders are highly debated and are not yet matched. Thus, re-engineering current lithium solid forms in order to optimize performance represents a low cost and low risk approach to the desired therapeutic outcome. In this contribution, we employed a crystal engineering strategy to synthesize the first ionic cocrystals (ICCs) of lithium salts with organic anions. We are unaware of any previous studies that have assessed the biological efficacy of any ICCs, and encouragingly we found that the new speciation did not negatively affect established bioactivities of lithium. We also observed that lithium ICCs exhibit modulated pharmacokinetics compared to lithium carbonate. Indeed, the studies detailed herein represent an important advancement in a crystal engineering approach to a new generation of lithium therapeutics. PMID:24191685

Improving lithium therapeutics by crystal engineering of novel ionic cocrystals.

PubMed

Smith, Adam J; Kim, Seol-Hee; Duggirala, Naga K; Jin, Jingji; Wojtas, Lukasz; Ehrhart, Jared; Giunta, Brian; Tan, Jun; Zaworotko, Michael J; Shytle, R Douglas

2013-12-02

Current United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved lithium salts are plagued with a narrow therapeutic window. Recent attempts to find alternative drugs have identified new chemical entities, but lithium's polypharmacological mechanisms for treating neuropsychiatric disorders are highly debated and are not yet matched. Thus, re-engineering current lithium solid forms in order to optimize performance represents a low cost and low risk approach to the desired therapeutic outcome. In this contribution, we employed a crystal engineering strategy to synthesize the first ionic cocrystals (ICCs) of lithium salts with organic anions. We are unaware of any previous studies that have assessed the biological efficacy of any ICCs, and encouragingly we found that the new speciation did not negatively affect established bioactivities of lithium. We also observed that lithium ICCs exhibit modulated pharmacokinetics compared to lithium carbonate. Indeed, the studies detailed herein represent an important advancement in a crystal engineering approach to a new generation of lithium therapeutics.

Co-ordination of growth, gas exchange and hydraulics define the carbon safety margin in tree species with contrasting drought strategies.

PubMed

Mitchell, P J; O'Grady, A P; Tissue, D T; Worledge, D; Pinkard, E A

2014-05-01

Gas exchange, growth, water transport and carbon (C) metabolism diminish during drought according to their respective sensitivities to declining water status. The timing of this sequence of declining physiological functions may determine how water and C relations compromise plant survival. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that the degree of asynchrony between declining C supply (photosynthesis) and C demand (growth and respiration) determines the rate and magnitude of changes in whole-plant non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) during drought. Two complementary experiments using two tree species (Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Pinus radiata D. Don) with contrasting drought response strategies were performed to (i) assess changes in radial stem growth, transpiration, leaf water potential and gas exchange in response to chronic drought, and (ii) evaluate the concomitant impacts of these drought responses on the temporal patterns of NSC during terminal drought. The three distinct phases of water stress were delineated by thresholds of growth cessation and stomatal closure that defined the 'carbon safety margin' (i.e., the difference between leaf water potential when growth is zero and leaf water potential when net photosynthesis is zero). A wider C safety margin in E. globulus was defined by an earlier cessation of growth relative to photosynthesis that reduced the demand for NSC while maintaining C acquisition. By contrast, the narrower C safety margin in P. radiata was characterized by a synchronous decline in growth and photosynthesis, whereby growth continued under a declining supply of NSC from photosynthesis. The narrower C safety margin in P. radiata was associated with declines in starch concentrations after ∼ 90 days of chronic drought and significant depletion of starch in all organs at mortality. The observed divergence in the sensitivity of drought responses is indicative of a potential trade-off between maintaining hydraulic safety and adequate C

Ring resonator based narrow-linewidth semiconductor lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ksendzov, Alexander (Inventor)

2005-01-01

The present invention is a method and apparatus for using ring resonators to produce narrow linewidth hybrid semiconductor lasers. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the narrow linewidths are produced by combining the semiconductor gain chip with a narrow pass band external feedback element. The semi conductor laser is produced using a ring resonator which, combined with a Bragg grating, acts as the external feedback element. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the proposed integrated optics ring resonator is based on plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) SiO.sub.2 /SiON/SiO.sub.2 waveguide technology.

Ocular Biometrics of Myopic Eyes With Narrow Angles.

PubMed

Chong, Gabriel T; Wen, Joanne C; Su, Daniel Hsien-Wen; Stinnett, Sandra; Asrani, Sanjay

2016-02-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the ocular biometrics between myopic patients with and without narrow angles. Patients with a stable myopic refraction (myopia worse than -1.00 D spherical equivalent) were prospectively recruited. Angle status was assessed using gonioscopy and biometric measurements were performed using an anterior segment optical coherence tomography and an IOLMaster. A total of 29 patients (58 eyes) were enrolled with 13 patients (26 eyes) classified as having narrow angles and 16 patients (32 eyes) classified as having open angles. Baseline demographics of age, sex, and ethnicity did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. The patients with narrow angles were on average older than those with open angles but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.12). The central anterior chamber depth was significantly less in the eyes with narrow angles (P=0.05). However, the average lens thickness, although greater in the eyes with narrow angles, did not reach statistical significance (P=0.10). Refractive error, axial lengths, and iris thicknesses did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (P=0.32, 0.47, 0.15). Narrow angles can occur in myopic eyes. Routine gonioscopy is therefore recommended for all patients regardless of refractive error.

Intramyocardial arterial narrowing in dogs with subaortic stenosis.

PubMed

Falk, T; Jönsson, L; Pedersen, H D

2004-09-01

Earlier studies have described intramyocardial arterial narrowing based on hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the vessel wall in dogs with subaortic stenosis (SAS). In theory, such changes might increase the risk of sudden death, as they seem to do in heart disease in other species. This retrospective pathological study describes and quantifies intramyocardial arterial narrowing in 44 dogs with naturally occurring SAS and in eight control dogs. The majority of the dogs with SAS died suddenly (n=27); nine had died or been euthanased with signs of heart failure and eight were euthanased without clinical signs. Dogs with SAS had significantly narrower intramyocardial arteries (P<0.001) and more myocardial fibrosis (P<0.001) than control dogs. Male dogs and those with more severe hypertrophy had more vessel narrowing (P=0.02 and P=0.02, respectively), whereas dogs with dilated hearts had slightly less pronounced arterial thickening (P=0.01). Arterial narrowing was not related to age, but fibrosis increased with age (P=0.047). Dogs that died suddenly did not have a greater number of arterial changes than other dogs with SAS. This study suggests that most dogs with SAS have intramyocardial arterial narrowing and that the risk of dying suddenly is not significantly related to the overall degree of vessel obliteration.

Band gap narrowing in BaTiO{sub 3} nanoparticles facilitated by multiple mechanisms

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

Ramakanth, S.; James Raju, K. C., E-mail: kcjrsp@uohyd.ernet.in; School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046

2014-05-07

In the present work, BaTiO{sub 3} nanoparticles of four different size ranges were prepared by sol-gel method. The optical band gap of these particles at some size ranges has come down to 2.53 eV from 3.2 eV, resulting in substantial increase in optical absorption by these ferroelectric nanoparticles making them potential candidates for light energy harvesting. XRD results show the presence of higher compressive strain in 23 nm and 54 nm size particles, they exhibit a higher band gap narrowing, whereas tensile strain is observed in 31 nm and 34 nm particles, and they do not show the marginal band gap narrowing. The 23 nm and 54 nmmore » particles also show a coupling of free carriers to phonons by increasing the intensity of LO phonon mode at 715 cm{sup −1}. The higher surface charge density is expected in case of enhanced surface optical Raman modes (638 cm{sup −1}) contained in 31 and 34 nm size particles. In addition to this, the red shift in an LO mode Raman spectral line at 305 cm{sup −1} with decrease in particle size depicts the presence of phonon confinement in it. The enhanced optical absorption in 23 nm and 54 nm size particles with a narrowed band gap of 3 eV and 2.53 eV is due to exchange correlation interactions between the carriers present in these particles. In 31 nm and 34 nm range particles, the absorption got bleached exhibiting increased band gaps of 3.08 eV and 3.2 eV, respectively. It is due to filling up of conduction band resulting from weakening of exchange correlation interactions between the charge carriers. Hence, it is concluded that the band gap narrowing in the nanoparticles of average size 23 nm/54 nm is a consequence of multiple effects like strain, electron-phonon interaction, and exchange correlation interactions between the carriers which is subdued in some other size ranges like 31 nm/34 nm.« less

Marginal Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Hecke, Martin

2013-03-01

All around us, things are falling apart. The foam on our cappuccinos appears solid, but gentle stirring irreversibly changes its shape. Skin, a biological fiber network, is firm when you pinch it, but soft under light touch. Sand mimics a solid when we walk on the beach but a liquid when we pour it out of our shoes. Crucially, a marginal point separates the rigid or jammed state from the mechanical vacuum (freely flowing) state - at their marginal points, soft materials are neither solid nor liquid. Here I will show how the marginal point gives birth to a third sector of soft matter physics: intrinsically nonlinear mechanics. I will illustrate this with shock waves in weakly compressed granular media, the nonlinear rheology of foams, and the nonlinear mechanics of weakly connected elastic networks.

Risk Informed Margins Management as part of Risk Informed Safety Margin Characterization

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

Curtis Smith

2014-06-01

The ability to better characterize and quantify safety margin is important to improved decision making about Light Water Reactor (LWR) design, operation, and plant life extension. A systematic approach to characterization of safety margins and the subsequent margin management options represents a vital input to the licensee and regulatory analysis and decision making that will be involved. In addition, as research and development in the LWR Sustainability (LWRS) Program and other collaborative efforts yield new data, sensors, and improved scientific understanding of physical processes that govern the aging and degradation of plant SSCs needs and opportunities to better optimize plantmore » safety and performance will become known. To support decision making related to economics, readability, and safety, the Risk Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) Pathway provides methods and tools that enable mitigation options known as risk informed margins management (RIMM) strategies.« less

The Red Sea structural architecture assessment based on yield strength spatial variations and Arabian margin preexisting structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alotaibi, T.; Furlong, K. P.

2016-12-01

Rift initiation and localization might reflect spatial changes in the lithospheric yield strength. However, this does not appear to be the case in the Red Sea extensional system where fission track analysis shows no significant changes in the geothermal gradient prior to the Red Sea rift onset. In contrast, though the whole Red Sea rift initiated 25 Ma ago, its extensional architecture changes dramatically along strike from narrow localized spreading in the south to asymmetrical diffuse extension north of 21° latitude. This onset of diffuse extension has been recorded in the north-western Arabian margin as old as 33 Ma. Such diversity in the extensional style might reflect along strike yield strength variations as a consequence of the geological setting in the Arabian margin. The north-western Arabian basin, which is part of the Arabian margin, bounded by Qiba high from the east, the Arabian shield from the south and the west and Syrian plateau from the north. The basin accommodates part of the Red Sea diffuse extension and has a preexisting structural architecture represented in the Cenozoic failed rift that called Sarhan graben. Our goal is to analyze the current lithospheric yield strength spatial variations along the Red Sea rift and emphasize their relationship with the Arabian margin structural architecture. We hypothesize that the north-western Arabian margin's lithospheric weakness and structural diversity are playing an important role in producing region of diffuse extension by their interaction with the forces applied by far field stresses represented by the New Tethys slab pull. On the other hand, the south-western Arabian margin interacts with the far field stresses as a single strong block in which led to localize the extension in the southern Red Sea. Our work may improve the scientific community understanding for how rifts initiate and evolve over time.

Impact of Aspirin on Warfarin Control as Measured by Time in Therapeutic Range.

PubMed

Boyce, Michelle L; Zayac, Alexa; Davis, Arie; Badrick, Tony; Anoopkumar-Dukie, Shailendra; Bernaitis, Nijole

2018-05-12

Warfarin is an oral anticoagulant widely prescribed for a variety of thromboembolic indications including venous thromboembolism (VTE) deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and the prevention of stroke associated for atrial fibrillation (AF). 1 Warfarin requires ongoing monitoring of Internationalised Normalised Ratio (INR) due to a narrow therapeutic index and interactions with numerous drugs. 2 The time in therapeutic range (TTR) is often used to indicate the quality of warfarin therapy due to the established correlation between higher mean TTR and reduced complications such as bleeding and thromboembolism. 3 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Narrow-linewidth Q-switched random distributed feedback fiber laser.

PubMed

Xu, Jiangming; Ye, Jun; Xiao, Hu; Leng, Jinyong; Wu, Jian; Zhang, Hanwei; Zhou, Pu

2016-08-22

A narrow-linewidth Q-switched random fiber laser (RFL) based on a half-opened cavity, which is realized by narrow-linewidth fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and a section of 3 km passive fiber, has been proposed and experimentally investigated. The narrow-linewidth lasing is generated by the spectral filtering of three FBGs with linewidth of 1.21 nm, 0.56 nm, and 0.12 nm, respectively. The Q switching of the distributed cavity is achieved by placing an acousto-optical modulator (AOM) between the FBG and the passive fiber. The maximal output powers of the narrow-linewidth RFLs with the three different FBGs are 0.54 W, 0.27 W, and 0.08 W, respectively. Furthermore, the repetition rates of the output pulses are 500 kHz, and the pulse durations are about 500 ns. The corresponding pulse energies are about 1.08 μJ, 0.54 μJ, and 0.16 μJ, accordingly. The linewidth of FBG can influence the output characteristics in full scale. The narrower the FBG, the higher the pump threshold; the lower the output power at the same pump level, the more serious the linewidth broadening; and thus the higher the proportion of the CW-ground exists in the output pulse trains. Thanks to the assistance of the band-pass filter (BPF), the proportion of the CW-ground of narrow-linewidth Q-switched RFL under the relative high-pump-low-output condition can be reduced effectively. The experimental results indicate that it is challenging to demonstrate a narrow-linewidth Q-switched RFL with high quality output. But further power scaling and linewidth narrowing is possible in the case of operating parameters, optimization efforts, and a more powerful pump source. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of narrow-linewidth generation in a Q-switched RFL.

Narrowing of the Coronary Sinus: A Device-Based Therapy for Persistent Angina Pectoris.

PubMed

Konigstein, Maayan; Verheye, Stefan; Jolicœur, E Marc; Banai, Shmuel

2016-01-01

Alongside the remarkable advances in medical and invasive therapies for the treatment of ischemic heart disease, an increasing number of patients with advanced coronary artery disease unsuitable for revascularization continue to suffer from angina pectoris despite optimal medical therapy. Patients with chronic angina have poor quality of life and increased levels of anxiety and depression. A considerable number of innovative therapeutic modalities for the treatment of chronic angina have been investigated over the years; however, none of these therapeutic options has become a standard of care, and none are widely utilized. Current treatment options for refractory angina focus on medical therapy and secondary risk factor modification. Interventions to create increased pressure in the coronary sinus may alleviate myocardial ischemia by forcing redistribution of coronary blood flow from the less ischemic subepicardium to the more ischemic subendocardium, thus relieving symptoms of ischemia. Percutaneous, transvenous implantation of a balloon expandable, hourglass-shaped, stainless steel mesh in the coronary sinus to create a fixed focal narrowing and to increase backwards pressure, may serve as a new device-based therapy destined for the treatment of refractory angina pectoris.

Marginal kidney donor

PubMed Central

Gopalakrishnan, Ganesh; Gourabathini, Siva Prasad

2007-01-01

Renal transplantation is the treatment of choice for a medically eligible patient with end stage renal disease. The number of renal transplants has increased rapidly over the last two decades. However, the demand for organs has increased even more. This disparity between the availability of organs and waitlisted patients for transplants has forced many transplant centers across the world to use marginal kidneys and donors. We performed a Medline search to establish the current status of marginal kidney donors in the world. Transplant programs using marginal deceased renal grafts is well established. The focus is now on efforts to improve their results. Utilization of non-heart-beating donors is still in a plateau phase and comprises a minor percentage of deceased donations. The main concern is primary non-function of the renal graft apart from legal and ethical issues. Transplants with living donors outnumbered cadaveric transplants at many centers in the last decade. There has been an increased use of marginal living kidney donors with some acceptable medical risks. Our primary concern is the safety of the living donor. There is not enough scientific data available to quantify the risks involved for such donation. The definition of marginal living donor is still not clear and there are no uniform recommendations. The decision must be tailored to each donor who in turn should be actively involved at all levels of the decision-making process. In the current circumstances, our responsibility is very crucial in making decisions for either accepting or rejecting a marginal living donor. PMID:19718332

Discovery of a narrow line quasar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stocke, J.; Liebert, J.; Maccacaro, T.; Griffiths, R. E.; Steiner, J. E.

1982-01-01

A stellar object is reported which, while having X-ray and optical luminosities typical of quasars, has narrow permitted and forbidden emission lines over the observed spectral range. The narrow-line spectrum is high-excitation, the Balmer lines seem to be recombinational, and a redder optical spectrum than that of most quasars is exhibited, despite detection as a weak radio source. The object does not conform to the relationships between H-beta parameters and X-ray flux previously claimed for a large sample of the active galactic nuclei. Because reddish quasars with narrow lines, such as the object identified, may not be found by the standard techniques for the discovery of quasars, the object may be a prototype of a new class of quasars analogous to high-luminosity Seyfert type 2 galaxies. It is suggested that these objects cannot comprise more than 10% of all quasars.

Geology of continental margins

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

Not Available

With continued high interest in offshore petroleum exploration, the 1977 AAPG Short Course presents the latest interpretations of new data bearing on the geology and geophysics of continental margins. Seven well-known earth scientists have organized an integrated program covering major topics involved in the development of ocean basins and continental margins with emphasis on the slopes and rises. The discussion of plate tectonics and evolution of continental margins is followed by presentations on the stratigraphy and structure of pull-apart and compressional margins. Prospective petroleum source rocks, their organic content, rate of burial, and distribution on slopes and rises of differentmore » margin types is covered. Prospective reservoir rock patterns are related to depositional processes and to the sedimentary and structural histories for different types of continental margins. Finally, the seismic recognition of depositional facies on slopes and rises for different margin types with varying rates of sediment supply during eustatic sea-level changes are discussed. The course with this syllabus offers an invaluable opportunity for explorationists to refresh their understanding of the geology associated with an important petroleum frontier. In addition, the course sets forth a technical frame of reference for the case-histoy papers to be presented later in the AAPG Research Symposium on the Petroleum Potential of Slopes, Rises, and Plateaus.« less

Infants Experience Perceptual Narrowing for Nonprimate Faces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Elizabeth A.; Varga, Krisztina; Frick, Janet E.; Fragaszy, Dorothy

2011-01-01

Perceptual narrowing--a phenomenon in which perception is broad from birth, but narrows as a function of experience--has previously been tested with primate faces. In the first 6 months of life, infants can discriminate among individual human and monkey faces. Though the ability to discriminate monkey faces is lost after about 9 months, infants…

A new model for the development of the active Afar volcanic margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pik, Raphaël; Stab, Martin; Bellahsen, Nicolas; Leroy, Sylvie

2016-04-01

response to the deformation of the lithosphere, through a petrological and geochemical study of the pre- to syn-rift lavas and concluded that the lithospheric mantle experienced the combined effect of post-plume cooling, but also thinning during the Miocene. This is accompanied by the early channelization of the plume head into narrower zones, which helped focus extension at the future volcanic margins location. The anomalous mantle potential temperature increased during the very last localization phase (< 1 Ma), which leads us to argue in favor of the focussed activity of a plume stem below the volcanic margin, instead of purely passive adiabatic decompression. Our new interpretation of the regional isotopic signatures of lavas depicts a clear framework of the Afar plume and lithospheric mantle relationships to on going extension and segmentation of these margins, and allow us to propose new contrasted models for their development.

The development of the continental margin of eastern North America-conjugate continental margin to West Africa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dillon, William P.; Schlee, J.S.; Klitgord, Kim D.

1988-01-01

The continental margin of eastern North America was initiated when West Africa and North America were rifted apart in Triassic-Early Jurassic time. Cooling of the crust and its thinning by rifting and extension caused subsidence. Variation in amounts of subsidence led to formation of five basins. These are listed from south to north. (1) The Blake Plateau Basin, the southernmost, is the widest basin and the one in which the rift-stage basement took longest to form. Carbonate platform deposition was active and persisted until the end of Early Cretaceous. In Late Cretaceous, deposition slowed while subsidence persisted, so a deep water platform was formed. Since the Paleocene the region has undergone erosion. (2) The Carolina Trough is narrow and has relatively thin basement, on the basis of gravity modeling. The two basins with thin basement, the Carolina Trough and Scotian Basin, also show many salt diapirs indicating considerable deposition of salt during their early evolution. In the Carolina Trough, subsidence of a large block of strata above the flowing salt has resulted in a major, active normal fault on the landward side of the basin. (3) The Baltimore Canyon Trough has an extremely thick sedimentary section; synrift and postrift sediments exceed 18 km in thickness. A Jurassic reef is well developed on the basin's seaward side, but post-Jurassic deposition was mainly non-carbonate. In general the conversion from carbonate to terrigenous deposition, characteristics of North American Basins, occurred progressively earlier toward the north. (4) The Georges Bank Basin has a complicated deep structure of sub-basins filled with thick synrift deposits. This may have resulted from some shearing that occurred at this offset of the continental margin. Postrift sediments apparently are thin compared to other basins-only about 8 km. (5) The Scotian Basin, off Canada, contains Jurassic carbonate rocks, sandstone, shale and coal covered by deltaic deposits and Upper

Shelfal sediment transport by undercurrents forces turbidity current activity during high sea level, Chile continental margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhardt, Anne; Hebbeln, Dierk; Regenberg, Marcus; Lückge, Andreas; Strecker, Manfred. R.

2016-04-01

Understanding the links between terrigenous sediment supply and marine transport and depositional processes along tectonically active margins is essential to decipher turbidite successions as potential archives of climatic and seismic forcings and to comprehend timing and quantity of marine clastic deposition. Sequence stratigraphic models predict coarse-grained terrigenous sediment delivery to deep-marine sites mainly during sea-level fall and lowstand. Marine clastic deposition during periods of transgression and highstand has been attributed to the continued geomorphic connectivity between terrestrial sediment sources and marine sinks (e.g., rivers connected to submarine canyons) often facilitated by narrow shelves, high sediment supply causing delta migration to the shelf edge, and/or abrupt increases in sediment supply due to climatic variability or catastrophic events. To decipher the controls on Holocene highstand turbidite deposition, we analyzed twelve sediment cores of spatially disparate, coeval Holocene turbidite systems along the Chile margin (29-40°S) with changing climatic and geomorphic characteristics but uniform changes of sea level. Intraslope basins in north-central Chile (29-33°S) offshore a narrow to absent shelf record a shut-off of turbidite activity during the Holocene. In contrast, core sites in south-central Chile (36-40°S) offshore a wide continental shelf have repeatedly experienced turbidite deposition during sea-level highstand conditions, even though most of the depocenters are not connected via canyons to sediment sources. The interplay of stable high sediment supply related to strong onshore precipitation in combination with a wide shelf, over which undercurrents move sediment towards the shelf edge, appears to control Holocene turbidite sedimentation and sediment export to the deep sea.

Indigenous women's voices: marginalization and health.

PubMed

Dodgson, Joan E; Struthers, Roxanne

2005-10-01

Marginalization may affect health care delivery. Ways in which indigenous women experienced marginalization were examined. Data from 57 indigenous women (18 to 65 years) were analyzed for themes. Three themes emerged: historical trauma as lived marginalization, biculturalism experienced as marginalization, and interacting within a complex health care system. Experienced marginalization reflected participants' unique perspective and were congruent with previous research. It is necessary for health care providers to assess the detrimental impact of marginalization on the health status of individuals and/or communities.

Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leighly, Karen M.

2000-01-01

The primary work during this year has been the analysis and interpretation of our HST spectra from two extreme Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) 13224-3809 and 1H 0707-495. This work has been presented as an invited talk at the workshop entitled "Observational and theoretical progress in the Study of Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxies" held in Bad Honnef, Germany December 8-11, as a contributed talk at the January 2000 AAS meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, and as a contributed talk at the workshop "Probing the Physics of Active Galactic Nuclei by Multiwavelength Monitoring" held at Goddard Space Flight Center June 20-22, 2000.

Seismic influence in the Quaternary uplift of the Central Chile coastal margin, preliminary results.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valdivia, D.; del Valle, F.; Marquardt, C.; Elgueta, S.

2017-12-01

In order to quantify the influence of NW striking potentially seismogenic normal faults over the longitudinal variation of the Central Chile Coastal margin uplift, we measured Quaternary marine terraces, which represent the tectonic uplift of the coastal margin. Movement in margin oblique normal faults occurs by co-seismic extension of major subduction earthquakes and has occurred in the Pichilemu fault, generating a 7.0 Mw earthquake after the 2010 8.8 Mw Maule earthquake.The coastal area between 32° and 34° S was selected due to the presence of a well-preserved sequence of 2 to 5 Quaternary marine terraces. In particular, the margin oblique normal NW-trending, SW-dipping Laguna Verde fault, south of Valparaiso (33° S) puts in contact contrasting morphologies: to the south, a flat coast with wide marine terraces is carved in both, Jurassic plutonic rocks and Neogene semi-consolidated marine sediments; to the north, a steeper scarp with narrower marine terraces, over 120 m above the corresponding ones in the southern coast, is carved in Jurassic plutonic rocks.We have collected over 6 months microseimic data, providing information on seismic activity and underground geometry of the Laguna Verde fault. We collected ca. 100 systematic measurements of fringes at the base of paleo coastal scarps through field mapping and a 5 m digital elevation model. These fringes mark the maximum sea level during the terrace's carving.The heights of these fringes range between 0 and 250 masl. We estimate a 0.7 mm/yr slip rate for the Laguna Verde fault based on the height difference between corresponding terraces north- and southward, with an average uplift rate of 0.3 mm/yr for the whole area.NW striking normal faults, besides representing a potential seismic threat to the near population on one of the most densely populated areas of Chile, heavily controls the spatial variation of the coastal margin uplift. In Laguna Verde, the uplift rate differs more than three times northward

A study of the mutational landscape of pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and pediatric nodal marginal zone lymphoma.

PubMed

Ozawa, Michael G; Bhaduri, Aparna; Chisholm, Karen M; Baker, Steven A; Ma, Lisa; Zehnder, James L; Luna-Fineman, Sandra; Link, Michael P; Merker, Jason D; Arber, Daniel A; Ohgami, Robert S

2016-10-01

Pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and pediatric marginal zone lymphoma are two of the rarest B-cell lymphomas. These lymphomas occur predominantly in the pediatric population and show features distinct from their more common counterparts in adults: adult-type follicular lymphoma and adult-type nodal marginal zone lymphoma. Here we report a detailed whole-exome deep sequencing analysis of a cohort of pediatric-type follicular lymphomas and pediatric marginal zone lymphomas. This analysis revealed a recurrent somatic variant encoding p.Lys66Arg in the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) in 3 of 6 cases (50%) of pediatric-type follicular lymphoma. This specific point mutation was not detected in pediatric marginal zone lymphoma or in adult-type follicular lymphoma. Additional somatic point mutations in pediatric-type follicular lymphoma were observed in genes involved in transcription, intracellular signaling, and cell proliferation. In pediatric marginal zone lymphoma, no recurrent mutation was identified; however, somatic point mutations were observed in genes involved in cellular adhesion, cytokine regulatory elements, and cellular proliferation. A somatic variant in AMOTL1, a recurrently mutated gene in splenic marginal zone lymphoma, was also identified in a case of pediatric marginal zone lymphoma. The overall non-synonymous mutational burden was low in both pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and pediatric marginal zone lymphoma (4.6 mutations per exome). Altogether, these findings support a distinctive genetic basis for pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and pediatric marginal zone lymphoma when compared with adult subtypes and to one another. Moreover, identification of a recurrent point mutation in IRF8 provides insight into a potential driver mutation in the pathogenesis of pediatric-type follicular lymphoma with implications for novel diagnostic or therapeutic strategies.

A study of the mutational landscape of pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and pediatric nodal marginal zone lymphoma

PubMed Central

Ozawa, Michael G; Bhaduri, Aparna; Chisholm, Karen M; Baker, Steven A; Ma, Lisa; Zehnder, James L; Luna-Fineman, Sandra; Link, Michael P; Merker, Jason D; Arber, Daniel A; Ohgami, Robert S

2016-01-01

Pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and pediatric marginal zone lymphoma are two of the rarest B-cell lymphomas. These lymphomas occur predominantly in the pediatric population and show features distinct from their more common counterparts in adults: adult-type follicular lymphoma and adult-type nodal marginal zone lymphoma. Here we report a detailed whole-exome deep sequencing analysis of a cohort of pediatric-type follicular lymphomas and pediatric marginal zone lymphomas. This analysis revealed a recurrent somatic variant encoding p.Lys66Arg in the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) in 3 of 6 cases (50%) of pediatric-type follicular lymphoma. This specific point mutation was not detected in pediatric marginal zone lymphoma or in adult-type follicular lymphoma. Additional somatic point mutations in pediatric-type follicular lymphoma were observed in genes involved in transcription, intracellular signaling, and cell proliferation. In pediatric marginal zone lymphoma, no recurrent mutation was identified; however, somatic point mutations were observed in genes involved in cellular adhesion, cytokine regulatory elements, and cellular proliferation. A somatic variant in AMOTL1, a recurrently mutated gene in splenic marginal zone lymphoma, was also identified in a case of pediatric marginal zone lymphoma. The overall non-synonymous mutational burden was low in both pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and pediatric marginal zone lymphoma (4.6 mutations per exome). Altogether, these findings support a distinctive genetic basis for pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and pediatric marginal zone lymphoma when compared with adult subtypes and to one another. Moreover, identification of a recurrent point mutation in IRF8 provides insight into a potential driver mutation in the pathogenesis of pediatric-type follicular lymphoma with implications for novel diagnostic or therapeutic strategies. PMID:27338637

When Medicine Meets Engineering—Paradigm Shifts in Diagnostics and Therapeutics

PubMed Central

Wang, Hann; Silva, Aleidy; Ho, Chih-Ming

2013-01-01

During the last two decades, the manufacturing techniques of microfluidics-based devices have been phenomenally advanced, offering unlimited potential for bio-medical technologies. However, the direct applications of these technologies toward diagnostics and therapeutics are still far from maturity. The present challenges lay at the interfaces between the engineering systems and the biocomplex systems. A precisely designed engineering system with narrow dynamic range is hard to seamlessly integrate with the adaptive biological system in order to achieve the design goals. These differences remain as the roadblock between two fundamentally non-compatible systems. This paper will not extensively review the existing microfluidic sensors and actuators; rather, we will discuss the sources of the gaps for integration. We will also introduce system interface technologies for bridging the differences to lead toward paradigm shifts in diagnostics and therapeutics. PMID:26835672

2. Photocopied July 1971 from photostat Jordan Narrows Folder #1, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. Photocopied July 1971 from photostat Jordan Narrows Folder #1, Engineering Department, Utah Power and Light Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. JORDAN NARROWS STATION. PLAN AND SECTION. - Salt Lake City Water & Electrical Power Company, Jordan Narrows Hydroelectric Plant, Jordan River, Riverton, Salt Lake County, UT

Role and Therapeutic Targeting of the HGF/MET Pathway in Glioblastoma

PubMed Central

Cruickshanks, Nichola; Zhang, Ying; Yuan, Fang; Pahuski, Mary; Gibert, Myron; Abounader, Roger

2017-01-01

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal brain tumor with dismal prognosis. Current therapeutic options, consisting of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, have only served to marginally increase patient survival. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are dysregulated in approximately 90% of GBM; attributed to this, research has focused on inhibiting RTKs as a novel and effective therapy for GBM. Overexpression of RTK mesenchymal epithelial transition (MET), and its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), in GBM highlights a promising new therapeutic target. This review will discuss the role of MET in cell cycle regulation, cell proliferation, evasion of apoptosis, cell migration and invasion, angiogenesis and therapeutic resistance in GBM. It will also discuss the modes of deregulation of HGF/MET and their regulation by microRNAs. As the HGF/MET pathway is a vital regulator of multiple pro-survival pathways, efforts and strategies for its exploitation for GBM therapy are also described. PMID:28696366

K-feldspar megacryst accumulations formed by mechanical instabilities in magma chamber margins, Asha pluton, NW Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocher, Sebastián; Alasino, Pablo H.; Grande, Marcos Macchioli; Larrovere, Mariano A.; Paterson, Scott R.

2018-07-01

The Asha pluton, the oldest unit of the San Blas intrusive complex (Early Carboniferous), exhibits impressive examples of magmatic structures formed by accumulation of K-feldspar megacrysts, enclaves, and schlieren. Almost all recognized structures are meter-scale, vertically elongate bodies of variable shapes defined as fingers, trails, drips, and blobs. They preferentially developed near the external margin of the Asha pluton and generally are superimposed by chamber-wide magmatic fabrics. They mostly have circular or sub-circular transverse sections with an internal fabric defined by margin-parallel, inward-dipping concentric foliation and steeply plunging lineation at upper parts and flat foliation at lower parts. The concentration of megacrysts usually grades from upper sections, where they appear in a proportion similar to the host granite, to highly packed accumulations of K-feldspar along with grouped flattened enclaves at lower ends. These features suggest an origin by downward localized multiphase magmatic flow, narrowing and 'log jamming', and gravitational sinking of grouped crystals and enclaves, with compaction and filter pressing as main mechanisms of melt removal. Crystal size distribution analysis supports field observations arguing for a mechanical origin of accumulations. The magmatic structures of the Asha pluton represent mechanical instabilities generated by thermal and compositional convection, probably owing to cooling and crystallization near the pluton margins during early stages of construction of the intrusive complex.

Strain distribution across magmatic margins during the breakup stage: Seismicity patterns in the Afar rift zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, C.; Ebinger, C. J.; Belachew, M.; Gregg, T.; Keir, D.; Ayele, A.; Aronovitz, A.; Campbell, E.

2008-12-01

Fault patterns record the strain history along passive continental margins, but geochronological constraints are, in general, too sparse to evaluate these patterns in 3D. The Afar depression in Ethiopia provides a unique setting to evaluate the time and space relations between faulting and magmatism across an incipient passive margin that formed above a mantle plume. The margin comprises a high elevation flood basalt province with thick, underplated continental crust, a narrow fault-line escarpment underlain by stretched and intruded crust, and a broad zone of highly intruded, mafic crust lying near sealevel. We analyze fault and seismicity patterns across and along the length of the Afar rift zone to determine the spatial distribution of strain during the final stages of continental breakup, and its relation to active magmatism and dike intrusions. Seismicity data include historic data and 2005-2007 data from the collaborative US-UK-Ethiopia Afar Geodynamics Project that includes the 2005-present Dabbahu rift episode. Earthquake epicenters cluster within discrete, 50 km-long magmatic segments that lack any fault linkage. Swarms also cluster along the fault-line scarp between the unstretched and highly stretched Afar rift zone; these earthquakes may signal release of stresses generated by large lateral density contrasts. We compare Coulomb static stress models with focal mechanisms and fault kinematics to discriminate between segmented magma intrusion and crank- arm models for the central Afar rift zone.

An enhanced narrow-band imaging method for the microvessel detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Feng; Song, Enmin; Liu, Hong; Wan, Youming; Zhu, Jun; Hung, Chih-Cheng

2018-02-01

A medical endoscope system combined with the narrow-band imaging (NBI), has been shown to be a superior diagnostic tool for early cancer detection. The NBI can reveal the morphologic changes of microvessels in the superficial cancer. In order to improve the conspicuousness of microvessel texture, we propose an enhanced NBI method to improve the conspicuousness of endoscopic images. To obtain the more conspicuous narrow-band images, we use the edge operator to extract the edge information of the narrow-band blue and green images, and give a weight to the extracted edges. Then, the weighted edges are fused with the narrow-band blue and green images. Finally, the displayed endoscopic images are reconstructed with the enhanced narrow-band images. In addition, we evaluate the performance of enhanced narrow-band images with different edge operators. Experimental results indicate that the Sobel and Canny operators achieve the best performance of all. Compared with traditional NBI method of Olympus company, our proposed method has more conspicuous texture of microvessel.

Acquisition and visualization techniques for narrow spectral color imaging.

PubMed

Neumann, László; García, Rafael; Basa, János; Hegedüs, Ramón

2013-06-01

This paper introduces a new approach in narrow-band imaging (NBI). Existing NBI techniques generate images by selecting discrete bands over the full visible spectrum or an even wider spectral range. In contrast, here we perform the sampling with filters covering a tight spectral window. This image acquisition method, named narrow spectral imaging, can be particularly useful when optical information is only available within a narrow spectral window, such as in the case of deep-water transmittance, which constitutes the principal motivation of this work. In this study we demonstrate the potential of the proposed photographic technique on nonunderwater scenes recorded under controlled conditions. To this end three multilayer narrow bandpass filters were employed, which transmit at 440, 456, and 470 nm bluish wavelengths, respectively. Since the differences among the images captured in such a narrow spectral window can be extremely small, both image acquisition and visualization require a novel approach. First, high-bit-depth images were acquired with multilayer narrow-band filters either placed in front of the illumination or mounted on the camera lens. Second, a color-mapping method is proposed, using which the input data can be transformed onto the entire display color gamut with a continuous and perceptually nearly uniform mapping, while ensuring optimally high information content for human perception.

Mantle exhumation at magma-poor rifted margin: a competition between frictional shear zones and thermally weakened necking domains. Consequences on time of breakup at Galicia/Newfoundland margins.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theunissen, T.; Huismans, R. S.

2017-12-01

Here we present a new analysis and interpretation of basement topography of the transitional domain from continental to oceanic crust along the conjugate margin sections SCREETCH-1 (Newfoundland) and WE-1/ISE-1 (Galicia Bank). The absence of significant syn-rift magmatism in this area allows using 2-D thermo-mechanical modelling to understand the formation of the distal margin and exhumed mantle. We show that plastic strain weakening of the exhumed mantle is required to explain observations on basement morphology, and detachment faulting. Our models predict that the evolution of detachment faulting within the transitional domain depends on the degree of frictional-plastic strain-weakening and varies from a single unique steady state asymmetric low angle detachment fault for large degree of strain weakening to multiple out-of-sequence forming detachments with or without dip reversal for lower amounts of strain-weakening. The model behaviour is a consequence of the competition between weak frictional-plastic shear zones and the thermally weakened necking domain in the footwall. The forward models reproduce elevations, wavelength of exhumed mantle ridges for a narrow range of rift velocitiesbetween 10 and 15 mm/yr and considering the increasing thermal conductivity of peridotites at shallow depth. This causes an efficient cooling of the footwall that has then enough strength to support high topography. The forward models also predict that the peridotite ridge is the breakaway of a second detachment fault that dates the crustal breakup and that rocks on top of the peridotite ridge have experimented a fast cooling (< 2 Ma). We use predictions from these forward models to discuss time of breakup and the position of the first steady state oceanic ridge at Galicia/Newfounlandconjugate margins.

Correlation between Resection Margin and Disease Recurrence with a Restricted Cubic Spline Model in Patients with Resected Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

PubMed

Lee, Woohyung; Han, Ho-Seong; Ahn, Soyeon; Yoon, Yoo-Seok; Cho, Jai Young; Choi, YoungRok

2018-01-17

The relationship between resection margin (RM) and recurrence of resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. We reviewed clinical data for 419 patients with HCC. The oncologic outcomes were compared between 2 groups of patients classified according to the inflexion point of the restricted cubic spline plot. The patients were divided according to an RM of <1 cm (n = 233; narrow RM group) or ≥1 cm (n = 186; wide RM group). The 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate was lower (34.8 vs. 43.8%, p = 0.042) and recurrence near the resection site was more frequent (4.7 vs. 0%, p = 0.010) in the narrow RM group. Patients with multiple lesions, or prior transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) were excluded from subgroup analyses. In patients with a 2-5 cm HCC, the 5-year RFS was greater in the wide RM group (54.4 vs. 32.5%, p = 0.036). Narrow RM (hazard ratio 1.750, 95% CI 1.029-2.976, p = 0.039) was independently associated with disease recurrence. In patients with a single 2-5 cm HCC without prior TACE/RFA, an RM of ≥1 cm was associated with lower risk of recurrence after liver resection. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Associations between narrow angle and adult anthropometry: the Liwan Eye Study.

PubMed

Jiang, Yuzhen; He, Mingguang; Friedman, David S; Khawaja, Anthony P; Lee, Pak Sang; Nolan, Winifred P; Yin, Qiuxia; Foster, Paul J

2014-06-01

To assess the associations between narrow angle and adult anthropometry. Chinese adults aged 50 years and older were recruited from a population-based survey in the Liwan District of Guangzhou, China. Narrow angle was defined as the posterior trabecular meshwork not visible under static gonioscopy in at least three quadrants (i.e. a circumference of at least 270°). Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between narrow angle and anthropomorphic measures (height, weight and body mass index, BMI). Among the 912 participants, lower weight, shorter height, and lower BMI were significantly associated with narrower angle width (tests for trend: mean angle width in degrees vs weight p < 0.001; vs height p < 0.001; vs BMI p = 0.012). In univariate analyses, shorter height, lower weight and lower BMI were all significantly associated with greater odds of narrow angle. The crude association between height and narrow angle was largely attributable to a stronger association with age and sex. Lower BMI and weight remained significantly associated with narrow angle after adjustment for height, age, sex, axial ocular biometric measures and education. In analyses stratified by sex, the association between BMI and narrow angle was only observed in women. Lower BMI and weight were associated with significantly greater odds of narrow angle after adjusting for age, education, axial ocular biometric measures and height. The odds of narrow angle increased 7% per 1 unit decrease in BMI. This association was most evident in women.

Recovering physical properties from narrow-band photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoenell, W.; Cid Fernandes, R.; Benítez, N.; Vale Asari, N.

2013-05-01

Our aim in this work is to answer, using simulated narrow-band photometry data, the following general question: What can we learn about galaxies from these new generation cosmological surveys? For instance, can we estimate stellar age and metallicity distributions? Can we separate star-forming galaxies from AGN? Can we measure emission lines, nebular abundances and extinction? With what precision? To accomplish this, we selected a sample of about 300k galaxies with good S/N from the SDSS and divided them in two groups: 200k objects and a template library of 100k. We corrected the spectra to z = 0 and converted them to filter fluxes. Using a statistical approach, we calculated a Probability Distribution Function (PDF) for each property of each object and the library. Since we have the properties of all the data from the STARLIGHT-SDSS database, we could compare them with the results obtained from summaries of the PDF (mean, median, etc). Our results shows that we retrieve the weighted average of the log of the galaxy age with a good error margin (σ ≈ 0.1 - 0.2 dex), and similarly for the physical properties such as mass-to-light ratio, mean stellar metallicity, etc. Furthermore, our main result is that we can derive emission line intensities and ratios with similar precision. This makes this method unique in comparison to the other methods on the market to analyze photometry data and shows that, from the point of view of galaxy studies, future photometric surveys will be much more useful than anticipated.

The Eastern Sardinian Margin (Tyrrhenian Sea, Western Mediterranean) : a key area to study the rifting and post-breakup evolution of a back-arc passive continental margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaullier, Virginie; Chanier, Frank; Vendeville, Bruno; Maillard, Agnès; Thinon, Isabelle; Graveleau, Fabien; Lofi, Johanna; Sage, Françoise

2016-04-01

post-breakup deformation also occurred during the Pliocene. Some Pliocene vertical movements have been evidenced by discovering localized gravity gliding of the salt and its Late Messinian (UU) and Early Pliocene overburden. To the South, crustal-scale southward tilting triggered along-strike gravity gliding of salt and cover recorded by upslope extension and downslope shortening. To the North, East of the Baronie Ridge, there was some post-salt crustal activity along a narrow N-S basement trough, bounded by crustal faults. The salt geometry would suggest that nothing happened after Messinian times, but some structural features (confirmed by analogue modelling) show that basement fault slip was accommodated by lateral salt flow, which thinned upslope and thickened downslope, while the overlying sediments remained sub-horizontal. Along the inner domain of Eastern Sardinian margin, the post-rift deformation style greatly varies. Compressional structures (reverse faults and folds) are observed both onshore and offshore while post-rift extensional structures are mainly identified offshore. Such late deformation could be attributed to mechanisms acting alone or combined, such as : i. the reactivation of the margin, as already described for the Ligurian, Algerian or South-Balearic margins due to the Eurasian-African convergence ; 2. the Zanclean reflooding and the resulting water overload on the elastic lithosphere ; 3. an episodic mantle upwelling.

Hot Wax Sweeps Debris From Narrow Passages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ricklefs, Steven K.

1990-01-01

Safe and effective technique for removal of debris and contaminants from narrow passages involves entrainment of undesired material in thermoplastic casting material. Semisolid wax slightly below melting temperature pushed along passage by pressurized nitrogen to remove debris. Devised to clean out fuel passages in main combustion chamber of Space Shuttle main engine. Also applied to narrow, intricate passages in internal-combustion-engine blocks, carburetors, injection molds, and other complicated parts.

Informing practice regarding marginalization: the application of the Koci Marginality Index.

PubMed

Koci, Anne Floyd; McFarlane, Judith; Nava, Angeles; Gilroy, Heidi; Maddoux, John

2012-12-01

The 49th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared violence as the leading worldwide public health problem with a focus on the increase in the incidence of injuries to women. Violence against women is an international epidemic with specific instruments required to measure the impact on women's functioning. This article describes the application of the Koci Marginality Index (KMI), a 5-item scale to measure marginality, to the baseline data of a seven-year prospective study of 300 abused women: 150 first time users of a shelter and 150 first time applicants for a protection order from the justice system. Validity and reliability of the Koci Marginality Index and its usefulness for best clinical practice and for policy decisions for abused women's health are discussed. The 49th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared violence as the leading worldwide public health problem and focused on the increase in the incidence of injuries to women (Krug et al., 2002 ). Violence against women in the form of intimate partner violence (IPV) is costly in terms of dollars and health. In the United States in 2003, estimated costs of IPV approached $8.3 billion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011). Outcomes related to severity of IPV vary but in 2003 victims suffering severe IPV lost nearly 8 million days of paid work, and greater than 5 million days of household productivity annually (CDC, 2011). Besides the evident financial cost of IPV, research confirms that exposure to IPV impacts a woman's health immediately and in the long-term (Breiding, Black, & Ryan, 2008 ; Campbell, 2002 ; CDC, 2011). Such sequela adversely affect the health of women and may increase their marginalization, a concept akin to isolation that may further increase negative effects on health outcomes. Immigrant women are at high risk for IPV (Erez, 2002 ) and those without documentation are at higher risk for marginalization (Montalvo

Fracture strength and probability of survival of narrow and extra-narrow dental implants after fatigue testing: In vitro and in silico analysis.

PubMed

Bordin, Dimorvan; Bergamo, Edmara T P; Fardin, Vinicius P; Coelho, Paulo G; Bonfante, Estevam A

2017-07-01

To assess the probability of survival (reliability) and failure modes of narrow implants with different diameters. For fatigue testing, 42 implants with the same macrogeometry and internal conical connection were divided, according to diameter, as follows: narrow (Ø3.3×10mm) and extra-narrow (Ø2.9×10mm) (21 per group). Identical abutments were torqued to the implants and standardized maxillary incisor crowns were cemented and subjected to step-stress accelerated life testing (SSALT) in water. The use-level probability Weibull curves, and reliability for a mission of 50,000 and 100,000 cycles at 50N, 100, 150 and 180N were calculated. For the finite element analysis (FEA), two virtual models, simulating the samples tested in fatigue, were constructed. Loading at 50N and 100N were applied 30° off-axis at the crown. The von-Mises stress was calculated for implant and abutment. The beta (β) values were: 0.67 for narrow and 1.32 for extra-narrow implants, indicating that failure rates did not increase with fatigue in the former, but more likely were associated with damage accumulation and wear-out failures in the latter. Both groups showed high reliability (up to 97.5%) at 50 and 100N. A decreased reliability was observed for both groups at 150 and 180N (ranging from 0 to 82.3%), but no significant difference was observed between groups. Failure predominantly involved abutment fracture for both groups. FEA at 50N-load, Ø3.3mm showed higher von-Mises stress for abutment (7.75%) and implant (2%) when compared to the Ø2.9mm. There was no significant difference between narrow and extra-narrow implants regarding probability of survival. The failure mode was similar for both groups, restricted to abutment fracture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Associations between Narrow Angle and Adult Anthropometry: The Liwan Eye Study

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yuzhen; He, Mingguang; Friedman, David S.; Khawaja, Anthony P.; Lee, Pak Sang; Nolan, Winifred P.; Yin, Qiuxia; Foster, Paul J.

2015-01-01

Purpose To assess the associations between narrow angle and adult anthropometry. Methods Chinese adults aged 50 years and older were recruited from a population-based survey in the Liwan District of Guangzhou, China. Narrow angle was defined as the posterior trabecular meshwork not visible under static gonioscopy in at least three quadrants (i.e. a circumference of at least 270°). Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between narrow angle and anthropomorphic measures (height, weight and body mass index, BMI). Results Among the 912 participants, lower weight, shorter height, and lower BMI were significantly associated with narrower angle width (tests for trend: mean angle width in degrees vs weight p<0.001; vs height p<0.001; vs BMI p = 0.012). In univariate analyses, shorter height, lower weight and lower BMI were all significantly associated with greater odds of narrow angle. The crude association between height and narrow angle was largely attributable to a stronger association with age and sex. Lower BMI and weight remained significantly associated with narrow angle after adjustment for height, age, sex, axial ocular biometric measures and education. In analyses stratified by sex, the association between BMI and narrow angle was only observed in women. Conclusion Lower BMI and weight were associated with significantly greater odds of narrow angle after adjusting for age, education, axial ocular biometric measures and height. The odds of narrow angle increased 7% per 1 unit decrease in BMI. This association was most evident in women. PMID:24707840

Ultra-thin narrow-band, complementary narrow-band, and dual-band metamaterial absorbers for applications in the THz regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astorino, Maria Denise; Frezza, Fabrizio; Tedeschi, Nicola

2017-02-01

In this paper, ultra-thin narrow-band, complementary narrow-band, and dual-band metamaterial absorbers (MMAs), exploiting the same electric ring resonator configuration, are investigated at normal and oblique incidence for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations, and with different physical properties in the THz regime. In the analysis of the ultra-thin narrow-band MMA, the limit of applicability of the transmission line model has been overcome with the introduction of a capacitance which considers the z component of the electric field. These absorbing structures have shown a wide angular response and a polarization-insensitive behavior due to the introduction of a conducting ground plane and to the four-fold rotational symmetry of the resonant elements around the propagation axis. We have adopted a retrieval procedure to extract the effective electromagnetic parameters of the proposed MMAs and we have compared the simulated and analytical results through the interference theory.

Narrow-band generation in random distributed feedback fiber laser.

PubMed

Sugavanam, Srikanth; Tarasov, Nikita; Shu, Xuewen; Churkin, Dmitry V

2013-07-15

Narrow-band emission of spectral width down to ~0.05 nm line-width is achieved in the random distributed feedback fiber laser employing narrow-band fiber Bragg grating or fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer filters. The observed line-width is ~10 times less than line-width of other demonstrated up to date random distributed feedback fiber lasers. The random DFB laser with Fabry-Perot interferometer filter provides simultaneously multi-wavelength and narrow-band (within each line) generation with possibility of further wavelength tuning.

Consequences of narrow cyclotron emission from Hercules X-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weaver, R. P.

1978-01-01

The implications of the recent observations of a narrow cyclotron line in the hard X-ray spectrum of Hercules X-1 are studied. A Monte Carlo code is used to simulate the X-ray transfer of an intrinsically narrow feature at approximately 56 keV through an opaque, cold magnetospheric shell. The results of this study indicate that if a narrow line can be emitted by the source region, then only about 10% of the photons remain in a narrow feature after scattering through the shell. The remaining photons are scattered into a broad feature (FWHM approximately 30 keV) that peaks near 20 keV. Thus, these calculations indicate that the intrinsic source luminosity of the cyclotron line is at least an order of magnitude greater than the observed luminosity.

Marginal Lands: Concept, Assessment and Management

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

Kang, Shujiang; Post, Wilfred M; West, Tristram O.

2013-01-01

Marginal lands have received wide attention for their potential to improve food security and support bioenergy production. However, environmental, ecosystem service, and sustainability concerns have been widely raised over the use of marginal land. Knowledge of the extent, location, and quality of marginal lands as well as their assessment and management are limited and diverse. This paper provides a review of the historical development of marginal concept, its application and assessment. Limitations and priority research needs of marginal land assessment and management were discussed.

Intraoperative Radiation Therapy Reduces Local Recurrence Rates in Patients With Microscopically Involved Circumferential Resection Margins After Resection of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

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

Alberda, Wijnand J.; Verhoef, Cornelis; Nuyttens, Joost J.

Purpose: Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is advocated by some for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) who have involved or narrow circumferential resection margins (CRM) after rectal surgery. This study evaluates the potentially beneficial effect of IORT on local control. Methods and Materials: All surgically treated patients with LARC treated in a tertiary referral center between 1996 and 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. The outcome in patients treated with IORT with a clear but narrow CRM (≤2 mm) or a microscopically involved CRM was compared with the outcome in patients who were not treated with IORT. Results: A total of 409 patients underwent resectionmore » of LARC, and 95 patients (23%) had a CRM ≤ 2 mm. Four patients were excluded from further analysis because of a macroscopically involved resection margin. In 43 patients with clear but narrow CRMs, there was no difference in the cumulative 5-year local recurrence-free survival of patients treated with (n=21) or without (n=22) IORT (70% vs 79%, P=.63). In 48 patients with a microscopically involved CRM, there was a significant difference in the cumulative 5-year local recurrence-free survival in favor of the patients treated with IORT (n=31) compared with patients treated without IORT (n=17) (84 vs 41%, P=.01). Multivariable analysis confirmed that IORT was independently associated with a decreased local recurrence rate (hazard ratio 0.24, 95% confidence interval 0.07-0.86). There was no significant difference in complication rate of patients treated with or without IORT (65% vs 52%, P=.18) Conclusion: The current study suggests that IORT reduces local recurrence rates in patients with LARC with a microscopically involved CRM.« less

Design, Construction, Demonstration and Delivery of an Automated Narrow Gap Welding System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-29

DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, DEMONSTRATION AND DELIVERY OF WE DA4I &NARROW GAP CONTRACT NO. NOOGOO-81-C-E923 TO DAVID TAYLOR NAVAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT...the automated * Narrow Gap welding process, is the narrow (3/8 - inch), square-butt joint *design. This narrow joint greatly reduces the volume of weld...AD-i45 495 DESIGN CONSTRUCTION DEMONSTRATION AiND DELIVERY OF RN 1/j AUrOMATED NARROW GAP WELDING SYSTEMI() CRC AUTOMATIC WELDING CO HOUSTON TX 29

Bayesian Face Recognition and Perceptual Narrowing in Face-Space

PubMed Central

Balas, Benjamin

2012-01-01

During the first year of life, infants’ face recognition abilities are subject to “perceptual narrowing,” the end result of which is that observers lose the ability to distinguish previously discriminable faces (e.g. other-race faces) from one another. Perceptual narrowing has been reported for faces of different species and different races, in developing humans and primates. Though the phenomenon is highly robust and replicable, there have been few efforts to model the emergence of perceptual narrowing as a function of the accumulation of experience with faces during infancy. The goal of the current study is to examine how perceptual narrowing might manifest as statistical estimation in “face space,” a geometric framework for describing face recognition that has been successfully applied to adult face perception. Here, I use a computer vision algorithm for Bayesian face recognition to study how the acquisition of experience in face space and the presence of race categories affect performance for own and other-race faces. Perceptual narrowing follows from the establishment of distinct race categories, suggesting that the acquisition of category boundaries for race is a key computational mechanism in developing face expertise. PMID:22709406

Narrow Escape of Interacting Diffusing Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agranov, Tal; Meerson, Baruch

2018-03-01

The narrow escape problem deals with the calculation of the mean escape time (MET) of a Brownian particle from a bounded domain through a small hole on the domain's boundary. Here we develop a formalism which allows us to evaluate the nonescape probability of a gas of diffusing particles that may interact with each other. In some cases the nonescape probability allows us to evaluate the MET of the first particle. The formalism is based on the fluctuating hydrodynamics and the recently developed macroscopic fluctuation theory. We also uncover an unexpected connection between the narrow escape of interacting particles and thermal runaway in chemical reactors.

Parametric Dynamic Load Prediction of a Narrow Gauge Rocket Sled

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

Monorail λ Compared to Sled Tests.......................................................... 11 Figure 2.1 Application of Vertical λ to a Narrow Gauge sled...Three distinct sled configurations are used: monorail , dual rail wide gauge, and dual rail narrow gauge. Of the three, the narrow gauge...weight and the resulting value was termed λ. Monorail λ factor loading was first documented by Mixon (1971) where a few measured data points were

The crustal structure of the north-eastern Gulf of Aden continental margin: insights from wide-angle seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watremez, L.; Leroy, S.; Rouzo, S.; D'Acremont, E.; Unternehr, P.; Ebinger, C.; Lucazeau, F.; Al-Lazki, A.

2011-02-01

The wide-angle seismic (WAS) and gravity data of the Encens survey allow us to determine the deep crustal structure of the north-eastern Gulf of Aden non-volcanic passive margin. The Gulf of Aden is a young oceanic basin that began to open at least 17.6 Ma ago. Its current geometry shows first- and second-order segmentation: our study focusses on the Ashawq-Salalah second-order segment, between Alula-Fartak and Socotra-Hadbeen fracture zones. Modelling of the WAS and gravity data (three profiles across and three along the margin) gives insights into the first- and second-order structures. (1) Continental thinning is abrupt (15-20 km thinning across 50-100 km distance). It is accommodated by several tilted blocks. (2) The ocean-continent transition (OCT) is narrow (15 km wide). The velocity modelling provides indications on its geometry: oceanic-type upper-crust (4.5 km s-1) and continental-type lower crust (>6.5 km s-1). (3) The thickness of the oceanic crust decreases from West (10 km) to the East (5.5 km). This pattern is probably linked to a variation of magma supply along the nascent slow-spreading ridge axis. (4) A 5 km thick intermediate velocity body (7.6 to 7.8 km s-1) exists at the crust-mantle interface below the thinned margin, the OCT and the oceanic crust. We interpret it as an underplated mafic body, or partly intruded mafic material emplaced during a `post-rift' event, according to the presence of a young volcano evidenced by heat-flow measurement (Encens-Flux survey) and multichannel seismic reflection (Encens survey). We propose that the non-volcanic passive margin is affected by post-rift volcanism suggesting that post-rift melting anomalies may influence the late evolution of non-volcanic passive margins.

Robotic unclamped "minimal-margin" partial nephrectomy: ongoing refinement of the anatomic zero-ischemia concept.

PubMed

Satkunasivam, Raj; Tsai, Sheaumei; Syan, Sumeet; Bernhard, Jean-Christophe; de Castro Abreu, Andre Luis; Chopra, Sameer; Berger, Andre K; Lee, Dennis; Hung, Andrew J; Cai, Jie; Desai, Mihir M; Gill, Inderbir S

2015-10-01

Anatomic partial nephrectomy (PN) techniques aim to decrease or eliminate global renal ischemia. To report the technical feasibility of completely unclamped "minimal-margin" robotic PN. We also illustrate the stepwise evolution of anatomic PN surgery with related outcomes data. This study was a retrospective analysis of 179 contemporary patients undergoing anatomic PN at a tertiary academic institution between October 2009 and February 2013. Consecutive consented patients were grouped into three cohorts: group 1, with superselective clamping and developmental-curve experience (n = 70); group 2, with superselective clamping and mature experience (n = 60); and group 3, which had completely unclamped, minimal-margin PN (n = 49). Patients in groups 1 and 2 underwent superselective tumor-specific devascularization, whereas patients in group 3 underwent completely unclamped minimal-margin PN adjacent to the tumor edge, a technique that takes advantage of the radially oriented intrarenal architecture and anatomy. Primary outcomes assessed the technical feasibility of robotic, completely unclamped, minimal-margin PN; short-term changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR); and development of new-onset chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage >3. Secondary outcome measures included perioperative variables, 30-d complications, and histopathologic outcomes. Demographic data were similar among groups. For similarly sized tumors (p = 0.13), percentage of kidney preserved was greater (p = 0.047) and margin width was narrower (p = 0.0004) in group 3. In addition, group 3 had less blood loss (200, 225, and 150ml; p = 0.04), lower transfusion rates (21%, 23%, and 4%; p = 0.008), and shorter hospital stay (p = 0.006), whereas operative time and 30-d complication rates were similar. At 1-mo postoperatively, median percentage reduction in eGFR was similar (7.6%, 0%, and 3.0%; p = 0.53); however, new-onset CKD stage >3 occurred less frequently in group 3 (23%, 10%, and 2%; p = 0

Pulse stretcher for narrow pulses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsey, R. S., Jr. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A pulse stretcher for narrow pulses is presented. The stretcher is composed of an analog section for processing each arriving analog pulse and a digital section with logic for providing command signals to the gates and switches in the analog section.

Decoding the Margins: What Can the Fractal Geometry of Basaltic Flow Margins Tell Us?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaefer, E. I.; Hamilton, C.; Neish, C.; Beard, S. P.; Bramson, A. M.; Sori, M.; Rader, E. L.

2016-12-01

Studying lava flows on other planetary bodies is essential to characterizing eruption styles and constraining the bodies' thermal evolution. Although planetary basaltic flows are common, many key features are not resolvable in orbital imagery. We are thus developing a technique to characterize basaltic flow type, sub-meter roughness, and sediment mantling from these data. We will present the results from upcoming fieldwork at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve with FINESSE (August) and at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (September). We build on earlier work that showed that basaltic flow margins are approximately fractal [Bruno et al., 1992; Gaonac'h et al., 1992] and that their fractal dimensions (D) have distinct `a`ā and pāhoehoe ranges under simple conditions [Bruno et al., 1994]. Using a differential GPS rover, we have recently shown that the margin of Iceland's 2014 Holuhraun flow exhibits near-perfect (R2=0.9998) fractality for ≥24 km across dm to km scales [Schaefer et al., 2016]. This finding suggests that a fractal-based technique has significant potential to characterize flows at sub-resolution scales. We are simultaneously seeking to understand how margin fractality can be modified. A preliminary result for an `a'ā flow in Hawaii's Ka'ū Desert suggests that although aeolian mantling obscures the original flow margin, the apparent margin (i.e., sediment-lava interface) remains fractal [Schaefer et al., 2015]. Further, the apparent margin's D is likely significantly modified from that of the original margin. Other factors that we are exploring include erosion, transitional flow types, and topographic confinement. We will also rigorously test the intriguing possibility that margin D correlates with the sub-meter Hurst exponent H of the flow surface, a common metric of roughness scaling [e.g., Shepard et al., 2001]. This hypothesis is based on geometric arguments [Turcotte, 1997] and is qualitatively consistent with all results so far.

Potential of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM). A Critical Review

PubMed Central

Jaworska, Aleksandra; Fornasaro, Stefano; Sergo, Valter; Bonifacio, Alois

2016-01-01

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a label-free technique that enables quick monitoring of substances at low concentrations in biological matrices. These advantages make it an attractive tool for the development of point-of-care tests suitable for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) of drugs with a narrow therapeutic window, such as chemotherapeutic drugs, immunosuppressants, and various anticonvulsants. In this article, the current applications of SERS in the field of TDM for cancer therapy are discussed in detail and illustrated according to the different strategies and substrates. In particular, future perspectives are provided and special concerns regarding the standardization of self-assembly methods and nanofabrication procedures, quality assurance, and technology readiness are critically evaluated. PMID:27657146

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma: from genetics to management.

PubMed

Arcaini, Luca; Rossi, Davide; Paulli, Marco

2016-04-28

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is a rare B-cell malignancy involving the spleen, bone marrow, and frequently the blood. SMZL lymphomagenesis involves antigen and/or superantigen stimulation and molecular deregulation of genes (NOTCH2 and KLF2) involved in the physiological differentiation of spleen marginal zone B cells. Diagnosis requires either spleen histology or, alternatively, the documentation of a typical cell morphology and immunophenotype on blood cells coupled with the detection of intrasinusoidal infiltration by CD20(+) cells in the bone marrow. Among B-cell tumors, deletion of 7q and NOTCH2 mutations are almost specific lesions of SMZL, thus representing promising diagnostic biomarkers of this lymphoma. Although the majority of SMZLs show an indolent course with a median survival of approximately 10 years, nearly 30% of patients experience a poor outcome. No randomized trials are reported for SMZL, and few prospective trials are available. A watch-and-wait approach is advisable for asymptomatic patients. Treatment options for symptomatic patients ranges from splenectomy to rituximab alone or combined with chemotherapy. In some geographic areas, a subset of patients with SMZL associates with hepatitis C virus infection, prompting virus eradication as an effective lymphoma treatment. It would be worthwhile to explore deregulated cellular programs of SMZL as therapeutic targets in the future; improved clinical and biological prognostication will be essential for identifying patients who may benefit from novel approaches. © 2016 by The American Society of Hematology.

Clinical outcome of narrow-diameter (3.3-mm) locking-taper implants: a prospective study with 1 to 10 years of follow-up.

PubMed

Mangano, Francesco; Shibli, Jamil A; Sammons, Rachel L; Veronesi, Giovanni; Piattelli, Adriano; Mangano, Carlo

2014-01-01

To evaluate the outcome of narrow-diameter (3.3-mm) locking-taper implants used in the rehabilitation of partially and fully edentulous patients over a 10-year period. Between January 2002 and December 2011, all patients referred to a private dental clinic for treatment with narrow-diameter implants were enrolled in this study. At each annual follow-up session, clinical and radiographic parameters were assessed; the outcome measurements were implant failure, peri-implant marginal bone loss (distance between the implant shoulder and the first visible bone-to-implant contact [DIB]), and biologic and technical complications. The cumulative survival rate (CSR) was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier survival estimator; Tarone-Ware and chi-square analyses were used to evaluate correlations between the study variables. The statistical analysis was performed at the patient- and implant-level. A total of 324 narrow-diameter implants were placed in 279 patients (159 men, 120 women; age: 25 to 73 years). Four implants failed, for an overall CSR of 98.5% (patient-based) and 98.7% (implant-based) at the 10-year follow-up. The survival rate did not differ significantly with respect to patients' sex, age, smoking or parafunctional habits, bone type, prosthetic restoration, or implant location, position, or length. Among the surviving implants, a mean DIB of 0.31 ± 0.23 mm, 0.45 ± 0.27 mm, and 0.69 ± 0.28 mm was observed at the 1-, 5-, and 10-year follow-up examinations, respectively. A few biologic (1.2%) and technical complications (7.5%) were reported. Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that narrow-diameter locking-taper implants represent a good treatment option for the prosthetic rehabilitation of partially and totally edentulous patients.

17 CFR 242.403 - Required margin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Required margin. 242.403 Section 242.403 Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS M, SHO, ATS, AC, AND NMS AND CUSTOMER MARGIN REQUIREMENTS FOR SECURITY FUTURES Customer Margin...

Changes in ice-margin processes and sediment routing during ice-sheet advance across a marginal moraine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knight, P.G.; Jennings, C.E.; Waller, R.I.; Robinson, Z.P.

2007-01-01

Advance of part of the margin of the Greenland ice sheet across a proglacial moraine ridge between 1968 and 2002 caused progressive changes in moraine morphology, basal ice formation, debris release, ice-marginal sediment storage, and sediment transfer to the distal proglacial zone. When the ice margin is behind the moraine, most of the sediment released from the glacier is stored close to the ice margin. As the margin advances across the moraine the potential for ice-proximal sediment storage decreases and distal sediment flux is augmented by reactivation of moraine sediment. For six stages of advance associated with distinctive glacial and sedimentary processes we describe the ice margin, the debris-rich basal ice, debris release from the glacier, sediment routing into the proglacial zone, and geomorphic processes on the moraine. The overtopping of a moraine ridge is a significant glaciological, geomorphological and sedimentological threshold in glacier advance, likely to cause a distinctive pulse in distal sediment accumulation rates that should be taken into account when glacial sediments are interpreted to reconstruct glacier fluctuations. ?? 2007 Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography.

Problems and pitfalls in cardiac drug therapy.

PubMed

Stone, S M; Rai, N; Nei, J

2001-01-01

Medical errors in the care of patients may account for 44,000 to 98,000 deaths per year, and 7,000 deaths per year are attributed to medication errors alone. Increasing awareness among health care providers of potential errors is a critical step toward improving the safety of medical care. Because today's medications are increasingly complex, approved at an accelerated rate, and often have a narrow therapeutic window with only a small margin of safety, patient and provider education is critical in assuring optimal therapeutic outcomes. Providers can use electronic resources such as Web sites to keep informed on drug-drug, drug-food, and drug-nutritional supplements interactions.

Diminishing Marginal Utility in Economics Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dittmer, Timothy

2005-01-01

Many introductory microeconomics textbook authors derive the law of demand from the assumption of diminishing marginal utility. Authors of intermediate and graduate textbooks derive demand from diminishing marginal rate of substitution and ordinal preferences. These approaches are not interchangeable; diminishing marginal utility for all goods is…

The narrow pentaquark

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

Diakonov, Dmitri

2007-02-27

The experimental status of the pentaquark searches is briefly reviewed. Recent null results by the CLAS collaboration are commented, and new strong evidence of a very narrow {theta}+ resonance by the DIANA collaboration is presented. On the theory side, I revisit the argument against the existence of the pentaquark - that of Callan and Klebanov - and show that actually a strong resonance is predicted in that approach, however its width is grossly overestimated. A recent calculation gives 2 MeV for the pentaquark width, and this number is probably still an upper bound.

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma.

PubMed

Piris, Miguel A; Onaindía, Arantza; Mollejo, Manuela

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is an indolent small B-cell lymphoma involving the spleen and bone marrow characterized by a micronodular tumoral infiltration that replaces the preexisting lymphoid follicles and shows marginal zone differentiation as a distinctive finding. SMZL cases are characterized by prominent splenomegaly and bone marrow and peripheral blood infiltration. Cells in peripheral blood show a villous cytology. Bone marrow and peripheral blood characteristic features usually allow a diagnosis of SMZL to be performed. Mutational spectrum of SMZL identifies specific findings, such as 7q loss and NOTCH2 and KLF2 mutations, both genes related with marginal zone differentiation. There is a striking clinical variability in SMZL cases, dependent of the tumoral load and performance status. Specific molecular markers such as 7q loss, p53 loss/mutation, NOTCH2 and KLF2 mutations have been found to be associated with the clinical variability. Distinction from Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis with marginal zone phenotype is still an open issue that requires identification of precise and specific thresholds with clinical meaning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Current Practice of Therapeutic Mammaplasty: A Survey of Oncoplastic Breast Surgeons in England

PubMed Central

Aggarwal, Shweta; Marla, Sekhar; Nyanhongo, Donald; Kotecha, Sita; Basu, Narendra Nath

2016-01-01

Introduction. Therapeutic mammaplasty (TM) is a useful technique in the armamentarium of the oncoplastic breast surgeon (OBS). There is limited guidance on patient selection, technique, coding, and management of involved margins. The practices of OBS in England remain unknown. Methods. Questionnaires were sent to all OBS involved with the Training Interface Group. We assessed the number of TM cases performed per surgeon, criteria for patient selection, pedicle preference, contralateral symmetrisation, use of routine preoperative MRI, management of involved margins, and clinical coding. Results. We had an overall response rate of 43%. The most common skin resection technique utilised was wise pattern followed by vertical scar. Superior-medial pedicle was preferred by the majority of surgeons (62%) followed by inferior pedicle (34%). Twenty percent of surgeons would always proceed to a mastectomy following an involved margin, whereas the majority would offer reexcision based on several parameters. The main absolute contraindication to TM was tumour to breast ratio >50%. One in five surgeons would not perform TM in smokers and patients with multifocal disease. Discussion. There is a wide variation in the practice of TM amongst OBS. Further research and guidance would be useful to standardise practice, particularly management of involved margins and coding for optimal reimbursement. PMID:27110398

Galaxy properties from J-PAS narrow-band photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mejía-Narváez, A.; Bruzual, G.; Magris, C. G.; Alcaniz, J. S.; Benítez, N.; Carneiro, S.; Cenarro, A. J.; Cristóbal-Hornillos, D.; Dupke, R.; Ederoclite, A.; Marín-Franch, A.; de Oliveira, C. Mendes; Moles, M.; Sodre, L.; Taylor, K.; Varela, J.; Ramió, H. Vázquez

2017-11-01

We study the consistency of the physical properties of galaxies retrieved from spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting as a function of spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Using a selection of physically motivated star formation histories, we set up a control sample of mock galaxy spectra representing observations of the local Universe in high-resolution spectroscopy, and in 56 narrow-band and 5 broad-band photometry. We fit the SEDs at these spectral resolutions and compute their corresponding stellar mass, the mass- and luminosity-weighted age and metallicity, and the dust extinction. We study the biases, correlations and degeneracies affecting the retrieved parameters and explore the role of the spectral resolution and the SNR in regulating these degeneracies. We find that narrow-band photometry and spectroscopy yield similar trends in the physical properties derived, the former being considerably more precise. Using a galaxy sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we compare more realistically the results obtained from high-resolution and narrow-band SEDs (synthesized from the same SDSS spectra) following the same spectral fitting procedures. We use results from the literature as a benchmark to our spectroscopic estimates and show that the prior probability distribution functions, commonly adopted in parametric methods, may introduce biases not accounted for in a Bayesian framework. We conclude that narrow-band photometry yields the same trend in the age-metallicity relation in the literature, provided it is affected by the same biases as spectroscopy, albeit the precision achieved with the latter is generally twice as large as with the narrow-band, at SNR values typical of the different kinds of data.

Late differentiation of proximal and distal margins in the Gulf of Aden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bache, F.; Leroy, S.; D'Acremont, E.; Autin, J.; Watremez, L.; Rouzo, S.

2009-04-01

Non-volcanic passive margins are usually described in three different domains (Boillot et al., 1988), namely (1) the continental domain, where the basement is structured in a series of basins and basement rises, (2) the true oceanic domain, where the bathymetry is relatively smooth, and (3) in between them, a transitional domain referred to as the oceanic-continental transition (OCT), where the basement is partly composed of exhumed mantle. The Gulf of Aden is a young and narrow oceanic basin formed in Oligo-Miocene time between the rifted margins of the Arabian and Somalian plates. The distal margin and particularly the OCT domain were previously studied considering a large set of data (Leroy et al., 2004; d'Acremont et al., 2005; d'Acremont et al., 2006; Autin, 2008). This study focalises on the sedimentary cover identified on seismic reflexion profiles acquired during Encens-Sheba (2000) and Encens (2006) cruises. Sedimentary stratal pattern and seismic facies succession suggest that the differentiation between the proximal and the distal margins occurred very late in the formation of the margin, after the deposition of ~2 km of "syn-OCT" sediments which filled the distal margin grabens. A high position of the proximal and distal margins during rifting and "syn-OCT" sediments deposition could be proposed. The major implication of this evolution should be a shallow nature of "syn-OCT" deposits. The lack of boreholes doesn't permit to affirm this last point. Comparable observations have been described on other passive margins (Moulin, 2003; Moulin et al., 2005; Labails, 2007; Aslanian et al., 2008; Bache, 2008). For some authors, it shows the persistence of a deep thermal anomaly during the early history of the margin (Steckler et al., 1988; Dupré et al., 2007). These observations could be a common characteristic of passive margins evolution and are of major interest for petroleum exploration. Aslanian, D., M. Moulin, O. J.L., P. Unternehr, F. Bache, I. Contrucci

Accretion and exhumation at a Variscan active margin, recorded in the Saxothuringian flysch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schäfer, J.; Neuroth, H.; Ahrendt, H.; Dörr, W.; Franke, W.

The Saxothuringian flysch basin, on the north flank of the Central European Variscides, was fed and eventually overthrust by the northwestern, active margin of the Tepla-Barrandian terrane. Clast spectra, mineral composition and isotopic ages of detrital mica and zircon have been analyzed in order to constrain accretion and exhumation of rocks in the orogenic wedge. The earliest clastic sediments preserved are of early Famennian age (ca. 370Ma). They are exposed immediately to the NW of the suture, and belong to the par-autochthon of the foreland. Besides ultramafic (?ophiolite) material, these rocks contain clasts derived from Early Paleozoic continental slope sediments, originally deposited at the NW margin of the Saxothuringian basin. These findings, together with the paleogeographic position of the Famennian clastics debris on the northwestern passive margin, indicate that the Saxothuringian narrow ocean had been closed by that time. Microprobe analyses of detrital hornblendes suggest derivation from the ``Randamphibolit'' unit, now present in the middle part of the Saxothuringian allochthon (Münchberg nappes). Detrital zircons of metamorphic rocks formed a little earlier (ca. 380Ma) indicate rapid recycling at the tectonic front. The middle part of the flysch sequence (ca. early to middle Viséan), both in the par-autochthon and in the allochthon, contains abundant clasts of Paleozoic rocks derived from the northwestern slope and rise, together with debris of Cadomian basement, 500-Ma granitoids and 380Ma (early Variscan) crystalline rocks. All of these source rocks were still available in the youngest part of the flysch (c. middle to late Viséan), but some clasts record, in addition, accretion of the northwestern shelf. Our findings permit deduction of minimum rates of tectonic shortening well in excess of 10-30mm per year, and rates of exhumation of ca. 3mm/a, and possibly more.

Earth-System Scales of Biodiversity Variability in Shallow Continental Margin Seafloor Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moffitt, S. E.; White, S. M.; Hill, T. M.; Kennett, J.

2015-12-01

High-resolution paleoceanographic sedimentary sequences allow for the description of ecosystem sensitivity to earth-system scales of climate and oceanographic change. Such archives from Santa Barbara Basin, California record the ecological consequences to seafloor ecosystems of climate-forced shifts in the California Current Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ). Here we use core MV0508-20JPC dated to 735,000±5,000 years ago (Marine Isotope Stage 18) as a "floating window" of millennial-scale ecological variability. For this investigation, previously published archives of planktonic δ18O (Globigerina bulloides) record stadial and interstadial oscillations in surface ocean temperature. Core MV0508-20JPC is an intermittently laminated archive, strongly influenced by the California Current OMZ, with continuously preserved benthic foraminifera and discontinuously preserved micro-invertebrates, including ophiuroids, echinoderms, ostracods, gastropods, bivalves and scaphopods. Multivariate statistical approaches, such as ordinations and cluster analyses, describe climate-driven changes in both foraminiferal and micro-invertebrate assemblages. Statistical ordinations illustrate that the shallow continental margin seafloor underwent predictable phase-shifts in oxygenation and biodiversity across stadial and interstadial events. A narrow suite of severely hypoxic taxa characterized foraminiferal communities from laminated intervals, including Bolivina tumida, Globobulimina spp., and Nonionella stella. Foraminiferal communities from bioturbated intervals are diverse and >60% similar to each other, and they are associated with echinoderm, ostracod and mollusc fossils. As with climate shifts in the latest Quaternary, there is a sensitive benthic ecosystem response in mid-Pleistocene continental margins to climatically related changes in OMZ strength.

The Effect of Divided Attention on Emotion-Induced Memory Narrowing

PubMed Central

Steinmetz, Katherine R. Mickley; Waring, Jill D.; Kensinger, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

Individuals are more likely to remember emotional than neutral information, but this benefit does not always extend to the surrounding background information. This memory narrowing is theorized to be linked to the availability of attentional resources at encoding. In contrast to the predictions of this theoretical account, altering participants’ attentional resources at encoding, by dividing attention, did not affect the emotion-induced memory narrowing. Attention was divided using three separate manipulations: a digit ordering task (Experiment 1), an arithmetic task (Experiment 2), and an auditory discrimination task (Experiment 3). Across all three experiments, divided attention decreased memory across-the-board but did not affect the degree of memory narrowing. These findings suggest that theories to explain memory narrowing must be expanded to include other potential mechanisms beyond limitations of attentional resources. PMID:24295041

The effect of divided attention on emotion-induced memory narrowing.

PubMed

Mickley Steinmetz, Katherine R; Waring, Jill D; Kensinger, Elizabeth A

2014-01-01

Individuals are more likely to remember emotional than neutral information, but this benefit does not always extend to the surrounding background information. This memory narrowing is theorised to be linked to the availability of attentional resources at encoding. In contrast to the predictions of this theoretical account, altering participants' attentional resources at encoding by dividing attention did not affect emotion-induced memory narrowing. Attention was divided using three separate manipulations: a digit ordering task (Experiment 1), an arithmetic task (Experiment 2) and an auditory discrimination task (Experiment 3). Across all three experiments, divided attention decreased memory across the board but did not affect the degree of memory narrowing. These findings suggest that theories to explain memory narrowing must be expanded to include other potential mechanisms beyond the limitations of attentional resources.

Bayesian Face Recognition and Perceptual Narrowing in Face-Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balas, Benjamin

2012-01-01

During the first year of life, infants' face recognition abilities are subject to "perceptual narrowing", the end result of which is that observers lose the ability to distinguish previously discriminable faces (e.g. other-race faces) from one another. Perceptual narrowing has been reported for faces of different species and different races, in…

Deep structure of the continental margin and basin off Greater Kabylia, Algeria - New insights from wide-angle seismic data modeling and multichannel seismic interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aïdi, Chafik; Beslier, Marie-Odile; Yelles-Chaouche, Abdel Karim; Klingelhoefer, Frauke; Bracene, Rabah; Galve, Audrey; Bounif, Abdallah; Schenini, Laure; Hamai, Lamine; Schnurle, Philippe; Djellit, Hamou; Sage, Françoise; Charvis, Philippe; Déverchère, Jacques

2018-03-01

During the Algerian-French SPIRAL survey aimed at investigating the deep structure of the Algerian margin and basin, two coincident wide-angle and reflection seismic profiles were acquired in central Algeria, offshore Greater Kabylia, together with gravimetric, bathymetric and magnetic data. This 260 km-long offshore-onshore profile spans the Balearic basin, the central Algerian margin and the Greater Kabylia block up to the southward limit of the internal zones onshore. Results are obtained from modeling and interpretation of the combined data sets. The Algerian basin offshore Greater Kabylia is floored by a thin oceanic crust ( 4 km) with P-wave velocities ranging between 5.2 and 6.8 km/s. In the northern Hannibal High region, the atypical 3-layer crustal structure is interpreted as volcanic products stacked over a thin crust similar to that bordering the margin and related to Miocene post-accretion volcanism. These results support a two-step back-arc opening of the west-Algerian basin, comprising oceanic crust accretion during the first southward stage, and a magmatic and probably tectonic reworking of this young oceanic basement during the second, westward, opening phase. The structure of the central Algerian margin is that of a narrow ( 70 km), magma-poor rifted margin, with a wider zone of distal thinned continental crust than on the other margin segments. There is no evidence for mantle exhumation in the sharp ocean-continent transition, but transcurrent movements during the second opening phase may have changed its initial geometry. The Plio-Quaternary inversion of the margin related to ongoing convergence between Africa and Eurasia is expressed by a blind thrust system under the margin rising toward the surface at the slope toe, and by an isostatic disequilibrium resulting from opposite flexures of two plates decoupled at the continental slope. This disequilibrium is likely responsible for the peculiar asymmetrical shape of the crustal neck that may thus

Drug vaping applied to cannabis: Is "Cannavaping" a therapeutic alternative to marijuana?

PubMed

Varlet, Vincent; Concha-Lozano, Nicolas; Berthet, Aurélie; Plateel, Grégory; Favrat, Bernard; De Cesare, Mariangela; Lauer, Estelle; Augsburger, Marc; Thomas, Aurélien; Giroud, Christian

2016-05-26

Therapeutic cannabis administration is increasingly used in Western countries due to its positive role in several pathologies. Dronabinol or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) pills, ethanolic cannabis tinctures, oromucosal sprays or table vaporizing devices are available but other cannabinoids forms can be used. Inspired by the illegal practice of dabbing of butane hashish oil (BHO), cannabinoids from cannabis were extracted with butane gas, and the resulting concentrate (BHO) was atomized with specific vaporizing devices. The efficiency of "cannavaping," defined as the "vaping" of liquid refills for e-cigarettes enriched with cannabinoids, including BHO, was studied as an alternative route of administration for therapeutic cannabinoids. The results showed that illegal cannavaping would be subjected to marginal development due to the poor solubility of BHO in commercial liquid refills (especially those with high glycerin content). This prevents the manufacture of liquid refills with high BHO concentrations adopted by most recreational users of cannabis to feel the psychoactive effects more rapidly and extensively. Conversely, "therapeutic cannavaping" could be an efficient route for cannabinoids administration because less concentrated cannabinoids-enriched liquid refills are required. However, the electronic device marketed for therapeutic cannavaping should be carefully designed to minimize potential overheating and contaminant generation.

New era of biologic therapeutics in atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Guttman-Yassky, Emma; Dhingra, Nikhil; Leung, Donald Y M

2013-04-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease regulated by genetic and environmental factors. Both skin barrier defects and aberrant immune responses are believed to drive cutaneous inflammation in AD. Existing therapies rely largely on allergen avoidance, emollients and topical and systemic immune-suppressants, some with significant toxicity and transient efficacy; no specific targeted therapies are in clinical use today. As our specific understanding of the immune and molecular pathways that cause different subsets of AD increases, a variety of experimental agents, particularly biologic agents that target pathogenic molecules bring the promise of safe and effective therapeutics for long-term use. This paper discusses the molecular pathways characterizing AD, the contributions of barrier and immune abnormalities to its pathogenesis, and development of new treatments that target key molecules in these pathways. In this review, we will discuss a variety of biologic therapies that are in development or in clinical trials for AD, perhaps revolutionizing treatment of this disease. Biologic agents in moderate to severe AD offer promise for controlling a disease that currently lacks good and safe therapeutics posing a large unmet need. Unfortunately, existing treatments for AD aim to decrease cutaneous inflammation, but are not specific for the pathways driving this disease. An increasing understanding of the immune mechanisms underlying AD brings the promise of narrow targeted therapies as has occurred for psoriasis, another inflammatory skin disease, for which specific biologic agents have been demonstrated to both control the disease and prevent occurrence of new skin lesions. Although no biologic is yet approved for AD, these are exciting times for active therapeutic development in AD that might lead to revolutionary therapeutics for this disease.

Very narrow excited Ωc baryons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karliner, Marek; Rosner, Jonathan L.

2017-06-01

Recently, LHCb reported the discovery of five extremely narrow excited Ωc baryons decaying into Ξc+K-. We interpret these baryons as bound states of a c quark and a P -wave s s diquark. For such a system, there are exactly five possible combinations of spin and orbital angular momentum. The narrowness of the states could be a signal that it is hard to pull apart the two s quarks in a diquark. We predict two of spin 1 /2 , two of spin 3 /2 , and one of spin 5 /2 , all with negative parity. Of the five states, two can decay in S -wave, and three can decay in D -wave. Some of the D -wave states might be narrower than the S -wave states. We discuss the relations among the five masses expected in the quark model and the likely spin assignments, and we compare them with the data. A similar pattern is expected for negative-parity excited Ωb states. An alternative interpretation is noted in which the heaviest two states are 2 S excitations with JP=1 /2+ and 3 /2+, while the lightest three are those with JP=3 /2- , 3 /2- , 5 /2- , expected to decay via D -waves. In this case, we expect JP=1 /2- Ωc states around 2904 and 2978 MeV.

Anomalous heat flow belt along the continental margin of Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamza, Valiya M.; Vieira, Fabio P.; Silva, Raquel T. A.

2018-01-01

A comprehensive analysis of thermal gradient and heat flow data was carried out for sedimentary basins situated in the continental margin of Brazil (CMB). The results point to the existence of a narrow belt within CMB, where temperature gradients are higher than 30 °C/km and the heat flow is in excess of 70 mW/m2. This anomalous geothermal belt is confined between zones of relatively low to normal heat flow in the adjacent continental and oceanic regions. The width of the belt is somewhat variable, but most of it falls within the range of 100-300 km. The spatial extent is relatively large in the southern (in the basins of Pelotas, Santos and Campos) and northern (in the basins of Potiguar and Ceará) parts, when compared with those in the central parts (in the basins of South Bahia, Sergipe and Alagoas). The characteristics of heat flow anomalies appear to be compatible with those produced by thermal sources at depths in the lower crust. Hence, magma emplacement at the transition zone between lower crust and upper mantle is considered the likely mechanism producing such anomalies. Seismicity within the belt is relatively weak, with focal depths less than 10 km for most of the events. Such observations imply that "tectonic bonding" between continental and oceanic segments, at the transition zone of CMB, is relatively weak. Hence, it is proposed that passive margins like CMB be considered as constituting a type of plate boundary that is aseismic at sub-crustal levels, but allows for escape of significant amounts of earth's internal heat at shallow depths.

The marginal band system in nymphalid butterfly wings.

PubMed

Taira, Wataru; Kinjo, Seira; Otaki, Joji M

2015-01-01

Butterfly wing color patterns are highly complex and diverse, but they are believed to be derived from the nymphalid groundplan, which is composed of several color pattern systems. Among these pattern systems, the marginal band system, including marginal and submarginal bands, has rarely been studied. Here, we examined the color pattern diversity of the marginal band system among nymphalid butterflies. Marginal and submarginal bands are usually expressed as a pair of linear bands aligned with the wing margin. However, a submarginal band can be expressed as a broken band, an elongated oval, or a single dot. The marginal focus, usually a white dot at the middle of a wing compartment along the wing edge, corresponds to the pupal edge spot, one of the pupal cuticle spots that signify the locations of color pattern organizing centers. A marginal band can be expressed as a semicircle, an elongated oval, or a pair of eyespot-like structures, which suggest the organizing activity of the marginal focus. Physical damage at the pupal edge spot leads to distal dislocation of the submarginal band in Junonia almana and in Vanessa indica, suggesting that the marginal focus functions as an organizing center for the marginal band system. Taken together, we conclude that the marginal band system is developmentally equivalent to other symmetry systems. Additionally, the marginal band is likely a core element and the submarginal band a paracore element of the marginal band system, and both bands are primarily specified by the marginal focus organizing center.

Geomorphology of the Iberian Continental Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maestro, Adolfo; López-Martínez, Jerónimo; Llave, Estefanía; Bohoyo, Fernando; Acosta, Juan; Hernández-Molina, F. Javier; Muñoz, Araceli; Jané, Gloria

2013-08-01

The submarine features and processes around the Iberian Peninsula are the result of a complex and diverse geological and oceanographical setting. This paper presents an overview of the seafloor geomorphology of the Iberian Continental Margin and the adjacent abyssal plains. The study covers an area of approximately 2.3 million km2, including a 50 to 400 km wide band adjacent to the coastline. The main morphological characteristics of the seafloor features on the Iberian continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise and the surrounding abyssal plains are described. Individual seafloor features existing on the Iberian Margin have been classified into three main groups according to their origin: tectonic and/or volcanic, depositional and erosional. Major depositional and erosional features around the Iberian Margin developed in late Pleistocene-Holocene times and have been controlled by tectonic movements and eustatic fluctuations. The distribution of the geomorphological features is discussed in relation to their genetic processes and the evolution of the margin. The prevalence of one or several specific processes in certain areas reflects the dominant morphotectonic and oceanographic controlling factors. Sedimentary processes and the resulting depositional products are dominant on the Valencia-Catalán Margin and in the northern part of the Balearic Promontory. Strong tectonic control is observed in the geomorphology of the Betic and the Gulf of Cádiz margins. The role of bottom currents is especially evident throughout the Iberian Margin. The Galicia, Portuguese and Cantabrian margins show a predominance of erosional features and tectonically-controlled linear features related to faults.

Robust Flutter Margin Analysis that Incorporates Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lind, Rick; Brenner, Martin J.

1998-01-01

An approach for computing worst-case flutter margins has been formulated in a robust stability framework. Uncertainty operators are included with a linear model to describe modeling errors and flight variations. The structured singular value, mu, computes a stability margin that directly accounts for these uncertainties. This approach introduces a new method of computing flutter margins and an associated new parameter for describing these margins. The mu margins are robust margins that indicate worst-case stability estimates with respect to the defined uncertainty. Worst-case flutter margins are computed for the F/A-18 Systems Research Aircraft using uncertainty sets generated by flight data analysis. The robust margins demonstrate flight conditions for flutter may lie closer to the flight envelope than previously estimated by p-k analysis.

MARGINS: Toward a novel science plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mutter, John C.

A science plan to study continental margins has been in the works for the past 3 years, with almost 200 Earth scientists from a wide variety of disciplines gathering at meetings and workshops. Most geological hazards and resources are found at continental margins, yet our understanding of the processes that shape the margins is meager.In formulating this MARGINS research initiative, fundamental issues concerning our understanding of basic Earth-forming processes have arisen. It is clear that a business-as-usual approach will not solve the class of problems defined by the MARGINS program; the solutions demand approaches different from those used in the past. In many cases, a different class of experiment will be required, one that is well beyond the capability of individual principle investigators to undertake on their own. In most cases, broadly based interdisciplinary studies will be needed.

Tumor margin detection using optical biopsy techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yan; Liu, Cheng-hui; Li, Jiyou; Li, Zhongwu; Zhou, Lixin; Chen, Ke; Pu, Yang; He, Yong; Zhu, Ke; Li, Qingbo; Alfano, Robert R.

2014-03-01

The aim of this study is to use the Resonance Raman (RR) and fluorescence spectroscopic technique for tumor margin detection with high accuracy based on native molecular fingerprints of breast and gastrointestinal (GI) tissues. This tumor margins detection method utilizes advantages of RR spectroscopic technique in situ and in real-time to diagnose tumor changes providing powerful tools for clinical guiding intraoperative margin assessments and postoperative treatments. The tumor margin detection procedures by RR spectroscopy were taken by scanning lesion from center or around tumor region in ex-vivo to find the changes in cancerous tissues with the rim of normal tissues using the native molecular fingerprints. The specimens used to analyze tumor margins include breast and GI carcinoma and normal tissues. The sharp margin of the tumor was found by the changes of RR spectral peaks within 2 mm distance. The result was verified using fluorescence spectra with 300 nm, 320 nm and 340 nm excitation, in a typical specimen of gastric cancerous tissue within a positive margin in comparison with normal gastric tissues. This study demonstrates the potential of RR and fluorescence spectroscopy as new approaches with labeling free to determine the intraoperative margin assessment.

Stability and Marginal Bone Level Changes of SLActive Titanium-Zirconium Implants Placed with Flapless Surgery: A Prospective Pilot Study.

PubMed

Altinci, Pinar; Can, Gulsen; Gunes, Onur; Ozturk, Caner; Eren, Hakan

2016-12-01

Immediately-loaded, narrow-diameter implants can be a less invasive alternative for the implant-supported fixed rehabilitation of narrow, posterior crests. To determine the stability and marginal bone level (MBL) changes of narrow-diameter, titanium-zirconium (TiZr) implants placed with flapless surgery and loaded immediately in the posterior region. Thirty-eight TiZr implants (3.3 mm diameter, 10 mm length, Roxolid, Straumann AG) were placed in the posterior crests of 14 patients with computer-guided flapless surgery as a support of 3-unit posterior bridges. Eighteen implants were loaded immediately, and 20 implants were loaded conventionally. The implant stability quotients were determined at the 1, 2, 4, and 8. weeks of healing before conventional loading, and at the 3, 6, and 12. months after loading by resonance frequency analysis. The MBL changes were measured by digital radiography. The surgical protocols were accomplished without any biological complications. There was no significant difference in the stability changes of TiZr implants between the loading groups (p > .05). The MBL changes were -0.18 ± 0.27 mm and -0.24 ± 0.27 mm at the 12. month of immediate and conventional loading, respectively, which was not statistically significant (p > .05). The stability and MBL changes of TiZr implants supporting posterior 3-unit bridges were clinically acceptable at the first year of loading. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bandwidth-narrowed Bragg gratings inscribed in double-cladding fiber by femtosecond laser.

PubMed

Shi, Jiawei; Li, Yuhua; Liu, Shuhui; Wang, Haiyan; Liu, Ningliang; Lu, Peixiang

2011-01-31

Bragg gratings with the bandwidth(FWHM) narrowed up to 79 pm were inscribed in double-cladding fiber with femtosecond radiation and a phase mask followed by an annealing treatment. With the annealing temperature below a critical value, the bandwidth of Bragg gratings induced by Type I-IR and Type II-IR index change was narrowed without the reduction of reflectivity. The bandwidth narrowing is due to the profile transformation of the refractive index modulation caused by the annealing treatment. This mechanism was verified by comparing bandwidth narrowing processes of FBGs written with different power densities.

3. Photocopied July 1971 from Photo 741, Jordan Narrows Folder ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. Photocopied July 1971 from Photo 741, Jordan Narrows Folder #1, Engineering Department, Utah Power and Light Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. INTERIOR VIEW, JULY 2, 1909. - Salt Lake City Water & Electrical Power Company, Jordan Narrows Hydroelectric Plant, Jordan River, Riverton, Salt Lake County, UT

Reconditioning of Cassini Narrow-Angle Camera

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-07-23

These five images of single stars, taken at different times with the narrow-angle camera on NASA Cassini spacecraft, show the effects of haze collecting on the camera optics, then successful removal of the haze by warming treatments.

1. Photocopied July 1971 from Photo 745, Jordan Narrows Folder ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Photocopied July 1971 from Photo 745, Jordan Narrows Folder #1, Engineering Department, Utah Power and Light Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. JORDAN STATION, JULY 2, 1909. GENERAL VIEW. - Salt Lake City Water & Electrical Power Company, Jordan Narrows Hydroelectric Plant, Jordan River, Riverton, Salt Lake County, UT

Decreased airway narrowing and smooth muscle contraction in hyperresponsive pigs.

PubMed

Turner, Debra J; Noble, Peter B; Lucas, Matthew P; Mitchell, Howard W

2002-10-01

Increased smooth muscle contractility or reduced smooth muscle mechanical loads could account for the excessive airway narrowing and hyperresponsiveness seen in asthma. These mechanisms were investigated by using an allergen-induced porcine model of airway hyperresponsiveness. Airway narrowing to electric field stimulation was measured in isolated bronchial segments, over a range of transmural pressures (0-20 cmH(2)O). Contractile responses to ACh were measured in bronchial segments and in isolated tracheal smooth muscle strips isolated from control and test (ovalbumin sensitized and challenged) pigs. Test airways narrowed less than controls (P < 0.0001). Test pigs showed reduced contractility to ACh, both in isolated bronchi (P < 0.01) and smooth muscle strips (P < 0.01). Thus isolated airways from pigs exhibiting airway hyperresponsiveness in vivo are hyporesponsive in vitro. The decreased narrowing in bronchi from hyperresponsive pigs may be related to decreased smooth muscle contractility. These data suggest that mechanisms external to the airway wall may be important to the hyperresponsive nature of sensitized lungs.

Pathology of nodal marginal zone lymphomas.

PubMed

Pileri, Stefano; Ponzoni, Maurilio

Nodal marginal zone B cell lymphomas (NMZLs) are a rare group of lymphoid disorders part of the spectrum of marginal zone B-cell lymphomas, which encompass splenic marginal one B-cell lymphoma (SMZL) and extra nodal marginal zone of B-cell lymphoma (EMZL), often of MALT-type. Two clinicopathological forms of NMZL are recognized: adult-type and pediatric-type, respectively. NMZLs show overlapping features with other types of MZ, but distinctive features as well. In this review, we will focus on the salient distinguishing features of NMZL mostly under morphological/immunophenotypical/molecular perspectives in views of the recent acquisitions and forthcoming updated 2016 WHO classification of lymphoid malignancies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Photovoltaic measurement of bandgap narrowing in moderately doped silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

del Alamo, Jesus A.; Swanson, Richard M.; Lietoila, Arto

1983-05-01

Solar cells have been fabricated on n-type and p-type moderately doped Si. The shrinkage of the Si bandgap has been obtained by measuring the internal quantum efficiency in the near infrared spectrum ( hv = 1.00-1.25 eV) around the fundamental absorption edge. The results agree with previous optical measurements of bandgap narrowing in Si. It is postulated that this optically-determined bandgap narrowing is the rigid shrinkage of the forbidden gap due to many-body effects. The "device bandgap narrowing" obtained by measuring the pn product in bipolar devices leads to discrepant values because (i) the density of states in the conduction and valence band is modified due to the potential fluctuations originated in the variations in local impurity density, and (ii) the influence of Fermi-Dirac statistics.

The effects of narrow and elevated path walking on aperture crossing.

PubMed

Hackney, Amy L; Cinelli, Michael E; Denomme, Luke T; Frank, James S

2015-06-01

The study investigated the impact that action capabilities have on identifying possibilities for action, particularly how postural threat influences the passability of apertures. To do this, the ability to maintain balance was challenged by manipulating the level of postural threat while walking. First, participants walked along a 7m path and passed through two vertical obstacles spaced 1.1-1.5×the shoulder width apart during normal walking. Next, postural threat was manipulated by having participants complete the task either walking on a narrow, ground level path or on an elevated/narrow path. Despite a decrease in walking speed as well as an increase in trunk sway in both the narrow and elevated/narrow walking conditions, the passability of apertures was only affected when the consequence of instability was greatest. In the elevated/narrow walking condition, individuals maintained a larger critical point (rotated their shoulders for larger aperture widths) compared to normal walking. However, this effect was not observed for the narrow path walking suggesting that the level of postural threat was not enough to impose similar changes to the critical point. Therefore, it appears that manipulating action capabilities by increasing postural threat does indeed influence aperture crossing behavior, however the consequence associated with instability must be high before both gait characteristics and the critical point are affected. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hierarchical Marginal Land Assessment for Land Use Planning

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

Kang, Shujiang; Post, Wilfred M; Wang, Dali

2013-01-01

Marginal land provides an alternative potential for food and bioenergy production in the face of limited land resources; however, effective assessment of marginal lands is not well addressed. Concerns over environmental risks, ecosystem services and sustainability for marginal land have been widely raised. The objective of this study was to develop a hierarchical marginal land assessment framework for land use planning and management. We first identified major land functions linking production, environment, ecosystem services and economics, and then classified land resources into four categories of marginal land using suitability and limitations associated with major management goals, including physically marginal land,more » biologically marginal land, environmental-ecological marginal land, and economically marginal land. We tested this assessment framework in south-western Michigan, USA. Our results indicated that this marginal land assessment framework can be potentially feasible on land use planning for food and bioenergy production, and balancing multiple goals of land use management. We also compared our results with marginal land assessment from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and land capability classes (LCC) that are used in the US. The hierarchical assessment framework has advantages of quantitatively reflecting land functions and multiple concerns. This provides a foundation upon which focused studies can be identified in order to improve the assessment framework by quantifying high-resolution land functions associated with environment and ecosystem services as well as their criteria are needed to improve the assessment framework.« less

Perfect narrow band absorber for sensing applications.

PubMed

Luo, Shiwen; Zhao, Jun; Zuo, Duluo; Wang, Xinbing

2016-05-02

We design and numerically investigate a perfect narrow band absorber based on a metal-metal-dielectric-metal structure which consists of periodic metallic nanoribbon arrays. The absorber presents an ultra narrow absorption band of 1.11 nm with a nearly perfect absorption of over 99.9% in the infrared region. For oblique incidence, the absorber shows an absorption more than 95% for a wide range of incident angles from 0 to 50°. Structure parameters to the influence of the performance are investigated. The structure shows high sensing performance with a high sensitivity of 1170 nm/RIU and a large figure of merit of 1054. The proposed structure has great potential as a biosensor.

Kinematic Reconstruction of the Costa Rican Margin: Evidence for Discontinuities in Deformation Across the Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gose, B.; Bangs, N. L.; McIntosh, K. D.

2016-12-01

Recently acquired 3D seismic reflection data shows that both in-sequence and out-of sequence faults makeup the interior structure of the Costa Rican convergent margin. Recent studies have found evidence for a phase of accretion that led to the formation of a series of thrust-bounded folds that are easily observable within the margin-wedge fabric. Along a primary 2D transect through the center of the 3D survey, faults partition the outer 23km of the margin into 8 fault-bounded segments that can be divided into two characteristic zones, those closest to the trench (S1-S3) and those furthest (S4-S8) separated by a slope break 10 km from the trench (Fig 1). To better understand the observed structure, each segment was characterized as a fault-propagation fold and geometrically modeled using Paradigm's Geosec 2D software. Kinematic flexural slip modules were applied in order to perform bed-length balancing and generate a geologic reconstruction of the margin. Results show the section of the margin spanning from 3-23km from the deformation front has experienced 27.5% shortening, assuming the interpreted horizons were initially flat and continuous. The individual values for percent shortening are not consistent across the margin but distributed into two zones each with progressively increasing strain in the landward direction. Zone 2 (landward) begins with a percent shortening for S8 at 22% and linearly decreases to 2% shortening as you move seaward to S4. The Zone 1-2 boundary is marked by a slope break coinciding with an increase in percent shortening (S3,15%) followed by less shortening seaward (9%, 8%). Shortening and the associated strain is focused at the landward side of the two zones, within S3 and S8. We conclude that the Costa Rican margin has some degree of mechanical partitioning, with a notable discontinuity in strain patterns occurring 10 km from the trench.

17 CFR 242.405 - Withdrawal of margin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Withdrawal of margin. 242.405 Section 242.405 Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS M, SHO, ATS, AC, AND NMS AND CUSTOMER MARGIN REQUIREMENTS FOR SECURITY FUTURES Customer Margin...

Evolution of Devonian carbonate-shelf margin, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morrow, J.R.; Sandberg, C.A.

2008-01-01

The north-trending, 550-km-long Nevada segment of the Devonian carbonate-shelf margin, which fringed western North America, evidences the complex interaction of paleotectonics, eustasy, biotic changes, and bolide impact-related influences. Margin reconstruction is complicated by mid-Paleozoic to Paleogene compressional tectonics and younger extensional and strike-slip faulting. Reports published during the past three decades identify 12 important events that influenced development of shelf-margin settings; in chronological order, these are: (1) Early Devonian inheritance of Silurian stable shelf inargin, (2) formation of Early to early Middle 'Devonian shelf-margin basins, (3) propradation of later Middle Devonian shelf margin, (4) late Middle Devonian Taghanic ondap and continuing long-term Frasnian transgression, (5) initiation of latest Middle Devonian to early Frasnian proto-Antler orogenic forebulge, (6) mid-Frasnian Alamo Impact, (7) accelerated development of proto-Antler forebulge and backbulge Pilot basin, (8) global late Frasnian sentichatovae sea-level rise, (9) end-Frasnian sea-level fluctuations and ensuing mass extinction, (10) long-term Famennian regression and continept-wide erosion, (11) late Famennian emergence: of Ahtler orogenic highlands, and (12) end-Devonian eustatic sea-level fall. Although of considerable value for understanding facies relationships and geometries, existing standard carbonate platform-margin models developed for passive settings else-where do not adequately describe the diverse depositional and, structural settings along the Nevada Devonian platform margin. Recent structural and geochemical studies suggest that the Early to Middle Devonian-shelf-margin basins may have been fault-bound and controlled by inherited Precambrian structure. Subsequently, the migrating latest Middle to Late Devonian Antler orogenic forebulge exerted a dominant control on shelf-margin position, morphology, and sedimentation. ??Geological Society of

17 CFR 41.45 - Required margin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) Offsetting positions. Notwithstanding the margin levels specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, a self-regulatory authority may set the required initial or maintenance margin level for an offsetting position...

Influence of the narrow {111} planes on axial and planar ion channeling.

PubMed

Motapothula, M; Dang, Z Y; Venkatesan, T; Breese, M B H; Rana, M A; Osman, A

2012-05-11

We report channeling patterns where clearly resolved effects of the narrow {111} planes are observed in axial and planar alignments for 2 MeV protons passing through a 55 nm [001] silicon membrane. At certain axes, such as <213> and <314>, the offset in atomic rows forming the narrow {111} planes results in shielding from the large potential at the wide {111} planes, producing a region of shallow, asymmetric potential from which axial channeling patterns have no plane of symmetry. At small tilts from such axes, different behavior is observed from the wide and narrow {111} planes. At planar alignment, distinctive channeling effects due to the narrow planes are observed. As a consequence of the shallow potential well at the narrow planes, incident protons suffer dechanneled trajectories which are excluded from channeling within the wide planes, resulting in an anomalously large scattered beam at {111} alignment.

Immune homeostasis, dysbiosis and therapeutic modulation of the gut microbiota

PubMed Central

Peterson, C T; Sharma, V; Elmén, L; Peterson, S N

2015-01-01

The distal gut harbours ∼1013 bacteria, representing the most densely populated ecosystem known. The functional diversity expressed by these communities is enormous and relatively unexplored. The past decade of research has unveiled the profound influence that the resident microbial populations bestow to host immunity and metabolism. The evolution of these communities from birth generates a highly adapted and highly personalized microbiota that is stable in healthy individuals. Immune homeostasis is achieved and maintained due in part to the extensive interplay between the gut microbiota and host mucosal immune system. Imbalances of gut microbiota may lead to a number of pathologies such as obesity, type I and type II diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer (CRC) and inflammaging/immunosenscence in the elderly. In-depth understanding of the underlying mechanisms that control homeostasis and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota represents an important step in our ability to reliably modulate the gut microbiota with positive clinical outcomes. The potential of microbiome-based therapeutics to treat epidemic human disease is of great interest. New therapeutic paradigms, including second-generation personalized probiotics, prebiotics, narrow spectrum antibiotic treatment and faecal microbiome transplantation, may provide safer and natural alternatives to traditional clinical interventions for chronic diseases. This review discusses host–microbiota homeostasis, consequences of its perturbation and the associated challenges in therapeutic developments that lie ahead. PMID:25345825

Narrow Angle movie

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

This brief three-frame movie of the Moon was made from three Cassini narrow-angle images as the spacecraft passed by the Moon on the way to its closest approach with Earth on August 17, 1999. The purpose of this particular set of images was to calibrate the spectral response of the narrow-angle camera and to test its 'on-chip summing mode' data compression technique in flight. From left to right, they show the Moon in the green, blue and ultraviolet regions of the spectrum in 40, 60 and 80 millisecond exposures, respectively. All three images have been scaled so that the brightness of Crisium basin, the dark circular region in the upper right, is the same in each image. The spatial scale in the blue and ultraviolet images is 1.4 miles per pixel (2.3 kilometers). The original scale in the green image (which was captured in the usual manner and then reduced in size by 2x2 pixel summing within the camera system) was 2.8 miles per pixel (4.6 kilometers). It has been enlarged for display to the same scale as the other two. The imaging data were processed and released by the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS) at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, AZ.

Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Cassini Imaging Team/University of Arizona

Cassini, launched in 1997, is a joint mission of NASA, the European Space Agency and Italian Space Agency. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

Narrowing the Gap in Outcomes: Early Years (0-5 Years)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Springate, Ian; Atkinson, Mary; Straw, Suzanne; Lamont, Emily; Grayson, Hilary

2008-01-01

This report was commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) to inform the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and LGA work on "Narrowing the Gap." It focuses on early years' provision and presents findings from a review of the best evidence on narrowing the gap in outcomes across the five Every Child Matters…

The Continental Margins Program in Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cocker, M.D.; Shapiro, E.A.

1999-01-01

From 1984 to 1993, the Georgia Geologic Survey (GGS) participated in the Minerals Management Service-funded Continental Margins Program. Geological and geophysical data acquisition focused on offshore stratigraphic framework studies, phosphate-bearing Miocene-age strata, distribution of heavy minerals, near-surface alternative sources of groundwater, and development of a PC-based Coastal Geographic Information System (GIS). Seven GGS publications document results of those investigations. In addition to those publications, direct benefits of the GGS's participation include an impetus to the GGS's investigations of economic minerals on the Georgia coast, establishment of a GIS that includes computer hardware and software, and seeds for additional investigations through the information and training acquired as a result of the Continental Margins Program. These addtional investigations are quite varied in scope, and many were made possible because of GIS expertise gained as a result of the Continental Margins Program. Future investigations will also reap the benefits of the Continental Margins Program.From 1984 to 1993, the Georgia Geologic Survey (GGS) participated in the Minerals Management Service-funded Continental Margins Program. Geological and geophysical data acquisition focused on offshore stratigraphic framework studies, phosphate-bearing Miocene-age strata, distribution of heavy minerals, near-surface alternative sources of groundwater, and development of a PC-based Coastal Geographic Information System (GIS). Seven GGS publications document results of those investigations. In addition to those publications, direct benefits of the GGS's participation include an impetus to the GGS's investigations of economic minerals on the Georgia coast, establishment of a GIS that includes computer hardware and software, and seeds for additional investigations through the information and training acquired as a result of the Continental Margins Program. These additional

Formation and evolution of magma-poor margins, an example of the West Iberia margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez-Gussinye, Marta; Andres-Martinez, Miguel; Morgan, Jason P.; Ranero, Cesar R.; Reston, Tim

2016-04-01

The West Iberia-Newfoundland (WIM-NF) conjugate margins have been geophysically and geologically surveyed for the last 30 years and have arguably become a paradigm for magma-poor extensional margins. Here we present a coherent picture of the WIM-NF rift to drift evolution that emerges from these observations and numerical modeling, and point out important differences that may exist with other magma-poor margins world-wide. The WIM-NF is characterized by a continental crust that thins asymmetrically and a wide and symmetric continent-ocean transition (COT) interpreted to consist of exhumed and serpentinised mantle with magmatic products increasing oceanward. The architectural evolution of these margins is mainly dominated by cooling under very slow extension velocities (<~6 mm/yr half-rate) and a lower crust that most probably was not extremely weak at the start of rifting. These conditions lead to a system where initially deformation is distributed over a broad area and the upper, lower crust and lithosphere are decoupled. As extension progresses upper, lower, crust and mantle become tightly coupled and deformation localizes due to strengthening and cooling during rifting. Coupling leads to asymmetric asthenospheric uplift and weakening of the hanginwall of the active fault, where a new fault forms. This continued process leads to the formation of an array of sequential faults that dip and become younger oceanward. Here we show that these processes acting in concert: 1) reproduce the margin asymmetry observed at the WIM-NF, 2) explain the fault geometry evolution from planar, to listric to detachment like by having one common Andersonian framework, 3) lead to the symmetric exhumation of mantle with little magmatism, and 4) explain the younging of the syn-rift towards the basin centre and imply that unconformities separating syn- and post-rift may be diachronous and younger towards the ocean. Finally, we show that different lower crustal rheologies lead to different

Spectrally narrowed lasing of a self-injection KrF excimer laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, Yasuhiro; Wani, Koichi; Miki, Tadaaki; Kawahara, Hidehito; Mimasu, Mutsumi; Ogata, Yoshiro

1990-08-01

Spectrally nantwed lasing of a KrF excimer laser has teen ahieved by a self-injection technique using abeam splitter for power extraction aixi intravity etalons for spectral-narrowing. The laser cavity is divithi into an amplifying branch aix! a spectralnarrowing branch. The spectral bandwidth was narrowed to <3pm FWHM with air-sed etalons placed in the spectral-narrowing branch. A laser propagation model was intrOdUced for describing the laser intensity traveling in the laser cavity. The calculated intensityincident onthe intracavityetalons wassmaller thanthat in theconventional Fabry-Perotcavity withplane-parallel mirrors.

Partitioning of deformation along a reactivated rifted margin: example of the northern Ligurian margin.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sage, Françoise; Beslier, Marie-Odile; Gaullier, Virginie; Larroque, Christophe; Dessa, Jean-Xavier; Mercier de Lepinay, Bernard; Corradi, Nicola; Migeon, Sébastien; Katz, Hélène; Ruiz Constan, Ana

2013-04-01

The northern Ligurian margin, of Oligo-Miocene age, is currently undergoing compression related to microplate motions and/or to gravity spreading of the Alpine chain located immediately north of it. Active thrust faults and folds have previously been identified below the margin, together with a global uplift of the continental edge, since at least the Messinian. The seismicity that goes with the present-day margin contraction (e.g. Mw 6.9, 1887/02/23) extends to the axis of the adjacent oceanic basin (e.g. ML 6.0, 1963/07/19; ML 5.4, 2011/07/07). However, we do not know of any recent or active crustal contractional structure within this oceanic domain. In this study, we use new 12-channel high-resolution seismic data (FABLES seismic cruise, 2012, R/V Tethys II) in order to image the sedimentary cover of the Ligurian oceanic basin, up to ~3km below the seabed, including the Plio-Quaternary and the Messinian sediment down to the bottom of the Messinian salt layer. Because the Messinian event is well dated (5.96-5.32 Ma) and well identified in the seismic data, it forms a clear marker that we use to characterize the recent deformation related to both mobile salt motion and crustal tectonics. About 50 km south of the margin offshore of Italy, we identify huge and complex salt walls that elongate SW-NE. Such salt walls, which cannot be explained by salt tectonics only, are interpreted as evidence of deep-seated crustal deformation. They form en echelon structures that are well expressed in the seabed morphology, and do not correspond to any significant vertical throw at the base of the salt layer. This suggests that within the deep basin, mainly strike-slip faulting accommodates long-term crustal deformation. It thus offers a contrast with the margin where deformation is mainly marked by shortening and reverse faulting, with vertical throws of several hundred meters. This discrepancy in the tectonic styles between the margin and the adjacent oceanic basin suggests some

Crustal structure of the Ionian basin and eastern Sicily margin : results from a wide angle seismic survey and implication for the crustal nature and origin of the basin, and the recent tear fault location

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutscher, M. A.; Dellong, D.; Klingelhoefer, F.; Kopp, H.; Graindorge, D.; Margheriti, L.; Moretti, M.

2017-12-01

In the Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean) the slow convergence between Africa and Eurasia results in the formation of a narrow subduction zone. The nature of the crust and lithosphere of the subducting plate remain debated and could represent the last remnants of the Neo-Tethys ocean. The rifting mechanism that produced the Ionian basin are also still under discussion with the Malta escarpment representing a possible remnant of this opening. At present, this subduction is still retreating to the south-east (motion occurring since the last 35 Ma) but is confined to the narrow Ionian Basin. In order to accommodate slab roll-back, a major lateral slab tear fault is required. This fault is thought to propagate along the eastern Sicily margin but its precise location remains controversial. This study focuses on the deep crustal structure of the Eastern-Sicily margin and the Malta Escarpment by presenting two wide-angle velocity profiles crossing these structures roughly orthogonally. The data used for the forward velocity modeling were acquired onboard the R/V Meteor during the DIONYSUS cruise in 2014. The results image an oceanic crust within the Ionian basin as well as the deep structure of the Malta Escarpment which presents characteristics of a transform margin. A deep and asymmetrical sedimentary basin is imaged south of the Messina strait and seems to have opened in between the Calabrian and Peloritan continental terranes. The interpretation of the velocity models suggests that the tear fault is located east of the Malta Escarpment, along the Alfeo fault system.

Transitioning to a narrow path: the impact of fear of falling in older adults.

PubMed

Dunlap, Pamela; Perera, Subashan; VanSwearingen, Jessie M; Wert, David; Brach, Jennifer S

2012-01-01

Everyday ambulation requires navigation of variable terrain, transitions from wide to narrow pathways, and avoiding obstacles. While the effect of age on the transition to a narrow path has been examined briefly, little is known about the impact of fear of falling on gait during the transition to a narrow path. The purpose was to examine the effect of age and fear of falling on gait during transition to a narrow path. In 31 young, mean age=25.3 years, and 30 older adults, mean age=79.6 years, step length, step time, step width and gait speed were examined during usual and transition to narrow pathway using an instrumented walkway. During the transition to narrow walk condition, fearful older adults compared to young had a wider step width (0.06 m vs 0.04 m) prior to the narrow path and took shorter steps (0.53 m vs 0.72 m; p<0.001). Compared to non-fearful older adults, fearful older adults walked slower and took shorter steps during narrow path walking (gait speed: 1.1m/s vs 0.82 m/s; p=0.01; step length: 0.60 m vs 0.47 m; p=0.03). In young and non-fearful older adults narrow path gait was similar to usual gait. Whereas older adults who were fearful, walked slower (0.82 m/s vs 0.91 m/s; p=0.001) and took shorter steps (0.44 m vs 0.53 m; p=0.004) during narrow path walking compared to usual walking. Changes in gait characteristics with transitioning to a narrow pathway were greater for fear of falling than for age. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A narrow band pattern-matching model of vowel perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillenbrand, James M.; Houde, Robert A.

2003-02-01

The purpose of this paper is to propose and evaluate a new model of vowel perception which assumes that vowel identity is recognized by a template-matching process involving the comparison of narrow band input spectra with a set of smoothed spectral-shape templates that are learned through ordinary exposure to speech. In the present simulation of this process, the input spectra are computed over a sufficiently long window to resolve individual harmonics of voiced speech. Prior to template creation and pattern matching, the narrow band spectra are amplitude equalized by a spectrum-level normalization process, and the information-bearing spectral peaks are enhanced by a ``flooring'' procedure that zeroes out spectral values below a threshold function consisting of a center-weighted running average of spectral amplitudes. Templates for each vowel category are created simply by averaging the narrow band spectra of like vowels spoken by a panel of talkers. In the present implementation, separate templates are used for men, women, and children. The pattern matching is implemented with a simple city-block distance measure given by the sum of the channel-by-channel differences between the narrow band input spectrum (level-equalized and floored) and each vowel template. Spectral movement is taken into account by computing the distance measure at several points throughout the course of the vowel. The input spectrum is assigned to the vowel template that results in the smallest difference accumulated over the sequence of spectral slices. The model was evaluated using a large database consisting of 12 vowels in /hVd/ context spoken by 45 men, 48 women, and 46 children. The narrow band model classified vowels in this database with a degree of accuracy (91.4%) approaching that of human listeners.

Marginality principle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil is a fragile resource supplying many goods and services. Given the diversity of soil across the world and within a landscape, there are many different capacities among soils to provide the basic soil functions. Marginality of soils is a difficult process to define because the metrics to define ...

[Resection margins in conservative breast cancer surgery].

PubMed

Medina Fernández, Francisco Javier; Ayllón Terán, María Dolores; Lombardo Galera, María Sagrario; Rioja Torres, Pilar; Bascuñana Estudillo, Guillermo; Rufián Peña, Sebastián

2013-01-01

Conservative breast cancer surgery is facing a new problem: the potential tumour involvement of resection margins. This eventuality has been closely and negatively associated with disease-free survival. Various factors may influence the likelihood of margins being affected, mostly related to the characteristics of the tumour, patient or surgical technique. In the last decade, many studies have attempted to find predictive factors for margin involvement. However, it is currently the new techniques used in the study of margins and tumour localisation that are significantly reducing reoperations in conservative breast cancer surgery. Copyright © 2012 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Volcano-tectonic evolution of the Western Afar margin: new geochronological and structural data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stab, Martin; Pik, Raphael; Bellahsen, Nicolas; Leroy, Sylvie; Ayalew, Dereje; Denèle, Yoann

2013-04-01

The rift system in NW-Afar (Ethiopia) is part of the Nubia-Somalia-Arabia triple junction located above the Afar hot spot active mainly since Oligocene times. It represents a unique natural laboratory for field study of superficial and deep lithospheric structure and process interactions during the transition between rifting and oceanic spreading in magma-rich setting. Most past field studies in Afar focused on the recognition and correlation of Afar's volcano-stratigraphic record and led to models of margin development that stress out the major trends of volcanic structures and give accordingly the following chronological "big picture". (1) 2km-thick flood basalt province emplaced at ca. 30 Ma due to hot spot activity over Jurassic to Permian sedimentary rocks and basement. (2) Rifting started around 25-20 Ma with half graben and great escarpment formation along with localization of volcanic activity in highly faulted narrower basins followed by lithospheric flexure. (3) The deformation migrated toward the rift centre with the emplacement around 8-5 Ma of bi-modal volcanics later faulted. (4) A second pulse of flood-basalt, the so-called Stratoid series, started at 4 Ma, until 1 Ma. In this contribution, we present new structural field data and lavas (U-Th/He) datings along a cross-section from the marginal graben to the Manda-Hararo active rift axis. In the newly explored Sullu Adu ranges, which were previously thought to be made of 8 Ma Dahla Basalts Fm., we mapped normal faults arrays affecting a complex magmatic series. We dated highly tilted 30 Ma pre-rift basic and silicic volcanic rocks that are unconformably overlain by syn-rift volcanics (25 to 8 Ma). This pattern is in some places either masked by unconformable thick stratoid cover or strongly eroded by dense river drainage. However, it is preserved enough to suggest a lower-than-expected extension ratio and/or the presence of major normal faults controlling seaward-dipping reflectors (SDR) emplacement

The extremely narrow-caliber esophagus is a treatment-resistant subphenotype of eosinophilic esophagitis.

PubMed

Eluri, Swathi; Runge, Thomas M; Cotton, Cary C; Burk, Caitlin M; Wolf, W Asher; Woosley, John T; Shaheen, Nicholas J; Dellon, Evan S

2016-06-01

Some patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) have an extremely narrow esophagus, but the characteristics of this group have not been extensively described. We aimed to characterize the narrow-caliber phenotype of EoE, determine associated risk factors, and identify differences in treatment response in this subgroup of patients. This retrospective cohort study from 2001 to 2014 included subjects with a new diagnosis of EoE per consensus guidelines. Demographic, endoscopic, histologic, and treatment response data were extracted from medical records. An extremely narrow-caliber esophagus was defined when a neonatal endoscope was required to traverse the esophagus due to the inability to pass an adult endoscope. Patients with and without an extremely narrow-caliber esophagus were compared. Multivariable logistical regression was performed to assess treatment outcomes. Of 513 patients with EoE, 46 (9%) had an extremely narrow-caliber esophagus. These patients were older (33 vs 22 years; P < .01), had longer symptom duration (11 vs 3 years; P < .01), more dysphagia (98% vs 66%; P < .01), and food impactions (53% vs 31%; P < .01). Dilation was more common with extreme narrowing (69% vs 17%; P < .01). Patients with a narrow-caliber esophagus were more refractory to steroid treatment, with lower symptom (56% vs 85%), endoscopic (52% vs 76%), and histologic (33% vs 63%) responses (P < .01 for all), and these differences persisted after multivariate analysis. The extremely narrow-caliber esophagus is a more treatment-resistant subphenotype of EoE and is characterized by longer symptom duration and the need for multiple dilations. Recognition of an extremely narrow-caliber esophagus at diagnosis of EoE can provide important prognostic information. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Silenced, Silence, Silent: Motherhood in the Margins

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Lorelei; Austin, Helena

2007-01-01

This project explores the experiences of women who mother children with ADHD. The authors use the metaphor of the text and the margin. The text is the "motherhood myth" that describes a particular sort of "good" mothering. The margin is the space beyond that text. This marginal space is inhabited by some or all of the mothers they spoke with, some…

The effect of using a cement gun with a narrow nozzle on cement penetration for total elbow arthroplasty: a cadaveric study.

PubMed

Smith, Geoffrey C S; McCann, Phillip S; Simpson, Danielle; Blewitt, Neil; Amirfeyz, Rouin

2015-02-01

To compare the cement mantle characteristics associated with use of a narrow nozzle cement gun versus the use of a 60-mL catheter tip syringe. Twelve cadaveric distal humeri were cemented with either a cement gun or a syringe without canal occlusion. The humeri were sectioned and photographed. The corticocancellous junction and the outer margin of the cement mantle were analyzed digitally. The corticocancellous junction defined the available area for cement penetration. The outline of the cement mantle defined the actual area of penetration. The ratio of penetration to the available area was recorded for each slice. The mean ratio for each humerus was multiplied by the number of slices in that sample containing cement to calculate a cement index. The cement penetration ratios observed in cross-sections at the same level and the cement index were significantly greater with the use of the cement gun than with the use of the syringe. There was no difference in the number of slices that contained cement. The use of a cement gun with a narrow nozzle improved cement mantle characteristics compared with the use of a syringe when measured in a cadaveric model in the absence of canal occlusion. Improving cement mantle characteristics may decrease the incidence of aseptic loosening after total elbow arythroplasty. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Continental transform margins : state of art and future milestones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basile, Christophe

2010-05-01

Transform faults were defined 45 years ago as ‘a new class of fault' (Wilson, 1965), and transform margins were consequently individualized as a new class of continental margins. While transform margins represent 20 to 25 % of the total length of continent-ocean transitions, they were poorly studied, especially when compared with the amount of data, interpretations, models and conceptual progress accumulated on divergent or convergent continental margins. The best studied examples of transform margins are located in the northern part of Norway, south of South Africa, in the gulf of California and on both sides of the Equatorial Atlantic. Here is located the Côte d'Ivoire - Ghana margin, where the more complete data set was acquired, based on numerous geological and geophysical cruises, including ODP Leg 159. The first models that encompassed the structure and evolution of transform margins were mainly driven by plate kinematic reconstructions, and evidenced the diachronic end of tectonic activity and the non-cylindrical character of these margins, with a decreasing strike-slip deformation from the convex to the concave divergent-transform intersections. Further thermo-mechanical models were more specifically designed to explain the vertical displacements along transform margins, and especially the occurrence of high-standing marginal ridges. These thermo-mechanical models involved either heat transfer from oceanic to continental lithospheres across the transform faults or tectonically- or gravity-driven mass transfer in the upper crust. These models were far from fully fit observations, and were frequently dedicated to specific example, and not easily generalizable. Future work on transform continental margins may be expected to fill some scientific gaps, and the definition of working directions can benefit from the studies dedicated to other types of margins. At regional scale the structural and sedimentological variability of transform continental margins has

Reliability and failure modes of narrow implant systems.

PubMed

Hirata, Ronaldo; Bonfante, Estevam A; Anchieta, Rodolfo B; Machado, Lucas S; Freitas, Gileade; Fardin, Vinicius P; Tovar, Nick; Coelho, Paulo G

2016-09-01

Narrow implants are indicated in areas of limited bone width or when grafting is nonviable. However, the reduction of implant diameter may compromise their performance. This study evaluated the reliability of several narrow implant systems under fatigue, after restored with single-unit crowns. Narrow implant systems were divided (n = 18 each), as follows: Astra (ASC); BioHorizons (BSC); Straumann Roxolid (SNC), Intra-Lock (IMC), and Intra-Lock one-piece abutment (ILO). Maxillary central incisor crowns were cemented and subjected to step-stress accelerated life testing in water. Use level probability Weibull curves and reliability for a mission of 100,000 cycles at 130- and 180-N loads (90 % two-sided confidence intervals) were calculated. Scanning electron microscopy was used for fractography. Reliability for 100,000 cycles at 130 N was ∼99 % in group ASC, ∼99 % in BSC, ∼96 % in SNC, ∼99 % in IMC, and ∼100 % in ILO. At 180 N, reliability of ∼34 % resulted for the ASC group, ∼91 % for BSC, ∼53 % for SNC, ∼70 % for IMC, and ∼99 % for ILO. Abutment screw fracture was the main failure mode for all groups. Reliability was not different between systems for 100,000 cycles at the 130-N load. A significant decrease was observed at the 180-N load for ASC, SNC, and IMC, whereas it was maintained for BSC and ILO. The investigated narrow implants presented mechanical performance under fatigue that suggests their safe use as single crowns in the anterior region.

Drug vaping applied to cannabis: Is “Cannavaping” a therapeutic alternative to marijuana?

PubMed Central

Varlet, Vincent; Concha-Lozano, Nicolas; Berthet, Aurélie; Plateel, Grégory; Favrat, Bernard; De Cesare, Mariangela; Lauer, Estelle; Augsburger, Marc; Thomas, Aurélien; Giroud, Christian

2016-01-01

Therapeutic cannabis administration is increasingly used in Western countries due to its positive role in several pathologies. Dronabinol or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) pills, ethanolic cannabis tinctures, oromucosal sprays or table vaporizing devices are available but other cannabinoids forms can be used. Inspired by the illegal practice of dabbing of butane hashish oil (BHO), cannabinoids from cannabis were extracted with butane gas, and the resulting concentrate (BHO) was atomized with specific vaporizing devices. The efficiency of “cannavaping,” defined as the “vaping” of liquid refills for e-cigarettes enriched with cannabinoids, including BHO, was studied as an alternative route of administration for therapeutic cannabinoids. The results showed that illegal cannavaping would be subjected to marginal development due to the poor solubility of BHO in commercial liquid refills (especially those with high glycerin content). This prevents the manufacture of liquid refills with high BHO concentrations adopted by most recreational users of cannabis to feel the psychoactive effects more rapidly and extensively. Conversely, “therapeutic cannavaping” could be an efficient route for cannabinoids administration because less concentrated cannabinoids-enriched liquid refills are required. However, the electronic device marketed for therapeutic cannavaping should be carefully designed to minimize potential overheating and contaminant generation. PMID:27228348

Numerical experiments of volcanic dominated rifts and passive margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korchinski, Megan; Teyssier, Christian; Rey, Patrice; Whitney, Donna; Mondy, Luke

2017-04-01

Continental rifting is driven by plate tectonic forces (passive rifting), thermal thinning of the lithosphere over a hotspot (active rifting), or a combination of the two. Successful rifts develop into passive margins where pre-drift stretching is accompanied by normal faulting, clastic sedimentation, and various degrees of magmatism. The structure of volcanic passive margins (VPM) differs substantially from margins that are dominated by sedimentation. VPMs are typically narrow, with a lower continental crust that is intruded by magma and can flow as a low-viscosity layer. To investigate the role of the deep crust in the early development of VPMs, we have developed a suite of 2D thermomechanical numerical experiments (Underworld code) in which the density and viscosity of the deep crust and the density of the rift basin fill are systematically varied. Our experiments show that, for a given rifting velocity, the viscosity of the deep crust and the density of the rift basin fill exert primary controls on early VPM development. The viscosity of the deep crust controls the degree to which the shallow crust undergoes localised faulting or distributed thinning. A weak deep crust localises rifting and is efficiently exhumed to the near-surface, whereas a strong deep crust distributes shallow crust extension and remains buried. A high density rift basin fill results in gravitational loading and increased subsidence rate in cases in which the viscosity of the deep crust is sufficiently low to allow that layer to be displaced by the sinking basin fill. At the limit, a low viscosity deep crust overlain by a thick basalt-dominated fill generates a gravitational instability, with a drip of cool basalt that sinks and ponds at the Moho. Experiment results indicate that the deep crust plays a critical role in the dynamic development of volcanic dominated rifts and passive margins. During rifting, the deep continental crust is heated and readily responds to solicitations of the

76 FR 60733 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Narrow Bay, Smith Point, NY

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-30

... Operation Regulations; Narrow Bay, Smith Point, NY AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of temporary... deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Smith Point Bridge, 6.1, across Narrow Bay, between Smith Point and Fire Island, New York. The deviation is necessary to facilitate bridge...

Electronic structure descriptor for the discovery of narrow-band red-emitting phosphors

DOE PAGES

Wang, Zhenbin; Chu, Iek -Heng; Zhou, Fei; ...

2016-05-09

Narrow-band red-emitting phosphors are a critical component of phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes for highly efficient illumination-grade lighting. In this work, we report the discovery of a quantitative descriptor for narrow-band Eu 2+-activated emission identified through a comparison of the electronic structures of known narrow-band and broad-band phosphors. We find that a narrow emission bandwidth is characterized by a large splitting of more than 0.1 eV between the two highest Eu 2+ 4 f 7 bands. By incorporating this descriptor in a high-throughput first-principles screening of 2259 nitride compounds, we identify five promising new nitride hosts for Eu 2+-activated red-emitting phosphors thatmore » are predicted to exhibit good chemical stability, thermal quenching resistance, and quantum efficiency, as well as narrow-band emission. Lastly, our findings provide important insights into the emission characteristics of rare-earth activators in phosphor hosts and a general strategy to the discovery of phosphors with a desired emission peak and bandwidth.« less

Electronic structure descriptor for the discovery of narrow-band red-emitting phosphors

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

Wang, Zhenbin; Chu, Iek -Heng; Zhou, Fei

Narrow-band red-emitting phosphors are a critical component of phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes for highly efficient illumination-grade lighting. In this work, we report the discovery of a quantitative descriptor for narrow-band Eu 2+-activated emission identified through a comparison of the electronic structures of known narrow-band and broad-band phosphors. We find that a narrow emission bandwidth is characterized by a large splitting of more than 0.1 eV between the two highest Eu 2+ 4 f 7 bands. By incorporating this descriptor in a high-throughput first-principles screening of 2259 nitride compounds, we identify five promising new nitride hosts for Eu 2+-activated red-emitting phosphors thatmore » are predicted to exhibit good chemical stability, thermal quenching resistance, and quantum efficiency, as well as narrow-band emission. Lastly, our findings provide important insights into the emission characteristics of rare-earth activators in phosphor hosts and a general strategy to the discovery of phosphors with a desired emission peak and bandwidth.« less

Multipoint Pacing versus conventional ICD in Patients with a Narrow QRS complex (MPP Narrow QRS trial): study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Gasparini, Maurizio; Galimberti, Paola; Bragato, Renato; Ghio, Stefano; Raineri, Claudia; Landolina, Maurizio; Chieffo, Enrico; Lunati, Maurizio; Mulargia, Ederina; Proclemer, Alessandro; Facchin, Domenico; Rordorf, Roberto; Vicentini, Alessandro; Marcantoni, Lina; Zanon, Francesco; Klersy, Catherine

2016-12-03

Despite an intensive search for predictors of the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), the QRS duration remains the simplest and most robust predictor of a positive response. QRS duration of ≥ 130 ms is considered to be a prerequisite for CRT; however, some studies have shown that CRT may also be effective in heart failure (HF) patients with a narrow QRS (<130 ms). Since CRT can now be performed by pacing the left ventricle from multiple vectors via a single quadripolar lead, it is possible that multipoint pacing (MPP) might be effective in HF patients with a narrow QRS. This article reports the design of the MPP Narrow QRS trial, a prospective, randomized, multicenter, controlled feasibility study to investigate the efficacy of MPP using two LV pacing vectors in patients with a narrow QRS complex (100-130 ms). Fifty patients with a standard ICD indication will be enrolled and randomized (1:1) to either an MPP group or a Standard ICD group. All patients will undergo a low-dose dobutamine stress echo test and only those with contractile reserve will be included in the study and randomized. The primary endpoint will be the percentage of patients in each group that have reverse remodeling at 12 months, defined as a reduction in left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) of >15% from the baseline. This feasibility study will determine whether MPP improves reverse remodeling, as compared with standard ICD, in HF patients who have a narrow QRS complex (100-130 ms). ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02402816 . Registered on 25 March 2015.

Role of Hyperkalemia in Heart Failure and the Therapeutic Use of Potassium Binders.

PubMed

Sarwar, Chaudhry M S; Bhagat, Aditi A; Anker, Stefan D; Butler, Javed

2017-01-01

Hyperkalemia can be a life-threatening disorder, especially for at-risk patients with heart failure, chronic kidney disease, with diabetes, and patients on certain drugs like renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system antagonists and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. There are limited therapeutic options available for hyperkalemia, and they have narrow effectiveness because of their unfavorable side effects profile in long-term and high cost utilization requiring inpatient care. Patiromersorbitex calcium and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate are novel potassium-lowering compounds for the treatment and prevention of hyperkalemia in at-risk population. These therapeutic agents have shown encouraging results in early phase II and phase III clinical trials. However, there is need to further study their efficacy and safety in heart failure population in order to establish their clinical use. The focus of this chapter will be to promote better understanding of potassium homeostasis in heart failure patients and the mechanistic overview of novel drugs, with emphasis on heart failure population.

US refining margin trend: austerity continues

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

Not Available

Should crude oil prices hold near current levels in 1988, US refining margins might improve little, if at all. If crude oil prices rise, margins could blush pink or worse. If they drop, US refiners would still probably not see much margin improvement. In fact, if crude prices fall, they could set off another free fall in products markets and threaten refiner survival. Volatility in refined products markets and low product demand growth are the underlying reasons for caution or pessimism as the new year approaches. Recent directional patterns in refining margins are scrutinized in this issue. This issue alsomore » contains the following: (1) the ED refining netback data for the US Gulf and West Coasts, Rotterdam, and Singapore for late November, 1987; and (2) the ED fuel price/tax series for countries of the Eastern Hemisphere, November, 1987 edition. 4 figures, 6 tables.« less

Narrow-Band Applications of Communications Satellites.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowlan, Bert; Horowitz, Andrew

This paper attempts to describe the advantages of "narrow-band" applications of communications satellites for education. It begins by discussing the general controversy surrounding the use of satellites in education, by placing the concern within the larger context of the general debate over the uses of new technologies in education, and by…

CHARACTERIZATION OF A NARROW SPECTRUM ANTIMICROBIAL THAT EXHIBITS SPECIFIC ACTIVITY AGAINST UROPATHOGENIC BACTERIA

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-28

NARROW-SPECTRUM ANTIMICROBIAL THAT EXHIBITS SPECIFIC ACTIVITY AGAINST UROPATHOGENIC BACTERIA by Caitlin M. Barrows Courtney M. Cowell Jennifer...From - To) October 2015 – September 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE CHARACTERIZATION OF A NARROW-SPECTRUM ANTIMICROBIAL THAT EXHIBITS SPECIFIC ACTIVITY ...objective of the work described in this report is to identify a narrow-spectrum antimicrobial that exhibits targeted activity against uropathogenic

Design, Construction, Demonstration and Delivery of an Automated Narrow Gap Welding System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-03-31

evaluated on the Narrow Gap welding system. By using the combinational qas shielding assembly, it is now possible to reduce the gas flow rates to a value...AD-A145 496 DESIGN CONSTRUCTION DEMONSTRATION AND DE IVER OF AN AUTOMATED NARROW GAP WELDING SYSTEM(U) CRC AUTOMATIC WELDING CO HODSTON SX 31 MAR 83...STANDARDS-963 - A CRC REPORT NO. NAV A/W 7 0PHASE 3 REPORT ON SDESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, DEMONSTRATION AND DELIVERY OF AN AUTOMATED NARROW GAP WELDING

Temporal intensity interferometry for characterization of very narrow spectral lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, P. K.; Kurtsiefer, C.

2017-08-01

Some stellar objects exhibit very narrow spectral lines in the visible range additional to their blackbody radiation. Natural lasing has been suggested as a mechanism to explain narrow lines in Wolf-Rayet stars. However, the spectral resolution of conventional astronomical spectrographs is still about two orders of magnitude too low to test this hypothesis. We want to resolve the linewidth of narrow spectral emissions in starlight. A combination of spectral filtering with single-photon-level temporal correlation measurements breaks the resolution limit of wavelength-dispersing spectrographs by moving the linewidth measurement into the time domain. We demonstrate in a laboratory experiment that temporal intensity interferometry can determine a 20-MHz-wide linewidth of Doppler-broadened laser light and identify a coherent laser light contribution in a blackbody radiation background.

Evolved dispersal strategies at range margins

PubMed Central

Dytham, Calvin

2009-01-01

Dispersal is a key component of a species's ecology and will be under different selection pressures in different parts of the range. For example, a long-distance dispersal strategy suitable for continuous habitat at the range core might not be favoured at the margin, where the habitat is sparse. Using a spatially explicit, individual-based, evolutionary simulation model, the dispersal strategies of an organism that has only one dispersal event in its lifetime, such as a plant or sessile animal, are considered. Within the model, removing habitat, increasing habitat turnover, increasing the cost of dispersal, reducing habitat quality or altering vital rates imposes range limits. In most cases, there is a clear change in the dispersal strategies across the range, although increasing death rate towards the margin has little impact on evolved dispersal strategy across the range. Habitat turnover, reduced birth rate and reduced habitat quality all increase evolved dispersal distances at the margin, while increased cost of dispersal and reduced habitat density lead to lower evolved dispersal distances at the margins. As climate change shifts suitable habitat poleward, species ranges will also start to shift, and it will be the dispersal capabilities of marginal populations, rather than core populations, that will influence the rate of range shifting. PMID:19324810

Narrow-line magneto-optical cooling and trapping of strongly magnetic atoms.

PubMed

Berglund, Andrew J; Hanssen, James L; McClelland, Jabez J

2008-03-21

Laser cooling on weak transitions is a useful technique for reaching ultracold temperatures in atoms with multiple valence electrons. However, for strongly magnetic atoms a conventional narrow-line magneto-optical trap (MOT) is destabilized by competition between optical and magnetic forces. We overcome this difficulty in Er by developing an unusual narrow-line MOT that balances optical and magnetic forces using laser light tuned to the blue side of a narrow (8 kHz) transition. The trap population is spin polarized with temperatures reaching below 2 muK. Our results constitute an alternative method for laser cooling on weak transitions, applicable to rare-earth-metal and metastable alkaline earth elements.

Sediment drifts and contourites on the continental margin off northwest Britain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoker, M. S.; Akhurst, M. C.; Howe, J. A.; Stow, D. A. V.

1998-01-01

Seismic reflection profiles and short cores from the continental margin off northwest Britain have revealed a variety of sediment-drift styles and contourite deposits preserved in the northeast Rockall Trough and Faeroe-Shetland Channel. The sediment drifts include: (1) distinctly mounded elongate drifts, both single- and multi-crested; (2) broad sheeted drift forms, varying from gently domed to flat-lying; and (3) isolated patch drifts, including moat-related drifts. Fields of sediment waves are locally developed in association with the elongate and gently domed, broad sheeted drifts. The contrasting styles of the sediment drifts most probably reflect the interaction between a variable bottom-current regime and the complex bathymetry of the continental margin. The bulk of the mounded/gently domed drifts occur in the northeast Rockall Trough, whereas the flat-lying, sheet-form deposits occur in the Faeroe-Shetland Channel, a much narrower basin which appears to have been an area more of sediment export than drift accumulation. Patch drifts are present in both basins. In the northeast Rockall Trough, the along-strike variation from single- to multi-crested elongate drifts may be a response to bottom-current changes influenced by developing drift topography. Muddy, silty muddy and sandy contourites have been recovered in sediment cores from the uppermost parts of the drift sequences. On the basis of their glaciomarine origin, these mid- to high-latitude contourites can be referred to, collectively, as glacigenic contourites. Both partial and complete contourite sequences are preserved; the former consist largely of sandy (mid-only) and top-only contourites. Sandy contourites, by their coarse-grained nature and their formation under strongest bottom-current flows, are the most likely to be preserved in the rock record. However, the very large scale of sediment drifts should be borne in mind with regard to the recognition of fossil contourites in ancient successions.

Characterizing entanglement with global and marginal entropic measures

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

Adesso, Gerardo; Illuminati, Fabrizio; De Siena, Silvio

2003-12-01

We qualify the entanglement of arbitrary mixed states of bipartite quantum systems by comparing global and marginal mixednesses quantified by different entropic measures. For systems of two qubits we discriminate the class of maximally entangled states with fixed marginal mixednesses, and determine an analytical upper bound relating the entanglement of formation to the marginal linear entropies. This result partially generalizes to mixed states the quantification of entanglement with marginal mixednesses holding for pure states. We identify a class of entangled states that, for fixed marginals, are globally more mixed than product states when measured by the linear entropy. Such statesmore » cannot be discriminated by the majorization criterion.« less

78 FR 23845 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Narrow Bay, Smith Point, NY

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-23

... Operation Regulations; Narrow Bay, Smith Point, NY AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of temporary... deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Smith Point Bridge, mile 6.1, across Narrow Bay, between Smith Point and Fire Island, New York. The deviation is necessary to facilitate the Smith Point...

Ultra-narrow-linewidth Brillouin/erbium fiber laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Mo; Wang, Chenyu; Wang, Jianfei; Luo, Hong; Meng, Zhou

2018-02-01

Ultra-narrow-linewidth lasers are of great interest in many applications, such as precise spectroscopy, optical communications, and sensors. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), as one of the main nonlinear effects in fibers, is capable of generating narrow-linewidth light emission. We establish a compact Brillouin/erbium fiber laser (BEFL) utilizing 4-m erbium-doped fiber as both the Brillouin gain and linear media. A 360-kHz-linewidth laser diode is injected into the cavity as the Brillouin pump (BP) light and generates Brillouin Stokes lasing light. Both of the phase noise of the BP and BEFL output are measured by a high-accuracy unbalanced Michelson interferometer. It is demonstrated that 53- dB phase noise reduction is achieved after the BP is transferred into Brillouin Stokes emission. The linewidth of the BEFL is indicated at Hz-range by both calculation and experiment.

Mental Depreciation and Marginal Decision Making

PubMed

Heath; Fennema

1996-11-01

We propose that individuals practice "mental depreciation," that is, they implicitly spread the fixed costs of their expenses over time or use. Two studies explore how people spread fixed costs on durable goods. A third study shows that depreciation can lead to two distinct errors in marginal decisions: First, people sometimes invest too much effort to get their money's worth from an expense (e.g., they may use a product a lot to spread the fixed expense across more uses). Second, people sometimes invest too little effort to get their money's worth: When people add a portion of the fixed cost to the current costs, their perceived marginal (i.e., incremental) costs exceed their true marginal costs. In response, they may stop investing because their perceived costs surpass the marginal benefits they are receiving. The latter effect is supported by two field studies that explore real board plan decisions by university students.

Negative Stress Margins - Are They Real?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raju, Ivatury S.; Lee, Darlene S.; Mohaghegh, Michael

2011-01-01

Advances in modeling and simulation, new finite element software, modeling engines and powerful computers are providing opportunities to interrogate designs in a very different manner and in a more detailed approach than ever before. Margins of safety are also often evaluated using local stresses for various design concepts and design parameters quickly once analysis models are defined and developed. This paper suggests that not all the negative margins of safety evaluated are real. The structural areas where negative margins are frequently encountered are often near stress concentrations, point loads and load discontinuities, near locations of stress singularities, in areas having large gradients but with insufficient mesh density, in areas with modeling issues and modeling errors, and in areas with connections and interfaces, in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) transitions, bolts and bolt modeling, and boundary conditions. Now, more than ever, structural analysts need to examine and interrogate their analysis results and perform basic sanity checks to determine if these negative margins are real.

The Acoustic Signature of Glaciated Margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, A. M. W.; Huuse, M.

2016-12-01

As climate warms it has become increasingly clear that, in order to fully understand how it might evolve in the future, we need to look for examples of how climate has changed in the past. The Late Cenozoic history of the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding seas has been dominated by glacial-interglacials cycles. This has resulted in major environmental changes in relative sea levels, ice volumes, sea ice conditions, and ocean circulation as marine and terrestrially-based ice sheets waxed and waned. In this work, the acoustic signatures of several glaciated margins in the Northern Hemisphere are investigated and compared. This includes: NW Greenland, West Greenland, East Greenland, mid-Norway, Northern Norway, and the North Sea. These shelf successions preserve a geomorphological record of multiple glaciations and are imaged using seismic reflection data. To date, the majority of work in these areas has tended to focus on the most recent glaciations, which are well known. Here, the focus of the work is to look at the overall stratigraphic setting and how it influences (and is influenced by) the evolution of ice sheets throughout the glacial succession. Landform records are imaged using seismic data to provide a long-term insight into the styles of glaciation on each margin and what relation this may have had on climate, whilst the stratigraphic architectures across each site demonstrate how the inherited geology and tectonic setting can provide a fundamental control on the ice sheet and depositional styles. For example, Scoresby Sund is characterised by significant aggradation that is likely related to subsidence induced by lithospheric cooling rather than rapid glacial deposition, whilst the subsidence of the mid-Norwegian margin can be related to rapid glacial deposition and trapping of sediments behind inversion structures such as the Helland-Hansen Arch. The insights from this multi-margin study allow for regional, basin-wide, glaciological records to be developed

A technique for production of nanocrystalline cellulose with a narrow size distribution

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

Bai, Wen; Holbery, James D.; Li, Kaichang

2009-02-01

Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) was prepared by sulfuric acid hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose. A differential centrifugation technique was studied to obtain NCC whiskers with a narrow size distribution. It was shown that the volume of NCC in different fractions had an inverse relationship with relative centrifugal force (RCF). The length of NCC whiskers was also fractionized by differential RCF. The aspect ratio of NCC in different fractions had a relatively narrow range. This technique provides an easy way of producing NCC whiskers with a narrow size distribution.

Ischemic Ventricular Tachycardia Presenting as a Narrow Complex Tachycardia

PubMed Central

Page, Stephen P; Watts, Troy; Yeo, Wee Tiong; Mehul, Dhinoja

2014-01-01

This report describes a patient presenting with a narrow complex tachycardia in the context of prior myocardial infarction and impaired ventricular function. Electrophysiological studies confirmed ventricular tachycardia and activation and entrainment mapping demonstrated a critical isthmus within an area of scar involving the His-Purkinje system accounting for the narrow QRS morphology. This very rare case shares some similarities with upper septal ventricular tachycardia seen in patients with structurally normal hearts, but to our knowledge has not been seen previously in patients with ischemic heart disease. PMID:25057222

Adverse effects of prohibiting narrow provider networks.

PubMed

Howard, David H

2014-08-14

Many insurers participating in the new insurance exchanges are controlling costs by offering plans with narrow provider networks. Proposed regulations would promote network adequacy, but a pro-provider stance may not be inherently pro-consumer or even pro-patient.

Positive Surgical Margins in Favorable-Stage Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

PubMed

Mercado, Catherine E; Drew, Peter A; Morris, Christopher G; Dziegielewski, Peter T; Mendenhall, William M; Amdur, Robert J

2018-04-16

The significance of positive margin in favorable-stage well-differentiated thyroid cancer is controversial. We report outcomes of positive-margin patients with a matched-pair comparison to a negative-margin group. A total of 25 patients with classic-histology papillary or follicular carcinoma, total thyroidectomy +/- node dissection, stage T1-3N0-1bM0, positive surgical margin at primary site, adjuvant radioactive iodine (I-131), and age older than 18 years were treated between 2003 and 2013. Endpoints were clinical and biochemical (thyroglobulin-only) recurrence-free survival. Matched-pair analysis involved a 1:1 match with negative-margin cases matched for overall stage and I-131 dose. Recurrence-free survival in positive-margin patients was 71% at 10 years. No patient was successfully salvaged with additional treatment. Only 1 patient died of thyroid cancer. Recurrence-free survival at 10 years was worse with a positive (71%) versus negative (90%) margin (P=0.140). Cure with a microscopically positive margin was suboptimal (71%) despite patients having classic-histology papillary and follicular carcinoma, favorable stage, and moderate-dose I-131 therapy.

Quantitative measurement of marginal disintegration of ceramic inlays.

PubMed

Hayashi, Mikako; Tsubakimoto, Yuko; Takeshige, Fumio; Ebisu, Shigeyuki

2004-01-01

The objectives of this study include establishing a method for quantitative measurement of marginal change in ceramic inlays and clarifying their marginal disintegration in vivo. An accurate CCD optical laser scanner system was used for morphological measurement of the marginal change of ceramic inlays. The accuracy of the CCD measurement was assessed by comparing it with microscopic measurement. Replicas of 15 premolars restored with Class II ceramic inlays at the time of placement and eight years after restoration were used for morphological measurement by means of the CCD laser scanner system. Occlusal surfaces of the restored teeth were scanned and cross-sections of marginal areas were computed with software. Marginal change was defined as the area enclosed by two profiles obtained by superimposing two cross-sections of the same location at two different times and expressing the maximum depth and mean area of the area enclosed. The accuracy of this method of measurement was 4.3 +/- 3.2 microm in distance and 2.0 +/- 0.6% in area. Quantitative marginal changes for the eight-year period were 10 x 10 microm in depth and 50 x 10(3) microm2 in area at the functional cusp area and 7 x 10 microm in depth and 28 x 10(3) microm2 in area at the non-functional cusp area. Marginal disintegration at the functional cusp area was significantly greater than at the non-functional cusp area (Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, p < 0.05). This study constitutes a quantitative measurement of in vivo deterioration in marginal adaptation of ceramic inlays and indicates that occlusal force may accelerate marginal disintegration.

Comparative biogeochemistry-ecosystem-human interactions on dynamic continental margins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Levin, Lisa A.; Liu, Kon-Kee; Emeis, Kay-Christian; Breitburg, Denise L.; Cloern, James; Deutsch, Curtis; Giani, Michele; Goffart, Anne; Hofmann, Eileen E.; Lachkar, Zouhair; Limburg, Karin; Liu, Su-Mei; Montes, Enrique; Naqvi, Wajih; Ragueneau, Olivier; Rabouille, Christophe; Sarkar, Santosh Kumar; Swaney, Dennis P.; Wassman, Paul; Wishner, Karen F.

2014-01-01

The ocean’s continental margins face strong and rapid change, forced by a combination of direct human activity, anthropogenic CO2-induced climate change, and natural variability. Stimulated by discussions in Goa, India at the IMBER IMBIZO III, we (1) provide an overview of the drivers of biogeochemical variation and change on margins, (2) compare temporal trends in hydrographic and biogeochemical data across different margins (3) review ecosystem responses to these changes, (4) highlight the importance of margin time series for detecting and attributing change and (5) examine societal responses to changing margin biogeochemistry and ecosystems. We synthesize information over a wide range of margin settings in order to identify the commonalities and distinctions among continental margin ecosystems. Key drivers of biogeochemical variation include long-term climate cycles, CO2-induced warming, acidification, and deoxygenation, as well as sea level rise, eutrophication, hydrologic and water cycle alteration, changing land use, fishing, and species invasion. Ecosystem responses are complex and impact major margin services including primary production, fisheries production, nutrient cycling, shoreline protection, chemical buffering, and biodiversity. Despite regional differences, the societal consequences of these changes are unarguably large and mandate coherent actions to reduce, mitigate and adapt to multiple stressors on continental margins.

Comparative biogeochemistry-ecosystem-human interactions on dynamic continental margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levin, Lisa A.; Liu, Kon-Kee; Emeis, Kay-Christian; Breitburg, Denise L.; Cloern, James; Deutsch, Curtis; Giani, Michele; Goffart, Anne; Hofmann, Eileen E.; Lachkar, Zouhair; Limburg, Karin; Liu, Su-Mei; Montes, Enrique; Naqvi, Wajih; Ragueneau, Olivier; Rabouille, Christophe; Sarkar, Santosh Kumar; Swaney, Dennis P.; Wassman, Paul; Wishner, Karen F.

2015-01-01

The oceans' continental margins face strong and rapid change, forced by a combination of direct human activity, anthropogenic CO2-induced climate change, and natural variability. Stimulated by discussions in Goa, India at the IMBER IMBIZO III, we (1) provide an overview of the drivers of biogeochemical variation and change on margins, (2) compare temporal trends in hydrographic and biogeochemical data across different margins, (3) review ecosystem responses to these changes, (4) highlight the importance of margin time series for detecting and attributing change and (5) examine societal responses to changing margin biogeochemistry and ecosystems. We synthesize information over a wide range of margin settings in order to identify the commonalities and distinctions among continental margin ecosystems. Key drivers of biogeochemical variation include long-term climate cycles, CO2-induced warming, acidification, and deoxygenation, as well as sea level rise, eutrophication, hydrologic and water cycle alteration, changing land use, fishing, and species invasion. Ecosystem responses are complex and impact major margin services. These include primary production, fisheries production, nutrient cycling, shoreline protection, chemical buffering, and biodiversity. Despite regional differences, the societal consequences of these changes are unarguably large and mandate coherent actions to reduce, mitigate and adapt to multiple stressors on continental margins.

Assessing the Utility of Compound Trait Estimates of Narrow Personality Traits.

PubMed

Credé, Marcus; Harms, Peter D; Blacksmith, Nikki; Wood, Dustin

2016-01-01

It has been argued that approximations of narrow traits can be made through linear combinations of broad traits such as the Big Five personality traits. Indeed, Hough and Ones ( 2001 ) used a qualitative analysis of scale content to arrive at a taxonomy of how Big Five traits might be combined to approximate various narrow traits. However, the utility of such compound trait approximations has yet to be established beyond specific cases such as integrity and customer service orientation. Using data from the Eugene-Springfield Community Sample (Goldberg, 2008 ), we explore the ability of linear composites of scores on Big Five traits to approximate scores on 127 narrow trait measures from 5 well-known non-Big-Five omnibus measures of personality. Our findings indicate that individuals' standing on more than 30 narrow traits can be well estimated from 3 different types of linear composites of scores on Big Five traits without a substantial sacrifice in criterion validity. We discuss theoretical accounts for why such relationships exist as well as the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for researchers and practitioners.

Grassy Narrows Reserve: Mercury Pollution, Social Disruption, and Natural Resources: A Question of Autonomy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vecsey, Christopher

1987-01-01

Presents chronological socio-economic account of Grassy Narrows Reserve, focusing on the 1962-1970 mercury pollution that poisoned the reserve's river system and on resulting negotiations between the Ojibway people of Grassy Narrows, the government, and the polluting company. Examines the question of Grassy Narrows people gaining autonomy over the…

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement of Narrow-Band Photons from Cold Atoms.

PubMed

Lee, Jong-Chan; Park, Kwang-Kyoon; Zhao, Tian-Ming; Kim, Yoon-Ho

2016-12-16

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement introduced in 1935 deals with two particles that are entangled in their positions and momenta. Here we report the first experimental demonstration of EPR position-momentum entanglement of narrow-band photon pairs generated from cold atoms. By using two-photon quantum ghost imaging and ghost interference, we demonstrate explicitly that the narrow-band photon pairs violate the separability criterion, confirming EPR entanglement. We further demonstrate continuous variable EPR steering for positions and momenta of the two photons. Our new source of EPR-entangled narrow-band photons is expected to play an essential role in spatially multiplexed quantum information processing, such as, storage of quantum correlated images, quantum interface involving hyperentangled photons, etc.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement of Narrow-Band Photons from Cold Atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jong-Chan; Park, Kwang-Kyoon; Zhao, Tian-Ming; Kim, Yoon-Ho

2016-12-01

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement introduced in 1935 deals with two particles that are entangled in their positions and momenta. Here we report the first experimental demonstration of EPR position-momentum entanglement of narrow-band photon pairs generated from cold atoms. By using two-photon quantum ghost imaging and ghost interference, we demonstrate explicitly that the narrow-band photon pairs violate the separability criterion, confirming EPR entanglement. We further demonstrate continuous variable EPR steering for positions and momenta of the two photons. Our new source of EPR-entangled narrow-band photons is expected to play an essential role in spatially multiplexed quantum information processing, such as, storage of quantum correlated images, quantum interface involving hyperentangled photons, etc.

MULTI-STAGE DELIVERY NANO-PARTICLE SYSTEMS FOR THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS

PubMed Central

Serda, Rita E.; Godin, Biana; Blanco, Elvin; Chiappini, Ciro; Ferrari, Mauro

2010-01-01

Background The daunting task for drug molecules to reach pathological lesions has fueled rapid advances in Nanomedicine. The progressive evolution of nanovectors has led to the development of multi-stage delivery systems aimed at overcoming the numerous obstacles encountered by nanovectors on their journey to the target site. Scope of Review This review summarizes major findings with respect to silicon-based drug delivery vectors for cancer therapeutics and imaging. Based on rational design, well established silicon technologies have been adapted for the fabrication of nanovectors with specific shapes, sizes, and porosities. These vectors are part of a multi-stage delivery system that contains multiple nano-components, each designed to achieve a specific task with the common goal of site-directed delivery of therapeutics. Major Conclusions Quasi-hemispherical and discoidal silicon microparticles are superior to spherical particles with respect to margination in the blood, with particles of different shapes and sizes having unique distributions in vivo. Cellular adhesion and internalization of silicon microparticles is influenced by microparticle shape and surface charge, with the latter dictating binding of serum opsonins. Based on in vitro cell studies, the internalization of porous silicon microparticles by endothelial cells and macrophages is compatible with cellular morphology, intracellular trafficking, mitosis, cell cycle progression, cytokine release, and cell viability. In vivo studies support superior therapeutic efficacy of liposomal encapsulated siRNA when delivered in multi-stage systems compared to free nanoparticles. PMID:20493927

Experimental study on occupant evacuation in narrow seat aisle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shenshi; Lu, Shouxiang; Lo, Siuming; Li, Changhai; Guo, Yafei

2018-07-01

Narrow seat aisle is an important area in the train car interior due to the large passenger population, however evacuation therein has not gained enough concerns. In this experimental study, the occupant evacuation of the narrow seat aisle area is investigated, with the aisle width of 0.4-0.6 m and the evacuation direction of forward and backward. The evacuation behaviors are analyzed based on the video record, and the discussion is carried out in the aspect of evacuation time, crowdedness, evacuation order, and aisle conflicts. The result shows that with the increasing aisle width, total evacuation time and the average specific evacuation rate decrease. The aisle is crowded for some time, with a large linear occupant densities. The evacuation order of each occupant is mainly related to the seat position. Moreover, it is found that the aisle conflicts can be well described by Burstedde's model. This study gives a useful benchmark for evacuation simulation of narrow seat aisle, and provides reference to safety design of seat area in train cars.

THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA DECREASES PHENYTOIN ELIMINATION IN CHILDREN WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

PubMed Central

Empey, Philip E.; Velez de Mendizabal, Nieves; Bell, Michael J.; Bies, Robert R.; Anderson, Kacey B.; Kochanek, Patrick M.; Adelson, P. David; Poloyac, Samuel M.

2013-01-01

Objective Preclinical and clinical studies have suggested that therapeutic hypothermia, while decreasing neurological injury, may also lead to drug toxicity that may limit its benefit. Cooling decreases cytochrome p450(CYP)-mediated drug metabolism and limited clinical data suggest that drug levels are elevated. Fosphenytoin is metabolized by CYP2C, has a narrow therapeutic range, and is a commonly used antiepileptic medication. The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of therapeutic hypothermia on phenytoin levels and pharmacokinetics in children with severe TBI. Design Pharmacokinetic analysis of subjects participating in a multicenter randomized Phase III study of therapeutic hypothermia for severe TBI. Setting Intensive care unit at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Patients Nineteen children with severe TBI. Interventions None Measurements and Main Results A total of 121 total and 114 free phenytoin levels were evaluated retrospectively in 10 hypothermia- and 9 normothermia-treated children who were randomized to 48h of cooling to 32–33°C followed by slow rewarming or controlled normothermia. Drug dosing, body temperatures, and demographics were collected during cooling, rewarming, and post-treatment periods(8 days). A trend towards elevated free phenytoin levels in the hypothermia group(p=0.051) to a median of 2.2 mg/L during rewarming was observed and was not explained by dosing differences. Nonlinear mixed effects modeling incorporating both free and total levels demonstrated that therapeutic hypothermia specifically decreased the time-variant component of the maximum velocity of phenytoin metabolism(Vmax) 4.6-fold(11.6 to 2.53 mg/h) and reduced the overall Vmax by ~50%. Simulations showed that the increased risk for drug toxicity extends many days beyond the end of the cooling period. Conclusions Therapeutic hypothermia significantly reduces phenytoin elimination in children with severe TBI leading to increased drug levels for an

Thrombotic microangiopathy in marginal kidneys after sirolimus use.

PubMed

Pellé, Gaëlle; Xu, Ychen; Khoury, Noujoud; Mougenot, Béatrice; Rondeau, Eric

2005-12-01

The increasing shortage of cadaver donor kidneys has prompted the use of expanded or marginal donor kidneys, ie, from older donors or those with a history of hypertension or diabetes. These marginal kidneys may be especially susceptible to calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-mediated vasoconstriction and nephrotoxicity. Recipients of renal transplants from marginal donors therefore require non-nephrotoxic immunosuppression. Some investigators have proposed using sirolimus, a novel and potent immunosuppressant, instead of CNIs. Moreover, another complication of solid-organ transplantation is thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), which affects 3% to 14% of patients on immunosuppression therapy treated with CNIs. Therefore, it was suggested that CNIs may be substituted by sirolimus in patients with posttransplantation CNI-induced TMA. We report 3 patients who received marginal cadaveric kidneys and were administered maintenance immunosuppression with sirolimus, prednisone, and mycophenolate mofetil. They each developed de novo TMA despite never having been previously administered a CNI. In these cases, TMA occurred in marginal kidneys with possible endothelial injury before transplantation. Sirolimus may have prevented recovery from these injuries and thus may have promoted TMA in these marginal kidneys. The risk for such a vascular complication should be kept in mind in patients who receive marginal kidneys and are administered sirolimus, even when sirolimus is used without CNIs.

Reconstructing Rodinia by Fitting Neoproterozoic Continental Margins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, John H.

2009-01-01

Reconstructions of Phanerozoic tectonic plates can be closely constrained by lithologic correlations across conjugate margins by paleontologic information, by correlation of orogenic belts, by paleomagnetic location of continents, and by ocean floor magmatic stripes. In contrast, Proterozoic reconstructions are hindered by the lack of some of these tools or the lack of their precision. To overcome some of these difficulties, this report focuses on a different method of reconstruction, namely the use of the shape of continents to assemble the supercontinent of Rodinia, much like a jigsaw puzzle. Compared to the vast amount of information available for Phanerozoic systems, such a limited approach for Proterozoic rocks, may seem suspect. However, using the assembly of the southern continents (South America, Africa, India, Arabia, Antarctica, and Australia) as an example, a very tight fit of the continents is apparent and illustrates the power of the jigsaw puzzle method. This report focuses on Neoproterozoic rocks, which are shown on two new detailed geologic maps that constitute the backbone of the study. The report also describes the Neoproterozoic, but younger or older rocks are not discussed or not discussed in detail. The Neoproterozoic continents and continental margins are identified based on the distribution of continental-margin sedimentary and magmatic rocks that define the break-up margins of Rodinia. These Neoproterozoic continental exposures, as well as critical Neo- and Meso-Neoproterozoic tectonic features shown on the two new map compilations, are used to reconstruct the Mesoproterozoic supercontinent of Rodinia. This approach differs from the common approach of using fold belts to define structural features deemed important in the Rodinian reconstruction. Fold belts are difficult to date, and many are significantly younger than the time frame considered here (1,200 to 850 Ma). Identifying Neoproterozoic continental margins, which are primarily

Testing Genetic Pleiotropy with GWAS Summary Statistics for Marginal and Conditional Analyses.

PubMed

Deng, Yangqing; Pan, Wei

2017-12-01

There is growing interest in testing genetic pleiotropy, which is when a single genetic variant influences multiple traits. Several methods have been proposed; however, these methods have some limitations. First, all the proposed methods are based on the use of individual-level genotype and phenotype data; in contrast, for logistical, and other, reasons, summary statistics of univariate SNP-trait associations are typically only available based on meta- or mega-analyzed large genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Second, existing tests are based on marginal pleiotropy, which cannot distinguish between direct and indirect associations of a single genetic variant with multiple traits due to correlations among the traits. Hence, it is useful to consider conditional analysis, in which a subset of traits is adjusted for another subset of traits. For example, in spite of substantial lowering of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) with statin therapy, some patients still maintain high residual cardiovascular risk, and, for these patients, it might be helpful to reduce their triglyceride (TG) level. For this purpose, in order to identify new therapeutic targets, it would be useful to identify genetic variants with pleiotropic effects on LDL and TG after adjusting the latter for LDL; otherwise, a pleiotropic effect of a genetic variant detected by a marginal model could simply be due to its association with LDL only, given the well-known correlation between the two types of lipids. Here, we develop a new pleiotropy testing procedure based only on GWAS summary statistics that can be applied for both marginal analysis and conditional analysis. Although the main technical development is based on published union-intersection testing methods, care is needed in specifying conditional models to avoid invalid statistical estimation and inference. In addition to the previously used likelihood ratio test, we also propose using generalized estimating equations under the

Rapid water transportation through narrow one-dimensional channels by restricted hydrogen bonds.

PubMed

Ohba, Tomonori; Kaneko, Katsumi; Endo, Morinobu; Hata, Kenji; Kanoh, Hirofumi

2013-01-29

Water plays an important role in controlling chemical reactions and bioactivities. For example, water transportation through water channels in a biomembrane is a key factor in bioactivities. However, molecular-level mechanisms of water transportation are as yet unknown. Here, we investigate water transportation through narrow and wide one-dimensional (1D) channels on the basis of water-vapor adsorption rates and those determined by molecular dynamics simulations. We observed that water in narrow 1D channels was transported 3-5 times faster than that in wide 1D channels, although the narrow 1D channels provide fewer free nanospaces for water transportation. This rapid transportation is attributed to the formation of fewer hydrogen bonds between water molecules adsorbed in narrow 1D channels. The water-transportation mechanism provides the possibility of rapid communication through 1D channels and will be useful in controlling reactions and activities in water systems.

The Meandering Margin of the Meteorological Moist Tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mapes, Brian E.; Chung, Eui Seok; Hannah, Walter M.; Masunaga, Hirohiko; Wimmers, Anthony J.; Velden, Christopher S.

2018-01-01

Bimodally distributed column water vapor (CWV) indicates a well-defined moist regime in the Tropics, above a margin value near 48 kg m-2 in current climate (about 80% of column saturation). Maps reveal this margin as a meandering, sinuous synoptic contour bounding broad plateaus of the moist regime. Within these plateaus, convective storms of distinctly smaller convective and mesoscales occur sporadically. Satellite data composites across the poleward most margin reveal its sharpness, despite the crude averaging: precipitation doubles within 100 km, marked by both enhancement and deepening of cloudiness. Transported patches and filaments of the moist regime cause consequential precipitation events within and beyond the Tropics. Distinguishing synoptic flows that cross the margin from flows that move the margin is made possible by a novel satellite-based Lagrangian CWV tendency estimate. Climate models do not reliably reproduce the observed bimodal distribution, so studying the moist mode's maintenance processes and the margin-zone air mass transformations, guided by the Lagrangian tendency product, might importantly constrain model moist process treatments.

Continental margin sedimentation: From sediment transport to sequence stratigraphy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nittrouer, Charles A.; Austin, James A.; Field, Michael E.; Kravitz, Joseph H.; Syvitski, James P. M.; Wiberg, Patricia L.

2007-01-01

This volume on continental margin sedimentation brings together an expert editorial and contributor team to create a state-of-the-art resource. Taking a global perspective, the book spans a range of timescales and content, ranging from how oceans transport particles, to how thick rock sequences are formed on continental margins.- Summarizes and integrates our understanding of sedimentary processes and strata associated with fluvial dispersal systems on continental shelves and slopes- Explores timescales ranging from particle transport at one extreme, to deep burial at the other- Insights are presented for margins in general, and with focus on a tectonically active margin (northern California) and a passive margin (New Jersey), enabling detailed examination of the intricate relationships between a wide suite of sedimentary processes and their preserved stratigraphy- Includes observational studies which document the processes and strata found on particular margins, in addition to numerical models and laboratory experimentation, which provide a quantitative basis for extrapolation in time and space of insights about continental-margin sedimentation- Provides a research resource for scientists studying modern and ancient margins, and an educational text for advanced students in sedimentology and stratigraphy

CT demonstration of pharyngeal narrowing in adult obstructive sleep apnea

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

Bohlman, M.E.; Haponik, E.F.; Smith, P.L.

Sleep apnea is a major cause of daytime hypersomnolence. Among the proposed etiologies, focal obstruction of the airways at the level of the pharynx has been suggested but not proven. Using computed tomography, the cross-sectional area of the airway can be readily assessed. Thirty-three adults with clinically proven sleep apnea and 12 normal adults underwent systematic computed tomography of the neck. Significant airway narrowing was demonstrated in all the patients with obstructive sleep apnea, whereas no such narrowing was seen in the controls. In 11, the narrowing was at a single level, whereas in 22 patients two or more levelsmore » were affected. This study has shown that a structurally abnormal airway may serve as an anatomic substrate for the development of sleep apnea. On the basis of this evidence, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty has been performed in two patients with relief of symptoms in one.« less

Pressure Fluctuation Characteristics of Narrow Gauge Train Running Through Tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Masahiro; Sakuma, Yutaka

Pressure fluctuations on the sides of narrow (1067 mm) gauge trains running in tunnels are measured for the first time to investigate the aerodynamic force acting on the trains. The present measurements are compared with earlier measurements obtained with the Shinkansen trains. The results are as follows: (1) The aerodynamic force, which stems from pressure fluctuations on the sides of cars, puts the energy into the vibration of the car body running through a tunnel. (2) While the pressure fluctuations appear only on one of the two sides of the trains running in double-track tunnels, the fluctuations in opposite phase on both sides in single-track tunnels. (3) The on-track test data of the narrow gauge trains show the same tendency as those of the Shinkansen trains, although it is suggested that the pressure fluctuations develop faster along the narrow gauge trains than the Shinkansen trains.

Influence of submarine morphology on bottom water flow across the western Ross Sea continental margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davey, F.J.; Jacobs, S.S.

2007-01-01

Multibeam sonar bathymetry documents a lack of significant channels crossing outer continental shelf and slope of the western Ross Sea. This indicates that movement of bottom water across the shelf break into the deep ocean in this area is mainly by laminar or sheet flow. Subtle, ~20 m deep and up to 1000 m wide channels extend down the continental slope, into tributary drainage patterns on the upper rise, and then major erosional submarine canyons. These down-slope channels may have been formed by episodic pulses of rapid down slope water flow, some recorded on bottom current meters, or by sub-ice melt water erosion from an icesheet grounded at the margin. Narrow, mostly linear furrows on the continental shelf thought to be caused by iceberg scouring are randomly oriented, have widths generally less than 400 m and depths less than 30m, and extend to water depths in excess of 600 m.

Estimation of Interbasin Transport Using Ocean Bottom Pressure: Theory and Model for Asian Marginal Seas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Y. Tony

2006-01-01

The Asian Marginal Seas are interconnected by a number of narrow straits, such as the Makassar Strait connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean, the Luzon Strait connecting the South China Sea with the Pacific Ocean, and the Korea/Tsushima Strait connecting the East China Sea with the Japan/East Sea. Here we propose a method, the combination of the "geostrophic control" formula of Garrett and Toulany (1982) and the "hydraulic control" theory of Whitehead et al. (1974), allowing the use of satellite-observed sea-surface-height (SSH) and ocean-bottom-pressure (OBP) data for estimating interbasin transport. The new method also allows separating the interbasin transport into surface and bottom fluxes that play an important role in maintaining the mass balance of the regional oceans. Comparison with model results demonstrates that the combined method can estimate the seasonal variability of the strait transports and is significantly better than the method of using SSH or OBP alone.

Using crustal thickness and subsidence history on the Iberia-Newfoundland margins to constrain lithosphere deformation modes during continental breakup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeanniot, Ludovic; Kusznir, Nick; Manatschal, Gianreto; Mohn, Geoffroy

2014-05-01

contribution of buoyancy driven upwelling and their spatial and temporal evolution including lateral migration are determined by using a series of numerical experiments, tested and calibrated against observations of crustal thicknesses and water-loaded subsidence. Pure-shear widths exert a strong control on the timing of crustal rupture and melt initiation; to satisfy OCT architecture, subsidence and mantle exhumation, we need to focus the deformation from a broad to a narrow region. The lateral migration of the deformation flow axis has an important control on the rupture of continental crust and lithosphere, melt initiation, their relative timing, the resulting OCT architecture and conjugate margin asymmetry. The numerical models are used to predict margin isostatic response and subsidence history.

Margins in breast conserving surgery: The financial cost & potential savings associated with the new margin guidelines.

PubMed

Singer, Lauren; Brown, Eric; Lanni, Thomas

2016-08-01

In this study, we compare the indications for re-excision, the findings of additional tumor in the re-excision specimen as they relate to margin status, and costs associated with re-excision based on recent new consensus statements. A retrospective analysis was performed on 462 patients with invasive breast carcinoma who underwent at least one lumpectomy between January 2011 and December 2013. Postoperative data was analyzed based on where additional disease was found, as it relates to the margin status of the initial lumpectomy and the additional direct costs associated with additional procedures. Of the 462 patients sampled, 149 underwent a re-excision surgery (32.2%). Four patients underwent mastectomy as their second operation. In the 40 patients with additional disease found on re-excision, 36 (90.0%) of them had a positive margin on their initial lumpectomy. None of the four mastectomy patients had residual disease. The mean cost of the initial lumpectomy for all 462 patients was $2118.01 plus an additional $1801.92 for those who underwent re-excision. A positive margin was most predictive of finding residual tumor on re-excision as would be expected. Using old criteria only 0.07% (4/61) of patients who had undergone re-excision with a 'clear' margin, had additional tumor found, at a total cost of $106,354.11. Thus, the new consensus guidelines will lead to less overall cost, at no clinical risk to patients while reducing a patient's surgical risk and essentially eliminating delays in adjuvant care. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Narrowing the Achievement Gap: A Case Study of an Urban School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lugo, Rosalinda

2010-01-01

The goal of this case study was to identify the cultural norms, practices, and programs of an urban school that narrowed the achievement gap. The reason for identifying these factors in a successful school was to add to the body of literature regarding the achievement gap and what a struggling school was able to do to narrow the gap. This case…

Reinforcing marginality? Maternal health interventions in rural Nicaragua.

PubMed

Kvernflaten, Birgit

2017-06-23

To achieve Millennium Development Goal 5 on maternal health, many countries have focused on marginalized women who lack access to care. Promoting facility-based deliveries to ensure skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care has become a main measure for preventing maternal deaths, so women who opt for home births are often considered 'marginal' and in need of targeted intervention. Drawing upon ethnographic data from Nicaragua, this paper critically examines the concept of marginality in the context of official efforts to increase institutional delivery amongst the rural poor, and discusses lack of access to health services among women living in peripheral areas as a process of marginalization. The promotion of facility birth as the new norm, in turn, generates a process of 're-marginalization', whereby public health officials morally disapprove of women who give birth at home, viewing them as non-compliers and a problem to the system. In rural Nicaragua, there is a discrepancy between the public health norm and women's own preferences and desires for home birth. These women live at the margins also in spatial and societal terms, and must relate to a health system they find incapable of providing good, appropriate care. Strong public pressure for institutional delivery makes them feel distressed and pressured. Paradoxically then, the aim of including marginal groups in maternal health programmes engenders resistance to facility birth.

Crustal Deformation In the Northwestern Margin of the South China Sea: Results From Wide-angle Seismic Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, H.; Klingelhoefer, F.

2017-12-01

The South China Sea (SCS) has undergone episodic spreading during the Cenozoic Era. The long-term extension has shaped the continental margins of the SCS, leading to a progressive breakup of the lithosphere. Separated blocks and rift troughs, as controlled by tectonic stretching, contains key information about the deforming mechanism of the crust. In this work, we present a P-wave velocity model of a wide-angle seismic profile OBS2013-1 which passes through the NW margin of the SCS. Modeling of 25 ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) data revealed a detailed crustal structure and shallow complexities along the profile (Figure 1). The crust thins symmetrically across the Xisha Trough, from more than 20 km on flanks to 10 km in the central valley where the sediments thickens over 5 km; A volcano is situated on top of the centre basement high where the Moho drops slightly. At the distal margin around the Zhongsha Trough, the upper crust was detached and accordingly made the middle crust exhumed in a narrow area ( 20 km wide). Meanwhile, materials from the lower crust rises asymmetrically, increasing the crustal velocity by 0.3 km/s and may also giving rise to volcanisms along the hanging side. A 40 km wide hyper-stretched crust (with thickness of 5 km) was identified next to the Zhongsha Trough and covered by overflowing magma and post-rift sediments on the top. These observations argue for a depth-related and asymmetrically extension of the crust, including (1) detachment fault controls the deformation of the upper crust, leading to exhumation of the middle crust and asymmetrically rising of the lower crust, (2) The region adjacent to the exhumation region and with highly thinned crust can be considered as extinct OCT due to magma-starved supplying.

High prevalence of narrow angles among Chinese-American glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients.

PubMed

Seider, Michael I; Pekmezci, Melike; Han, Ying; Sandhu, Simi; Kwok, Shiu Y; Lee, Roland Y; Lin, Shan C

2009-01-01

To evaluate the prevalence of gonioscopically narrow angles in a Chinese-American population with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion. Charts from all Chinese-American patients seen in a comprehensive ophthalmology clinic in the Chinatown district of San Francisco in 2002 were reviewed. One eye from each patient with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion that met inclusion criteria was included (n=108). Data were collected for sex, age, race (self-declared), refraction (spherical equivalent), intraocular pressure, gonioscopy, and vertical cup-to-disk ratio. Sixty percent (n=65) of Chinese-American eyes with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion had gonioscopically narrow angles (Shaffer grade < or = 2 in 3 or more quadrants). Those with narrow angles were significantly older (P=0.004) than their open angle counterparts, but the 2 groups did not differ in terms of sex, refraction, intraocular pressure, or cup-to-disk ratio (all, P > or = 0.071). In a multivariate model including age, sex, and refraction as predictors of angle grade (open or narrow), only age was a significant predictor of angle grade (P=0.004). A large proportion of Chinese-Americans in our study population with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion had gonioscopically narrow angles. In multivariate analysis, patients with narrow angles were older than those with open angles but did not differ from them in terms of sex or refraction. Continued evaluation of angle closure glaucoma risk among Chinese-Americans is needed.

Translational research in addiction: toward a framework for the development of novel therapeutics.

PubMed

Paterson, Neil E

2011-06-15

The development of novel substance use disorder (SUD) therapeutics is insufficient to meet the medical needs of a growing SUD patient population. The identification of translatable SUD models and tests is a crucial step in establishing a framework for SUD therapeutic development programs. The present review begins by identifying the clinical features of SUDs and highlights the narrow regulatory end-point required for approval of a novel SUD therapeutic. A conceptual overview of dependence is provided, followed by identification of potential intervention targets in the addiction cycle. The main components of the addiction cycle provide the framework for a discussion of preclinical models and their clinical analogs, all of which are focused on isolated behavioral end-points thought to be relevant to the persistence of compulsive drug use. Thus, the greatest obstacle to successful development is the gap between the multiplicity of preclinical and early clinical end-points and the regulatory end-point of sustained abstinence. This review proposes two pathways to bridging this gap: further development and validation of the preclinical extended access self-administration model; inclusion of secondary end-points comprising all of the measures highlighted in the present discussion in Phase 3 trials. Further, completion of the postdictive validation of analogous preclinical and clinical assays is of high priority. Ultimately, demonstration of the relevance and validity of a variety of end-points to the ultimate goal of abstinence will allow researchers to identify truly relevant therapeutic mechanisms and intervention targets, and establish a framework for SUD therapeutic development that allows optimal decision-making and resource allocation. 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Colorado Basin Structure and Rifting, Argentine passive margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Autin, Julia; Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena; Loegering, Markus; Anka, Zahie; Vallejo, Eduardo; Rodriguez, Jorge; Marchal, Denis; Reichert, Christian; di Primio, Rolando

2010-05-01

The Argentine margin presents a strong segmentation with considerable strike-slip movements along the fracture zones. We focus on the volcanic segment (between the Salado and Colorado transfer zones), which is characterized by seaward dipping reflectors (SDR) all along the ocean-continent transition [e.g. Franke et al., 2006; Gladczenko et al., 1997; Hinz et al., 1999]. The segment is structured by E-W trending basins, which differs from the South African margin basins and cannot be explained by classical models of rifting. Thus the study of the relationship between the basins and the Argentine margin itself will allow the understanding of their contemporary development. Moreover the comparison of the conjugate margins suggests a particular evolution of rifting and break-up. We firstly focus on the Colorado Basin, which is thought to be the conjugate of the well studied Orange Basin [Hirsch et al., 2009] at the South African margin [e.g. Franke et al., 2006]. This work presents results of a combined approach using seismic interpretation and structural, isostatic and thermal modelling highlighting the structure of the crust. The seismic interpretation shows two rift-related discordances: one intra syn-rift and the break-up unconformity. The overlying sediments of the sag phase are less deformed (no sedimentary wedges) and accumulated before the generation of oceanic crust. The axis of the Colorado Basin trends E-W in the western part, where the deepest pre-rift series are preserved. In contrast, the basin axis turns to a NW-SE direction in its eastern part, where mainly post-rift sediments accumulated. The most distal part reaches the margin slope and opens into the oceanic basin. The general basin direction is almost orthogonal to the present-day margin trend. The most frequent hypothesis explaining this geometry is that the Colorado Basin is an aborted rift resulting from a previous RRR triple junction [e.g. Franke et al., 2002]. The structural interpretation

Post-resection mucosal margin shrinkage in oral cancer: quantification and significance.

PubMed

Mistry, Rajesh C; Qureshi, Sajid S; Kumaran, C

2005-08-01

The importance of tumor free margins in outcome of cancer surgery is well known. Often the pathological margins are reported to be significantly smaller than the in situ margins. This discrepancy is due to margin shrinkage the quantum of which has not been studied in patients with oral cancers. To quantify the shrinkage of mucosal margin following excision for carcinoma of the oral tongue and buccal mucosa. Mucosal margins were measured prior to resection and half an hour after excision in 27 patients with carcinoma of the tongue and buccal mucosa. The mean margin shrinkage was assessed and the variables affecting the quantum of shrinkage analyzed. The mean shrinkage from the in situ to the post resection margin status was 22.7% (P < 0.0001). The mean shrinkage of the tongue margins was 23.5%, compared to 21.2% for buccal mucosa margins. The mean shrinkage in T1/T2 tumors (25.6%) was significantly more than in T3/T4 (9.2%, P < 0.011). There is significant shrinkage of mucosal margins after surgery. Hence this should be considered and appropriate margins should be taken at initial resection to prevent the agony of post-operative positive surgical margins. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Marginally outer trapped surfaces and symmetries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrasco, Alberto; Mars, Marc

2009-05-01

We study properties of outermost marginally outer trapped surfaces in slices of space-times possessing certain symmetries, like isometries, homotheties or conformal Killings. In particular, we find restrictions on these surfaces for the vector field generating the symmetry. As an application we give a result of non-existence of outermost marginally outer trapped surfaces in accelerated Friedmann-Lemaître-Roberson-Walker spacetimes.

Tectono-magmatic evolution at distal magma-poor rifted margins: insights of the lithospheric breakup at the Australia-Antarctica margins.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillard, Morgane; Autin, Julia; Manatschal, Gianreto

2015-04-01

The discovery of large domains of hyper-extended continental crust and exhumed mantle along many present-day magma-poor rifted margins questions the processes that play during the lithospheric breakup and the onset of seafloor spreading. In particular, the amount of magma and its relation to tectonic structures is yet little understood. Trying to find answers to these questions asks to work at the most distal parts of rifted margins where the transition from rifting to steady state seafloor spreading occurred. The Australian-Antarctic conjugated margins provide an excellent study area. Indeed, the central sector of the Great Australian Bight/Wilkes Land developed in a magma-poor probably ultra-slow setting and displays a complex and not yet well understood Ocean-Continent Transition (OCT). This distal area is well imaged by numerous high quality seismic lines covering the whole OCT and the steady-state oceanic crust. The deformation recorded in the sedimentary units along these margins highlights a migration of the deformation toward the ocean and a clear polyphase evolution. In particular, the observation that each tectono-sedimentary unit downlaps oceanwards onto the basement suggests that final rifting is associated with the creation of new depositional ground under conditions that are not yet those of a steady state oceanic crust. These observations lead to a model of evolution for these distal margins implying the development of multiple detachment systems organizing out-of-sequence, each new detachment fault developing into the previously exhumed basement. This spatial and temporal organization of fault systems leads to a final symmetry of exhumed domains at both conjugated margins. Magma appears to gradually increase during the margin development and is particularly present in the more distal domain where we can observe clear magma/fault interactions. We propose that the evolution of such rifted margins is linked to cycles of delocalisation

Keeping the Edges Sharp I: Honing the Theory of Narrow Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Douglas P.; Rimlinger, Thomas; Hahn, Joseph M.

2016-05-01

Most of the rings that encircle Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are very narrow structures with typical radial widths of just a few kilometers. Such extreme sharpness is surprising, as even slightly different orbital periods should allow ring particles to continually jostle one another in collisions that preserve angular momentum whileinexorably draining energy. Sharp edges should blur as rings spread in response to collisions and yet they do not. The generally accepted solution to this dilemma is to bracket each narrow ring with a pair of shepherding satellites that can pump energy back into the ring to replace that lost by collisions. But only a disappointing two of roughly twenty narrow rings actually have known attendant satellites. We present a compelling alternative in which the slight eccentricities and inclinations of narrow ringlets act as internal energy sources that can be tapped to prevent ring spreading. When unattended circular rings dissipate energy they must spread radially in order to preserve angular momentum. By contrast, eccentric or inclined rings have an extra degree of freedom that can be exploited to prevent radial spreading; energy is dissipated while keeping z-component of angular momentum, sqrt(a(1-e^2))cos(i), constant by simply decreasing the overall eccentricity (e) and/or inclination (i) of the entire ring. A real narrow ring moves inward as a unit, circularizes, and drops into the equatorial plane in a process that deters radial spreading for millions or billions of years. Using secular theory with dissipation (Zhang et al. 2013), we show that narrow rings are secular eigenstates in which ellipses are nested with pericenters almost, but not exactly aligned. The misalignment of pericenters is crucial in allowing energy dissipation to be shared evenly across the ring. We predict ring surface densities that are roughly constant across the ring's width, in contrast to profiles expected for shepherded rings. Rimlinger et al. (this meeting

Application of narrow-band television to industrial and commercial communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Embrey, B. C., Jr.; Southworth, G. R.

1974-01-01

The development of narrow-band systems for use in space systems is presented. Applications of the technology to future spacecraft requirements are discussed along with narrow-band television's influence in stimulating development within the industry. The transferral of the technology into industrial and commercial communications is described. Major areas included are: (1) medicine; (2) education; (3) remote sensing for traffic control; and (5) weather observation. Applications in data processing, image enhancement, and information retrieval are provided by the combination of the TV camera and the computer.

Intraoperative ultrasound control of surgical margins during partial nephrectomy.

PubMed

Alharbi, Feras M; Chahwan, Charles K; Le Gal, Sophie G; Guleryuz, Kerem M; Tillou, Xavier P; Doerfler, Arnaud P

2016-01-01

To evaluate a simple and fast technique to ensure negative surgical margins on partial nephrectomies, while correlating margin statuses with the final pathology report. This study was conducted for patients undergoing partial nephrectomy (PN) with T1-T2 renal tumors from January 2010 to the end of December 2015. Before tumor removal, intraoperative ultrasound (US) localization was performed. After tumor removal and before performing hemostasis of the kidney, the specimens were placed in a saline solution and a US was performed to evaluate if the tumor's capsule were intact, and then compared to the final pathology results. In 177 PN(s) (147 open procedures and 30 laparoscopic procedures) were performed on 147 patients. Arterial clamping was done for 32 patients and the mean warm ischemia time was 19 ± 6 min. The mean US examination time was 41 ± 7 s. The US analysis of surgical margins was negative in 172 cases, positive in four, and in only one case it was not possible to conclude. The final pathology results revealed one false positive surgical margin and one false negative surgical margin, while all other margins were in concert with US results. The mean tumor size was 3.53 ± 1.43 cm, and the mean surgical margin was 2.8 ± 1.5 mm. The intraoperative US control of resection margins in PN is a simple, efficient, and effective method for ensuring negative surgical margins with a small increase in warm ischemia time and can be conducted by the operating urologist.

Invasive vulvar carcinoma and the question of the surgical margin.

PubMed

Palaia, Innocenza; Bellati, Filippo; Calcagno, Marco; Musella, Angela; Perniola, Giorgia; Panici, Pierluigi B

2011-08-01

To assess the discrepancy between width of surgical margin measured with the naked eye/ruler by a surgeon before removing an invasive vulvar carcinoma, and width of margin measured under microscope by pathologist after fixation of the resected lesion with formalin. Potential relationships between discrepancy and disease recurrence were also investigated. This prospective study was conducted with resected lesions from 86 women who underwent surgery for primary/recurrent invasive vulvar carcinoma. After the surgeon removed the lesions surrounded by 1-2-cm margins, the pathologist determined margin width at the 4 cardinal points of 86 lesions (for a total of 344 margin assessments), first macroscopically and then under the microscope. A safety margin of 0.8 cm on microscopic view was achieved in 83% of cases (112 of 135) when the macroscopic measurement was 1cm, in 91% of cases (58 of 64) when it was 1.5 cm, and 98% of cases (105 of 107) when it was 2 cm. There was a small discrepancy between the surgeon's intent and the microscopic margin measurement, mostly related to tissue shrinkage. A 1-cm surgical margin corresponded to a 0.8-cm margin in microscopic view (the "safe margin") in most cases. Copyright © 2011 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Narrow-band filters for the lightning imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piegari, Angela; Di Sarcina, Ilaria; Grilli, Maria Luisa; Menchini, Francesca; Scaglione, Salvatore; Sytchkova, Anna; Zola, Danilo; Cuevas, Leticia P.

2017-11-01

The study of lightning phenomena will be carried out by a dedicated instrument, the lightning imager, that will make use of narrow-band transmission filters for separating the Oxygen emission lines in the clouds, from the background signal. The design, manufacturing and testing of these optical filters will be described here.

Use of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Electronic Health Record Data, and Pharmacokinetic Modeling to Determine the Therapeutic Index of Phenytoin and Lamotrigine

PubMed Central

Ku, Lawrence C.; Wu, Huali; Greenberg, Rachel G.; Hill, Kevin D.; Gonzalez, Daniel; Hornik, Christoph P.; Berezny, Alysha; Guptill, Jeffrey T.; Jiang, Wenlei; Zheng, Nan; Cohen-Wolkowiez, Michael; Melloni, Chiara

2016-01-01

Background Defining a drug's therapeutic index (TI) is important for patient safety and regulating the development of generic drugs. For many drugs, the TI is unknown. A systematic approach was developed to characterize the TI of a drug using therapeutic drug monitoring and electronic health record (EHR) data with pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling. This approach was first tested on phenytoin, which has a known TI, and then applied to lamotrigine, which lacks a defined TI. Methods Retrospective EHR data from patients in a tertiary hospital were used to develop phenytoin and lamotrigine population PK models and to identify adverse events (anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia) and efficacy outcomes (seizure-free). Phenytoin and lamotrigine concentrations were simulated for each day with an adverse event or seizure. Relationships between simulated concentrations and adverse events and efficacy outcomes were used to calculate the TI for phenytoin and lamotrigine. Results For phenytoin, 93 patients with 270 total and 174 free concentrations were identified. A de novo 1-compartment PK model with Michaelis-Menten kinetics described the data well. Simulated average total and free concentrations of 10-15 and 1.0-1.5 μg/mL were associated with both adverse events and efficacy in 50% of patients, resulting in a TI of 0.7–1.5. For lamotrigine, 45 patients with 53 concentrations were identified. A published 1-compartment model was adapted to characterize the PK data. No relationships between simulated lamotrigine concentrations and safety or efficacy endpoints were seen; therefore, the TI could not be calculated. Conclusions This approach correctly determined the TI of phenytoin but was unable to determine the TI of lamotrigine due to a limited sample size. The use of therapeutic drug monitoring and EHR data to aid in narrow TI drug classification is promising, but it requires an adequate sample size and accurate characterization of concentration–response relationships

Use of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Electronic Health Record Data, and Pharmacokinetic Modeling to Determine the Therapeutic Index of Phenytoin and Lamotrigine.

PubMed

Ku, Lawrence C; Wu, Huali; Greenberg, Rachel G; Hill, Kevin D; Gonzalez, Daniel; Hornik, Christoph P; Berezny, Alysha; Guptill, Jeffrey T; Jiang, Wenlei; Zheng, Nan; Cohen-Wolkowiez, Michael; Melloni, Chiara

2016-12-01

Defining a drug's therapeutic index (TI) is important for patient safety and regulating the development of generic drugs. For many drugs, the TI is unknown. A systematic approach was developed to characterize the TI of a drug using therapeutic drug monitoring and electronic health record (EHR) data with pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling. This approach was first tested on phenytoin, which has a known TI, and then applied to lamotrigine, which lacks a defined TI. Retrospective EHR data from patients in a tertiary hospital were used to develop phenytoin and lamotrigine population PK models and to identify adverse events (anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia) and efficacy outcomes (seizure-free). Phenytoin and lamotrigine concentrations were simulated for each day with an adverse event or seizure. Relationships between simulated concentrations and adverse events and efficacy outcomes were used to calculate the TI for phenytoin and lamotrigine. For phenytoin, 93 patients with 270 total and 174 free concentrations were identified. A de novo 1-compartment PK model with Michaelis-Menten kinetics described the data well. Simulated average total and free concentrations of 10-15 and 1.0-1.5 mcg/mL were associated with both adverse events and efficacy in 50% of patients, resulting in a TI of 0.7-1.5. For lamotrigine, 45 patients with 53 concentrations were identified. A published 1-compartment model was adapted to characterize the PK data. No relationships between simulated lamotrigine concentrations and safety or efficacy endpoints were seen; therefore, the TI could not be calculated. This approach correctly determined the TI of phenytoin but was unable to determine the TI of lamotrigine due to a limited sample size. The use of therapeutic drug monitoring and EHR data to aid in narrow TI drug classification is promising, but it requires an adequate sample size and accurate characterization of concentration-response relationships.

Comparative Riftology: Insights into the Evolution of Passive Continental Margins and Continental Rifts from the Failed Midcontinent Rift (MCR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elling, R. P.; Stein, C. A.; Stein, S.; Kley, J.; Keller, G. R.; Wysession, M. E.

2017-12-01

Continental rifts evolve to seafloor spreading and are preserved in passive margins, or fail and remain as fossil features in continents. Rifts at different stages give insight into these evolutionary paths. Of particular interest is the evolution of volcanic passive margins, which are characterized by seaward dipping reflectors, volcanic rocks yielding magnetic anomalies landward of the oldest spreading anomalies, and are underlain by high-velocity lower crustal bodies. How and when these features form remains unclear. Insights are given by the Midcontinent Rift (MCR), which began to form during the 1.1 Ga rifting of Amazonia from Laurentia, but failed when seafloor spreading was established elsewhere. MCR volcanics are much thicker than other continental flood basalts, due to deposition in a narrow rift rather than a broad region, giving a rift's geometry but a LIP's magma volume. The MCR provides a snapshot of the deposition of a thick and highly magnetized volcanic section during rifting. Surface exposures and reflection seismic data near Lake Superior show a rift basin filled by inward-dipping flood basalt layers. Had the rift evolved to seafloor spreading, the basin would have split into two sets of volcanics with opposite-facing SDRs, each with a magnetic anomaly. Because the rift formed as a series of alternating half-grabens, structural asymmetries between conjugate margins would have naturally occurred had it gone to completion. Hence the MCR implies that many passive margin features form prior to seafloor spreading. Massive inversion of the MCR long after it failed has provided a much clearer picture of its structure compared to failed rifts with lesser degrees of inversion. Seismic imaging as well as gravity and magnetic modeling provide important insight into the effects of inversion on failed rifts. The MCR provides an end member for the evolution of actively extending rifts, characterized by upwelling mantle and negative gravity anomalies, to failed

Determinants of lens vault and association with narrow angles in patients from Singapore.

PubMed

Tan, Gavin S; He, Mingguang; Zhao, Wanting; Sakata, Lisandro M; Li, Jialiang; Nongpiur, Monisha E; Lavanya, Raghavan; Friedman, David S; Aung, Tin

2012-07-01

To describe the distribution and determinants of lens vault and to investigate the association of lens vault with narrow angles. Prospective cross-sectional study. Phakic subjects 50 years and older were evaluated at a primary healthcare clinic with gonioscopy, partial laser interferometry, and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Narrow angles were defined as posterior trabecular meshwork not visible for ≥2 quadrants on non-indentation gonioscopy. Lens vault was defined as the perpendicular distance between the anterior pole of the crystalline lens and the horizontal line joining the 2 scleral spurs on horizontal AS-OCT scans. Analysis of covariance, multivariate logistic regression, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) were performed. Of the 2047 subjects recruited, 582 were excluded because of poor image quality or inability to locate scleral spurs, leaving 1465 subjects for analysis. Eyes with narrow angles had greater lens vault compared to eyes with open angles (775.6 µm vs 386.5 µm, P < .0001). Women had significantly greater lens vault than men (497.28 µm vs 438.56 µm, P < .001), and lens vault increased significantly with age (P for trend <.001). Adjusted for age and sex, significant associations with greater lens vault were shorter axial length, shallower anterior chamber depth(ACD), higher intraocular pressure, and more hyperopic spherical equivalent (all P < .001). On multivariate analysis, subjects with lens vault >667.6 µm were more likely to have narrow angles (OR 2.201, 95% CI: 1.070-4.526) compared to those with lens vault ≤462.7 µm. The AUC for lens vault (0.816) and ACD (0.822) for detecting narrow angles were similar (P = .582). Lens vault was independently associated with narrow angles and may be useful in screening to detect eyes with narrow angles. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

17 CFR 242.404 - Type, form and use of margin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS M, SHO, ATS, AC, AND NMS AND CUSTOMER MARGIN REQUIREMENTS FOR SECURITY FUTURES Customer Margin Requirements for Security Futures § 242.404 Type, form and use of margin. (a) When margin... (§§ 242.400 through 242.406), provided that: (i) The customer waives any right to redeem the shares...

High Prevalence of Narrow Angles among Chinese-American Glaucoma and Glaucoma Suspect Patients

PubMed Central

Seider, Michael I; Pekmezci, Melike; Han, Ying; Sandhu, Simi; Kwok, Shiu Y; Lee, Roland Y; Lin, Shan C

2009-01-01

Purpose To evaluate the prevalence of gonioscopically narrow angles in a Chinese-American population with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion. Patients and Methods Charts from all Chinese-American patients seen in a comprehensive ophthalmology clinic in the Chinatown district of San Francisco in 2002 were reviewed. One eye from each patient with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion that met inclusion criteria was included (n=108). Data was collected for gender, age, race (self-declared), refraction (spherical equivalent), intraocular pressure (IOP), gonioscopy and vertical cup-to-disk ratio (CDR). Results Sixty percent (n=65) of Chinese-American eyes with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion had gonioscopically narrow angles (Shaffer grade ≤2 in three or more quadrants). Those with narrow angles were significantly older (P=0.004) than their open angle counterparts, but the two groups did not differ in terms of gender, refraction, IOP or CDR (all, P≥0.071). In a multivariate model including age, gender and refraction as predictors of angle grade (open or narrow), only age was a significant predictor of angle grade (P=0.004). Conclusions A large proportion of Chinese-Americans in our study population with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion had gonioscopically narrow angles. In multivariate analysis, patients with narrow angles were older than those with open angles but did not differ from them in terms of gender or refraction. Continued evaluation of angle closure glaucoma risk among Chinese-Americans is needed. PMID:19826385

Neural activity underlying motor-action preparation and cognitive narrowing in approach-motivated goal states.

PubMed

Gable, Philip A; Threadgill, A Hunter; Adams, David L

2016-02-01

High-approach-motivated (pre-goal) positive affect states encourage tenacious goal pursuit and narrow cognitive scope. As such, high approach-motivated states likely enhance the neural correlates of motor-action preparation to aid in goal acquisition. These neural correlates may also relate to the cognitive narrowing associated with high approach-motivated states. In the present study, we investigated motor-action preparation during pre-goal and post-goal states using an index of beta suppression over the motor cortex. The results revealed that beta suppression was greatest in pre-goal positive states, suggesting that higher levels of motor-action preparation occur during high approach-motivated positive states. Furthermore, beta and alpha suppression in the high approach-motivated positive states predicted greater cognitive narrowing. These results suggest that approach-motivated pre-goal states engage the neural substrates of motor-action preparation and cognitive narrowing. Individual differences in motor-action preparation relate to the degree of cognitive narrowing.

Margins in Skin Excision Biopsies: Principles and Guidelines

PubMed Central

Ranjan, Richa; Singh, Lavleen; Arava, Sudheer K; Singh, Manoj Kumar

2014-01-01

Skin biopsies are usually undertaken to confirm a clinical diagnosis, to remove a lesion, and to determine the adequacy of excised tissue margin. A surgical margin is technically defined as the “edge” of the tissue removed. The term is especially pertinent when the tissue excised is suspected of being involved by a malignant process. One of the most important predictive and prognostic factors of a malignant lesion is whether the margins of the resected specimen are involved by the tumor or not. The purpose of this review is to provide an insight into grossing of a skin biopsy specimen with emphasis on techniques and reporting of excision biopsy margins. PMID:25484385

Structural design/margin assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, R. S.

1993-01-01

Determining structural design inputs and the structural margins following design completion is one of the major activities in space exploration. The end result is a statement of these margins as stability, safety factors on ultimate and yield stresses, fracture limits (fracture control), fatigue lifetime, reuse criteria, operational criteria and procedures, stability factors, deflections, clearance, handling criteria, etc. The process is normally called a load cycle and is time consuming, very complex, and involves much more than structures. The key to successful structural design is the proper implementation of the process. It depends on many factors: leadership and management of the process, adequate analysis and testing tools, data basing, communications, people skills, and training. This process and the various factors involved are discussed.

Cardiovascular calcifications in chronic kidney disease: Potential therapeutic implications.

PubMed

Bover, Jordi; Ureña-Torres, Pablo; Górriz, José Luis; Lloret, María Jesús; da Silva, Iara; Ruiz-García, César; Chang, Pamela; Rodríguez, Mariano; Ballarín, José

Cardiovascular (CV) calcification is a highly prevalent condition at all stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is directly associated with increased CV and global morbidity and mortality. In the first part of this review, we have shown that CV calcifications represent an important part of the CKD-MBD complex and are a superior predictor of clinical outcomes in our patients. However, it is also necessary to demonstrate that CV calcification is a modifiable risk factor including the possibility of decreasing (or at least not aggravating) its progression with iatrogenic manoeuvres. Although, strictly speaking, only circumstantial evidence is available, it is known that certain drugs may modify the progression of CV calcifications, even though a direct causal link with improved survival has not been demonstrated. For example, non-calcium-based phosphate binders demonstrated the ability to attenuate the progression of CV calcification compared with the liberal use of calcium-based phosphate binders in several randomised clinical trials. Moreover, although only in experimental conditions, selective activators of the vitamin D receptor seem to have a wider therapeutic margin against CV calcification. Finally, calcimimetics seem to attenuate the progression of CV calcification in dialysis patients. While new therapeutic strategies are being developed (i.e. vitamin K, SNF472, etc.), we suggest that the evaluation of CV calcifications could be a diagnostic tool used by nephrologists to personalise their therapeutic decisions. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Nefrología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Passive margin evolution, initiation of subduction and the Wilson cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cloetingh, S. A. P. L.; Wortel, M. J. R.; Vlaar, N. J.

1984-10-01

We have constructed finite element models at various stages of passive margin evolution, in which we have incorporated the system of forces acting on the margin, depth-dependent rheological properties and lateral variations across the margin. We have studied the interrelations between age-dependent forces, geometry and rheology, to decipher their net effect on the state of stress at passive margins. Lithospheric flexure induced by sediment loading dominates the state of stress at passive margins. This study has shown that if after a short evolution of the margin (time span a few tens of million years) subduction has not yet started, continued aging of the passive margin alone does not result in conditions more favourable for transformation into an active margin. Although much geological evidence is available in support of the key role small ocean basins play in orogeny and ophiolite emplacement, evolutionary frameworks of the Wilson cycle usually are cast in terms of opening and closing of wide ocean basins. We propose a more limited role for large oceans in the Wilson cycle concept.

Why Hart found narrow ecospheres--a minor science mystery solved.

PubMed

Levenson, Barton Paul

2015-05-01

To explain why two NASA computer simulation studies in the 1970s (Hart, 1978 , 1979 ) briefly rocked the subfield of astrobiology and SETI studies by showing very narrow habitable zones (HZs) for solar-type stars. Although other studies later supported wider HZs, it was never clear why the Hart simulations found the narrow limits they did. Investigation of the state of climate studies and radiative transfer models in the period 1960-1970 provides a likely explanation. Hart's findings were in line with earlier results, preventing him from noticing that his radiation model was inadequate.

Worst-Case Flutter Margins from F/A-18 Aircraft Aeroelastic Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lind, Rick; Brenner, Marty

1997-01-01

An approach for computing worst-case flutter margins has been formulated in a robust stability framework. Uncertainty operators are included with a linear model to describe modeling errors and flight variations. The structured singular value, micron, computes a stability margin which directly accounts for these uncertainties. This approach introduces a new method of computing flutter margins and an associated new parameter for describing these margins. The micron margins are robust margins which indicate worst-case stability estimates with respect to the defined uncertainty. Worst-case flutter margins are computed for the F/A-18 SRA using uncertainty sets generated by flight data analysis. The robust margins demonstrate flight conditions for flutter may lie closer to the flight envelope than previously estimated by p-k analysis.

Narrow band imaging combined with water immersion technique in the diagnosis of celiac disease.

PubMed

Valitutti, Francesco; Oliva, Salvatore; Iorfida, Donatella; Aloi, Marina; Gatti, Silvia; Trovato, Chiara Maria; Montuori, Monica; Tiberti, Antonio; Cucchiara, Salvatore; Di Nardo, Giovanni

2014-12-01

The "multiple-biopsy" approach both in duodenum and bulb is the best strategy to confirm the diagnosis of celiac disease; however, this increases the invasiveness of the procedure itself and is time-consuming. To evaluate the diagnostic yield of a single biopsy guided by narrow-band imaging combined with water immersion technique in paediatric patients. Prospective assessment of the diagnostic accuracy of narrow-band imaging/water immersion technique-driven biopsy approach versus standard protocol in suspected celiac disease. The experimental approach correctly diagnosed 35/40 children with celiac disease, with an overall diagnostic sensitivity of 87.5% (95% CI: 77.3-97.7). An altered pattern of narrow-band imaging/water immersion technique endoscopic visualization was significantly associated with villous atrophy at guided biopsy (Spearman Rho 0.637, p<0.001). Concordance of narrow-band imaging/water immersion technique endoscopic assessments was high between two operators (K: 0.884). The experimental protocol was highly timesaving compared to the standard protocol. An altered narrow-band imaging/water immersion technique pattern coupled with high anti-transglutaminase antibodies could allow a single guided biopsy to diagnose celiac disease. When no altered mucosal pattern is visible even by narrow-band imaging/water immersion technique, multiple bulbar and duodenal biopsies should be obtained. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Novel 3D-printing technique for caps to enable tailored therapeutic endoscopy.

PubMed

Ko, Weon Jin; Song, Ga Won; Hong, Sung Pyo; Kwon, Chang-il; Hahm, Ki Baik; Cho, Joo Young

2016-03-01

To evaluate the feasibility of a tailored endoscopic cap created using 3D-printing technology that is customized according to esophagogastric lesions of each patient. Tailored endoscopic caps, which were designed and fabricated with a 3D printer, were inserted in 35 patients. The types of cap were side-hole cap made for cap-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection (EMRC), oblique-head cap designed for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), wide-head cap used for Trucut biopsy (TCB), and narrow-tip cap to facilitate peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). EMRC in the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction was carried out using a side-hole cap in seven patients. Median total procedure time for successful removal of lesions was 14 min (range 8-50 min). Gastric ESD was carried out using with an oblique-head cap in 16 patients, for which the median total procedure time was 53 min. TCB in the esophagus was done using a wide-head cap in eight patients. While carrying out POEM for tunneling, a narrow-tip cap was used in four patients with achalasia. Based on the current proof-of-concept study, we anticipate that creating a tailored endoscopic cap is feasible for therapeutic endoscopy. © 2015 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

Looking through an adolescent literacy lens at the narrow view of reading.

PubMed

Ehren, Barbara J

2009-04-01

This commentary is a personal reaction to A. G. Kamhi's (2007) article on the "narrow view" of reading and his suggestion that this view be adopted as a way to address the reading problems of children and adolescents. In this article, I consider the narrow view of reading from an adolescent literacy perspective and discuss the practical implications of adopting this view in the schools. Discussion revolves around the complexities of reading comprehension, comprehension as a teachable set of complex processes, and the speech-language pathologist's role in reading comprehension. Although I acknowledge that the narrow view of reading may have merit, I opine that it may create more problems than it solves.

Remote sensing of the marginal ice zone during Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX) 83

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shuchman, R. A.; Campbell, W. J.; Burns, B. A.; Ellingsen, E.; Farrelly, B. A.; Gloersen, P.; Grenfell, T. C.; Hollinger, J.; Horn, D.; Johannessen, J. A.

1984-01-01

The remote sensing techniques utilized in the Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX) to study the physical characteristics and geophysical processes of the Fram Strait Region of the Greenland Sea are described. The studies, which utilized satellites, aircraft, helicopters, and ship and ground-based remote sensors, focused on the use of microwave remote sensors. Results indicate that remote sensors can provide marginal ice zone characteristics which include ice edge and ice boundary locations, ice types and concentration, ice deformation, ice kinematics, gravity waves and swell (in the water and the ice), location of internal wave fields, location of eddies and current boundaries, surface currents and sea surface winds.

Improving the in vivo therapeutic index of siRNA polymer conjugates through increasing pH responsiveness.

PubMed

Guidry, Erin N; Farand, Julie; Soheili, Arash; Parish, Craig A; Kevin, Nancy J; Pipik, Brenda; Calati, Kathleen B; Ikemoto, Nori; Waldman, Jacob H; Latham, Andrew H; Howell, Bonnie J; Leone, Anthony; Garbaccio, Robert M; Barrett, Stephanie E; Parmar, Rubina Giare; Truong, Quang T; Mao, Bing; Davies, Ian W; Colletti, Steven L; Sepp-Lorenzino, Laura

2014-02-19

Polymer based carriers that aid in endosomal escape have proven to be efficacious siRNA delivery agents in vitro and in vivo; however, most suffer from cytotoxicity due in part to a lack of selectivity for endosomal versus cell membrane lysis. For polymer based carriers to move beyond the laboratory and into the clinic, it is critical to find carriers that are not only efficacious, but also have margins that are clinically relevant. In this paper we report three distinct categories of polymer conjugates that improve the selectivity of endosomal membrane lysis by relying on the change in pH associated with endosomal trafficking, including incorporation of low pKa heterocycles, acid cleavable amino side chains, or carboxylic acid pH sensitive charge switches. Additionally, we determine the therapeutic index of our polymer conjugates in vivo and demonstrate that the incorporation of pH responsive elements dramatically expands the therapeutic index to 10-15, beyond that of the therapeutic index (less than 3), for polymer conjugates previously reported.

Exploring the Subtleties of Inverse Probability Weighting and Marginal Structural Models.

PubMed

Breskin, Alexander; Cole, Stephen R; Westreich, Daniel

2018-05-01

Since being introduced to epidemiology in 2000, marginal structural models have become a commonly used method for causal inference in a wide range of epidemiologic settings. In this brief report, we aim to explore three subtleties of marginal structural models. First, we distinguish marginal structural models from the inverse probability weighting estimator, and we emphasize that marginal structural models are not only for longitudinal exposures. Second, we explore the meaning of the word "marginal" in "marginal structural model." Finally, we show that the specification of a marginal structural model can have important implications for the interpretation of its parameters. Each of these concepts have important implications for the use and understanding of marginal structural models, and thus providing detailed explanations of them may lead to better practices for the field of epidemiology.

Participation, Financial Support and the Marginal Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Peter; Mangan, Jean; Hughes, Amanda

2009-01-01

This paper examines differences between the decision-making of marginal and nonmarginal students about participation in higher education (HE). We distinguish between two kinds of marginality: being "borderline" on account of prior achievements in school and being "unsure" after taking prior achievement into account. We identify a significant…

Submarine mass wasting on the Ionian Calabrian margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceramicola, S.; Forlin, E.; Coste, M.; Cova, A.; Praeg, D.; Fanucci, F.; Critelli, S.

2010-12-01

Mass wasting processes on continental margins have strong relevance both for geohazards of coastal areas and for the emplacement and monitoring of offshore infrastructures. The seabed dynamics of the Ionian Calabrian Margin (ICM) are currently being examined in the context of the project MAGIC (Marine Geohazard along the Italian Coasts). The objective of this project is the definition of elements that may constitute geological risk for coastal areas. The ICM is a tectonically-active margin, the structures of which reflect two main processes: frontal compression and fore-arc extension during the SE advance of the Calabrian accretionary prism since the late Miocene; and a rapid uplift (up to 1mm/yr) of onshore and shallow shelf areas since the mid-Pleistocene. These processes are reflected in different tectonic settings at seabed, which is characterized by a narrow continental shelf above a slope of irregular morphology in water depths of 150-2000 m. In the north, a broad slope is dominated by ridges and intervening basins that are the morphological expression of the southern Apennine fold-and-thrust belt; in the south, the continental slope descends steeply towards the deep-water Crotone and Spartivento fore-arc basins. The overall objective of this study is to map major features of mass wasting on the slopes of the ICM, investigate possible triggering mechanisms and consider the geohazards these features may represent for coastal areas. The study is based on an integrated analysis of multibeam morpho-bathymetric data and subbottom profiles, which together allow the recognition of four main types of mass wasting phenomena along the slopes of the ICM: 1) mass transport complexes (MTCs) within intra-slope basins - these are identified in the northern area, within the piggy-back basins: seabed imagery show the slopes of all the seabed ridges to be marked by headwall scarps recording widespread failure, while Chirp profiles show the adjacent basins to contain

Prediction of Safety Margin and Optimization of Dosing Protocol for a Novel Antibiotic using Quantitative Systems Pharmacology Modeling.

PubMed

Woodhead, Jeffrey L; Paech, Franziska; Maurer, Martina; Engelhardt, Marc; Schmitt-Hoffmann, Anne H; Spickermann, Jochen; Messner, Simon; Wind, Mathias; Witschi, Anne-Therese; Krähenbühl, Stephan; Siler, Scott Q; Watkins, Paul B; Howell, Brett A

2018-06-07

Elevations of liver enzymes have been observed in clinical trials with BAL30072, a novel antibiotic. In vitro assays have identified potential mechanisms for the observed hepatotoxicity, including electron transport chain (ETC) inhibition and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. DILIsym, a quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) model of drug-induced liver injury, has been used to predict the likelihood that each mechanism explains the observed toxicity. DILIsym was also used to predict the safety margin for a novel BAL30072 dosing scheme; it was predicted to be low. DILIsym was then used to recommend potential modifications to this dosing scheme; weight-adjusted dosing and a requirement to assay plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) daily and stop dosing as soon as ALT increases were observed improved the predicted safety margin of BAL30072 and decreased the predicted likelihood of severe injury. This research demonstrates a potential application for QSP modeling in improving the safety profile of candidate drugs. © 2018 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Cervical spinal canal narrowing in idiopathic syringomyelia.

PubMed

Struck, Aaron F; Carr, Carrie M; Shah, Vinil; Hesselink, John R; Haughton, Victor M

2016-08-01

The cervical spine in Chiari I patient with syringomyelia has significantly different anteroposterior diameters than it does in Chiari I patients without syringomyelia. We tested the hypothesis that patients with idiopathic syringomyelia (IS) also have abnormal cervical spinal canal diameters. The finding in both groups may relate to the pathogenesis of syringomyelia. Local institutional review boards approved this retrospective study. Patients with IS were compared to age-matched controls with normal sagittal spine MR. All subjects had T1-weighted spin-echo (500/20) and T2-weighted fast spin-echo (2000/90) sagittal cervical spine images at 1.5 T. Readers blinded to demographic data and study hypothesis measured anteroposterior diameters at each cervical level. The spinal canal diameters were compared with a Mann-Whitney U test. The overall difference was assessed with a Friedman test. Seventeen subjects were read by two reviewers to assess inter-rater reliability. Fifty IS patients with 50 age-matched controls were studied. IS subjects had one or more syrinxes varying from 1 to 19 spinal segments. Spinal canal diameters narrowed from C1 to C3 and then enlarged from C5 to C7 in both groups. Diameters from C2 to C4 were narrower in the IS group (p < 0.005) than in controls. The ratio of the C3 to the C7 diameters was also smaller (p = 0.004) in IS than controls. Collectively, the spinal canal diameters in the IS were significantly different from controls (Friedman test p < 0.0001). Patients with IS have abnormally narrow upper and mid cervical spinal canal diameters and greater positive tapering between C3 and C7.

High Interfacial Barriers at Narrow Carbon Nanotube-Water Interfaces.

PubMed

Varanasi, Srinivasa Rao; Subramanian, Yashonath; Bhatia, Suresh K

2018-06-26

Water displays anomalous fast diffusion in narrow carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a behavior that has been reproduced in both experimental and simulation studies. However, little is reported on the effect of bulk water-CNT interfaces, which is critical to exploiting the fast transport of water across narrow carbon nanotubes in actual applications. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate here the effect of such interfaces on the transport of water across arm-chair CNTs of different diameters. Our results demonstrate that diffusion of water is significantly retarded in narrow CNTs due to bulk regions near the pore entrance. The slowdown of dynamics can be attributed to the presence of large energy barriers at bulk water-CNT interfaces. The presence of such intense barriers at the bulk-CNT interface arises due to the entropy contrast between the bulk and confined regions, with water molecules undergoing high translational and rotational entropy gain on entering from the bulk to the CNT interior. The intensity of such energy barriers decreases with increase in CNT diameter. These results are very important for emerging technological applications of CNTs and other nanoscale materials, such as in nanofluidics, water purification, nanofiltration, and desalination, as well as for biological transport processes.

Photonic bandgap narrowing in conical hollow core Bragg fibers

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

Ozturk, Fahri Emre; Yildirim, Adem; Kanik, Mehmet

2014-08-18

We report the photonic bandgap engineering of Bragg fibers by controlling the thickness profile of the fiber during the thermal drawing. Conical hollow core Bragg fibers were produced by thermal drawing under a rapidly alternating load, which was applied by introducing steep changes to the fiber drawing speed. In conventional cylindrical Bragg fibers, light is guided by omnidirectional reflections from interior dielectric mirrors with a single quarter wave stack period. In conical fibers, the diameter reduction introduced a gradient of the quarter wave stack period along the length of the fiber. Therefore, the light guided within the fiber encountered slightlymore » smaller dielectric layer thicknesses at each reflection, resulting in a progressive blueshift of the reflectance spectrum. As the reflectance spectrum shifts, longer wavelengths of the initial bandgap cease to be omnidirectionally reflected and exit through the cladding, which narrows the photonic bandgap. A narrow transmission bandwidth is particularly desirable in hollow waveguide mid-infrared sensing schemes, where broadband light is coupled to the fiber and the analyte vapor is introduced into the hollow core to measure infrared absorption. We carried out sensing simulations using the absorption spectrum of isopropyl alcohol vapor to demonstrate the importance of narrow bandgap fibers in chemical sensing applications.« less

High prevalence of narrow angles among Filipino-American patients.

PubMed

Seider, Michael I; Sáles, Christopher S; Lee, Roland Y; Agadzi, Anthony K; Porco, Travis C; Weinreb, Robert N; Lin, Shan C

2011-03-01

To determine the prevalence of gonioscopically narrow anterior chamber angles in a Filipino-American clinic population. The records of 122 consecutive, new, self-declared Filipino-American patients examined in a comprehensive ophthalmology clinic in Vallejo, California were reviewed retrospectively. After exclusion, 222 eyes from 112 patients remained for analysis. Data were collected for anterior chamber angle grade as determined by gonioscopy (Shaffer system), age, sex, manifest refraction (spherical equivalent), intraocular pressure, and cup-to-disk ratio. Data from both eyes of patients were included and modeled using standard linear mixed-effects regression. As a comparison, data were also collected from a group of 30 consecutive White patients from the same clinic. After exclusion, 50 eyes from 25 White patients remained for comparison. At least 1 eye of 24% of Filipino-American patients had a narrow anterior chamber angle (Shaffer grade ≤ 2). Filipino-American angle grade significantly decreased with increasingly hyperopic refraction (P=0.007) and larger cup-to-disk ratio (P=0.038). Filipino-American women had significantly decreased angle grades compared with men (P=0.028), but angle grade did not vary by intraocular pressure or age (all, P≥ 0.059). Narrow anterior chamber angles are highly prevalent in Filipino-American patients in our clinic population.

Current therapeutic landscape for advanced gastroesophageal cancers

PubMed Central

Lopez, Anthony; Harada, Kazuto; Mizrak Kaya, Dilsa

2018-01-01

Treatment of advanced gastroesophageal cancers remains challenging for clinicians, patients, and caregivers alike. Despite considerable research, the therapeutic armamentarium is restricted and hardly personalized. In the first-line setting, trastuzumab with a fluoropyrimidine and platinum agent is the standard-of-care in patients with HER2-positive tumor. For the others, a platinum-based doublet (preferably with oxaliplatin) is recommended. Three-drug cytotoxic regimens should be reserved for exceptional cases where patients have good performance status. Triple combinations produce higher toxicity and provide marginal advantage. In the second line setting, the combination of paclitaxel and ramucirumab is preferred over all others. Currently, nothing is approved in the 3rd or later line. Nivolumab has resulted in an improved benefit in an Asian trial. Early trials of TAS-102, STAT3 inhibitors, anti-claudin 18.2 and other immune checkpoint inhibitors (alone or in combination) are ongoing. However, development of reproducible biomarkers for patient enrichment is critical for future progress. PMID:29666801

Effect of posterior crown margin placement on gingival health.

PubMed

Reitemeier, Bernd; Hänsel, Kristina; Walter, Michael H; Kastner, Christian; Toutenburg, Helge

2002-02-01

The clinical impact of posterior crown margin placement on gingival health has not been thoroughly quantified. This study evaluated the effect of posterior crown margin placement with multivariate analysis. Ten general dentists reviewed 240 patients with 480 metal-ceramic crowns in a prospective clinical trial. The alloy was randomly selected from 2 high gold, 1 low gold, and 1 palladium alloy. Variables were the alloy used, oral hygiene index score before treatment, location of crown margins at baseline, and plaque index and sulcus bleeding index scores recorded for restored and control teeth after 1 year. The effect of crown margin placement on sulcular bleeding and plaque accumulation was analyzed with regression models (P<.05). The probability of plaque at 1 year increased with increasing oral hygiene index score before treatment. The lingual surfaces demonstrated the highest probability of plaque. The risk of bleeding at intrasulcular posterior crown margins was approximately twice that at supragingival margins. Poor oral hygiene before treatment and plaque also were associated with sulcular bleeding. Facial sites exhibited a lower probability of sulcular bleeding than lingual surfaces. Type of alloy did not influence sulcular bleeding. In this study, placement of crown margins was one of several parameters that affected gingival health.

The Radio-Loud Narrow-Line Quasar SDSS J172206.03+565451.6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komossa, Stefanie; Voges, Wolfgang; Adorf, Hans-Martin; Xu, Dawei; Mathur, Smita; Anderson, Scott F.

2006-03-01

We report identification of the radio-loud narrow-line quasar SDSS J172206.03+565451.6, which we found in the course of a search for radio-loud narrow-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs). SDSS J172206.03+565451.6 is only about the fourth securely identified radio-loud narrow-line quasar and the second-most radio loud, with a radio index R1.4~100-700. Its black hole mass, MBH~=(2-3)×107 Msolar estimated from Hβ line width and 5100 Å luminosity, is unusually small given its radio loudness, and the combination of mass and radio index puts SDSS J172206.03+565451.6 in a scarcely populated region of MBH-R diagrams. SDSS J172206.03+565451.6 is a classical narrow-line Seyfert 1-type object with FWHMHβ~=1490 km s-1, an intensity ratio of [O III]/Hβ~=0.7, and Fe II emission complexes with Fe II λ4570/Hβ~=0.7. The ionization parameter of its narrow-line region, estimated from the line ratio [O II]/[O III], is similar to Seyferts, and its high ratio of [Ne V]/[Ne III] indicates a strong EUV-to-soft X-ray excess. We advertise the combined usage of [O II]/[O III] and [Ne V]/[Ne III] diagrams as a useful diagnostic tool to estimate ionization parameters and to constrain the EUV-soft X-ray continuum shape relatively independently from other parameters.

PTV margin determination in conformal SRT of intracranial lesions

PubMed Central

Parker, Brent C.; Shiu, Almon S.; Maor, Moshe H.; Lang, Frederick F.; Liu, H. Helen; White, R. Allen; Antolak, John A.

2002-01-01

The planning target volume (PTV) includes the clinical target volume (CTV) to be irradiated and a margin to account for uncertainties in the treatment process. Uncertainties in miniature multileaf collimator (mMLC) leaf positioning, CT scanner spatial localization, CT‐MRI image fusion spatial localization, and Gill‐Thomas‐Cosman (GTC) relocatable head frame repositioning were quantified for the purpose of determining a minimum PTV margin that still delivers a satisfactory CTV dose. The measured uncertainties were then incorporated into a simple Monte Carlo calculation for evaluation of various margin and fraction combinations. Satisfactory CTV dosimetric criteria were selected to be a minimum CTV dose of 95% of the PTV dose and at least 95% of the CTV receiving 100% of the PTV dose. The measured uncertainties were assumed to be Gaussian distributions. Systematic errors were added linearly and random errors were added in quadrature assuming no correlation to arrive at the total combined error. The Monte Carlo simulation written for this work examined the distribution of cumulative dose volume histograms for a large patient population using various margin and fraction combinations to determine the smallest margin required to meet the established criteria. The program examined 5 and 30 fraction treatments, since those are the only fractionation schemes currently used at our institution. The fractionation schemes were evaluated using no margin, a margin of just the systematic component of the total uncertainty, and a margin of the systematic component plus one standard deviation of the total uncertainty. It was concluded that (i) a margin of the systematic error plus one standard deviation of the total uncertainty is the smallest PTV margin necessary to achieve the established CTV dose criteria, and (ii) it is necessary to determine the uncertainties introduced by the specific equipment and procedures used at each institution since the uncertainties may vary

Effect of broad- and narrow-spectrum antimicrobials on Clostridium difficile and microbial diversity in a model of the distal colon

PubMed Central

Rea, Mary C.; Dobson, Alleson; O'Sullivan, Orla; Crispie, Fiona; Fouhy, Fiona; Cotter, Paul D.; Shanahan, Fergus; Kiely, Barry; Hill, Colin; Ross, R. Paul

2011-01-01

Vancomycin, metronidazole, and the bacteriocin lacticin 3147 are active against a wide range of bacterial species, including Clostridium difficile. We demonstrate that, in a human distal colon model, the addition of each of the three antimicrobials resulted in a significant decrease in numbers of C. difficile. However, their therapeutic use in the gastrointestinal tract may be compromised by their broad spectrum of activity, which would be expected to significantly impact on other members of the human gut microbiota. We used high-throughput pyrosequencing to compare the effect of each antimicrobial on the composition of the microbiota. All three treatments resulted in a decrease in the proportion of sequences assigned to the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, with a corresponding increase in those assigned to members of the Proteobacteria. One possible means of avoiding such “collateral damage” would involve the application of a narrow-spectrum antimicrobial with specific anti-C. difficile activity. We tested this hypothesis using thuricin CD, a narrow-spectrum bacteriocin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis, which is active against C. difficile. The results demonstrated that this bacteriocin was equally effective at killing C. difficile in the distal colon model but had no significant impact on the composition of the microbiota. This offers the possibility of developing a targeted approach to eliminating C. difficile in the colon, without collateral damage. PMID:20616009

[Functional dyspepsia. New pathophysiologic knowledge with therapeutic implications].

PubMed

Hernando-Harder, Ana C; Franke, Andreas; Singer, Manfred V; Harder, Hermann

2007-01-01

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a heterogeneous, highly prevalent symptom complex in the community and general practice. FD is defined as the presence of symptoms considered as originated in the gastroduodenal region, in the absence of any organic, systemic, or metabolic disease that is likely to explain the symptoms. Pathogenetic features include disturbed gastric accommodation and emptying, duodenal dysmotility, heightened sensitivity, notably psychosocial disturbances and an association with a postinfective state. Increasing efforts are made to determine the etiopathogenesis of the disease, including new molecular and genetic aspects. However, the exact etiopathologic mechanism that causes the symptoms in an individual patient remains to be identified. The new Rome III criteria redefine and sub-characterize FD patients according to their main symptoms and this can be of value for standardized research, development and control of new therapeutic strategies and calculated therapeutic recommendations in the clinical practice. Various treatment modalities have been employed including dietary modifications, pharmacological agents directed at different targets within the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system and psychological therapies including hypnotherapy. Unfortunately, to date, all of these therapies have yielded only marginal results. After excluding organic diseases, it is essential that the patient be assured about the benign nature and prognosis of the disease, and this can be sometimes the most helpful inversion for the patient and his/her physician.

Narrow beam neutron dosimetry.

PubMed

Ferenci, M Sutton

2004-01-01

Organ and effective doses have been estimated for male and female anthropomorphic mathematical models exposed to monoenergetic narrow beams of neutrons with energies from 10(-11) to 1000 MeV. Calculations were performed for anterior-posterior, posterior-anterior, left-lateral and right-lateral irradiation geometries. The beam diameter used in the calculations was 7.62 cm and the phantoms were irradiated at a height of 1 m above the ground. This geometry was chosen to simulate an accidental scenario (a worker walking through the beam) at Flight Path 30 Left (FP30L) of the Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The calculations were carried out using the Monte Carlo transport code MCNPX 2.5c.

The Therapeutic School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, John Steadman

2002-01-01

Contributes to the recent research on specific institutional carriers of the therapeutic culture, such as the state, the corporation, and the self- help movement, defining therapeutic discourse and discussing the therapeutic ethic, the therapeutic school, schools of education and their critics, and disappointing results of therapeutic schooling.…

Strategies for managing margins.

PubMed

2012-08-01

Potential Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement cuts have made it critical for home health agencies to manage their gross and net operating profit margins. Agencies need to develop tools to analyze their margins and make sure they are following best practices. Try as you may, your agency might still face the question, "Why am I not meeting my budget?" Get some answers in this session from David Berman and Andrea L. Devoti. Berman is a principal at Simione Healthcare Consultants in Hamden, CT, where he is responsible for merchant acquisitions, business valuation due diligence, and oversight of the financial monitor benchmarking tool besides serving as interim chief financial officer. Devoti is chairman of the NAHC board and President & CEO of Neighborhood Health Visiting Nurse Association in West Chester PA.

'Marginal' BY Draconis stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bopp, Bernard W.

1987-01-01

Spectroscopic observations of 52 dK-dM stars, obtained at 640-665 nm (with spectral resolution 70-90 pm) using CCD detectors on the coude-feed telescope at KPNO since 1982, are reported. Data for four stars found to have diluted absorption or weak emission above continuum at H-alpha are presented in tables and spectra and discussed in detail. These objects (Gliese numbers 256, 425A, 900, and 907.1) are shown to be 'marginal' BY Dra stars, single objects of age 2.5-3 Gyr with activity and rotational velocity (3-5 km/s) between those of normal dM stars and those of true BY Dra stars. An explanation based on evolution from the BY Dra stage through marginal BY Dra to inactive dM is proposed.

Unintended consequences of expensive cancer therapeutics—the pursuit of marginal indications and a me-too mentality that stifles innovation and creativity: the John Conley Lecture.

PubMed

Fojo, Tito; Mailankody, Sham; Lo, Andrew

2014-12-01

Cancer is expected to continue as a major health and economic problem worldwide. Several factors are contributing to the increasing economic burden imposed by cancer, with the cost of cancer drugs an undeniably important variable. The use of expensive therapies with marginal benefits for their approved indications and for unproven indications is contributing to the rising cost of cancer care. We believe that expensive therapies are stifling progress by (1) encouraging enormous expenditures of time, money, and resources on marginal therapeutic indications and (2) promoting a me-too mentality that is stifling innovation and creativity. The modest gains of Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies and the limited progress against major cancers is evidence of a lowering of the efficacy bar that, together with high drug prices, has inadvertently incentivized the pursuit of marginal outcomes and a me-too mentality evidenced by the duplication of effort and redundant pharmaceutical pipelines. We discuss the economic realities that are driving this process and provide suggestions for radical changes to reengineer our collective cancer ecosystem to achieve better outcomes for society.

Applied Time Domain Stability Margin Assessment for Nonlinear Time-Varying Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiefer, J. M.; Johnson, M. D.; Wall, J. H.; Dominguez, A.

2016-01-01

The baseline stability margins for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle were generated via the classical approach of linearizing the system equations of motion and determining the gain and phase margins from the resulting frequency domain model. To improve the fidelity of the classical methods, the linear frequency domain approach can be extended by replacing static, memoryless nonlinearities with describing functions. This technique, however, does not address the time varying nature of the dynamics of a launch vehicle in flight. An alternative technique for the evaluation of the stability of the nonlinear launch vehicle dynamics along its trajectory is to incrementally adjust the gain and/or time delay in the time domain simulation until the system exhibits unstable behavior. This technique has the added benefit of providing a direct comparison between the time domain and frequency domain tools in support of simulation validation. This technique was implemented by using the Stability Aerospace Vehicle Analysis Tool (SAVANT) computer simulation to evaluate the stability of the SLS system with the Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) active and inactive along its ascent trajectory. The gains for which the vehicle maintains apparent time-domain stability defines the gain margins, and the time delay similarly defines the phase margin. This method of extracting the control stability margins from the time-domain simulation is relatively straightforward and the resultant margins can be compared to the linearized system results. The sections herein describe the techniques employed to extract the time-domain margins, compare the results between these nonlinear and the linear methods, and provide explanations for observed discrepancies. The SLS ascent trajectory was simulated with SAVANT and the classical linear stability margins were evaluated at one second intervals. The linear analysis was performed with the AAC algorithm disabled to attain baseline stability

Dynamic film thickness between bubbles and wall in a narrow channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Daisuke; Damsohn, Manuel; Prasser, Horst-Michael; Aritomi, Masanori

2011-09-01

The present paper describes a novel technique to characterize the behavior of the liquid film between gas bubbles and the wall in a narrow channel. The method is based on the electrical conductance. Two liquid film sensors are installed on both opposite walls in a narrow rectangular channel. The liquid film thickness underneath the gas bubbles is recorded by the first sensor, while the void fraction information is obtained by measuring the conductance between the pair of opposite sensors. Both measurements are taken on a large two-dimensional domain and with a high speed. This makes it possible to obtain the two-dimensional distribution of the dynamic liquid film between the bubbles and the wall. In this study, this method was applied to an air-water flow ranging from bubbly to churn regimes in the narrow channel with a gap width of 1.5 mm.

Realistic respiratory motion margins for external beam partial breast irradiation

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

Conroy, Leigh; Quirk, Sarah; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4

Purpose: Respiratory margins for partial breast irradiation (PBI) have been largely based on geometric observations, which may overestimate the margin required for dosimetric coverage. In this study, dosimetric population-based respiratory margins and margin formulas for external beam partial breast irradiation are determined. Methods: Volunteer respiratory data and anterior–posterior (AP) dose profiles from clinical treatment plans of 28 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) PBI patient plans were used to determine population-based respiratory margins. The peak-to-peak amplitudes (A) of realistic respiratory motion data from healthy volunteers were scaled from A = 1 to 10 mm to create respiratory motion probability density functions. Dosemore » profiles were convolved with the respiratory probability density functions to produce blurred dose profiles accounting for respiratory motion. The required margins were found by measuring the distance between the simulated treatment and original dose profiles at the 95% isodose level. Results: The symmetric dosimetric respiratory margins to cover 90%, 95%, and 100% of the simulated treatment population were 1.5, 2, and 4 mm, respectively. With patient set up at end exhale, the required margins were larger in the anterior direction than the posterior. For respiratory amplitudes less than 5 mm, the population-based margins can be expressed as a fraction of the extent of respiratory motion. The derived formulas in the anterior/posterior directions for 90%, 95%, and 100% simulated population coverage were 0.45A/0.25A, 0.50A/0.30A, and 0.70A/0.40A. The differences in formulas for different population coverage criteria demonstrate that respiratory trace shape and baseline drift characteristics affect individual respiratory margins even for the same average peak-to-peak amplitude. Conclusions: A methodology for determining population-based respiratory margins using real respiratory motion patterns and dose profiles in the AP

17 CFR 41.47 - Withdrawal of margin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... PRODUCTS Customer Accounts and Margin Requirements § 41.47 Withdrawal of margin. (a) By the customer... positions in the account under this Regulation (Subpart E, §§ 41.42 through 41.49). (b) By the security...) Interest charged on credit maintained in the account; (3) Communication or shipping charges with respect to...

Method for shaping and aiming narrow beams. [sonar mapping and target identification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heyser, R. C. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

A sonar method and apparatus is discribed which utilizes a linear frequency chirp in a transmitter/receiver having a correlator to synthesize a narrow beamwidth pattern from otherwise broadbeam transducers when there is relative velocity between the transmitter/receiver and the target. The chirp is so produced in a generator in bandwidth, B, and time, T, as to produce a time bandwidth product, TB, that is increased for a narrower angle. A replica of the chirp produced in a generator is time delayed and Doppler shifted for use as a reference in the receiver for correlation of received chirps from targets. This reference is Doppler shifted to select targets preferentially, thereby to not only synthesize a narrow beam but also aim the beam in azimuth and elevation.

Sedimentation patterns in the Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa, and the Pilbara Block, Australia: Evidence for Archean rifted continental margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eriksson, Kenneth A.

1982-01-01

Archean supracrustal sequences in the Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa, and the Pilbara Block, Australia, consist of lower volcanic and upper dominantly terrigenous clastic intervals. As evidenced by the paleoenvironments of intercalated sedimentary horizons, volcanism occurred mainly in shallow waters. The overlying ca 3.3 Ga sedimentary intervals contain various common as well as unique paleoenvironments, the understanding of which places significant constraints on Archean crustal models. Lateral and vertical associations of inferred paleoenvironments are used to interpret the geotectonic history of the Archean depositories. The early sedimentary history of the greenstone belts is characterized by terrestrial and subaqueous graben-fill associations of facies related to the initial rift stage of basin development. Continued rifting and initial spreading produced submarine grabens within which ironformations accumulated in response to waning volcanism. Source area uplift resulted in progradation of submarine fans across the basinal chemical sediments. The turbidites are gradational directly into braided alluvial sediments, in part of fan delta origin, suggesting that the continental to marine transition occurred along a narrow continental shelf. In the Barberton Mountain Land the steep-rift margin was succeeded by the development of a stable continental shelf or shelf rise margin through progradation of the turbidite wedge possibly in association with a eustatic rise in sea-level related to continued spreading. On this shelf extensive tidal, deltaic and barrier beach sediments accumulated. Sedimentation was terminated by closure of the passive margin oceans. The late-Archean Pongola Supergroup in South Africa is considered to be the late-orogenic molasse response to this closure and represents the completion of the Wilson cycle.

Catastrophic Bleeding From a Marginal Ulcer After Gastric Bypass

PubMed Central

Sidani, Shafik; Akkary, Ehab

2013-01-01

Marginal ulceration at the gastrojejunal anastomosis is a common complication following Roux-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Hemodynamically significant hemorrhagic marginal ulcers are usually treated either endoscopically or surgically. We describe a unique case of life-threatening hemorrhagic marginal ulcer eroding into the main splenic artery. This condition was initially managed with angiographic embolization, followed by surgical intervention. PMID:23743389

Anomalous resistivity and superconductivity in the two-band Hubbard model with one narrow band (Review)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kagan, M. Yu.; Valkov, V. V.

2011-01-01

We search for marginal Fermi-liquid behavior in the two-band Hubbard model with one narrow band. We consider the limit of low electron densities in the bands and strong intraband and interband Hubbard interactions. We analyze the influence of electron-polaron effects and other mechanisms for mass-enhancement (related to the momentum dependence of the self-energies) on the effective mass and scattering times of light and heavy components in the clean case (electron-electron scattering and no impurities). We find a tendency towards phase separation (towards negative partial compressibility of heavy particles) in the 3D case with a large mismatch between the densities of heavy and light bands in the strong coupling limit. We also find that for low temperatures and equal densities, the resistivity in a homogeneous state R(T )∝T2 behaves as a Fermi-liquid in both 3D and 2D. For temperatures greater than the effective bandwidth for heavy electrons T >Wh*, the coherence of the heavy component breaks down completely. The heavy particles move diffusively in the surrounding light particles. At the same time, light particles scatter on heavy particles as if on immobile (static) impurities. Under these conditions, the heavy component is marginal, while the light component is not. The resistivity approaches saturation for T >Wh* in the 3D case. In 2D the resistivity has a maximum and a localization tail owing to weak-localization corrections of the Altshuler-Aronov type. This behavior of resistivity in 3D could be relevant for some uranium-based heavy-fermion compounds such as UNi2Al3 and in 2D, for some other mixed-valence compounds, possibly including layered manganites. We also consider briefly the superconductive (SC) instability in this model. The leading instability tends to p-wave pairing and is governed by an enhanced Kohn-Luttinger mechanism for SC at low electron densities. The critical temperature corresponds to the pairing of heavy electrons via polarization of

The Ills of Marginality: New Perspectives on Health in South Asia.

PubMed

Ecks, Stefan; Sax, William S

2005-12-01

Social marginality and ill health can form an unholy dyad: firstly, groups who suffer from chronic or infectious diseases often find themselves pushed to the margins. Secondly, people who are already on the edge of society tend to suffer more from illness than those at the centre. In development discourse, marginal people are defined as those who are 'not yet' on the same level as the developed mainstream and are in urgent need of aid from the centre. The papers in this special issue take a different approach by insisting that marginality is a radically relational concept: the centre and its margins constitute each other, and the boundaries between them are constantly shifting. The papers show that there are many types of marginality (based on geography, class, caste, sex/gender, ethnicity, etc.), and that each of them has different effects on the health of a particular group. Yet instead of speaking of a plurality of unrelated 'group identities', marginality preserves a sharp sense of unequal power relations between groups. The specific ethnographic contribution to the study of marginality comes from its attention to the point of view of marginal people. This is of critical importance since marginality puts health most under stress when it is clearly and steadily perceived in everyday life. This, in turn, makes it possible to show that living on the margins is not always and everywhere bad for health. While all of the papers present South Asian case studies, the insights and questions are relevant for the study of the ills of marginality in a global perspective.

Enhanced tunable narrow-band THz emission from laser-modulated electron beams

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

Xiang, D.; Stupakov, G.; /SLAC

2009-06-19

We propose and analyze a scheme to generate enhanced narrow-band terahertz (THz) radiation through down-conversion of the frequency of optical lasers using laser-modulated electron beams. In the scheme the electron beam is first energy modulated by two lasers with wave numbers k{sub 1} and k2, respectively. After passing through a dispersion section, the energy modulation is converted to density modulation. Due to the nonlinear conversion process, the beam will have density modulation at wave number k = nk{sub 1} + mk{sub 2}, where n and m are positive or negative integers. By properly choosing the parameters for the lasers andmore » dispersion section, one can generate density modulation at THz frequency in the beam using optical lasers. This density-modulated beam can be used to generate powerful narrow-band THz radiation. Since the THz radiation is in tight synchronization with the lasers, it should provide a high temporal resolution for the optical-pump THz-probe experiments. The central frequency of the THz radiation can be easily tuned by varying the wavelength of the two lasers and the energy chirp of the electron beam. The proposed scheme is in principle able to generate intense narrow-band THz radiation covering the whole THz range and offers a promising way towards the tunable intense narrow-band THz sources.« less

Time Safety Margin: Theory and Practice

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

Basic Dive Recovery Terminology The Simplest Definition of TSM: Time Safety Margin is the time to directly travel from the worst-case vector to an...Safety Margin (TSM). TSM is defined as the time in seconds to directly travel from the worst case vector (i.e. worst case combination of parameters...invoked by this AFI, base recovery planning and risk management upon the calculated TSM. TSM is the time in seconds to di- rectly travel from the worst case

Precise measurement of ultra-narrow laser linewidths using the strong coherent envelope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shihong; Zhu, Tao; Liu, Min; Huang, Wei

2017-02-01

Laser linewidth narrowing down to kHz or even Hz is an important topic in areas like clock synchronization technology, laser radars, quantum optics, and high-precision detection. Conventional decoherence measurement methods like delayed self-heterodyne/homodyne interferometry cannot measure such narrow linewidths accurately. This is because a broadening of the Gaussian spectrum, which hides the laser’s intrinsic Lorentzian linewidth, cannot be avoided. Here, we introduce a new method using the strong coherent envelope to characterize the laser’s intrinsic linewidth through self-coherent detection. This method can eliminate the effect of the broadened Gaussian spectrum induced by the 1/f frequency noise. We analyze, in detail, the relationship between intrinsic laser linewidth, contrast difference with the second peak and the second trough (CDSPST) of the strong coherent envelope, and the length of the delaying fiber. The correct length for the delaying fiber can be chosen by combining the estimated laser linewidth (Δfest) with a specific CDSPST (ΔS) to obtain the accurate laser linewidth (Δf). Our results indicate that this method can be used as an accurate detection tool for measurements of narrow or super-narrow linewidths.

Marginalization in neural circuits with divisive normalization

PubMed Central

Beck, J.M.; Latham, P.E.; Pouget, A.

2011-01-01

A wide range of computations performed by the nervous system involves a type of probabilistic inference known as marginalization. This computation comes up in seemingly unrelated tasks, including causal reasoning, odor recognition, motor control, visual tracking, coordinate transformations, visual search, decision making, and object recognition, to name just a few. The question we address here is: how could neural circuits implement such marginalizations? We show that when spike trains exhibit a particular type of statistics – associated with constant Fano factors and gain-invariant tuning curves, as is often reported in vivo – some of the more common marginalizations can be achieved with networks that implement a quadratic nonlinearity and divisive normalization, the latter being a type of nonlinear lateral inhibition that has been widely reported in neural circuits. Previous studies have implicated divisive normalization in contrast gain control and attentional modulation. Our results raise the possibility that it is involved in yet another, highly critical, computation: near optimal marginalization in a remarkably wide range of tasks. PMID:22031877

Gas hydrates of outer continental margins

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

Kvenvolden, K.A.

1990-05-01

Gas hydrates are crystalline substances in which a rigid framework of water molecules traps molecules of gas, mainly methane. Gas-hydrate deposits are common in continental margin sediment in all major oceans at water depths greater than about 300 m. Thirty-three localities with evidence for gas-hydrate occurrence have been described worldwide. The presence of these gas hydrates has been inferred mainly from anomalous lacoustic reflectors seen on marine seismic records. Naturally occurring marine gas hydrates have been sampled and analyzed at about tensites in several regions including continental slope and rise sediment of the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Gulf ofmore » Mexico. Except for some Gulf of Mexico gas hydrate occurrences, the analyzed gas hydrates are composed almost exclusively of microbial methane. Evidence for the microbial origin of methane in gas hydrates includes (1) the inverse relation between methane occurence and sulfate concentration in the sediment, (2) the subparallel depth trends in carbon isotopic compositions of methane and bicarbonate in the interstitial water, and (3) the general range of {sup 13}C depletion ({delta}{sub PDB}{sup 13}C = {minus}90 to {minus}60 {per thousand}) in the methane. Analyses of gas hydrates from the Peruvian outer continental margin in particular illustrate this evidence for microbially generated methane. The total amount of methane in gas hydrates of continental margins is not known, but estimates of about 10{sup 16} m{sup 3} seem reasonable. Although this amount of methane is large, it is not yet clear whether methane hydrates of outer continental margins will ever be a significant energy resource; however, these gas hydrates will probably constitute a drilling hazard when outer continental margins are explored in the future.« less

30 CFR 204.3 - What alternatives are available for marginal properties?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What alternatives are available for marginal... MINERALS REVENUE MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES FOR MARGINAL PROPERTIES General Provisions § 204.3 What alternatives are available for marginal properties? If you have production from a marginal property, MMS and...

Margination of Stiffened Red Blood Cells Regulated By Vessel Geometry.

PubMed

Chen, Yuanyuan; Li, Donghai; Li, Yongjian; Wan, Jiandi; Li, Jiang; Chen, Haosheng

2017-11-10

Margination of stiffened red blood cells has been implicated in many vascular diseases. Here, we report the margination of stiffened RBCs in vivo, and reveal the crucial role of the vessel geometry in the margination by calculations when the blood is seen as viscoelastic fluid. The vessel-geometry-regulated margination is then confirmed by in vitro experiments in microfluidic devices, and it establishes new insights to cell sorting technology and artificial blood vessel fabrication.

Clinical relevance of cimetidine drug interactions.

PubMed

Shinn, A F

1992-01-01

The excellent efficacy and tolerability profiles of H2-antagonists have established these agents as the leading class of antiulcer drugs. Attention has been focused on drug interactions with H2-antagonists as a means of product differentiation and because many patients are receiving multiple drug therapy. The main mechanism of most drug interactions involving cimetidine appears to be inhibition of the hepatic microsomal enzyme cytochrome P450, an effect which may be related to the different structures of H2-antagonists. Ranitidine appears to have less affinity than cimetidine for this system. There have been many published case reports and studies of drug interactions with cimetidine, but many of these have provided pharmacokinetic data only, with little information concerning the clinical significance of these findings. Nevertheless, the coadministration of cimetidine with drugs that have a narrow therapeutic margin (such as theophylline) may potentially result in clinically significant adverse effects. The monitoring of serum concentrations of drugs coadministered with cimetidine may reduce the risk of adverse events but does not abolish the problem. However, for most patients, concomitant administration of cimetidine with drugs possessing a wide therapeutic margin is unlikely to pose a significant problem.

Site of Allergic Airway Narrowing and the Influence of Exogenous Surfactant in the Brown Norway Rat

PubMed Central

Risse, Paul-André; Bullimore, Sharon R.; Benedetti, Andrea; Martin, James G.

2012-01-01

Background The parameters RN (Newtonian resistance), G (tissue damping), and H (tissue elastance) of the constant phase model of respiratory mechanics provide information concerning the site of altered mechanical properties of the lung. The aims of this study were to compare the site of allergic airway narrowing implied from respiratory mechanics to a direct assessment by morphometry and to evaluate the effects of exogenous surfactant administration on the site and magnitude of airway narrowing. Methods We induced airway narrowing by ovalbumin sensitization and challenge and we tested the effects of a natural surfactant lacking surfactant proteins A and D (Infasurf®) on airway responses. Sensitized, mechanically ventilated Brown Norway rats underwent an aerosol challenge with 5% ovalbumin or vehicle. Other animals received nebulized surfactant prior to challenge. Three or 20 minutes after ovalbumin challenge, airway luminal areas were assessed on snap-frozen lungs by morphometry. Results At 3 minutes, RN and G detected large airway narrowing whereas at 20 minutes G and H detected small airway narrowing. Surfactant inhibited RN at the peak of the early allergic response and ovalbumin-induced increase in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cysteinyl leukotrienes and amphiregulin but not IgE-induced mast cell activation in vitro. Conclusion Allergen challenge triggers the rapid onset of large airway narrowing, detected by RN and G, and subsequent peripheral airway narrowing detected by G and H. Surfactant inhibits airway narrowing and reduces mast cell-derived mediators. PMID:22276110

Self-Sustained Mode-3 Tear Controls Dynamics of Narrow Retreating Subduction Zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munch, J.; Gerya, T.; Ueda, K.

2017-12-01

The Caribbean oroclinal basin exhibits several narrow retreating slabs in an oceanic domain. The slabs show a curved shape associated to a bent topography (trench). We propose that the curvature of the topography depends on slab retreat mechanisms following mode-3 tearing at the edges of the slab (out of the plane fracture propagation). While first-order characteristics have been principally reproduced in self-sustained subduction initiation models (Gerya et al., 2015, Nature, 527, 221-225), the relevant observations have not been quantified and the exact mechanism is not understood. In this work, we study the long-term 3D evolution of narrowing oceanic subduction zones during retreat, and investigate the link between mode-3 tear and orocline formation. Numerical experiments are carried out with a thermo-mechanical 3D finite-difference code. To allow the observation of developing topography, the precise location of the internal surface and its evolution by material diffusion is tracked. Retreating subduction is facilitated via a strong age contrast between a young lithosphere window enclosed by shear zones and the surrounding lithosphere. By varying the length and thickness of the shear zones and location of the age transition, the influence of these parameters on the tearing process and the development of topography is assessed. Experiments trigger subduction initiation and slab retreat via fracture zone collapse and spontaneous paired mode-3 tear propagation within the oceanic plate interior. Narrow retreating subducting slabs form as a natural result of the spontaneous paired tearing process. A curved trench forms along with slab retreat. Topography evolution and tearing trajectory appear to be dependent on the initial shear zones and young window dimensions. We also note a strong narrowing of the slab during the retreat (several tens of kilometers over 800 km of retreat). Overall, results indicate that narrowing of retreating slabs is a self

Post-breakup faulting of the outer Vøring Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Planke, S.; Millett, J.; Jerram, D. A.; Maharjan, D.; Hafeez, A.; Abdelmalak, M. M.; Zastrozhnov, D.; Faleide, J. I.

2017-12-01

Tectonic activity on passive margins may continue for a long time after the main phase of continental breakup. On the southern Vøring Margin, offshore Norway, new high-quality 3D seismic data reveal the presence of extensive normal faults offsetting the Top basalt horizon, along with overlying lower Eocene age sediments. We have completed a detailed seismic interpretation of the new data using a combination of conventional seismic horizon interpretation and igneous seismic geomorphological techniques. The seismic data have been tied to scientific and industry wells to constrain the age of the interpreted horizons and the age and duration of the faulting. The Top basalt horizon displays a dominantly subaerial lava field, on the Vøring Marginal High, with well-defined lava flow morphologies including inflated flow lobes and surface pressure ridges. The prominent kilometer-high Vøring Escarpment was developed when landward flowing lava met the ocean, developing an extensive foreset bedded hyaloclastite delta. Later, a pitted surface was developed in the west during lava emplacement in a wet environment during subsidence of the central rift valley. Earliest Eocene sediments were subsequently deposited on the marginal high. Well-defined northeast trending faults are imaged on the marginal high, cutting across the escarpment. Spacing of the faults is ca. 400-500 m, and offsets are typically of ca. 30-50 m, often defining graben structures. The faults further offset the overlying earliest Eocene sequences in a number of examples. Based on the well ties, faulting mainly took place 5-10 m.y. after continental breakup near the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. Our hypothesis is that the faulting is related to strain partitioning across the developing Vøring Transform Margin. Plate tectonic constraints show that there was an active continent-continent transform in this region also for 10-15 m.y. after breakup. The transform margin is a linear, northwest trending structure, with

In vitro marginal fit of three all-ceramic crown systems.

PubMed

Yeo, In-Sung; Yang, Jae-Ho; Lee, Jai-Bong

2003-11-01

Studies on marginal discrepancies of single restorations using various systems and materials have resulted in statistical inferences that are ambiguous because of small sample sizes and limited numbers of measurements per specimen. The purpose of this study was to compare the marginal adaptation of single anterior restorations made using different systems. The in vitro marginal discrepancies of 3 different all-ceramic crown systems (Celay In-Ceram, conventional In-Ceram, and IPS Empress 2 layering technique), and a control group of metal ceramic restorations were evaluated and compared by measuring the gap dimension between the crowns and the prepared tooth at the marginal opening. The crowns were made for 1 extracted maxillary central incisor prepared with a 1-mm shoulder margin and 6-degree tapered walls by milling. Thirty crowns per system were fabricated. Crown measurements were recorded with an optical microscope, with an accuracy of +/-0.1 microm, at 50 points spaced approximately 400 microm along the circumferential margin. The criterion of 120 microm was used as the maximum clinically acceptable marginal gap. Mean gap dimensions and standard deviations were calculated for marginal opening. The data were analyzed with a 1-way analysis of variance (alpha=.05). Mean gap dimensions and standard deviations at the marginal opening for the incisor crowns were 87 +/- 34 microm for control, 83 +/- 33 microm for Celay In-Ceram, 112 +/- 55 microm for conventional In-Ceram, and 46 +/- 16 microm for the IPS Empress 2 layering technique. Significant differences were found among the crown groups (P<.05). Compared with the control group, the IPS Empress 2 group had significantly smaller marginal discrepancies (P<.05), and the conventional In-Ceram group exhibited significantly greater marginal discrepancies (P<.05). There was no significant difference between the Celay In-Ceram and the control group. Within the limitations of this study, the marginal discrepancies were all

Identifying technology innovations for marginalized smallholders-A conceptual approach.

PubMed

Malek, Mohammad Abdul; Gatzweiler, Franz W; Von Braun, Joachim

2017-05-01

This paper adds a contribution in the existing literature in terms of theoretical and conceptual background for the identification of idle potentials of marginal rural areas and people by means of technological and institutional innovations. The approach follows ex-ante assessment for identifying suitable technology and institutional innovations for marginalized smallholders in marginal areas-divided into three main parts (mapping, surveying and evaluating) and several steps. Finally, it contributes to the inclusion of marginalized smallholders by an improved way of understanding the interactions between technology needs, farming systems, ecological resources and poverty characteristics in the different segments of the poor, and to link these insights with productivity enhancing technologies.

Mechanical clearance of red blood cells by the human spleen: Potential therapeutic applications of a biomimetic RBC filtration method.

PubMed

Duez, J; Holleran, J P; Ndour, P A; Pionneau, C; Diakité, S; Roussel, C; Dussiot, M; Amireault, P; Avery, V M; Buffet, P A

2015-08-01

During their lifespan, circulating RBC are frequently checked for their deformability. This mechanical quality control operates essentially in the human spleen. RBC unable to squeeze though narrow splenic slits are retained and cleared from the blood circulation. Under physiological conditions this prevents microvessels from being clogged by senescent, rigid RBC. Retention of poorly deformable RBC is an important determinant of pathogenesis in malaria and may also impact the clinical benefit of transfusion. Modulating the splenic retention of RBC has already been proposed to support therapeutic approaches in these research fields. To this aim, the development of microplates for high throughput filtration of RBC through microsphere layers (microplate-based microsphiltration) has been undertaken. This review focuses on potential therapeutic applications provided by this technology in malaria chemotherapy and transfusion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Analysis of System Margins on Missions Utilizing Solar Electric Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oh, David Y.; Landau, Damon; Randolph, Thomas; Timmerman, Paul; Chase, James; Sims, Jon; Kowalkowski, Theresa

2008-01-01

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has conducted a study focused on the analysis of appropriate margins for deep space missions using solar electric propulsion (SEP). The purpose of this study is to understand the links between disparate system margins (power, mass, thermal, etc.) and their impact on overall mission performance and robustness. It is determined that the various sources of uncertainty and risk associated with electric propulsion mission design can be summarized into three relatively independent parameters 1) EP Power Margin, 2) Propellant Margin and 3) Duty Cycle Margin. The overall relationship between these parameters and other major sources of uncertainty is presented. A detailed trajectory analysis is conducted to examine the impact that various assumptions related to power, duty cycle, destination, and thruster performance including missed thrust periods have on overall performance. Recommendations are presented for system margins for deep space missions utilizing solar electric propulsion.

Heavy drinking, impulsivity and attentional narrowing following alcohol cue exposure.

PubMed

Hicks, Joshua A; Fields, Sherecce; Davis, William E; Gable, Philip A

2015-08-01

Research shows that alcohol-related stimuli have the propensity to capture attention among individuals motivated to consume alcohol. Research has further demonstrated that impulsive individuals are especially prone to this type of attentional bias. Recently, it is suggested that alcohol cue exposure can also produce a general narrowing of attention consistent with the activation of approach motivational states. Based on previous models of addiction and recent research on the activation of approach motivational states, we predicted that impulsive individuals would demonstrate a constriction of attentional focus in response to alcohol cue exposure. Participants (n = 392) completed a task assessing attentional breadth in response to alcohol and non-alcohol cues, followed by measures of alcohol use and impulsivity. The findings revealed that impulsivity scores predicted narrowing of attentional scope following the presentation of alcohol cues for heavier drinkers but not for light drinkers. These results suggest that impulsive individuals who drink more heavily demonstrate a narrowing of attention in the presence of alcohol-related incentive cues. Implications for how these findings might account for the link between impulsivity and alcohol use and misuse are discussed.

High power narrow-band fiber-based ASE source.

PubMed

Schmidt, O; Rekas, M; Wirth, C; Rothhardt, J; Rhein, S; Kliner, A; Strecker, M; Schreiber, T; Limpert, J; Eberhardt, R; Tünnermann, A

2011-02-28

In this paper we describe a high power narrow-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light source at 1030 nm center wavelength generated in an Yb-doped fiber-based experimental setup. By cutting a small region out of a broadband ASE spectrum using two fiber Bragg gratings a strongly constrained bandwidth of 12±2 pm (3.5±0.6 GHz) is formed. A two-stage high power fiber amplifier system is used to boost the output power up to 697 W with a measured beam quality of M2≤1.34. In an additional experiment we demonstrate a stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) suppression of at least 17 dB (theoretically predicted ~20 dB), which is only limited by the dynamic range of the measurement and not by the onset of SBS when using the described light source. The presented narrow-band ASE source could be of great interest for brightness scaling applications by beam combination, where SBS is known as a limiting factor.

Narrow-band radio flares from red dwarf stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Stephen M.; Kundu, Mukul R.; Jackson, Peter D.

1986-01-01

VLA observations of narrow-band behavior in 20 cm flares from two red dwarf stars, L726 - 8A and AD Leo, are reported. The flare on L726 - 8A was observed at 1415 and 1515 MHz; the flux and the evolution differed significantly at the two frequencies. The flare on AD Leo lasted for 2 hr at 1415 MHz but did not appear at 1515 MHz. The AD Leo flare appears to rule out a source drifting through the stellar corona and is unlikely to be due to plasma emission. In the cyclotron maser model the narrow-band behavior reflects the range of magnetic fields present within the source. The apparent constancy of this field for 2 hr is difficult to understand if magnetic reconnection is the source of energy for the flare. The consistent polarization exhibited by red dwarf flares at 20 cm may be related to stellar activity cycles, and changes in this polarization will permit measuring the length of these cycles.

Omnidirectional narrow optical filters for circularly polarized light in a nanocomposite structurally chiral medium.

PubMed

Avendaño, Carlos G; Palomares, Laura O

2018-04-20

We consider the propagation of electromagnetic waves throughout a nanocomposite structurally chiral medium consisting of metallic nanoballs randomly dispersed in a structurally chiral material whose dielectric properties can be represented by a resonant effective uniaxial tensor. It is found that an omnidirectional narrow pass band and two omnidirectional narrow band gaps are created in the blue optical spectrum for right and left circularly polarized light, as well as narrow reflection bands for right circularly polarized light that can be controlled by varying the light incidence angle and the filling fraction of metallic inclusions.

The Structure of A Pacific Narrow Cold Frontal Rainband

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jorgensen, David P.; Pu, Zhaoxia; Persson, Ola; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A NOAA P-3 instrumented aircraft observed an intense, fast-moving narrow cold frontal Farmhand as it approached the Pacific Northwest coast on 19 February 2001 during the Pacific Coastal Jets Experiment. Pseudo-dual-Doppler analyses performed on the airborne Doppler radar data while the frontal system was well offshore indicated that a narrow ribbon of very high radar reflectively convective cores characterized the Farmhand at low levels with echo tops to approximately 4-5 km. The NCFR exhibited gaps in its narrow ribbon of high reflectively, probably as a result of hydrodynamic instability all no its advancing cold pool leading edge. In contrast to some earlier studies of cold frontal rainbands, density current theory described well the motion of the overall front. The character of the updraft structure associated with the heavy rainfall at its leading edge varied across the gap region. The vertical shear of the cross-frontal low-level ambient flow exerted a strong influence on the updraft character, consistent with theoretical arguments developed for squall lines describing the balance of vorticity at the leading edge. In short regions south of the gaps the vertical wind shear was strongest with the updrafts and rain shafts more intense, narrower, and more erect or even downshear tilted. North of the gaps the wind shear weakened with less intense Dihedrals which tilted upshear with a broader band of rainfall. Simulations using a nonhydrostatic mesoscale nested grid model are used to investigate the gap regions, particularly the balance of cold pool induced to pre-frontal ambient shears at the leading edge. Observations confirm the model results that the updraft character depends on the balance of vorticity at the leading edge. Downshear-tilted updrafts imply that convection south of the gap regions would weaken with time relative to the frontal segments north of the gaps since inflow air would be affected by passage through the heavy rain region before ascent

Narrow Networks On The Health Insurance Marketplaces: Prevalence, Pricing, And The Cost Of Network Breadth.

PubMed

Dafny, Leemore S; Hendel, Igal; Marone, Victoria; Ody, Christopher

2017-09-01

Anecdotal reports and systematic research highlight the prevalence of narrow-network plans on the Affordable Care Act's health insurance Marketplaces. At the same time, Marketplace premiums in the period 2014-16 were much lower than projected by the Congressional Budget Office in 2009. Using detailed data on the breadth of both hospital and physician networks, we studied the prevalence of narrow networks and quantified the association between network breadth and premiums. Controlling for many potentially confounding factors, we found that a plan with narrow physician and hospital networks was 16 percent cheaper than a plan with broad networks for both, and that narrowing the breadth of just one type of network was associated with a 6-9 percent decrease in premiums. Narrow-network plans also have a sizable impact on federal outlays, as they depress the premium of the second-lowest-price silver plan, to which subsidy amounts are linked. Holding all else constant, we estimate that federal subsidies would have been 10.8 percent higher in 2014 had Marketplaces required all plans to offer broad provider networks. Narrow networks are a promising source of potential savings for other segments of the commercial insurance market. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Stroke: a Hidden Danger of Margin Trading in Stock Markets.

PubMed

Lin, Shu-Hui; Wang, Chien-Ho; Liu, Tsai-Ching; Chen, Chin-Shyan

2015-10-01

Using 10-year population data from 2000 through 2009 in Taiwan, this is the first paper to analyze the relationship between margin trading in stock markets and stroke hospitalizations. The results show that 3 and 6 days after an increase of margin trading in the Taiwan stock markets are associated with greater stoke hospitalizations. In general, a 1 % increase in total margin trading positions is associated with an increment of 2.5 in the total number of stroke hospitalizations, where the mean number of hospital admissions is 233 cases a day. We further examine the effects of margin trading by gender and age groups and find that the effects of margin trading are significant for males and those who are 45-74 years old only. In summary, buying stocks with money you do not have is quite risky, especially if the prices of those stocks fall past a certain level or if there is a sudden and severe drop in the stock market. There is also a hidden danger to one's health from margin trading. A person should be cautious before conducting margin trading, because while it can be quite profitable, danger always lurks just around the corner.

Narrow-angle Astrometry with SUSI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kok, Y.; Ireland, M. J.; Robertson, J. G.; Tuthill, P. G.; Warrington, B. A.; Tango, W. J.

2014-09-01

SUSI (Sydney University Stellar Interferometer) is currently being fitted with a 2nd beam combiner, MUSCA (Micro-arcsecond University of Sydney Companion Astrometry), for the purpose of narrow-angle astrometry. With an aim to achieve ˜10 micro-arcseconds of angular resolution at its best, MUSCA allows SUSI to search for planets around bright binary stars, which are its primary targets. While the first beam combiner, PAVO (Precision Astronomical Visible Observations), is used to track stellar fringes during an observation, MUSCA will be used to measure separations of binary stars. MUSCA is a Michelson interferometer and its setup at SUSI will be described in this poster.

Uplift history of a transform continental margin revealed by the stratigraphic record: The case of the Agulhas transform margin along the Southern African Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baby, Guillaume; Guillocheau, François; Boulogne, Carl; Robin, Cécile; Dall'Asta, Massimo

2018-04-01

The south and southeast coast of southern Africa (from 28°S to 33°S) forms a high-elevated transform passive margin bounded to the east by the Agulhas-Falkland Fracture Zone (AFFZ). We analysed the stratigraphic record of the Outeniqua and Durban (Thekwini) Basins, located on the African side of the AFFZ, to determine the evolution of these margins from the rifting stage to present-day. The goal was to reconstruct the strike-slip evolution of the Agulhas Margin and the uplift of the inland high-elevation South African Plateau. The Agulhas transform passive margin results from four successive stages: Rifting stage, from Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous ( 200?-134 Ma), punctuated by three successive rifting episodes related to the Gondwana breakup; Wrench stage (134-131 Ma), evidenced by strike- and dip-slip deformations increasing toward the AFFZ; Active transform margin stage (131-92 Ma), during which the Falkland/Malvinas Plateau drifts away along the AFFZ, with an uplift of the northeastern part of the Outeniqua Basin progressively migrating toward the west; Thermal subsidence stage (92-0 Ma), marked by a major change in the configuration of the margin (onset of the shelf-break passive margin morphology). Two main periods of uplift were documented during the thermal subsidence stage of the Agulhas Margin: (1) a 92 Ma short-lived margin-scale uplift, followed by a second one at 76 Ma located along the Outeniqua Basin and; (2) a long-lasting uplift from 40 to 15 Ma limited to the Durban (Thekwini) Basin. This suggests that the South African Plateau is an old Upper Cretaceous relief (90-70 Ma) reactivated during Late Eocene to Early Miocene times (40-15 Ma).

Relationship between relative lens position and appositional closure in eyes with narrow angles.

PubMed

Otori, Yasumasa; Tomita, Yuki; Hamamoto, Ayumi; Fukui, Kanae; Usui, Shinichi; Tatebayashi, Misako

2011-03-01

To investigate the relationship between relative lens position (RLP) and appositional closure in eyes with narrow angles. Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) was used to measure anterior chamber depth (ACD) and lens thickness (LT), and the IOLMaster to measure axial length (AL). The number of quadrants with appositional closure was assessed by UBM under dark conditions. The RLP was calculated thus: RLP = 10 × (ACD + 0.5 LT) /AL. This study comprised 30 consecutive patients (30 eyes) with narrow-angle eyes defined as Shaffer grade 2 or lower and without peripheral anterior synechiae (24 women, 6 men; mean age ± SD, 67.3 ± 10.4 years; range, 42-87 years). Under dark conditions, 66.7% of the eyes with narrow angles showed appositional closure in at least one quadrant. Of the various ocular biometric parameters, only the RLP significantly decreased with appositional closure in at least one quadrant (P = 0.005). A decrease in the RLP can be predictive of appositional closure for narrow-angle eyes under dark conditions.

The Ebro margin study, northwestern Mediterranean Sea - an introduction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maldonado, A.; Hans, Nelson C.

1990-01-01

The Ebro continental margin from the coast to the deep sea off northeastern Spain was selected for a multidisciplinary project because of the abundant Ebro River sediment supply, Pliocene and Quaternary progradation, and margin development in a restricted basin where a variety of controlling factors could be evaluated. The nature of this young passive margin for the last 5 m.y. was investigated with particular emphasis on marine circulation, sediment dynamics, sediment geochemistry, depositional facies, seismic stratigraphy, geotechnical properties, geological hazards and human influences. These studies show the importance of marine circulation, variation in sediment supply, sea-level oscillation and tectonic setting for the understanding of modern and ancient margin depositional processes and growth patterns. ?? 1990.

Marginal oil fields, profitable oil at low reserves: How?

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

Agiza, M.N.; Shaheen, S.E.; Barawi, S.A.

1995-12-31

Fields with recoverable reserves of about five million barrels of oil are considered in Egypt as marginal fields. Economics of Egyptian marginal oil fields depend on non-traditional approaches followed in developing and operating such fields. The actual exploration, development and operating expenses and state fiscal terms were used to evaluate the sensitivity of the economic parameters of such marginal fields. The operator net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) beside the government take are presented for different parameters used. The purpose is to make acceptable profits out of the marginal oil fields, for the mutual benefits ofmore » both the country and the investors.« less

Effect of narrow band nonuniformity on unsteady heat up of water vapor under radiation-conduction combined heat transfer

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

Okamoto, Tatsuyuki; Tanaka, Tomohiro; Morimune, Atsushi

Effect of narrow band nonuniformity on unsteady heat up process of water vapor under radiation-conduction combined heat transfer is examined by comparing the result of numerical simulations with and without incorporation of narrow band nonuniformity. The authors propose a rational and comprehensive computational approach for incorporating the narrow band nonuniformity into numerical simulations of radiative heat transfer when the considered field is nonisothermal. Results of examination exhibited that the contribution of radiative heat transfer to the heat up rate of water vapor may be almost twice overestimated, if the narrow band nonuniformity effect is neglected. Separate analyses of radiative energymore » attributed to wall emission and gas emission clarified that the absorption of wall emission is overestimated and, on the contrary, the absorption of radiation energy emitted by water vapor itself is underestimated if the narrow band nonuniformity is neglected. The reason why such over- or under-estimation is induced is understood by examining the influence of line overlap parameter on the transmittance averaged within a narrow band. Smaller value of line overlap parameter {gamma}/d means more violent narrow band nonuniformity. The broken lines show the narrow band transmittance for flat incident power spectrum, and the solid lines show that for the radiative emission from the absorbing gas itself. It is also clarified that the disregard of the narrow band nonuniformity give rise to serious error in the estimation of absorption rate of wall and gas emission even in the case where the disregard of narrow band nonuniformity bring little change to the temperature distribution. The results illustrated in this paper suggest that the narrow band nonuniformity should not be neglected.« less

Margins in extra-abdominal desmoid tumors: a comparative analysis.

PubMed

Leithner, Andreas; Gapp, Markus; Leithner, Katharina; Radl, Roman; Krippl, Peter; Beham, Alfred; Windhager, Reinhard

2004-06-01

The main treatment of extra-abdominal desmoid tumors remains surgery, but recurrence rates up to 80% are reported. The impact of microscopic surgical margin status according to the Enneking classification system is discussed controversially. Therefore, the authors screened the published literature for reliable data on the importance of a wide or radical excision of extra-abdominal desmoid tumors. All studies with more than ten patients, a surgical treatment only, and margin status stated were included. Only 12 out of 49 identified studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. One hundred fifty-two primary tumors were excised with wide or radical microscopic surgical margins, while in 260 cases a marginal or intralesional excision was performed. In the first group 41 patients (27%) and in the second one 187 patients (72%) developed a recurrence. Therefore, microscopic surgical margin status according to the Enneking classification system is a significant prognostic factor (P < 0.001). The data of this review underline the strategy of a wide or radical local excision as the treatment of choice. Furthermore, as a large number of studies had to be excluded from this analysis, exact microscopic surgical margin status should be provided in future studies in order to allow comparability. . Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Volcanic passive margins: another way to break up continents

PubMed Central

Geoffroy, L.; Burov, E. B.; Werner, P.

2015-01-01

Two major types of passive margins are recognized, i.e. volcanic and non-volcanic, without proposing distinctive mechanisms for their formation. Volcanic passive margins are associated with the extrusion and intrusion of large volumes of magma, predominantly mafic, and represent distinctive features of Larges Igneous Provinces, in which regional fissural volcanism predates localized syn-magmatic break-up of the lithosphere. In contrast with non-volcanic margins, continentward-dipping detachment faults accommodate crustal necking at both conjugate volcanic margins. These faults root on a two-layer deformed ductile crust that appears to be partly of igneous nature. This lower crust is exhumed up to the bottom of the syn-extension extrusives at the outer parts of the margin. Our numerical modelling suggests that strengthening of deep continental crust during early magmatic stages provokes a divergent flow of the ductile lithosphere away from a central continental block, which becomes thinner with time due to the flow-induced mechanical erosion acting at its base. Crustal-scale faults dipping continentward are rooted over this flowing material, thus isolating micro-continents within the future oceanic domain. Pure-shear type deformation affects the bulk lithosphere at VPMs until continental breakup, and the geometry of the margin is closely related to the dynamics of an active and melting mantle. PMID:26442807

Volcanic passive margins: another way to break up continents.

PubMed

Geoffroy, L; Burov, E B; Werner, P

2015-10-07

Two major types of passive margins are recognized, i.e. volcanic and non-volcanic, without proposing distinctive mechanisms for their formation. Volcanic passive margins are associated with the extrusion and intrusion of large volumes of magma, predominantly mafic, and represent distinctive features of Larges Igneous Provinces, in which regional fissural volcanism predates localized syn-magmatic break-up of the lithosphere. In contrast with non-volcanic margins, continentward-dipping detachment faults accommodate crustal necking at both conjugate volcanic margins. These faults root on a two-layer deformed ductile crust that appears to be partly of igneous nature. This lower crust is exhumed up to the bottom of the syn-extension extrusives at the outer parts of the margin. Our numerical modelling suggests that strengthening of deep continental crust during early magmatic stages provokes a divergent flow of the ductile lithosphere away from a central continental block, which becomes thinner with time due to the flow-induced mechanical erosion acting at its base. Crustal-scale faults dipping continentward are rooted over this flowing material, thus isolating micro-continents within the future oceanic domain. Pure-shear type deformation affects the bulk lithosphere at VPMs until continental breakup, and the geometry of the margin is closely related to the dynamics of an active and melting mantle.

Computational modeling of magnetic particle margination within blood flow through LAMMPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Huilin; Shen, Zhiqiang; Li, Ying

2017-11-01

We develop a multiscale and multiphysics computational method to investigate the transport of magnetic particles as drug carriers in blood flow under influence of hydrodynamic interaction and external magnetic field. A hybrid coupling method is proposed to handle red blood cell (RBC)-fluid interface (CFI) and magnetic particle-fluid interface (PFI), respectively. Immersed boundary method (IBM)-based velocity coupling is used to account for CFI, which is validated by tank-treading and tumbling behaviors of a single RBC in simple shear flow. While PFI is captured by IBM-based force coupling, which is verified through movement of a single magnetic particle under non-uniform external magnetic field and breakup of a magnetic chain in rotating magnetic field. These two components are seamlessly integrated within the LAMMPS framework, which is a highly parallelized molecular dynamics solver. In addition, we also implement a parallelized lattice Boltzmann simulator within LAMMPS to handle the fluid flow simulation. Based on the proposed method, we explore the margination behaviors of magnetic particles and magnetic chains within blood flow. We find that the external magnetic field can be used to guide the motion of these magnetic materials and promote their margination to the vascular wall region. Moreover, the scaling performance and speedup test further confirm the high efficiency and robustness of proposed computational method. Therefore, it provides an efficient way to simulate the transport of nanoparticle-based drug carriers within blood flow in a large scale. The simulation results can be applied in the design of efficient drug delivery vehicles that optimally accumulate within diseased tissue, thus providing better imaging sensitivity, therapeutic efficacy and lower toxicity.

Structure of the North American Atlantic Continental Margin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klitgord, K. K.; Schlee, J. S.

1986-01-01

Offers explanations on the origin of the North American Atlantic continental margin. Provides an analysis and illustrations of structural and strategraphic elements of cross sections of the Atlantic continental margin. Also explains the operations and applications of seismic-relection profiles in studying ocean areas. (ML)

[Banff score changes in kidneys from marginal donors].

PubMed

Borda, Bernadett; Szederkényi, Edit; Ottlakán, Aurél; Kemény, Éva; Szabó, Viktor; Hódi, Zoltán; Lázár, György

2016-02-21

Despite an increase in the number of cadaver donors and the number of overall organ transplantations, the dramatic increase in the waiting list makes it necessary to reconsider donor criteria. The authors examined whether differences could exist in the function and/or morphology of transplanted kidneys originated from marginal and ideal donors one and five years after transplantation. Kidney function and histopathologic findings were analysed and compared one and 5 years after transplantation in 97 patients having marginal donor kidneys and 178 patients who received ideal donor kidneys. Serum creatinine level was significantly higher (p = 0.0001) and estimated glomerular filtration rate was significantly lower (p = 0.003) in patients having marginal donor kidneys as compared to those with ideal donor kidneys 5 years after transplantation. Morphological changes in the transplanted kidneys such as tubulitis (p = 0.014) and interstitial inflammation (p = 0.025) were significantly more frequently present in patients with marginal donor kidneys than in those with ideal donor kidneys one year after transplantation. Despite an absence of differences in kidney function one year after kidney transplantation between patients having marginal and ideal donor kidneys, morphologic differences in the transplanted kidneys can be detected between the two groups of patients.

Influence of Different Ceramic Systems on Marginal Misfit.

PubMed

Vargas, S P; Neves, A C C; Vitti, R; Amaral, M; Henrique, M N; Silva-Concílio, L R

2017-09-01

the aim of this study was to evaluate the marginal misfit at the interface between a ceramic coping and its abutment. Twenty-four specimens were made with solid abutments. The specimens were divided into 3 groups according to the ceramic system (n = 8): Lava (zirconia), IPS e.max Press (lithium disilicate), and IPS Empress Esthetic (leucite). All copings were cemented with resin luting agent (RelyX U200) and the marginal misfit were evaluated at 3 different times: initial, after cementation, and after mechanical cycling using a linear measuring microscope (Measuring Microscope STM-Olympus) at a magnification of 40x. All specimens were subjected to mechanical cycling (1 million cycles) by an universal testing machine (Instron 8800). The results were statistically analyzed using Analysis of Variance and Student's t-test (α = 0.05). all groups showed an increase in the marginal misfit after cementation. The lithium disilicate group demonstrated the lowest interacial gap values at each evaluation (p = 0.001). The zirconia and leucite groups showed similar interfacial gap values (initial, p = 0.244; and post cementation, p = 0.751). the cementation increase the marginal misfit, but the mechanical cycling did not influence the marginal misfit of the ceramics systems evaluated. Copyright© 2017 Dennis Barber Ltd.

37 CFR 1.52 - Language, paper, writing, margins, compact disc specifications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... cm (3/4 inch), a left side margin of at least 2.5 cm (1 inch), a right side margin of at least 2.0 cm... brackets should appear to the right of the left margin as the first item in each paragraph, before the... elements, and should not be independently numbered. If a nontext element extends to the left margin, it...

Study of a safety margin system for powered-lift STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heffley, R. K.; Jewell, W. F.

1978-01-01

A study was conducted to explore the feasibility of a safety margin system for powered-lift aircraft which require a backside piloting technique. The objective of the safety margin system was to present multiple safety margin criteria as a single variable which could be tracked manually or automatically and which could be monitored for the purpose of deriving safety margin status. The study involved a pilot-in-the-loop analysis of several safety margin system concepts and a simulation experiment to evaluate those concepts which showed promise of providing a good solution. A system was ultimately configured which offered reasonable compromises in controllability, status information content, and the ability to regulate the safety margin at some expense of the allowable low speed flight path envelope.

Supervised linear dimensionality reduction with robust margins for object recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dornaika, F.; Assoum, A.

2013-01-01

Linear Dimensionality Reduction (LDR) techniques have been increasingly important in computer vision and pattern recognition since they permit a relatively simple mapping of data onto a lower dimensional subspace, leading to simple and computationally efficient classification strategies. Recently, many linear discriminant methods have been developed in order to reduce the dimensionality of visual data and to enhance the discrimination between different groups or classes. Many existing linear embedding techniques relied on the use of local margins in order to get a good discrimination performance. However, dealing with outliers and within-class diversity has not been addressed by margin-based embedding method. In this paper, we explored the use of different margin-based linear embedding methods. More precisely, we propose to use the concepts of Median miss and Median hit for building robust margin-based criteria. Based on such margins, we seek the projection directions (linear embedding) such that the sum of local margins is maximized. Our proposed approach has been applied to the problem of appearance-based face recognition. Experiments performed on four public face databases show that the proposed approach can give better generalization performance than the classic Average Neighborhood Margin Maximization (ANMM). Moreover, thanks to the use of robust margins, the proposed method down-grades gracefully when label outliers contaminate the training data set. In particular, we show that the concept of Median hit was crucial in order to get robust performance in the presence of outliers.

Marginal adaptation of composite resins under two adhesive techniques.

PubMed

Dačić, Stefan; Veselinović, Aleksandar M; Mitić, Aleksandar; Nikolić, Marija; Cenić, Milica; Dačić-Simonović, Dragica

2016-11-01

In the present research, different adhesive techniques were used to set up fillings with composite resins. After the application of etch and rinse or self etch adhesive technique, marginal adaptation of composite fillings was estimated by the length of margins without gaps, and by the microretention of resin in enamel and dentin. The study material consisted of 40 extracted teeth. Twenty Class V cavities were treated with 35% phosphorous acid and restored after rinsing by Adper Single Bond 2 and Filtek Ultimate-ASB/FU 3M ESPE composite system. The remaining 20 cavities were restored by Adper Easy One-AEO/FU 3M ESPE composite system. Marginal adaptation of composite fillings was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The etch and rinse adhesive technique showed a significantly higher percentage of margin length without gaps (in enamel: 92.5%, in dentin: 57.3%), compared with the self-etch technique with lower percentage of margin length without gaps, in enamel 70.4% (p < .001), and in dentin-22.6% (p < .05). In the first technique, microretention was composed of adhesive and hybrid layers as well as resin tugs in interprismatic spaces of enamel, while the dentin microretention was composed of adhesive and hybrid layers with resin tugs in dentin canals. In the second technique, resin tugs were rarely seen and a microgap was dominant along the border of restoration margins. The SEM analysis showed a better marginal adaptation of composite resin to enamel and dentin with better microretention when the etch and rinse adhesive procedure was applied. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Influence of margin segmentation and anomalous volcanism upon the break-up of the Hatton Bank rifted margin, west of the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, G. M.; Parson, L. M.

2007-12-01

The Hatton Bank margin, flanking the Iceland Basin is a widely cited example of a volcanic rifted margin. Prior to this study insights into the break-up history of the margin have been limited to profiles in the north and south, yet whilst valuable, the along margin tectono-magmatic variability has not been revealed. Over 5660 line km of high quality reflection seismic profiles with supplementary multibeam bathymetry were collected to support the UK's claim to Hatton region under the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Integration of this new data with existing profiles, allowed the margin to be divided into three segments, each of which are flanked by oceanic crust with a smooth upper surface and internal dipping reflectors. The southernmost segment is characterised by a series of inner and outer seaward dipping reflector (SDR) packages, which are separated by an outer high feature. The outer SDR are truncated by Endymion Spur, a chain of steep sided, late stage volcanic cones linked with necks. The central sector has no inner SDR package and is characterised by the presence of a highly intruded continental block, the Hatton Bank Block (HBB). The northern sector is adjacent to Lousy Bank, with a wider region of SDR recognised than to the south and a high amount of volcanic cones imaged. The variations in the distribution of the SDR's along the margin, the presence of the HBB and Endymion Spur all suggest that the break-up process was not uniform alongstrike. The division of the margin into three sectors reveals that structural segmentation played an important role in producing the variations along the margin. Break- up initiated in the south and progressed north producing the SDR packages witnessed, when the HBB was encountered the focus of break-up moved seaward of the block. The northern sector was closer to the Iceland Hotspot and hence a greater amount of volcanism is encountered. The smooth oceanic basement also indicates a high thermal flux

[The economic margins of activities of a bovine practitioner on dairy farms].

PubMed

van Genugten, A J M; van Haaften, J A; Hogeveen, H

2011-11-01

Because of lower margins and market liberalisation veterinarians and farmers are increasingly negotiating rates. Therefore, the margins of veterinarians are under pressure. In addition, the sales if drugs, performance of operations or giving of advice are more and more separated. These developments give veterinarians uncertainty about the profitability of their activities for dairy farmers. Not much is known about margins on veterinary activities on dairy farms. Moreover, it is interesting to see how much margins of the bovine practitioner differ between veterinary practises and dairy farms. In this study, invoices for bovine activities of 14 veterinary practises were combined with milk production registration data of the dairy farms of these practices. This way, the gross margin per bovine practitioner could be studied for the different veterinary practise. Moreover the relation between gross margin and specification of the veterinary practise could be studied. Finally, the gross margin per dairy farm and the factors that influenced this gross margin were studied. The most important result was the observation that the gross margin per bovine practitioner was dependent on the number of dairy farms per practitioner, the margin on drugs and the region of the veterinary practise. The size of the veterinary practise, the share of the dairy farming within the practise and the source of the gross margin (drugs, time or operations) did not influence the gross margin. Variables that explained the gross margin per dairy farm were, amongst others, the number of dairy cows, the milk production level of the farms and participation in PIR-DAP (a system to support the veterinarians herd health and management program). There is no relation of gross margin per dairy farm and the veterinary practise or region.

Narrow band imaging versus autofluorescence imaging for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma detection: a prospective study.

PubMed

Ni, X-G; Zhang, Q-Q; Wang, G-Q

2016-11-01

This study aimed to compare the diagnostic effectiveness of narrow band imaging and autofluorescence imaging for malignant laryngopharyngeal tumours. Between May 2010 and October 2010, 50 consecutive patients with suspected laryngopharyngeal tumour underwent endoscopic laryngopharynx examination. The morphological characteristics of laryngopharyngeal lesions were analysed using high performance endoscopic systems equipped with narrow band imaging and autofluorescence imaging modes. The diagnostic effectiveness of white light image, narrow band imaging and autofluorescence imaging endoscopy for benign and malignant laryngopharyngeal lesions was evaluated. Under narrow band imaging endoscopy, the superficial microvessels of squamous cell carcinomas appeared as dark brown spots or twisted cords. Under autofluorescence imaging endoscopy, malignant lesions appeared as bright purple. The sensitivity of malignant lesion diagnosis was not significantly different between narrow band imaging and autofluorescence imaging modes, but was better than for white light image endoscopy (χ2 = 12.676, p = 0.002). The diagnostic specificity was significantly better in narrow band imaging mode than in both autofluorescence imaging and white light imaging mode (χ2 = 8.333, p = 0.016). Narrow band imaging endoscopy is the best option for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal tumours.

Narrow-field-of-view bathymetrical lidar: theory and field test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feygels, Viktor I.; Wright, C. Wayne; Kopilevich, Yuri I.; Surkov, Alexey I.

2003-11-01

The purpose of this paper is to derive a reliable theory to predict the performance of a narrow-FOV bathymetric lidar. A fundamental discrepancy between the theoretical estimate and experimental results was the inspiration for the work presented here Meeting oceanographic mapping requirements is a critically important goal for littoral laser bathymetry. In contrast to traditional airborne lidar system which are optimized for recovering signals from the deepest possible waters , the above challenge may be met with a radical narrowing to the lidar transmit beam and receiver field of view (FOV) employed in EAARL (Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar, NASA). In this paper we discuss theoretical analysis carried out on the basis of a sophisticated "multiple-forward scattering and single-backscattering model" for lidar return signals allows a quantitative estimation of the advantages of a narrow-FOV system over traditional bathymetric lidars (SHOALS-400, SHOALS-100, LADS Mk II) when used in clear shallow-water cases. Some of those advantages are: ¸ Increase in bottom definition (or reduced false-alarm probability) due to the enhanced contrast of the bottom return over the background backscatter from the water column, ¸ Enhancement in depth measurement accuracy resulting from narrower bottom return pulse width, ¸ Reduction of post-surface return effects in the lidar photo-multiplier detector due to a more rapid decay of water column backscatter, ¸ Greatly improved rejection of ambient light permitting lidar operations in all zenith sun angles and flight directions. The model computations make it possible to estimate the maximal operational depth for the system under consideration by the implementation of statistical theory of detectability. These computations depend on the prevailing seawater optical properties and lidar parameters. The theoretical predictions are compared with results obtained in the field test of the EAARL system carried out in Florida Keys

Helping Students on the Margin Succeed in Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langenfeld, Michelle Schoen; Cumming, Brenda

1996-01-01

Addresses how Apple Valley High School (Minnesota) has been able to help marginal students succeed in school. The fundamental actions that contributed to the effectiveness of study-team efforts to help marginal students are discussed, and what has been learned through these efforts is considered. (GR)

Quantum fluctuations increase the self-diffusive motion of para-hydrogen in narrow carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Piotr; Gauden, Piotr A; Terzyk, Artur P; Furmaniak, Sylwester

2011-05-28

Quantum fluctuations significantly increase the self-diffusive motion of para-hydrogen adsorbed in narrow carbon nanotubes at 30 K comparing to its classical counterpart. Rigorous Feynman's path integral calculations reveal that self-diffusive motion of para-hydrogen in a narrow (6,6) carbon nanotube at 30 K and pore densities below ∼29 mmol cm(-3) is one order of magnitude faster than the classical counterpart. We find that the zero-point energy and tunneling significantly smoothed out the free energy landscape of para-hydrogen molecules adsorbed in a narrow (6,6) carbon nanotube. This promotes a delocalization of the confined para-hydrogen at 30 K (i.e., population of unclassical paths due to quantum effects). Contrary the self-diffusive motion of classical para-hydrogen molecules in a narrow (6,6) carbon nanotube at 30 K is very slow. This is because classical para-hydrogen molecules undergo highly correlated movement when their collision diameter approached the carbon nanotube size (i.e., anomalous diffusion in quasi-one dimensional pores). On the basis of current results we predict that narrow single-walled carbon nanotubes are promising nanoporous molecular sieves being able to separate para-hydrogen molecules from mixtures of classical particles at cryogenic temperatures. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2011

Reappraisal of the Therapeutic Role of Celecoxib in Cholangiocarcinoma

PubMed Central

Juang, Horng-Heng; S. Pang, Jong-Hwei; Yu, Chung-Shan; Lin, Kun-Ju; Yeh, Ta-Sen; Jan, Yi-Yin

2013-01-01

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a lethal disease, affects many thousands worldwide yearly. Surgical resection provides the best chance for a cure; however, only one-third of CCA patients present with a resectable tumour at the time of diagnosis. Currently, no effective chemotherapy is available for advanced CCA. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a potential oncogene expressing in human CCA tissues and represents a candidate target for treatment; however, COX-2 inhibitors increase the risk of negative cardiovascular events as application for chemoprevention aim. Here, we re-evaluated the effectiveness and safety of celecoxib, one widely used COX-2 inhibitor, in treating CCA. We demonstrated that celecoxib exhibited an anti-proliferative effect on CGCCA cells via cell cycle arrest at G2 phase and apoptosis induction. Treatment for 5 weeks high dose celecoxib (160 mg/kg) significantly repressed thioacetamide-induced CCA tumour growth in rats as monitored by animal positron emission tomography through apoptosis induction. No obviously observable side effects were noted during the therapeutic period. As retrospectively reviewing 78 intrahepatic mass-forming CCA patients, their survival was strongly and negatively associated with a positive resection margin and high COX-2 expression. Based on our result, we concluded that short-term high dose celecoxib may be a promising therapeutic regimen for CCA. Yet its clinical application still needs more studies to prove its safety. PMID:23922859

Assessment of atherosclerotic luminal narrowing of coronary arteries based on morphometrically generated visual guides.

PubMed

Barth, Rolf F; Kellough, David A; Allenby, Patricia; Blower, Luke E; Hammond, Scott H; Allenby, Greg M; Buja, L Maximilian

Determination of the degree of stenosis of atherosclerotic coronary arteries is an important part of postmortem examination of the heart, but, unfortunately, estimation of the degree of luminal narrowing can be imprecise and tends to be approximations. Visual guides can be useful to assess this, but earlier attempts to develop such guides did not employ digital technology. Using this approach, we have developed two computer-generated morphometric guides to estimate the degree of luminal narrowing of atherosclerotic coronary arteries. The first is based on symmetric or eccentric circular or crescentic narrowing of the vessel lumen and the second on either slit-like or irregularly shaped narrowing of the vessel lumens. Using the Aperio ScanScope XT at a magnification of 20× we created digital whole-slide images of 20 representative microscopic cross sections of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery, stained with either hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) or Movat's pentachrome stain. These cross sections illustrated a variety of luminal profiles and degrees of stenosis. Three representative types of images were selected and a visual guide was constructed with Adobe Photoshop CS5. Using the "Scale" and "Measurement" tools, we created a series of representations of stenosis with luminal cross sections depicting 20%, 40%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% occlusion of the LAD branch. Four pathologists independently reviewed and scored the degree of atherosclerotic luminal narrowing based on our visual guides. In addition, digital technology was employed to determine the degree of narrowing by measuring the cross-sectional area of the 20 microscopic sections of the vessels, first assuming no narrowing and then comparing this to the percent of narrowing determined by precise measurement. Two of the observers were very experienced general autopsy pathologists, one was a first-year pathology resident on his first rotation on the autopsy service, and the fourth observer was a

Principals' Perceived Supervisory Behaviors Regarding Marginal Teachers in Two States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Range, Bret; Hewitt, Paul; Young, Suzie

2014-01-01

This descriptive study used an online survey to determine how principals in two states viewed the supervision of marginal teachers. Principals ranked their own evaluation of the teacher as the most important factor when identifying marginal teachers and relied on informal methods to diagnose marginal teaching. Female principals rated a majority of…

Solid-State Laser Source of Tunable Narrow-Bandwidth Ultraviolet Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, Lew; Kliner, Dahv A.; Koplow, Jeffrey P.

1998-01-01

A solid-state laser source of tunable and narrow-bandwidth UV light is disclosed. The system relies on light from a diode laser that preferably generates light at infrared frequencies. The light from the seed diode laser is pulse amplified in a light amplifier, and converted into the ultraviolet by frequency tripling, quadrupling, or quintupling the infrared light. The narrow bandwidth, or relatively pure light, of the seed laser is preserved, and the pulse amplifier generates high peak light powers to increase the efficiency of the nonlinear crystals in the frequency conversion stage. Higher output powers may be obtained by adding a fiber amplifier to power amplify the pulsed laser light prior to conversion.

Magnetic Field Generation During the Collision of Narrow Plasma Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakai, Jun-ichi; Kazimura, Yoshihiro; Haruki, Takayuki

1999-06-01

We investigate the dynamics of the collision of narrow plasma clouds,whose transverse dimension is on the order of the electron skin depth.A 2D3V (two dimensions in space and three dimensions in velocity space)particle-in-cell (PIC) collisionless relativistic code is used toshow the generation of a quasi-staticmagnetic field during the collision of narrow plasma clouds both inelectron-ion and electron-positron (pair) plasmas. The localizedstrong magnetic fluxes result in the generation of the charge separationwith complicated structures, which may be sources of electromagneticas well as Langmuir waves. We also present one applicationof this process, which occurs during coalescence of magnetic islandsin a current sheet of pair plasmas.

Therapeutic outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection of differentiated early gastric cancer in a Western endoscopy setting (with video).

PubMed

Emura, Fabian; Mejía, Juan; Donneys, Alberto; Ricaurte, Orlando; Sabbagh, Luis; Giraldo-Cadavid, Luis; Oda, Ichiro; Saito, Yutaka; Osorio, Camilo

2015-11-01

Large multicenter gastric cancer endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) studies conducted at major Japanese institutions have reported en bloc resection, en bloc tumor-free margin resection, and curative resection rates of 92.7% to 96.1%, 82.6% to 94.5%, and 73.6% to 85.4%, respectively, with delayed bleeding and perforation rates of 0.6% to 6.0% and 3.6% to 4.7%, respectively. Although ESD is currently an alternative treatment in some countries, particularly in Asia, it remains uncertain whether ESD therapeutic outcomes in Western endoscopy settings can be comparable to those achieved in Japan. To evaluate the ESD therapeutic outcomes for differentiated early gastric cancer (EGC) in a Western endoscopy setting. Consecutive case series performed by an expertly trained Western endoscopist. Fifty-three patients with 54 lesions. ESD for early gastric cancers (T1) satisfying expanded inclusion criteria. En bloc resection, en bloc tumor-free margin resection, and curative resection rates were 98%, 93%, and 83%, respectively. The delayed bleeding rate was 7%, and the perforation rate was 4%. The mean patient age was 67 years, and the mean tumor size was 19.8 mm, with 54% of the lesions located in the lesser curvature. The median procedure time was 61 minutes, with ESD procedures 60 minutes or longer associated with submucosal fibrosis (P < .001) and tumor size 25 mm or larger (P = .03). In every ESD procedure, both circumferential incision and submucosal dissection were performed by using a single knife. Two of the 4 delayed bleeding cases required surgery, and all perforations were successfully managed by using endoscopic clips. Long-term outcome data are currently unavailable. ESD for differentiated EGC resulted in favorable therapeutic outcomes in a Western endoscopy setting comparable to those achieved at major Japanese institutions. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Constitutional narrowing of the cervical spinal canal. Radiological and clinical findings].

PubMed

Ritter, G; Rittmeyer, K; Hopf, H C

1975-02-21

A constitutional narrowing of the cervical spinal canal was seen in 31 patients with neurological disorders. The ratio of the inner diameter of the spinal canal to the diameter of the vertebral body was smaller than 1 (normal greater than 1). Clinical signs were observed from 45 years upwards where reactivedegenerative changes cause additional narrowing. The majority of patients were male, predominantly heavy manual labourers. There is often a trauma preceding. On myelography multilocular deformations of the spinal subarachnoid space and nerve roots are seen. On the mechanical narrowing of the spinal canal a vascular factor supervenes, caused by exostoses, intervertebral disc protrusions, and fibrosing processes. Clinically a chronic progressive spinal transection syndrome (cervical myelopathy) dominates besides a multilocular root involvement. Posterior column sensibility is predominantly lost. Pain in the extemities and the cervical column is an early symptom. Non-specific CSF changes occur frequently. In case of root involvement the electromyogram is pathological. The prognosis is bad. Operation can only remove reactive processes but not the constitutional anomaly.

Assessment of narrow angles by gonioscopy, Van Herick method and anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Park, Seong Bae; Sung, Kyung Rim; Kang, Sung Yung; Jo, Jung Woo; Lee, Kyoung Sub; Kook, Michael S

2011-07-01

To evaluate anterior chamber (AC) angles using gonioscopy, Van Herick technique and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). One hundred forty-eight consecutive subjects were enrolled. The agreement between any two of three diagnostic methods, gonioscopy, AS-OCT and Van Herick, was calculated in narrow-angle patients. The area under receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUC) for discriminating between narrow and open angles determined by gonioscopy was calculated in all participants for AS-OCT parameter angle opening distance (AOD), angle recess area, trabecular iris surface area and anterior chamber depth (ACD). As a subgroup analysis, capability of AS-OCT parameters for detecting angle closure defined by AS-OCT was assessed in narrow-angle patients. The agreement between the Van Herick method and gonioscopy in detecting angle closure was excellent in narrow angles (κ = 0.80, temporal; κ = 0.82, nasal). However, agreement between gonioscopy and AS-OCT and between the Van Herick method and AS-OCT was poor (κ = 0.11-0.16). Discrimination capability of AS-OCT parameters between open and narrow angles determined by gonioscopy was excellent for all AS-OCT parameters (AUC, temporal: AOD500 = 0.96, nasal: AOD500 = 0.99). The AUCs for detecting angle closure defined by AS-OCT image in narrow angle subjects was good for all AS-OCT parameters (AUC, 0.80-0.94) except for ACD (temporal: ACD = 0.70, nasal: ACD = 0.63). Assessment of narrow angles by gonioscopy and the Van Herick technique showed good agreement, but both measurements revealed poor agreement with AS-OCT. The angle closure detection capability of AS-OCT parameters was excellent; however, it was slightly lower in ACD.

Quantifying Safety Margin Using the Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC)

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

Grabaskas, David; Bucknor, Matthew; Brunett, Acacia

2015-04-26

The Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC), developed by Idaho National Laboratory as part of the Light-Water Reactor Sustainability Project, utilizes a probabilistic safety margin comparison between a load and capacity distribution, rather than a deterministic comparison between two values, as is usually done in best-estimate plus uncertainty analyses. The goal is to determine the failure probability, or in other words, the probability of the system load equaling or exceeding the system capacity. While this method has been used in pilot studies, there has been little work conducted investigating the statistical significance of the resulting failure probability. In particular, it ismore » difficult to determine how many simulations are necessary to properly characterize the failure probability. This work uses classical (frequentist) statistics and confidence intervals to examine the impact in statistical accuracy when the number of simulations is varied. Two methods are proposed to establish confidence intervals related to the failure probability established using a RISMC analysis. The confidence interval provides information about the statistical accuracy of the method utilized to explore the uncertainty space, and offers a quantitative method to gauge the increase in statistical accuracy due to performing additional simulations.« less

Atomic Dynamics in Simple Liquid: de Gennes Narrowing Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Bin; Iwashita, Takuya; Egami, Takeshi

2018-03-01

The de Gennes narrowing phenomenon is frequently observed by neutron or x -ray scattering measurements of the dynamics of complex systems, such as liquids, proteins, colloids, and polymers. The characteristic slowing down of dynamics in the vicinity of the maximum of the total scattering intensity is commonly attributed to enhanced cooperativity. In this Letter, we present an alternative view on its origin through the examination of the time-dependent pair correlation function, the van Hove correlation function, for a model liquid in two, three, and four dimensions. We find that the relaxation time increases monotonically with distance and the dependence on distance varies with dimension. We propose a heuristic explanation of this dependence based on a simple geometrical model. This finding sheds new light on the interpretation of the de Gennes narrowing phenomenon and the α -relaxation time.

33 CFR 117.561 - Kent Island Narrows.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the U.S. Route 50/301 bridge, mile 1.0, Kent Island Narrows, operates as follows: (a) From November 1 through April 30, the draw shall open on signal from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. but need not be opened from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. (b) From May 1 through October 31, the draw shall open on signal on the hour and half-hour...

33 CFR 117.561 - Kent Island Narrows.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the U.S. Route 50/301 bridge, mile 1.0, Kent Island Narrows, operates as follows: (a) From November 1 through April 30, the draw shall open on signal from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. but need not be opened from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. (b) From May 1 through October 31, the draw shall open on signal on the hour and half-hour...

33 CFR 117.561 - Kent Island Narrows.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the U.S. Route 50/301 bridge, mile 1.0, Kent Island Narrows, operates as follows: (a) From November 1 through April 30, the draw shall open on signal from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. but need not be opened from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. (b) From May 1 through October 31, the draw shall open on signal on the hour and half-hour...

33 CFR 117.561 - Kent Island Narrows.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the U.S. Route 50/301 bridge, mile 1.0, Kent Island Narrows, operates as follows: (a) From November 1 through April 30, the draw shall open on signal from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. but need not be opened from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. (b) From May 1 through October 31, the draw shall open on signal on the hour and half-hour...

33 CFR 117.561 - Kent Island Narrows.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the U.S. Route 50/301 bridge, mile 1.0, Kent Island Narrows, operates as follows: (a) From November 1 through April 30, the draw shall open on signal from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. but need not be opened from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. (b) From May 1 through October 31, the draw shall open on signal on the hour and half-hour...

Geomorphic characterization of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brothers, Daniel S.; ten Brink, Uri S.; Andrews, Brian D.; Chaytor, Jason D.

2013-01-01

The increasing volume of multibeam bathymetry data collected along continental margins is providing new opportunities to study the feedbacks between sedimentary and oceanographic processes and seafloor morphology. Attempts to develop simple guidelines that describe the relationships between form and process often overlook the importance of inherited physiography in slope depositional systems. Here, we use multibeam bathymetry data and seismic reflection profiles spanning the U.S. Atlantic outer continental shelf, slope and rise from Cape Hatteras to New England to quantify the broad-scale, across-margin morphological variation. Morphometric analyses suggest the margin can be divided into four basic categories that roughly align with Quaternary sedimentary provinces. Within each category, Quaternary sedimentary processes exerted heavy modification of submarine canyons, landslide complexes and the broad-scale morphology of the continental rise, but they appear to have preserved much of the pre-Quaternary, across-margin shape of the continental slope. Without detailed constraints on the substrate structure, first-order morphological categorization the U.S. Atlantic margin does not provide a reliable framework for predicting relationships between form and process.

Intraoperative monitoring of marginal mandibular nerve during neck dissection.

PubMed

Tirelli, Giancarlo; Bergamini, Pier Riccardo; Scardoni, Alessandro; Gatto, Annalisa; Boscolo Nata, Francesca; Marcuzzo, Alberto Vito

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of intraoperative nerve integrity monitoring (NIM) to prevent marginal mandibular nerve injuries during neck dissection. This prospective study compared 36 patients undergoing NIM-assisted neck dissection from July 2014 to March 2015 to a cohort of 35 patients subjected to neck dissection over an identical period of time before the technique was introduced. We also assessed possible correlations between marginal mandibular nerve injuries and other factors, such as anthropometric measurements, presence of clinical neck metastases, type of neck dissection, and site of primary tumor. The incidence of marginal mandibular nerve paralyses was significantly lower among the group of patients undergoing NIM-assisted neck dissection (P = .021). There was no significant difference in the duration of the procedure, and the technique resulted in a limited increase of cost. No other factor seemed to influence the onset of marginal mandibular nerve palsy. In our opinion, NIM is a valuable aid for preventing marginal mandibular nerve injuries during neck dissection. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

17 CFR 41.14 - Transition period for indexes that cease being narrow-based security indexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... day tolerance provision. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based... than forty-five days. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based...

Tectono-Stratigraphy of the Seeps on the Guaymas Basin at the Sonora Margin, Gulf of California, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Figueroa Albornoz, L. J.; Mortera-Gutierrez, C. A.; Bandy, W. L.; Escobar-Briones, E. G.; Godfroy, A.; Fouquet, Y.

2013-05-01

Recently several hydrothermal and gas seeps systems has been located precisely at the Sonora margin within the Guaymas Basin (GB), Gulf of California. Since late 1970's , several marine studies had reported two main hydrothermal systems in the Guaymas Rift (one at the Northern Rift, and other at the Southern Rift) and a cold seeps system at the Satellite Basin in the Sonora-margin lower edge. During the campaign BIG10, onboard the IFREMER vessel, NO L'Atalante, the EM122 echo-sounder log more than 30,000 water column acoustic images, which allows us to create a data base of the bubble plumes active systems on the northern part of the GB and the Sonora Margin. These plumes are the expression on the water column of an active seeps site during the cruise time. These images document the presence of the cold seep activity around the scarp of the Guaymas Transform Fault (GTF), and within the Satellite Basin. Few active plumes are first located off-axis, on both sides of the Northern Rift. Although it is not observed any plume within NR. Sub-bottom profiles and bathymetric data logged during the campaign GUAYRIV10, onboard the UNAM vessel, BO EL PUMA, are analyzed to determine the shallow tectonic-stratigraphy of GB near the Sonora Margin. We analyze 17 high-resolution seismic profiles (13 with NE-SW strike and 3 with NW-SE strike). From this data set, the continental shelf stratigraphy at the Sonora Margin tilts toward the slope, showing 3 low angle unconformities due to tectonics and slope angle changes. The strata slope changes angle up to 60°. However, the constant trans-tension shear along the GTF causes gravitation instability on the slope, generating a few submarine landslides close to the Northern Rift, and the rotation of blocks, tilting toward the shelf. To the north, the GTF splits in two fault escarpments, forming a narrow pull-apart basin, known as Satellite Basin. The submarine canyon from the Sonora River flows through the Satellite Basin into the GB

46 CFR 171.015 - Location of margin line.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Location of margin line. 171.015 Section 171.015 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SUBDIVISION AND STABILITY SPECIAL RULES PERTAINING TO VESSELS CARRYING PASSENGERS General § 171.015 Location of margin line. (a) A vessel with a...

Polar continental margins: Studies off East Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mienert, J.; Thiede, J.; Kenyon, N. H.; Hollender, F.-J.

The passive continental margin off east Greenland has been shaped by tectonic and sedimentary processes, and typical physiographic patterns have evolved over the past few million years under the influence of the late Cenozoic Northern Hemisphere glaciations. The Greenland ice shield has been particularly affected.GLORIA (Geological Long Range Inclined Asdic), the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences' (IOS) long-range, side-scan sonar, was used on a 1992 RV Livonia cruise to map large-scale changes in sedimentary patterns along the east Greenland continental margin. The overall objective of this research program was to determine the variety of large-scale seafloor processes to improve our understanding of the interaction between ice sheets, current regimes, and sedimentary processes. In cooperation with IOS and the RV Livonia, a high-quality set of seafloor data has been produced. GLORIA'S first survey of east Greenland's continental margin covered several 1000- × 50-km-wide swaths (Figure 1) and yielded an impressive sidescan sonar image of the complete Greenland Basin and margin (about 250,000 km2). A mosaic of the data was made at a scale of 1:375,000. The base map was prepared with a polar stereographic projection having a standard parallel of 71°.

Sustainable biomass production on Marginal Lands (SEEMLA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbera, Federica; Baumgarten, Wibke; Pelikan, Vincent

2017-04-01

Sustainable biomass production on Marginal Lands (SEEMLA) The main objective of the H2020 funded EU project SEEMLA (acronym for Sustainable Exploitation of Biomass for Bioenergy from Marginal Lands in Europe) is the establishment of suitable innovative land-use strategies for a sustainable production of plant-based energy on marginal lands while improving general ecosystem services. The use of marginal lands (MagL) could contribute to the mitigation of the fast growing competition between traditional food production and production of renewable bio-resources on arable lands. SEEMLA focuses on the promotion of re-conversion of MagLs for the production of bioenergy through the direct involvement of farmers and forester, the strengthening of local small-scale supply chains, and the promotion of plantations of bioenergy plants on MagLs. Life cycle assessment is performed in order to analyse possible impacts on the environment. A soil quality rating tool is applied to define and classify MagL. Suitable perennial and woody bioenergy crops are selected to be grown in pilot areas in the partner countries Ukraine, Greece and Germany. SEEMLA is expected to contribute to an increasing demand of biomass for bioenergy production in order to meet the 2020 targets and beyond.

Droplet squeezing through a narrow constriction: Minimum impulse and critical velocity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhifeng; Drapaca, Corina; Chen, Xiaolin; Xu, Jie

2017-07-01

Models of a droplet passing through narrow constrictions have wide applications in science and engineering. In this paper, we report our findings on the minimum impulse (momentum change) of pushing a droplet through a narrow circular constriction. The existence of this minimum impulse is mathematically derived and numerically verified. The minimum impulse happens at a critical velocity when the time-averaged Young-Laplace pressure balances the total minor pressure loss in the constriction. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to verify these concepts. These results could be relevant to problems of energy optimization and studies of chemical and biomedical systems.

Evaluation of the marginal fit of metal copings fabricated on three different marginal designs using conventional and accelerated casting techniques: an in vitro study.

PubMed

Vaidya, Sharad; Parkash, Hari; Bhargava, Akshay; Gupta, Sharad

2014-01-01

Abundant resources and techniques have been used for complete coverage crown fabrication. Conventional investing and casting procedures for phosphate-bonded investments require a 2- to 4-h procedure before completion. Accelerated casting techniques have been used, but may not result in castings with matching marginal accuracy. The study measured the marginal gap and determined the clinical acceptability of single cast copings invested in a phosphate-bonded investment with the use of conventional and accelerated methods. One hundred and twenty cast coping samples were fabricated using conventional and accelerated methods, with three finish lines: Chamfer, shoulder and shoulder with bevel. Sixty copings were prepared with each technique. Each coping was examined with a stereomicroscope at four predetermined sites and measurements of marginal gaps were documented for each. A master chart was prepared for all the data and was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version. Evidence of marginal gap was then evaluated by t-test. Analysis of variance and Post-hoc analysis were used to compare two groups as well as to make comparisons between three subgroups . Measurements recorded showed no statistically significant difference between conventional and accelerated groups. Among the three marginal designs studied, shoulder with bevel showed the best marginal fit with conventional as well as accelerated casting techniques. Accelerated casting technique could be a vital alternative to the time-consuming conventional casting technique. The marginal fit between the two casting techniques showed no statistical difference.

Marginal states in a cubic autocatalytic reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Debojyoti; Ghosh, Pushpita; Ray, Deb Shankar

2011-09-01

Marginal steady state belongs to a special class of states in nonlinear dynamics. To realize this state we consider a cubic autocatalytic reaction A + 2B → 3B in a continuous-stirred-tank-reactor, where the flow rate of the reactant A can be controlled to manipulate the dynamical behavior of the open system. We demonstrate that when the flow rate is weakly noisy the autocatalytic reaction admits of a steady state which is marginal in nature and is surrounded by infinite number of periodic trajectories. When the uncatalyzed reaction A → B is included in the reaction scheme, there exists a marginal steady state which is a critical state corresponding to the point of transition between the flow branch and the equilibrium branch, similar to gas-liquid critical point of transition. This state loses its stability in the weak noise limit.

The Variability in Surgical Margin Reporting in Limb Salvage Surgery for Sarcoma

PubMed Central

Hoang, Kevin; Gao, Yubo; Miller, Benjamin J.

2015-01-01

Background Surgical margins are a standard reported measurement in tumor surgery that has implications for functional outcome, local control, and overall survival. There is no single accepted classification, and it is unclear what form or margin reporting predominates in the sarcoma literature. Methods We performed a PubMed literature search to identify articles that reported surgical margins and oncologic outcomes in limb salvage surgery for sarcoma from 1980 to 2013. We recorded the margin classification, specialty of the journal, specialty of the author, and location of the authors' institution. Results We found that 159/448 (35%) of articles included in the study did not report surgical margins. Of the 289 papers that did include data on margins, 160 (55%) of articles used Enneking's classification. There has been an increase over time in the proportion of articles reporting surgical margins by the residual tumor (R) classification and the proportion of articles reporting margins dichotomously as “positive” or “negative.” Conclusions We did not find a common method for reporting margins in the limb salvage sarcoma literature. Of most concern was over 1/3 of clinical reports of oncologic outcomes did not include margin status, which substantially compromises any conclusions that readers may infer about treatment success, local recurrence, or survival. We believe there should be renewed efforts to encourage use of a common surgical margin reporting system that is simple, reproducible, and prognostic. PMID:26361463

H. Pylori as a predictor of marginal ulceration: A nationwide analysis.

PubMed

Schulman, Allison R; Abougergi, Marwan S; Thompson, Christopher C

2017-03-01

Helicobacter pylori has been implicated as a risk factor for development of marginal ulceration following gastric bypass, although studies have been small and yielded conflicting results. This study sought to determine the relationship between H. pylori infection and development of marginal ulceration following bariatric surgery in a nationwide analysis. This was a retrospective cohort study using the 2012 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Discharges with ICD-9-CM code indicating marginal ulceration and a secondary ICD-9-CM code for bariatric surgery were included. Primary outcome was incidence of marginal ulceration. A stepwise forward selection model was used to build the multivariate logistic regression model based on known risk factors. A P value of 0.05 was considered significant. There were 253,765 patients who met inclusion criteria. Prevalence of marginal ulceration was 3.90%. Of those patients found to have marginal ulceration, 31.20% of patients were H. pylori-positive. Final multivariate regression analysis revealed that H. pylori was the strongest independent predictor of marginal ulceration. H. pylori is an independent predictor of marginal ulceration using a large national database. Preoperative testing for and eradication of H. pylori prior to bariatric surgery may be an important preventive measure to reduce the incidence of ulcer development. © 2017 The Obesity Society.

Electronic characterization of defects in narrow gap semiconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, James D.

1993-01-01

The study of point defects in semiconductors has a long and honorable history. In particular, the detailed understanding of shallow defects in common semiconductors traces back to the classic work of Kohn and Luttinger. However, the study of defects in narrow gap semiconductors represents a much less clear story. Here, both shallow defects (caused by long range potentials) and deep defects (from short range potentials) are far from being completely understood. In this study, all results are calculational and our focus is on the chemical trend of deep levels in narrow gap semiconductors. We study substitutional (including antisite), interstitial and ideal vacancy defects. For substitutional and interstitial impurities, the efects of relaxation are included. For materials like Hg(1-x)Cd(x)Te, we study how the deep levels vary with x, of particular interest is what substitutional and interstitial atoms yield energy levels in the gap i.e. actually produce deep ionized levels. Also, since the main technique utilized is Green's functions, we include some summary of that method.

Marginal Pricing and Student Investment in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemelt, Steven W.; Stange, Kevin M.

2016-01-01

This paper examines the effect of marginal price on students' educational investments using rich administrative data on students at Michigan public universities. Marginal price refers to the amount colleges charge for each additional credit taken in a semester. Institutions differ in how they price credits above the full-time minimum (of 12…

Microsputterer with integrated ion-drag focusing for additive manufacturing of thin, narrow conductive lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kornbluth, Y. S.; Mathews, R. H.; Parameswaran, L.; Racz, L. M.; Velásquez-García, L. F.

2018-04-01

We report the design, modelling, and proof-of-concept demonstration of a continuously fed, atmospheric-pressure microplasma metal sputterer that is capable of printing conductive lines narrower than the width of the target without the need for post-processing or lithographic patterning. Ion drag-induced focusing is harnessed to print narrow lines; the focusing mechanism is modelled via COMSOL Multiphysics simulations and validated with experiments. A microplasma sputter head with gold target is constructed and used to deposit imprints with minimum feature sizes as narrow as 9 µm, roughness as small as 55 nm, and electrical resistivity as low as 1.1 µΩ · m.

Optically trapped atomic resonant devices for narrow linewidth spectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Lipeng

This thesis focuses on the development of atomic resonant devices for spectroscopic applications. The primary emphasis is on the imaging properties of optically thick atomic resonant fluorescent filters and their applications. In addition, this thesis presents a new concept for producing very narrow linewidth light as from an atomic vapor lamp pumped by a nanosecond pulse system. This research was motivated by application for missile warning system, and presents an innovative approach to a wide angle, ultra narrow linewidth imaging filter using a potassium vapor cell. The approach is to image onto and collect the fluorescent photons emitted from the surface of an optically thick potassium vapor cell, generating a 2 GHz pass-band imaging filter. This linewidth is narrow enough to fall within a Fraunhefer dark zone in the solar spectrum, thus make the detection solar blind. Experiments are conducted to measure the absorption line shape of the potassium resonant filter, the quantum efficiency of the fluorescent behavior, and the resolution of the fluorescent image. Fluorescent images with different spatial frequency components are analyzed by using a discrete Fourier transform, and the imaging capability of the fluorescent filter is described by its Modulation Transfer Function. For the detection of radiation that is spectrally broader than the linewidth of the potassium imaging filter, the fluorescent image is seen to be blurred by diffuse fluorescence from the slightly off resonant photons. To correct this, an ultra-thin potassium imaging filter is developed and characterized. The imaging property of the ultra-thin potassium imaging cell is tested with a potassium seeded flame, yielding a resolution image of ˜ 20 lines per mm. The physics behind the atomic resonant fluorescent filter is radiation trapping. The diffusion process of the resonant photons trapped in the atomic vapor is theoretically described in this thesis. A Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the

Microleakage of Four Dental Cements in Metal Ceramic Restorations With Open Margins.

PubMed

Eftekhar Ashtiani, Reza; Farzaneh, Babak; Azarsina, Mohadese; Aghdashi, Farzad; Dehghani, Nima; Afshari, Aisooda; Mahshid, Minu

2015-11-01

Fixed prosthodontics is a routine dental treatment and microleakage is a major cause of its failure. The aim of this study was to assess the marginal microleakage of four cements in metal ceramic restorations with adapted and open margins. Sixty sound human premolars were selected for this experimental study performed in Tehran, Iran and prepared for full-crown restorations. Wax patterns were formed leaving a 300 µm gap on one of the proximal margins. The crowns were cast and the samples were randomly divided into four groups based on the cement used. Copings were cemented using zinc phosphate cement (Fleck), Fuji Plus resin-modified glass ionomer, Panavia F2.0 resin cement, or G-Cem resin cement, according to the manufacturers' instructions. Samples were immersed in 2% methylene blue solution. After 24 hours, dye penetration was assessed under a stereomicroscope and analyzed using the respective software. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, paired t-tests, and Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon, and Mann-Whitney tests. The least microleakage occurred in the Panavia F2.0 group (closed margin, 0.18 mm; open margin, 0.64 mm) and the maximum was observed in the Fleck group (closed margin, 1.92 mm; open margin, 3.32 mm). The Fleck group displayed significantly more microleakage compared to the Fuji Plus and Panavia F2.0 groups (P < 0.001) in both closed and open margins. In open margins, differences in microleakage between the Fuji Plus and G-Cem as well as between the G-Cem and Panavia F2.0 groups were significant (P < 0.001). In closed margins, only the G-Cem group displayed significantly more microleakage as compared to the Panavia F2.0 group (P < 0.05). Paired t-test results showed significantly more microleakage in open margins compared to closed margins, except in the Fuji Plus group (P = 0.539). Fuji Plus cement exhibited better sealing ability in closed and open margins compared to G-Cem and Fleck cements. When using G-Cem and Fleck cements for full metal ceramic

17 CFR 41.14 - Transition period for indexes that cease being narrow-based security indexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... provision. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based security index for no...-five days. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based security index for...

17 CFR 41.14 - Transition period for indexes that cease being narrow-based security indexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... provision. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based security index for no...-five days. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based security index for...

17 CFR 41.14 - Transition period for indexes that cease being narrow-based security indexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... provision. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based security index for no...-five days. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based security index for...

17 CFR 41.14 - Transition period for indexes that cease being narrow-based security indexes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... provision. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based security index for no...-five days. An index that is a narrow-based security index that becomes a broad-based security index for...

Achieving an ultra-narrow multiband light absorption meta-surface via coupling with an optical cavity.

PubMed

Liu, Zhengqi; Liu, Guiqiang; Liu, Xiaoshan; Huang, Shan; Wang, Yan; Pan, Pingping; Liu, Mulin

2015-06-12

Resonant plasmonic and metamaterial absorbers are of particular interest for applications in a wide variety of nanotechnologies including thermophotovoltaics, photothermal therapy, hot-electron collection and biosensing. However, it is rather challenging to realize ultra-narrow absorbers using plasmonic materials due to large optical losses in metals that inevitably decrease the quality of optical resonators. Here, we theoretically report methods to achieve an ultra-narrow light absorption meta-surface by using photonic modes of the optical cavities, which strongly couple with the plasmon resonances of the metallic nanostructures. Multispectral light absorption with absorption amplitude exceeding 99% and a bandwidth approaching 10 nm is achieved at the optical frequencies. Moreover, by introducing a thick dielectric coupling cavity, the number of absorption bands can be strongly increased and the bandwidth can even be narrowed to less than 5 nm due to the resonant spectrum splitting enabled by strong coupling between the plasmon resonances and the optical cavity modes. Designing such optical cavity-coupled meta-surface structures is a promising route for achieving ultra-narrow multiband absorbers, which can be used in absorption filters, narrow-band multispectral thermal emitters and thermophotovoltaics.

Trunk, head, and step characteristics during normal and narrow-based walking under deteriorated sensory conditions.

PubMed

Deshpande, Nandini; Zhang, Fang

2014-01-01

The ability to maintain stability in the frontal plane (medialateral direction) while walking is commonly included as a component of motor performance assessment. Postural control in the frontal plane may deteriorate faster and earlier with increasing age, compared to that in the sagittal plane (anteroposterior direction). Fifteen young (20-30 years old) and 15 older (>65 years old) healthy participants were recruited to investigate age-related differences in postural control during the normal and narrow-based walking when performed under suboptimal vestibular and lower limb somatosensory conditions achieved by galvanic stimulation and compliant surfaces, respectively. Gait speed decreased in the narrow-based walking condition, with larger decrease in the elderly (by 6%). In the elderly head roll increased with perturbed vestibular information in impaired somatosensory condition (by 40.70%). In both age groups trunk roll increased under impaired somatosensation in the narrow-based walking condition (by 43.62%) but not in normal walking condition. Older participants adopted a more cautious strategy characterized by lower walking speed when walking on a narrow base and exhibited deteriorated integrative ability of the CNS for head control. Accurate lower limb somatosensation may play a critical role in narrow-based walking.

30 CFR 204.4 - What is a marginal property under this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is a marginal property under this part... REVENUE MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES FOR MARGINAL PROPERTIES General Provisions § 204.4 What is a marginal property under this part? (a) To qualify as a marginal property eligible for royalty prepayment or...

Qualification of submerged-arc narrow strip cladding process

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

Ayres, P.S.; Gottschling, J.D.; Jeffers, G.K.

1975-08-01

An unique narrow strip cladding process for use on both plate and forging material for nuclear components was developed. The qualification testing of this low-heat input process for cladding nuclear components, including those of SA508 Class 2 material is described. The theory that explains the acceptable results of these tests is also given. (auth)

Qualification of submerged-arc narrow strip cladding process

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

Ayres, P.S.; Gottschling, J.D.; Jeffers, G.K.

1976-03-01

Babcock and Wilcox has developed an unique narrow strip cladding process for use on both plate and forging material for nuclear components. The qualification testing of this low-heat input process for cladding nuclear components is described, including those of SA508 Class 2 material. The theory that explains the acceptable results of these tests is also given.

Period Effects, Cohort Effects, and the Narrowing Gender Wage Gap

PubMed Central

Campbell, Colin; Pearlman, Jessica

2015-01-01

Despite the abundance of sociological research on the gender wage gap, questions remain. In particular, the role of cohorts is under investigated. Using data from the Current Population Survey, we use Age-Period-Cohort analysis to uniquely estimate age, period, and cohort effects on the gender wage gap. The narrowing of the gender wage gap that occurred between 1975 and 2009 is largely due to cohort effects. Since the mid-1990s, the gender wage gap has continued to close absent of period effects. While gains in female wages contributed to declines in the gender wage gap for cohorts born before 1950, for later cohorts the narrowing of the gender wage gap is primarily a result of declines in male wages. PMID:24090861

Vibration-tolerant narrow-linewidth semiconductor disk laser using novel frequency-stabilisation schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunter, Craig R.; Jones, Brynmor E.; Schlosser, Peter; Sørensen, Simon Toft; Strain, Michael J.; McKnight, Loyd J.

2018-02-01

This paper will present developments in narrow-linewidth semiconductor-disk-laser systems using novel frequencystabilisation schemes for reduced sensitivity to mechanical vibrations, a critical requirement for mobile applications. Narrow-linewidth single-frequency lasers are required for a range of applications including metrology and highresolution spectroscopy. Stabilisation of the laser was achieved using a monolithic fibre-optic ring resonator with free spectral range of 181 MHz and finesse of 52 to act as passive reference cavity for the laser. Such a cavity can operate over a broad wavelength range and is immune to a wide band of vibrational frequency noise due to its monolithic implementation. The frequency noise of the locked system has been measured and compared to typical Fabry-Perotlocked lasers using vibration equipment to simulate harsh environments, and analysed here. Locked linewidths of < 40 kHz have been achieved. These developments offer a portable, narrow-linewidth laser system for harsh environments that can be flexibly designed for a range of applications.

Atomic Dynamics in Simple Liquid: de Gennes Narrowing Revisited

DOE PAGES

Wu, Bin; Iwashita, Takuya; Egami, Takeshi

2018-03-27

The de Gennes narrowing phenomenon is frequently observed by neutron or x-ray scattering measurements of the dynamics of complex systems, such as liquids, proteins, colloids, and polymers. The characteristic slowing down of dynamics in the vicinity of the maximum of the total scattering intensity is commonly attributed to enhanced cooperativity. In this Letter, we present an alternative view on its origin through the examination of the time-dependent pair correlation function, the van Hove correlation function, for a model liquid in two, three, and four dimensions. We find that the relaxation time increases monotonically with distance and the dependence on distancemore » varies with dimension. We propose a heuristic explanation of this dependence based on a simple geometrical model. Furthermore, this finding sheds new light on the interpretation of the de Gennes narrowing phenomenon and the α-relaxation time.« less

Atomic Dynamics in Simple Liquid: de Gennes Narrowing Revisited

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

Wu, Bin; Iwashita, Takuya; Egami, Takeshi

The de Gennes narrowing phenomenon is frequently observed by neutron or x-ray scattering measurements of the dynamics of complex systems, such as liquids, proteins, colloids, and polymers. The characteristic slowing down of dynamics in the vicinity of the maximum of the total scattering intensity is commonly attributed to enhanced cooperativity. In this Letter, we present an alternative view on its origin through the examination of the time-dependent pair correlation function, the van Hove correlation function, for a model liquid in two, three, and four dimensions. We find that the relaxation time increases monotonically with distance and the dependence on distancemore » varies with dimension. We propose a heuristic explanation of this dependence based on a simple geometrical model. Furthermore, this finding sheds new light on the interpretation of the de Gennes narrowing phenomenon and the α-relaxation time.« less

Ultra-narrow pulse generator with precision-adjustable pulse width

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Zaiming; Liu, Hanglin

2018-05-01

In this paper, a novel ultra-narrow pulse generation approach is proposed. It is based on the decomposition and synthesis of pulse edges. Through controlling their relative delay, an ultra-narrow pulse could be generated. By employing field programmable gate array digital synthesis technology, the implemented pulse generator is with programmable ability. The amplitude of pulse signals is controlled by the radio frequency amplifiers and bias tees, and high precision can be achieved. More importantly, the proposed approach can break through the limitation of device's propagation delay and optimize the resolution and the accuracy of the pulse width significantly. The implemented pulse generator has two channels, whose minimum pulse width, frequency range, and amplitude range are 100 ps, 15 MHz-1.5 GHz, and 0.1 Vpp-1.8 Vpp, respectively. Both resolution of pulse width and channel delay are 1 ps, and amplitude resolution is 10 mVpp.

Systematic reviews: I. The correlation between laboratory tests on marginal quality and bond strength. II. The correlation between marginal quality and clinical outcome.

PubMed

Heintze, Siegward D

2007-01-01

An accepted principle in restorative dentistry states that restorations should be placed with the best marginal quality possible to avoid postoperative sensitivity, marginal discoloration, and secondary caries. Different laboratory methods claim to predict the clinical performance of restorative materials, for example, tests of bond strength and microleakage and gap analysis. The purpose of this review was twofold: (1) find studies that correlated the results of bond strength tests with either microleakage or gap analysis for the same materials, and (2) find studies that correlated the results of microleakage and/or gaps with the clinical parameters for the same materials. Furthermore, influencing factors on the results of the laboratory tests were reviewed and assessed. For the first question, searches for studies were conducted in the MEDLINE database and IADR/AADR abtracts online with specific search and inclusion criteria. The outcome for each study was assessed on the basis of the statistical test applied in the study, and finally the number of studies with or without correlation was compiled. For the second question, results of the quantitative marginal analysis of Class V restorations published by the University of Zürich with the same test protocol and prospective clinical trials were searched that investigated the same materials for at least 2 years in Class V cavities. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for pooled data of materials and clinical outcome parameters such as retention loss, marginal discoloration, marginal integrity, and secondary caries. For the correlation of dye penetration and clinical outcome, studies on Class V restorations published by the same research institute were searched in MEDLINE that examined the same adhesive systems as the selected clinical trials. For the correlation bond strength/microleakage, 30 studies were included into the review, and for the correlation bond strength/gap analysis 18 studies. For both

Influence of Cavity Margin Design and Restorative Material on Marginal Quality and Seal of Extended Class II Resin Composite Restorations In Vitro.

PubMed

Soliman, Sebastian; Preidl, Reinhard; Karl, Sabine; Hofmann, Norbert; Krastl, Gabriel; Klaiber, Bernd

2016-01-01

To investigate the influence of three cavity designs on the marginal seal of large Class II cavities restored with low-shrinkage resin composite limited to the enamel. One hundred twenty (120) intact human molars were randomly divided into 12 groups, with three different cavity designs: 1. undermined enamel, 2. box-shaped, and 3. proximal bevel. The teeth were restored with 1. an extra-low shrinkage (ELS) composite free of diluent monomers, 2. microhybrid composite (Herculite XRV), 3. nanohybrid composite (Filtek Supreme XTE), and 4. silorane-based composite (Filtek Silorane). After artificial aging by thermocycling and storage in physiological saline, epoxy resin replicas were prepared. To determine the integrity of the restorations' approximal margins, two methods were sequentially employed: 1. replicas were made of the 120 specimens and examined using SEM, and 2. the same 120 specimens were immersed in AgNO3 solution, and the dye penetration depth was observed with a light microscope. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis and the Dunn-Bonferroni tests. After bevel preparation, SEM observations showed that restorations did not exhibit a higher percentage of continuous margin (SEM-analysis; p>0.05), but more leakage was found than with the other cavity designs (p<0.05). The lowest percentage of continuous margin was observed in ELS restorations (p<0.05). More fractured margins were observed in the undermined enamel cavity design groups (p<0.05). Bevel preparation failed to improve margin quality in large Class II composite restorations and is no longer recommended. However, undermined enamel should be removed to prevent enamel fractures.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia and lichen planus pigmentosus: diagnosis and therapeutic challenge*

PubMed Central

Mulinari-Brenner, Fabiane Andrade; Guilherme, Marina Riedi; Peretti, Murilo Calvo; Werner, Betina

2017-01-01

Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a variant of lichen planopilaris with marginal progressive hair loss on the scalp, eyebrows and axillae. We report a case of frontal fibrosing alopecia and lichen planus pigmentosus in a postmenopausal woman, that started with alopecia on the eyebrows and then on the frontoparietal region, with periocular and cervical hyperpigmentation of difficult management. The condition was controlled with systemic corticosteroid therapy and finasteride. Lichen planus pigmentosus is an uncommon variant of lichen planus frequently associated with frontal fibrosing alopecia in darker phototipes. It should be considered in patients affected by scarring alopecia with a pattern of lichen planopilaris and areas of skin hyperpigmentation revealing perifollicular hyperpigmentation refractory to multiple treatments. This case illustrates diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in face of scarring alopecia and perifollicular hyperpigmentation. PMID:29267454

Frontal fibrosing alopecia and lichen planus pigmentosus: diagnosis and therapeutic challenge.

PubMed

Mulinari-Brenner, Fabiane Andrade; Guilherme, Marina Riedi; Peretti, Murilo Calvo; Werner, Betina

2017-01-01

Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a variant of lichen planopilaris with marginal progressive hair loss on the scalp, eyebrows and axillae. We report a case of frontal fibrosing alopecia and lichen planus pigmentosus in a postmenopausal woman, that started with alopecia on the eyebrows and then on the frontoparietal region, with periocular and cervical hyperpigmentation of difficult management. The condition was controlled with systemic corticosteroid therapy and finasteride. Lichen planus pigmentosus is an uncommon variant of lichen planus frequently associated with frontal fibrosing alopecia in darker phototipes. It should be considered in patients affected by scarring alopecia with a pattern of lichen planopilaris and areas of skin hyperpigmentation revealing perifollicular hyperpigmentation refractory to multiple treatments. This case illustrates diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in face of scarring alopecia and perifollicular hyperpigmentation.

Holistic Approach Offers Potential to Quantify Mass Fluxes Across Continental Margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuehl, Steven; Carter, Lionel; Gomez, Basil; Trustrum, Noel

Most humans live on and utilize the continental margin, the surface of which changes continually in response to environmental perturbations such as weather, climate change, tectonism, earthquakes, volcanism, sea level, and human settlement and land use. Part of the margin is above sea level and the rest is submarine, but these land and seascape components are contiguous, and material transport from source to sink occurs as a seamless cascade. The margin responds to environmental perturbations by changing the nature and magnitude of a variety of important functions, including the distribution of soil formation and erosion; biogeochemical functioning (especially the storage and release of water, limiting nutrients and contaminants); and the form and behavior of geomorphic components from hill slopes and floodplains through the coastal zone to the continental rise. While some areas of the margin are eroding-for example, hill slopes-others accumulate sediment, such as tectonic basins and continental slope and rise. These areas record the history of surface changes. A major goal of the Earth science community is to provide quantitative explanations and predictions of the effects of environmental perturbations on surface changes and preserved sedimentary strata of continental margins. In past decades, margins have been investigated piecemeal by researchers who have tended to focus on a particular segment from one disciplinary perspective while eschewing the broader perspective of the margin as an interconnected whole. Recognizing this shortcoming, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has initiated the MARGINS Source-to-Sink (S2S) program, which, for the first time, will attempt to understand the functioning of entire margin systems through dedicated observational and community modeling studies. Following input from the Earth science community, the Waipaoa Sedimentary System (WSS) of the North Island, New Zealand, was chosen as one of the focus sites for possible

The Cadiz margin study off Spain: An introduction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, C.H.; Maldonado, A.

1999-01-01

The Cadiz continental margin of the northeastern Gulf of Cadiz off Spain was selected for a multidisciplinary project because of the interplay of complex tectonic history between the Iberian and African plates, sediment supply from multiple sources, and unique Mediterranean Gateway inflow and outflow currents. The nature of this complex margin, particularly during the last 5 million years, was investigated with emphasis on tectonic history, stratigraphic sequences, marine circulation, contourite depositional facies, geotechnical properties, geologic hazards, and human influences such as dispersal of river contaminants. This study provides an integrated view of the tectonic, sediment supply and oceanographic factors that control depositional processes and growth patterns of the Cadiz and similar modem and ancient continental margins.

Line Narrowing Parameter Measurement by Modulation Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dharamsi, Amin N.

1998-01-01

Accurate Characterization of Oxygen A-Band Line Parameters by Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy with tunable diode lasers is an ongoing research at Old Dominion University, under sponsorship from NASA Langley research Center. The work proposed here will be undertaken under the guidance of Dr. William Chu and Dr. Lamont Poole of the Aerosol Research Branch at NASA Langley-Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The research was started about two years ago and utilizes wavelength modulation absorption spectroscopy with higher harmonic detection, a technique that we developed at Old Dominion University, to obtain the absorption line characteristics of the Oxygen A-band rovibronic lines. Accurate characterization of this absorption band is needed for processing of data that will be obtained in experiments such as the NASA Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) as part of the US Mission to Planet Earth. The research work for Summer Fellowship undertook a measurement of the Dicke line-narrowing parameters of the Oxygen A-Band lines by using wavelength modulation spectroscopy. Our previous theoretical results had indicated that such a measurement could be done sensitively and in a convenient fashion by using this type of spectroscopy. In particular, theoretical results had indicated that the signal magnitude would depend on pressure in a manner that was very sensitive to the narrowing parameter. One of the major tasks undertaken during the summer of 1998 was to establish experimentally that these theoretical predictions were correct. This was done successfully and the results of the work are being prepared for publication. Experimental Results were obtained in which the magnitude of the signal was measured as a function of pressure, for various harmonic detection orders (N = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). A comparison with theoretical results was made, and it was shown that the agreement between theory and experiment was very good. More importantly, however, it was shown

MRI Evaluation of Resection Margins in Bone Tumour Surgery

PubMed Central

Traore, Sidi Yaya; Lecouvet, Frédéric; Galant, Christine

2014-01-01

In 12 patients operated on for bone sarcoma resection, a postoperative magnetic resonance imaging of the resection specimens was obtained in order to assess the surgical margins. Margins were classified according to MRI in R0, R1, and R2 by three independent observers: a radiologist and two orthopaedic surgeons. Final margin evaluation (R0, R1, and R2) was assessed by a confirmed pathologist. Agreement for margin evaluation between the pathologist and the radiologist was perfect (κ = 1). Agreement between the pathologist and an experienced orthopaedic surgeon was very good while it was fair between the pathologist and a junior orthopaedic surgeon. MRI should be considered as a tool to give quick information about the adequacy of margins and to help the pathologist to focus on doubtful areas and to spare time in specimen analysis. But it may not replace the pathological evaluation that gives additional information about tumor necrosis. This study shows that MRI extemporaneous analysis of a resection specimen may be efficient in bone tumor oncologic surgery, if made by an experienced radiologist with perfect agreement with the pathologist. PMID:24976785

Therapeutic cloning in Australia: one small stem from man, one giant leap for mankind.

PubMed

Nemes, Irene

2008-08-01

In 2002 the Australian Parliament enacted legislation which prohibited both therapeutic and reproductive embryonic cloning. Just four years later, in December 2006, this same legislation was amended, reversing the prohibition on therapeutic cloning, while retaining the ban on reproductive cloning. The Prime Minister, sensing the political mood, allowed a conscience vote. This contrasted with his decision several months earlier against introducing any changes to the 2002 Act, despite 54 recommendations having been made by a Statutory Review Committee. Approval of the legislation had as much to do with the careful drafting of the provisions as with any rational, social or scientific factor. The legislation is narrow in scope, retains an absolute prohibition on reproductive cloning and contains strict regulations with heavy criminal penalties. The Act requires a review after three years. A number of questions remain. Does stem cell research demand a global rather than a local approach, by way of an international Covenant? Does the legal status of a cloned embryo need further examination? Will the embryo have a separate legal standing recognised by law? These are some of the questions which will need addressing as the law tries to keep up with science.

Marginal revenue and length of stay in inpatient psychiatry.

PubMed

Pletscher, Mark

2016-09-01

This study examines the changes in marginal revenue during psychiatric inpatient stays in a large Swiss psychiatric hospital after the introduction of a mixed reimbursement system with tariff rates that vary over length of stay. A discrete time duration model with a difference-in-difference specification and time-varying coefficients is estimated to assess variations in policy effects over length of stay. Among patients whose costs are fully reimbursed by the mixed scheme, the model demonstrates a significant effect of marginal revenue on length of stay. No significant policy effects are found among patients for whom only health insurance rates are delivered as mixed tariffs and government contributions are made retrospectively. The results indicate that marginal revenue can affect length of stay in inpatient psychiatry facilities, but that the reduction in marginal revenue must be sufficiently large.

Electrocardiogram artifact caused by rigors mimicking narrow complex tachycardia: a case report.

PubMed

Matthias, Anne Thushara; Indrakumar, Jegarajah

2014-02-04

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is useful in the diagnosis of cardiac and non-cardiac conditions. Rigors due to shivering can cause electrocardiogram artifacts mimicking various cardiac rhythm abnormalities. We describe an 80-year-old Sri Lankan man with an abnormal electrocardiogram mimicking narrow complex tachycardia during the immediate post-operative period. Electrocardiogram changes caused by muscle tremor during rigors could mimic a narrow complex tachycardia. Identification of muscle tremor as a cause of electrocardiogram artifact can avoid unnecessary pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention to prevent arrhythmias.

Marginalization and School Nursing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Julia Ann

2004-01-01

The concept of marginalization was first analyzed by nursing researchers Hall, Stevens, and Meleis. Although nursing literature frequently refers to this concept when addressing "at risk" groups such as the homeless, gays and lesbians, and those infected with HIV/AIDS, the concept can also be applied to nursing. Analysis of current school nursing…

Practical applications of the bioinformatics toolbox for narrowing quantitative trait loci.

PubMed

Burgess-Herbert, Sarah L; Cox, Allison; Tsaih, Shirng-Wern; Paigen, Beverly

2008-12-01

Dissecting the genes involved in complex traits can be confounded by multiple factors, including extensive epistatic interactions among genes, the involvement of epigenetic regulators, and the variable expressivity of traits. Although quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis has been a powerful tool for localizing the chromosomal regions underlying complex traits, systematically identifying the causal genes remains challenging. Here, through its application to plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) in mice, we demonstrate a strategy for narrowing QTL that utilizes comparative genomics and bioinformatics techniques. We show how QTL detected in multiple crosses are subjected to both combined cross analysis and haplotype block analysis; how QTL from one species are mapped to the concordant regions in another species; and how genomewide scans associating haplotype groups with their phenotypes can be used to prioritize the narrowed regions. Then we illustrate how these individual methods for narrowing QTL can be systematically integrated for mouse chromosomes 12 and 15, resulting in a significantly reduced number of candidate genes, often from hundreds to <10. Finally, we give an example of how additional bioinformatics resources can be combined with experiments to determine the most likely quantitative trait genes.

Searching for Variability of NV Intrinsic Narrow Absorption Line Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodruck, Michael; Charlton, Jane; Ganguly, Rajib

2018-01-01

The majority of quasar absorption line systems with NV detected are found within the associated region (within 5000 km/s of the quasar redshift) and many/most are believed to be related to the quasar accretion disk wind or outflows. The most definite evidence that these NV absorbers are "intrinsic" is partial covering of the quasar continuum source and/or broad line region. Over 75 quasars containing NV narrow absorption lines have observations obtained at different times with the Keck/HIRES and the VLT/UVES spectrographs at high resolution. The interval between these observations range from months to a decade in the quasar rest frame. While variability is common for intrinsic broad and mini-broad absorption lines, intrinsic narrow absorption lines have been found to be less likely to vary, though systematic studies with large, high quality datasets have been limited. The variability timescales are useful for deriving gas densities and thus the distances from the central engines. This is important in mapping the quasar surroundings, understanding the accretion disk wind mechanism, and assessing the effect the wind has on the galaxy surroundings. We report on the results of a systematic study of variability of NV NALs, exploiting the overlap of targets for observations in the archives of Keck and VLT, and discuss the consequences for interpretation of the origin of intrinsic narrow absorption lines.

Application of matrix singular value properties for evaluating gain and phase margins of multiloop systems. [stability margins for wing flutter suppression and drone lateral attitude control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, V.; Newsom, J. R.

1982-01-01

A stability margin evaluation method in terms of simultaneous gain and phase changes in all loops of a multiloop system is presented. A universal gain-phase margin evaluation diagram is constructed by generalizing an existing method using matrix singular value properties. Using this diagram and computing the minimum singular value of the system return difference matrix over the operating frequency range, regions of guaranteed stability margins can be obtained. Singular values are computed for a wing flutter suppression and a drone lateral attitude control problem. The numerical results indicate that this method predicts quite conservative stability margins. In the second example if the eigenvalue magnitude is used instead of the singular value, as a measure of nearness to singularity, more realistic stability margins are obtained. However, this relaxed measure generally cannot guarantee global stability.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis: pathophysiological mechanisms and therapeutic approaches.

PubMed

Lund-Palau, Helena; Turnbull, Andrew R; Bush, Andrew; Bardin, Emmanuelle; Cameron, Loren; Soren, Odel; Wierre-Gore, Natasha; Alton, Eric W F W; Bundy, Jacob G; Connett, Gary; Faust, Saul N; Filloux, Alain; Freemont, Paul; Jones, Andy; Khoo, Valerie; Morales, Sandra; Murphy, Ronan; Pabary, Rishi; Simbo, Ameze; Schelenz, Silke; Takats, Zoltan; Webb, Jeremy; Williams, Huw D; Davies, Jane C

2016-06-01

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a remarkably versatile environmental bacterium with an extraordinary capacity to infect the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung. Infection with P. aeruginosa occurs early, and although eradication can be achieved following early detection, chronic infection occurs in over 60% of adults with CF. Chronic infection is associated with accelerated disease progression and increased mortality. Extensive research has revealed complex mechanisms by which P. aeruginosa adapts to and persists within the CF airway. Yet knowledge gaps remain, and prevention and treatment strategies are limited by the lack of sensitive detection methods and by a narrow armoury of antibiotics. Further developments in this field are urgently needed in order to improve morbidity and mortality in people with CF. Here, we summarize current knowledge of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying P. aeruginosa infection in CF. Established treatments are discussed, and an overview is offered of novel detection methods and therapeutic strategies in development.

Independent Predictors of Prognosis Based on Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma Surgical Margins.

PubMed

Buchakjian, Marisa R; Ginader, Timothy; Tasche, Kendall K; Pagedar, Nitin A; Smith, Brian J; Sperry, Steven M

2018-05-01

Objective To conduct a multivariate analysis of a large cohort of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) cases for independent predictors of local recurrence (LR) and overall survival (OS), with emphasis on the relationship between (1) prognosis and (2) main specimen permanent margins and intraoperative tumor bed frozen margins. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary academic head and neck cancer program. Subjects and Methods This study included 426 patients treated with OCSCC resection between 2005 and 2014 at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Patients underwent excision of OCSCC with intraoperative tumor bed frozen margin sampling and main specimen permanent margin assessment. Multivariate analysis of the data set to predict LR and OS was performed. Results Independent predictors of LR included nodal involvement, histologic grade, and main specimen permanent margin status. Specifically, the presence of a positive margin (odds ratio, 6.21; 95% CI, 3.3-11.9) or <1-mm/carcinoma in situ margin (odds ratio, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.19-4.87) on the main specimen was an independent predictor of LR, whereas intraoperative tumor bed margins were not predictive of LR on multivariate analysis. Similarly, independent predictors of OS on multivariate analysis included nodal involvement, extracapsular extension, and a positive main specimen margin. Tumor bed margins did not independently predict OS. Conclusion The main specimen margin is a strong independent predictor of LR and OS on multivariate analysis. Intraoperative tumor bed frozen margins do not independently predict prognosis. We conclude that emphasis should be placed on evaluating the main specimen margins when estimating prognosis after OCSCC resection.

Switchable narrow linewidth fiber laser with LP11 transverse mode output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Ya; Ren, Guobin; Yang, Yuguang; Yao, Shuzhi; Wu, Yue; Jiang, Youchao; Xu, Yao; Jin, Wenxing; Zhu, Bofeng; Jian, Shuisheng

2018-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate a switchable narrow linewidth single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) erbium-doped fiber (EDF) ring laser with LP11 transverse mode output. The laser is based on a mode selective all-fiber fused coupler which is composed of a single-mode fiber (SMF) and a two-mode fiber (TMF). By controlling the polarization state of the output light, the laser can provide narrow linewidth SLM output with LP11 transverse mode at two specific wavelengths, which correspond to two transmission peaks of the chirped moiré fiber grating (CMFBG). The 20 dB linewidth of the fiber laser for each wavelength is approximately 7.2 and 6.4 kHz.

Small cell lymphocytic variant of marginal zone lymphoma: A distinct form of marginal zone lymphoma derived from naïve B cells as a cutaneous counterpart to the naïve marginal zone lymphoma of splenic origin.

PubMed

Magro, Cynthia M; Olson, Luke C

2018-02-21

Primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma most commonly represents an indolent form of cutaneous B cell lymphoma. However, epidermotropic marginal zone lymphoma, blastic marginal zone lymphoma and B cell dominant variants without isotype switching can be associated with extracutaneous dissemination. The presumptive cell of origin is a post germinal center B cell with plasmacytic features. In the extracutaneous setting, however, a naïve B cell origin has been proposed for a subset of marginal zone lymphomas, notably splenic marginal zone lymphoma. The author encountered 11 cases of atypical lymphocytic infiltration of the skin primarily occurring in older individuals with an upper arm and head and neck localization; there was a reproducible pattern of diffuse and nodular infiltration by small monomorphic-appearing B cells. Phenotypically, the infiltrate was one predominated by B cells exhibiting CD23 and IgD positivity without immunoreactivity for CD38 and there were either no plasma cells or only a few without light chain restriction. In cases presenting with a solitary lesion complete excision and/or radiation led to successful disease remission in all cases without recurrence or metastatic disease. Of three cases with multiple initial lesions, evidence of extracutaneous disease was seen in two cases and recurrence occurred in one case. No patients have died of lymphoma. Longer term follows up and additional cases are needed to determine if this subset of marginal zone lymphoma is associated with a worse prognosis. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Narrowing the Gap in Outcomes for Vulnerable Groups: A Review of the Research Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kendall, Sally; Straw, Suzanne; Jones, Megan; Springate, Iain; Grayson, Hilary

2008-01-01

This report presents findings from a review of the best evidence on narrowing the gap in outcomes across the five Every Child Matters (ECM) areas for vulnerable groups in the context of improving outcomes for all. The review was commissioned to prepare the ground for work on "Narrowing the Gap" with participating local authorities (LAs).…

Deep sea sedimentation processes and geomorphology: Northwest Atlantic continental margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosher, David; Campbell, Calvin; Gardner, Jim; Chaytor, Jason; Piper, David; Rebesco, Michele

2017-04-01

Deep-sea sedimentation processes impart a fundamental control on the morphology of the western North Atlantic continental margin from Blake Spur to Hudson Strait. This fact is illustrated by the variable patterns of cross-margin gradients that are based on extensive new multibeam echo-sounder data informed by subbottom profiler and seismic reflection data. Erosion by off-shelf sediment transport in turbidity currents creates gullies, canyons and channels and a steep upper slope. Amalgamation of these conduits produces singular channels and turbidite fan complexes on the lower slope, flattening slope-profile gradients. The effect is an exponentially decaying "graded" slope profile. Comparatively, sediment mass failure produces steeper upper slopes due to head scarp development and a wedging architecture to the lower slope as deposits thin in the downslope direction. This process results in either a "stepped" slope, and/or a significant downslope gradient change where MTDs pinch out. Large drift deposits created by geostrophic currents are developed all along the margin. Blake Ridge, Sackville Spur, and Hamilton Spur are large detached drifts on disparate parts of the margin. They form a linear "above grade" profile along their crests from the shelf to abyssal plain. Deeper portions of the US continental margin are dominated by the Chesapeake Drift and Hatteras Outer Ridge; both plastered elongate mounded drifts. Farther north, particularly on the Grand Banks margin, are plastered and separated drifts. These drifts form "stepped" slope profiles, where they onlap the margin. Trough-mouth fan complexes become more common along the margin with increasing latitude. Sediment deposition and retention, particularly those dominated by glacigenic debris flows, characterize these segments producing an "above grade" slope profile. Understanding these geomorphological consequences of deep sea sedimentation processes is important to extended continental shelf mapping in which

Local response of a glacier to annual filling and drainage of an ice-marginal lake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walder, J.S.; Trabant, D.C.; Cunico, M.; Fountain, A.G.; Anderson, S.P.; Anderson, R. Scott; Malm, A.

2006-01-01

Ice-marginal Hidden Creek Lake, Alaska, USA, outbursts annually over the course of 2-3 days. As the lake fills, survey targets on the surface of the 'ice dam' (the glacier adjacent to the lake) move obliquely to the ice margin and rise substantially. As the lake drains, ice motion speeds up, becomes nearly perpendicular to the face of the ice dam, and the ice surface drops. Vertical movement of the ice dam probably reflects growth and decay of a wedge of water beneath the ice dam, in line with established ideas about jo??kulhlaup mechanics. However, the distribution of vertical ice movement, with a narrow (50-100 m wide) zone where the uplift rate decreases by 90%, cannot be explained by invoking flexure of the ice dam in a fashion analogous to tidal flexure of a floating glacier tongue or ice shelf. Rather, the zone of large uplift-rate gradient is a fault zone: ice-dam deformation is dominated by movement along high-angle faults that cut the ice dam through its entire thickness, with the sense of fault slip reversing as the lake drains. Survey targets spanning the zone of steep uplift gradient move relative to one another in a nearly reversible fashion as the lake fills and drains. The horizontal strain rate also undergoes a reversal across this zone, being compressional as the lake fills, but extensional as the lake drains. Frictional resistance to fault-block motion probably accounts for the fact that lake level falls measurably before the onset of accelerated horizontal motion and vertical downdrop. As the overall fault pattern is the same from year to year, even though ice is lost by calving, the faults must be regularly regenerated, probably by linkage of surface and bottom crevasses as ice is advected toward the lake basin.

Controlling nested wrinkle morphology through the boundary effect on narrow-band thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hanyang; Shi, Tielin; Liao, Guanglan; Xia, Qi

2017-07-01

We describe the formation of nested wrinkles created by the thermal mismatch between a narrow-band thin film and a compliant substrate. When a film is described as "narrow-band", it literally means that the film band width is much shorter than its length; more precisely, it means that the width is comparable with the wavelength of the wrinkles. A silicon mask was used during film sputtering to create narrow-band films on poly (dimethylsiloxane) substrate, thus creating regular boundaries to steer local stresses and control wrinkle morphology. Disordered nano-scale wrinkles were found nested within highly ordered micro-scale sinusoidal wrinkles. The formation of nested wrinkles was explained through the amplitude and wavelength saturation of nano-scale wrinkles. The disordered morphology of nano-scale wrinkles and the highly ordered morphology of micro-scale wrinkles were explained by using the boundary effect.

New Business Models to Accelerate Innovation in Pediatric Oncology Therapeutics: A Review.

PubMed

Das, Sonya; Rousseau, Raphaël; Adamson, Peter C; Lo, Andrew W

2018-06-02

Few patient populations are as helpless and in need of advocacy as children with cancer. Pharmaceutical companies have historically faced significant financial disincentives to pursue pediatric oncology therapeutics, including low incidence, high costs of conducting pediatric trials, and a lack of funding for early-stage research. Review of published studies of pediatric oncology research and the cost of drug development, as well as clinical trials of pediatric oncology therapeutics at ClinicalTrials.gov, identified 77 potential drug development projects to be included in a hypothetical portfolio. The returns of this portfolio were simulated so as to compute the financial returns and risk. Simulated business strategies include combining projects at different clinical phases of development, obtaining partial funding from philanthropic grants, and obtaining government guarantees to reduce risk. The purely private-sector portfolio exhibited expected returns ranging from -24.2% to 10.2%, depending on the model variables assumed. This finding suggests significant financial disincentives for pursuing pediatric oncology therapeutics and implies that financial support from the public and philanthropic sectors is essential. Phase diversification increases the likelihood of a successful drug and yielded expected returns of -5.3% to 50.1%. Standard philanthropic grants had a marginal association with expected returns, and government guarantees had a greater association by reducing downside exposure. An assessment of a proposed venture philanthropy fund demonstrated stronger performance than the purely private-sector-funded portfolio or those with traditional amounts of philanthropic support. A combination of financial and business strategies has the potential to maximize expected return while eliminating some downside risk-in certain cases enabling expected returns as high as 50.1%-that can overcome current financial disincentives and accelerate the development of pediatric

Safety margins in the implementation of planetary quarantine requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schalkowsky, S.; Jacoby, I.

1972-01-01

The formulation of planetary quarantine requirements, and their implementation as determined by a risk allocation model, is discussed. The model defines control safety margins with particular emphasis on utility in achieving the desired minimization of excessive margins, and their effect on implementation procedures.

A narrow QRS tachycardia and cannon A waves: What is the mechanism?

PubMed

Ali, Hussam; Epicoco, Gianluca; De Ambroggi, Guido; Lupo, Pierpaolo; Foresti, Sara; Cappato, Riccardo

2017-07-01

Regular narrow QRS tachycardia, particularly if well-tolerated, is usually considered a "benign" arrhythmia of a supraventricular origin. This case concerns an 82-year-old male with ischemic heart disease who presented with recurrent episodes of a narrow QRS tachycardia that was initially diagnosed and treated as atrial tachyarrhythmia. However, careful physical examination and ECG analysis established the correct diagnosis, and the patient was managed appropriately. Remarkably, the observation of irregular cannon A waves, and Lewis lead recording, confirmed atrioventricular dissociation during tachycardia and indicated its underlying mechanism. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Effects of Marginal Deviations on Behavioral Development.

PubMed

Caprara, Gian Vittorio; Dodge, Kenneth A; Pastorelli, Concetta; Zelli, Arnaldo

2006-01-01

This investigation was conceptually framed within the theory of marginal deviations (Caprara & Zimbardo, 1996) and sought evidence for the general hypothesis that some children who initially show marginal behavioral problems may, over time, develop more serious problems depending partly on other personal and behavioral characteristics. To this end, the findings of two studies conducted, respectively, with American elementary school children and Italian middle school students are reviewed. These two studies show that hyperactivity, cognitive difficulties, low special preference, and lack of prosocial behavior increase a child's risk for growth in aggressive behavior over several school years. More importantly, they also show that equivalent levels of these risk factors have a greater impact on the development of children who, early on, were marginally aggressive.

Structure of the North American Atlantic Continental Margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schlee, J.S.; Klitgord, K.K.

1986-01-01

Off E N America, where the structure of the continental margin is essentially constructional, seismic profiles have approximated geologic cross sections up to 10-15km below the sea floor and revealed major structural and stratigraphic features that have regional hydrocarbon potential. These features include a) a block-faulted basement hinge zone; b) a deep, broad, rifted basement filled with clastic sediment and salt; and c) a buried paleoshelf-edge complex that has many forms. The mapping of seismostratigraphic units over the continental shelf, slope, and rise has shown that the margin's developmental state included infilling of a rifted margin, buildup of a carbonate platform, and construction of an onlapping continental-rise wedge that was accompanied by erosion of the slope. -from Authors

Narrow groove welding gas diffuser assembly and welding torch

DOEpatents

Rooney, Stephen J.

2001-01-01

A diffuser assembly is provided for narrow groove welding using an automatic gas tungsten arc welding torch. The diffuser assembly includes a manifold adapted for adjustable mounting on the welding torch which is received in a central opening in the manifold. Laterally extending manifold sections communicate with a shield gas inlet such that shield gas supplied to the inlet passes to gas passages of the manifold sections. First and second tapered diffusers are respectively connected to the manifold sections in fluid communication with the gas passages thereof. The diffusers extend downwardly along the torch electrode on opposite sides thereof so as to release shield gas along the length of the electrode and at the distal tip of the electrode. The diffusers are of a transverse width which is on the order of the thickness of the electrode so that the diffusers can, in use, be inserted into a narrow welding groove before and after the electrode in the direction of the weld operation.

Period effects, cohort effects, and the narrowing gender wage gap.

PubMed

Campbell, Colin; Pearlman, Jessica

2013-11-01

Despite the abundance of sociological research on the gender wage gap, questions remain. In particular, the role of cohorts is under investigated. Using data from the Current Population Survey, we use age-period-cohort analysis to uniquely estimate age, period, and cohort effects on the gender wage gap. The narrowing of the gender wage gap that occurred between 1975 and 2009 is largely due to cohort effects. Since the mid-1990s, the gender wage gap has continued to close absent of period effects. While gains in female wages contributed to declines in the gender wage gap for cohorts born before 1950, for later cohorts the narrowing of the gender wage gap is primarily a result of declines in male wages. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In vitro evaluation of marginal adaptation in five ceramic restoration fabricating techniques.

PubMed

Ural, Cağri; Burgaz, Yavuz; Saraç, Duygu

2010-01-01

To compare in vitro the marginal adaptation of crowns manufactured using ceramic restoration fabricating techniques. Fifty standardized master steel dies simulating molars were produced and divided into five groups, each containing 10 specimens. Test specimens were fabricated with CAD/CAM, heat-press, glass-infiltration, and conventional lost-wax techniques according to manufacturer instructions. Marginal adaptation of the test specimens was measured vertically before and after cementation using SEM. Data were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD tests (a = .05). Marginal adaptation of ceramic crowns was affected by fabrication technique and cementation process (P < .001). The lowest marginal opening values were obtained with Cerec-3 crowns before and after cementation (P < .001). The highest marginal discrepancy values were obtained with PFM crowns before and after cementation. Marginal adaptation values obtained in the compared systems were within clinically acceptable limits. Cementation causes a significant increase in the vertical marginal discrepancies of the test specimens.

On marginally resolved objects in optical interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachaume, R.

2003-03-01

With the present and soon-to-be breakthrough of optical interferometry, countless objects shall be within reach of interferometers; yet, most of them are expected to remain only marginally resolved with hectometric baselines. In this paper, we tackle the problem of deriving the properties of a marginally resolved object from its optical visibilities. We show that they depend on the moments of flux distribution of the object: centre, mean angular size, asymmetry, and curtosis. We also point out that the visibility amplitude is a second-order phenomenon, whereas the phase is a combination of a first-order term, giving the location of the photocentre, and a third-order term, more difficult to detect than the visibility amplitude, giving an asymmetry coefficient of the object. We then demonstrate that optical visibilities are not a good model constraint while the object stays marginally resolved, unless observations are carried out at different wavelengths. Finally, we show an application of this formalism to circumstellar discs.

Clinical study of imaging skin cancer margins using polarized light imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samatham, Ravikant; Lee, Ken; Jacques, Steven L.

2012-02-01

Skin cancer is most commons type of cancer in United States that occur on sun-exposed cosmetically sensitive areas like face, neck, and forearms. Surgical excision of skin cancer is challenging as more than one-third the actual margins extend beyond the clinically determined margins. Polarized light camera (polCAM) provides images of the superficial layers of the tissue with enhanced contrast which was used to image skin cancer margins. In a NIH-funded pilot study polCAM was used to image skin cancer in patients undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery for skin cancer. Polarized light imaging utilizes the polarization properties of light to create an image of a lesion comprised only of light scattering from the superficial layers of the skin which yields a characteristic "fabric pattern" of the putative lesion and the surrounding normal tissue. In several case studies conducted with a system developed for the clinic, we have found that skin cancer disrupts this fabric pattern, allowing the doctor a new means of identifying the margins of the lesion. Data is acquired before the patient underwent surgery. The clinically determined skin cancer margins were compared with margins determined by examination of the polCAM images. The true margins were provided by the dermatophathologist on examination of the frozen sections. Our initial data suggests that the contrast due to polarization changes associated with cancerous lesions can elucidate margins that were not recognized by the surgeon under normal conditions but were later confirmed by the pathologist.

Passive margins getting squeezed in the mantle convection vice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamato, Philippe; Husson, Laurent; Becker, Thorsten W.; Pedoja, Kevin

2013-12-01

margins often exhibit uplift, exhumation, and tectonic inversion. We speculate that the compression in the lithosphere gradually increased during the Cenozoic, as seen in the number of mountain belts found at active margins during that period. Less clear is how that compression increase affects passive margins. In order to address this issue, we design a 2-D viscous numerical model wherein a lithospheric plate rests above a weaker mantle. It is driven by a mantle conveyor belt, alternatively excited by a lateral downwelling on one side, an upwelling on the other side, or both simultaneously. The lateral edges of the plate are either free or fixed, representing the cases of free convergence, and collision (or slab anchoring), respectively. This distinction changes the upper mechanical boundary condition for mantle circulation and thus, the stress field. Between these two regimes, the flow pattern transiently evolves from a free-slip convection mode toward a no-slip boundary condition above the upper mantle. In the second case, the lithosphere is highly stressed horizontally and deforms. For a constant total driving force, compression increases drastically at passive margins if upwellings are active. Conversely, if downwellings alone are activated, compression occurs at short distances from the trench and extension prevails elsewhere. These results are supported by Earth-like models that reveal the same pattern, where active upwellings are required to excite passive margins compression. Our results substantiate the idea that compression at passive margins is in response to the underlying mantle flow that is increasingly resisted by the Cenozoic collisions.

Lithosphere structure and subsidence evolution of the conjugate S-African and Argentine margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dressel, Ingo; Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena; Cacace, Mauro; Götze, Hans-Jürgen; Franke, Dieter

2016-04-01

The bathymetric evolution of the South Atlantic passive continental margins is a matter of debate. Though it is commonly accepted that passive margins experience thermal subsidence as a result of lithospheric cooling as well as load induced subsidence in response to sediment deposition it is disputed if the South Atlantic passive margins were affected by additional processes affecting the subsidence history after continental breakup. We present a subsidence analysis along the SW African margin and offshore Argentina and restore paleobathymetries to assess the subsidence evolution of the margin. These results are discussed with respect to mechanisms behind margin evolution. Therefore, we use available information about the lithosphere-scale present-day structural configuration of these margins as a starting point for the subsidence analysis. A multi 1D backward modelling method is applied to separate individual subsidence components such as the thermal- as well as the load induced subsidence and to restore paleobathymetries for the conjugate margins. The comparison of the restored paleobathymetries shows that the conjugate margins evolve differently: Continuous subsidence is obtained offshore Argentina whereas the subsidence history of the SW African margin is interrupted by phases of uplift. This differing results for both margins correlate also with different structural configurations of the subcrustal mantle. In the light of these results we discuss possible implications for uplift mechanisms.

Extended Narrow-Line Region in Seyfert Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Congiu, Enrico; Contini, Marcella.; Ciroi, Stefano; Cracco, Valentina; Di Mille, Francesco; Berton, Marco; Frezzato, Michele; La Mura, Giovanni; Rafanelli, Piero

2017-10-01

We present our recent results about the extended narrow-line region (ENLR) of two nearby Seyfert 2 galaxies (IC 5063 and NGC 7212) obtained by modelling the observed line profiles and spectra with composite models (photoionization+shocks) in the different regions surrounding the AGN. Then, we compare the Seyfert 2 ENLRs with the very extended one recently discovered in the narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy Mrk 783. We have found several evidences of interaction between the ISM of the galaxies and their radio jets, such as a) the contribution of shocks in ionizing the high velocity gas, b) the complex kinematics showed by the profile of the emission lines, c) the high fragmentation of matter, etc. The results suggest that the ENLR of IC 5063 have a hollow bi-conical shape, with one edge aligned to the galaxy disk, which may cause some kind of dependence on velocity of the ionization parameter. Regarding the Mrk 783 properties, it is found that the extension of the optical emission is almost twice the size of the radio one and it seems due to the AGN activity, although there is contamination by star formation around 12 arcsec from the nucleus. Diagnostic diagrams excluded the contribution of star formation in IC 5063 and NGC 7212, while the shock contribution was used to explain the spectra emitted by their high velocity gas.

Margin and sensitivity methods for security analysis of electric power systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, Scott L.

Reliable operation of large scale electric power networks requires that system voltages and currents stay within design limits. Operation beyond those limits can lead to equipment failures and blackouts. Security margins measure the amount by which system loads or power transfers can change before a security violation, such as an overloaded transmission line, is encountered. This thesis shows how to efficiently compute security margins defined by limiting events and instabilities, and the sensitivity of those margins with respect to assumptions, system parameters, operating policy, and transactions. Security margins to voltage collapse blackouts, oscillatory instability, generator limits, voltage constraints and line overloads are considered. The usefulness of computing the sensitivities of these margins with respect to interarea transfers, loading parameters, generator dispatch, transmission line parameters, and VAR support is established for networks as large as 1500 buses. The sensitivity formulas presented apply to a range of power system models. Conventional sensitivity formulas such as line distribution factors, outage distribution factors, participation factors and penalty factors are shown to be special cases of the general sensitivity formulas derived in this thesis. The sensitivity formulas readily accommodate sparse matrix techniques. Margin sensitivity methods are shown to work effectively for avoiding voltage collapse blackouts caused by either saddle node bifurcation of equilibria or immediate instability due to generator reactive power limits. Extremely fast contingency analysis for voltage collapse can be implemented with margin sensitivity based rankings. Interarea transfer can be limited by voltage limits, line limits, or voltage stability. The sensitivity formulas presented in this thesis apply to security margins defined by any limit criteria. A method to compute transfer margins by directly locating intermediate events reduces the total number

Cryogenic Detectors (Narrow Field Instruments)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoevers, H.; Verhoeve, P.

Two cryogenic imaging spectrometer arrays are currently considered as focal plane instruments for XEUS. The narrow field imager 1 (NFI 1) will cover the energy range from 0.05 to 3 keV with an energy resolution of 2 eV, or better, at 500 eV. A second narrow field imager (NFI 2) covers the energy range from 1 to 15 keV with an energy resolution of 2 eV (at 1 keV) and 5 eV (at 7 keV), creating some overlap with part of the NFI 1 energy window. Both narrow field imagers have a 0.5 arcmin field of view. Their imaging capabilities are matched to the XEUS optics of 2 to 5 arcsec leading to 1 arcsec pixels. The detector arrays will be cooled by a closed cycle system comprising a mechanical cooler with a base temperature of 2.5 K and either a low temperature 3He sorption pump providing the very low temperature stage and/or an Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (ADR). The ADR cooler is explicitly needed to cool the NFI 2 array. The narrow field imager 1} Currently a 48 times 48 element array of superconducting tunnel junctions (STJ) is envisaged. Its operating temperature is in the range between 30 and 350 mK. Small, single Ta STJs (20-50 mum on a side) have shown 3.5 eV (FWHM) resolution at E = 525 eV and small arrays have been successfully demonstrated (6 times 6 pixels), or are currently tested (10 times 12 pixels). Alternatively, a prototype Distributed Read-Out Imaging Device (DROID), consisting of a linear superconducting Ta absorber of 20 times 100 mum2, including a 20 times 20 mum STJ for readout at either end, has shown a measured energy resolution of 2.4 eV (FWHM) at E = 500 eV. Simulations involving the diffusion properties as well as loss and tunnel rates have shown that the performance can be further improved by slight modifications in the geometry, and that the size of the DROIDS can be increased to 0.5-1.0 mm without loss in energy resolution. The relatively large areas and good energy resolution compared to single STJs make DROIDS good candidates for the

Bounded Linear Stability Margin Analysis of Nonlinear Hybrid Adaptive Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan T.; Boskovic, Jovan D.

2008-01-01

This paper presents a bounded linear stability analysis for a hybrid adaptive control that blends both direct and indirect adaptive control. Stability and convergence of nonlinear adaptive control are analyzed using an approximate linear equivalent system. A stability margin analysis shows that a large adaptive gain can lead to a reduced phase margin. This method can enable metrics-driven adaptive control whereby the adaptive gain is adjusted to meet stability margin requirements.

Sediment accumulation on the Southern California Bight continental margin during the twentieth century

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alexander, C.R.; Lee, H.J.

2009-01-01

Sediment discharged into the portion of the Southern California Bight extending from Santa Barbara to Dana Point enters a complex system of semi-isolated coastal cells, narrow continental shelves, submarine canyons, and offshore basins. On both the Santa Monica and San Pedro margins, 210Pb accumulation rates decrease in an offshore direction (from ??0.5 g cm-2yr-1 to 0.02 g cm-2yr -1), in concert with a fining in sediment grain size (from 4.5?? to 8.5??), suggesting that offshore transport of wave-resuspended material occurs as relatively dilute nepheloid layers and that hemiplegic sedimentation dominates the supply of sediment to the outer shelf, slope, and basins. Together, these areas are effectively sequestering up to 100% of the annual fluvial input. In contrast to the Santa Monica margin, which does not display evidence of mass wasting as an important process of sediment delivery and redistribution, the San Pedro margin does provide numerous examples of failures and mass wasting, suggesting that intraslope sediment redistribution may play a more important role there. Basin deposits in both areas exhibit evidence of turbidites tentatively associated with both major floods and earthquakes, sourced from either the Redondo Canyon (San Pedro Basin) or Dume Canyon (Santa Monica Basin). On the Palos Verdes shelf, sediment-accumulation rates decrease along and across the shelf away from the White's Point outfall, which has been a major source of contaminants to the shelf deposits. Accumulation rates prior to the construction of the outfall were ??0.2 g cm-2yr-1 and increased 1.5-3.7 times during peak discharges from the outfall in 1971. The distal rate of accumulation has decreased by ??50%, from 0.63 g cm -2yr-1 during the period 1971-1992 to 0.29 g cm -2yr-1 during the period 1992-2003. The proximal rate of accumulation, however, has only decreased ??10%, from 0.83 g cm -2yr-1 during the period 1971-1992 to 0.73 g cm -2yr-1 during the period 1992-2003. Effluent

Marginal Fit Comparison of CAD/CAM Crowns Milled from Two Different Materials.

PubMed

Azarbal, Atousa; Azarbal, Mohsen; Engelmeier, Robert L; Kunkel, Thomas C

2018-06-01

To evaluate the marginal fit of CAD/CAM copings milled from hybrid ceramic (Vita Enamic) blocks and lithium disilicate (IPS e.max CAD) blocks, and to evaluate the effect of crystallization firing on the marginal fit of lithium disilicate copings. A standardized metal die with a 1-mm-wide shoulder finish line was imaged using the CEREC AC Bluecam. The coping was designed using CEREC 3 software. The design was used to fabricate 15 lithium disilicate and 15 hybrid ceramic copings. Design and milling were accomplished by one operator. The copings were seated on the metal die using a pressure clamp with a uniform pressure of 5.5 lbs. A Macroview Microscope (14×) was used for direct viewing of the marginal gap. Four areas were imaged on each coping (buccal, distal, lingual, mesial). Image analysis software was used to measure the marginal gaps in μm at 15 randomly selected points on each of the four surfaces. A total of 60 measurements were made per specimen. For lithium disilicate copings the measurements for marginal gap were made before and after crystallization firing. Data were analyzed using paired t-test and Kruskal-Wallis test. The overall mean difference in marginal gap between the hybrid ceramic and crystallized lithium disilicate copings was statistically significant (p < 0.01). Greater mean marginal gaps were measured for crystallized lithium disilicate copings. The overall mean difference in marginal gap before and after firing (precrystallized and crystallized lithium disilicate copings) showed an average of 62 μm increase in marginal gap after firing. This difference was also significant (p < 0.01). A significant difference exists in the marginal gap discrepancy when comparing hybrid ceramic and lithium disilicate CAD/CAM crowns. Also crystallization firing can result in a significant increase in the marginal gap of lithium disilicate CAD/CAM crowns. © 2017 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Optical assessment of tumor resection margins in the breast

PubMed Central

Brown, J. Quincy; Bydlon, Torre M.; Richards, Lisa M.; Yu, Bing; Kennedy, Stephanie A.; Geradts, Joseph; Wilke, Lee G.; Junker, Marlee; Gallagher, Jennifer; Barry, William; Ramanujam, Nimmi

2011-01-01

Breast conserving surgery, in which the breast tumor and surrounding normal tissue are removed, is the primary mode of treatment for invasive and in situ carcinomas of the breast, conditions that affect nearly 200,000 women annually. Of these nearly 200,000 patients who undergo this surgical procedure, between 20–70% of them may undergo additional surgeries to remove tumor that was left behind in the first surgery, due to the lack of intra-operative tools which can detect whether the boundaries of the excised specimens are free from residual cancer. Optical techniques have many attractive attributes which may make them useful tools for intra-operative assessment of breast tumor resection margins. In this manuscript, we discuss clinical design criteria for intra-operative breast tumor margin assessment, and review optical techniques appied to this problem. In addition, we report on the development and clinical testing of quantitative diffuse reflectance imaging (Q-DRI) as a potential solution to this clinical need. Q-DRI is a spectral imaging tool which has been applied to 56 resection margins in 48 patients at Duke University Medical Center. Clear sources of contrast between cancerous and cancer-free resection margins were identified with the device, and resulted in an overall accuracy of 75% in detecting positive margins. PMID:21544237

Breast-conservative surgery followed by radiofrequency ablation of margins decreases the need for a second surgical procedure for close or positive margins.

PubMed

Rubio, Isabel T; Landolfi, Stefania; Molla, Meritxell; Cortes, Javier; Xercavins, Jordi

2014-10-01

Excision of breast cancer followed by radiofrequency ablation (eRFA) is a technique designed to increase negative margins in breast-conservative surgical procedures. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of eRFA in avoiding a second surgical procedure for close or positive margins after a breast-conservative surgical procedure. From February 2008 to May 2010, 20 patients were included. After lumpectomy, the eRFA was performed in the lumpectomy cavity, and biopsies from each margin from the radial ablated cavity walls were obtained. Biopsy samples were assessed for tumor viability. eRFA was successful in 19 of 20 patients. In all patients, the devitalized tissue extended beyond a 5- to 10-mm radial depth of the biopsy sample. Overall, 6 patients (31%) had margins < 2 mm, 4 of them with < 1 mm margin. All 6 of these patients had no tumor viability according to analysis of biopsy samples stained with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. At a median follow-up of 46 months, no local recurrence had been found. This study supports the feasibility of eRFA treatment. In our study, the eRFA method has spared 31% of patients from undergoing a re-excision surgical procedure, and it may, in the long-term, reduce local recurrences. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Role of Margin in Link Design and Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheung, K.

2015-01-01

Link analysis is a system engineering process in the design, development, and operation of communication systems and networks. Link models that are mathematical abstractions representing the useful signal power and the undesirable noise and attenuation effects (including weather effects if the signal path transverses through the atmosphere) that are integrated into the link budget calculation that provides the estimates of signal power and noise power at the receiver. Then the link margin is applied which attempts to counteract the fluctuations of the signal and noise power to ensure reliable data delivery from transmitter to receiver. (Link margin is dictated by the link margin policy or requirements.) A simple link budgeting approach assumes link parameters to be deterministic values typically adopted a rule-of-thumb policy of 3 dB link margin. This policy works for most S- and X-band links due to their insensitivity to weather effects. But for higher frequency links like Ka-band, Ku-band, and optical communication links, it is unclear if a 3 dB link margin would guarantee link closure. Statistical link analysis that adopted the 2-sigma or 3-sigma link margin incorporates link uncertainties in the sigma calculation. (The Deep Space Network (DSN) link margin policies are 2-sigma for downlink and 3-sigma for uplink.) The link reliability can therefore be quantified statistically even for higher frequency links. However in the current statistical link analysis approach, link reliability is only expressed as the likelihood of exceeding the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold that corresponds to a given bit-error-rate (BER) or frame-error-rate (FER) requirement. The method does not provide the true BER or FER estimate of the link with margin, or the required signalto-noise ratio (SNR) that would meet the BER or FER requirement in the statistical sense. In this paper, we perform in-depth analysis on the relationship between BER/FER requirement, operating SNR, and

Volcanic and nonvolcanic rifted margins of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden: Crustal cooling and margin evolution in Yemen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menzies, Martin; Gallagher, Kerry; Yelland, Andrew; Hurford, Anthony J.

1997-06-01

New apatite fission track (AFT) data from the southern Red Sea volcanic and the Gulf of Aden nonvolcanic margins provide important constraints on the timing of crustal cooling relative to periods of volcanism and lithosphere extension. The AFT data define several regions of extension immediately adjacent to the Red Sea margin with AFT ages < 25 Ma and track-length distributions consistent with rapid cooling. Elevated Precambrian basement highs on the rift shoulder have AFT ages ≫ 100 Ma and track-length distributions indicative of a complex pre-rift history. An intervening area along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden margins, and inland along the Balhaf graben (Jurassic rift), has AFT ages of 25-100 Ma. and track-length distributions indicative of rapid cooling. Elevated Precambrian basement highs are juxtaposed against topographically lower extended coastal terranes with sharp contrasts in AFT ages and track-length distributions, pointing to possible reactivation in the Tertiary of lineaments of Precambrian and Jurassic age. Integration of field observations with AFT data and 40Ar/ 39Ar data indicates that, on the Red Sea volcanic margin, surface uplift was initiated immediately prior to volcanism and that cooling was synchronous with widespread extension and an apparent hiatus in voluminous volcanic activity.

Hydrographic surveys of four narrows within the Namakan reservoir system, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Densmore, Brenda K.; Strauch, Kellan R.; Ziegeweid, Jeffrey R.

2013-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey performed multibeam echosounder hydrographic surveys of four narrows in the Namakan reservoir system in August 2011, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission and Environment Canada. The data-collection effort was completed to provide updated and detailed hydrographic data to Environment Canada for inclusion in a Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System hydraulic model. The Namakan reservoir system is composed of Namakan, Kabetogama, Sand Point, Crane, and Little Vermilion Lakes. Water elevations in the Namakan reservoir system are regulated according to rule curves, or guidelines for water-level management based on the time of year, established by the International Joint Commission. Water levels are monitored by established gages on Crane Lake and the outlet of Namakan Lake at Kettle Falls, but water elevations throughout the system may deviate from these measured values by as much as 0.3 meters, according to lake managers and residents. Deviations from expected water elevations may be caused by between-lake constrictions (narrows). According to the 2000 Rule Curve Assessment Workgroup, hydrologic models of the reservoir system are needed to better understand the system and to evaluate the recent changes made to rule curves in 2000. Hydrographic surveys were performed using a RESON SeaBat™7125 multibeam echosounder system. Surveys were completed at Namakan Narrows, Harrison Narrows, King Williams Narrows, and Little Vermilion Narrows. Hydrographic survey data were processed using Caris HIPSTM and SIPSTM software that interpolated a combined uncertainty and bathymetric estimator (CUBE) surface. Quality of the survey results was evaluated in relation to standards set by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) for describing the uncertainty of hydrographic surveys. More than 90 percent of the surveyed areas at the four narrows have resulting bed elevations that meet the IHO “Special Order” quality

Narrowing of the middle cerebral artery: artificial intelligence methods and comparison of transcranial color coded duplex sonography with conventional TCD.

PubMed

Swiercz, Miroslaw; Swiat, Maciej; Pawlak, Mikolaj; Weigele, John; Tarasewicz, Roman; Sobolewski, Andrzej; Hurst, Robert W; Mariak, Zenon D; Melhem, Elias R; Krejza, Jaroslaw

2010-01-01

The goal of the study was to compare performances of transcranial color-coded duplex sonography (TCCS) and transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) in the diagnosis of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) narrowing in the same population of patients using statistical and nonstatistical intelligent models for data analysis. We prospectively collected data from 179 consecutive routine digital subtraction angiography (DSA) procedures performed in 111 patients (mean age 54.17+/-14.4 years; 59 women, 52 men) who underwent TCD and TCCS examinations simultaneously. Each patient was examined independently using both ultrasound techniques, 267 M1 segments of MCA were assessed and narrowings were classified as < or =50% and >50% lumen reduction. Diagnostic performance was estimated by two statistical and two artificial neural networks (ANN) classification methods. Separate models were constructed for the TCD and TCCS sonographic data, as well as for detection of "any narrowing" and "severe narrowing" of the MCA. Input for each classifier consisted of the peak-systolic, mean and end-diastolic velocities measured with each sonographic method; the output was MCA narrowing. Arterial narrowings less or equal 50% of lumen reduction were found in 55 and >50% narrowings in 26 out of 267 arteries, as indicated by DSA. In the category of "any narrowing" the rate of correct assignment by all models was 82% to 83% for TCCS and 79% to 81% for TCD. In the diagnosis of >50% narrowing the overall classification accuracy remained in the range of 89% to 90% for TCCS data and 90% to 91% for TCD data. For the diagnosis of any narrowing, the sensitivity of the TCCS was significantly higher than that of the TCD, while for diagnosis of >50% MCA narrowing, sensitivity of the TCCS was similar to sensitivity of the TCD. Our study showed that TCCS outperforms conventional TCD in detection of < or =50% MCA narrowing, whereas no significant difference in accuracy between both methods was found in the diagnosis

Approximation of super-ions for single-file diffusion of multiple ions through narrow pores.

PubMed

Kharkyanen, Valery N; Yesylevskyy, Semen O; Berezetskaya, Natalia M

2010-11-01

The general theory of the single-file multiparticle diffusion in the narrow pores could be greatly simplified in the case of inverted bell-like shape of the single-particle energy profile, which is often observed in biological ion channels. There is a narrow and deep groove in the energy landscape of multiple interacting ions in such profiles, which corresponds to the pre-defined optimal conduction pathway in the configurational space. If such groove exists, the motion of multiple ions can be reduced to the motion of single quasiparticle, called the superion, which moves in one-dimensional effective potential. The concept of the superions dramatically reduces the computational complexity of the problem and provides very clear physical interpretation of conduction phenomena in the narrow pores.

Robust Performance of Marginal Pacific Coral Reef Habitats in Future Climate Scenarios.

PubMed

Freeman, Lauren A

2015-01-01

Coral reef ecosystems are under dual threat from climate change. Increasing sea surface temperatures and thermal stress create environmental limits at low latitudes, and decreasing aragonite saturation state creates environmental limits at high latitudes. This study examines the response of unique coral reef habitats to climate change in the remote Pacific, using the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model version 1 alongside the species distribution algorithm Maxent. Narrow ranges of physico-chemical variables are used to define unique coral habitats and their performance is tested in future climate scenarios. General loss of coral reef habitat is expected in future climate scenarios and has been shown in previous studies. This study found exactly that for most of the predominant physico-chemical environments. However, certain coral reef habitats considered marginal today at high latitude, along the equator and in the eastern tropical Pacific were found to be quite robust in climate change scenarios. Furthermore, an environmental coral reef refuge previously identified in the central south Pacific near French Polynesia was further reinforced. Studying the response of specific habitats showed that the prevailing conditions of this refuge during the 20th century shift to a new set of conditions, more characteristic of higher latitude coral reefs in the 20th century, in future climate scenarios projected to 2100.

Dopamine Reward Prediction Error Responses Reflect Marginal Utility

PubMed Central

Stauffer, William R.; Lak, Armin; Schultz, Wolfram

2014-01-01

Summary Background Optimal choices require an accurate neuronal representation of economic value. In economics, utility functions are mathematical representations of subjective value that can be constructed from choices under risk. Utility usually exhibits a nonlinear relationship to physical reward value that corresponds to risk attitudes and reflects the increasing or decreasing marginal utility obtained with each additional unit of reward. Accordingly, neuronal reward responses coding utility should robustly reflect this nonlinearity. Results In two monkeys, we measured utility as a function of physical reward value from meaningful choices under risk (that adhered to first- and second-order stochastic dominance). The resulting nonlinear utility functions predicted the certainty equivalents for new gambles, indicating that the functions’ shapes were meaningful. The monkeys were risk seeking (convex utility function) for low reward and risk avoiding (concave utility function) with higher amounts. Critically, the dopamine prediction error responses at the time of reward itself reflected the nonlinear utility functions measured at the time of choices. In particular, the reward response magnitude depended on the first derivative of the utility function and thus reflected the marginal utility. Furthermore, dopamine responses recorded outside of the task reflected the marginal utility of unpredicted reward. Accordingly, these responses were sufficient to train reinforcement learning models to predict the behaviorally defined expected utility of gambles. Conclusions These data suggest a neuronal manifestation of marginal utility in dopamine neurons and indicate a common neuronal basis for fundamental explanatory constructs in animal learning theory (prediction error) and economic decision theory (marginal utility). PMID:25283778

Dopamine reward prediction error responses reflect marginal utility.

PubMed

Stauffer, William R; Lak, Armin; Schultz, Wolfram

2014-11-03

Optimal choices require an accurate neuronal representation of economic value. In economics, utility functions are mathematical representations of subjective value that can be constructed from choices under risk. Utility usually exhibits a nonlinear relationship to physical reward value that corresponds to risk attitudes and reflects the increasing or decreasing marginal utility obtained with each additional unit of reward. Accordingly, neuronal reward responses coding utility should robustly reflect this nonlinearity. In two monkeys, we measured utility as a function of physical reward value from meaningful choices under risk (that adhered to first- and second-order stochastic dominance). The resulting nonlinear utility functions predicted the certainty equivalents for new gambles, indicating that the functions' shapes were meaningful. The monkeys were risk seeking (convex utility function) for low reward and risk avoiding (concave utility function) with higher amounts. Critically, the dopamine prediction error responses at the time of reward itself reflected the nonlinear utility functions measured at the time of choices. In particular, the reward response magnitude depended on the first derivative of the utility function and thus reflected the marginal utility. Furthermore, dopamine responses recorded outside of the task reflected the marginal utility of unpredicted reward. Accordingly, these responses were sufficient to train reinforcement learning models to predict the behaviorally defined expected utility of gambles. These data suggest a neuronal manifestation of marginal utility in dopamine neurons and indicate a common neuronal basis for fundamental explanatory constructs in animal learning theory (prediction error) and economic decision theory (marginal utility). Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conventional and Ambulatory Blood Pressure as Predictors of Retinal Arteriolar Narrowing

PubMed Central

Wei, Fang-Fei; Zhang, Zhen-Yu; Thijs, Lutgarde; Yang, Wen-Yi; Jacobs, Lotte; Cauwenberghs, Nicholas; Gu, Yu-Mei; Kuznetsova, Tatiana; Allegaert, Karel; Verhamme, Peter; Li, Yan; Struijker-Boudier, Harry A.J.

2016-01-01

At variance with the long established paradigm that retinal arteriolar narrowing trails hypertension, several longitudinal studies, all based on conventional blood pressure (CBP) measurement, proposed that retinal arteriolar narrowing indicates heightened microvascular resistance and precedes hypertension. In 783 randomly recruited Flemish (mean age, 38.2 years; 51.3% women), we investigated to what extent CBP and daytime (10 am to 8 pm) ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) measured at baseline (1989–2008) predicted the central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) in retinal photographs obtained at follow-up (2008–2015). Systolic/diastolic hypertension thresholds were 140/90 mm Hg for CBP and 135/85 mm Hg for ABP. In multivariable-adjusted models including both baseline CBP and ABP, CRAE after 10.3 years (median) of follow-up was unrelated to CBP (P≥0.14), whereas ABP predicted CRAE narrowing (P≤0.011). Per 1-SD increment in systolic/diastolic blood pressure, the association sizes were −0.95 µm (95% confidence interval, −2.20 to 0.30)/−0.75 µm (−1.93 to 0.42) for CBP and −1.76 µm (−2.95 to −0.58)/−1.48 µm (−2.61 to −0.34) for ABP. Patients with ambulatory hypertension at baseline (17.0%) had smaller CRAE (146.5 versus 152.6 µm; P<0.001) at follow-up. CRAE was not different (P≥0.31) between true normotension (normal CBP and ABP; prevalence, 77.6%) and white-coat hypertension (elevated CBP and normal ABP, 5.4%) and between masked hypertension (normal CBP and elevated ABP, 10.2%) and hypertension (elevated CBP and ABP, 6.8%). In conclusion, the paradigm that retinal arteriolar narrowing precedes hypertension can be explained by the limitations of CBP measurement, including nonidentification of masked and white-coat hypertension. PMID:27324224

Conventional and Ambulatory Blood Pressure as Predictors of Retinal Arteriolar Narrowing.

PubMed

Wei, Fang-Fei; Zhang, Zhen-Yu; Thijs, Lutgarde; Yang, Wen-Yi; Jacobs, Lotte; Cauwenberghs, Nicholas; Gu, Yu-Mei; Kuznetsova, Tatiana; Allegaert, Karel; Verhamme, Peter; Li, Yan; Struijker-Boudier, Harry A J; Staessen, Jan A

2016-08-01

At variance with the long established paradigm that retinal arteriolar narrowing trails hypertension, several longitudinal studies, all based on conventional blood pressure (CBP) measurement, proposed that retinal arteriolar narrowing indicates heightened microvascular resistance and precedes hypertension. In 783 randomly recruited Flemish (mean age, 38.2 years; 51.3% women), we investigated to what extent CBP and daytime (10 am to 8 pm) ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) measured at baseline (1989-2008) predicted the central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) in retinal photographs obtained at follow-up (2008-2015). Systolic/diastolic hypertension thresholds were 140/90 mm Hg for CBP and 135/85 mm Hg for ABP. In multivariable-adjusted models including both baseline CBP and ABP, CRAE after 10.3 years (median) of follow-up was unrelated to CBP (P≥0.14), whereas ABP predicted CRAE narrowing (P≤0.011). Per 1-SD increment in systolic/diastolic blood pressure, the association sizes were -0.95 µm (95% confidence interval, -2.20 to 0.30)/-0.75 µm (-1.93 to 0.42) for CBP and -1.76 µm (-2.95 to -0.58)/-1.48 µm (-2.61 to -0.34) for ABP. Patients with ambulatory hypertension at baseline (17.0%) had smaller CRAE (146.5 versus 152.6 µm; P<0.001) at follow-up. CRAE was not different (P≥0.31) between true normotension (normal CBP and ABP; prevalence, 77.6%) and white-coat hypertension (elevated CBP and normal ABP, 5.4%) and between masked hypertension (normal CBP and elevated ABP, 10.2%) and hypertension (elevated CBP and ABP, 6.8%). In conclusion, the paradigm that retinal arteriolar narrowing precedes hypertension can be explained by the limitations of CBP measurement, including nonidentification of masked and white-coat hypertension. © 2016 The Authors.

Regrounding in Place: Paths to Native American Truths at the Margins

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas, Michael

2013-01-01

Margin acts as ground to receive the figure of the text. Margin is initially unreadable, but as suggested by gestalt studies, may be reversed, or regrounded. A humanities course, "Native American Architecture and Place," was created for a polytechnic student population, looking to place as an inroad for access to the margins of a better…

Safety margins in older adults increase with improved control of a dynamic object

PubMed Central

Hasson, Christopher J.; Sternad, Dagmar

2014-01-01

Older adults face decreasing motor capabilities due to pervasive neuromuscular degradations. As a consequence, errors in movement control increase. Thus, older individuals should maintain larger safety margins than younger adults. While this has been shown for object manipulation tasks, several reports on whole-body activities, such as posture and locomotion, demonstrate age-related reductions in safety margins. This is despite increased costs for control errors, such as a fall. We posit that this paradox could be explained by the dynamic challenge presented by the body or also an external object, and that age-related reductions in safety margins are in part due to a decreased ability to control dynamics. To test this conjecture we used a virtual ball-in-cup task that had challenging dynamics, yet afforded an explicit rendering of the physics and safety margin. The hypotheses were: (1) When manipulating an object with challenging dynamics, older adults have smaller safety margins than younger adults. (2) Older adults increase their safety margins with practice. Nine young and 10 healthy older adults practiced moving the virtual ball-in-cup to a target location in exactly 2 s. The accuracy and precision of the timing error quantified skill, and the ball energy relative to an escape threshold quantified the safety margin. Compared to the young adults, older adults had increased timing errors, greater variability, and decreased safety margins. With practice, both young and older adults improved their ability to control the object with decreased timing errors and variability, and increased their safety margins. These results suggest that safety margins are related to the ability to control dynamics, and may explain why in tasks with simple dynamics older adults use adequate safety margins, but in more complex tasks, safety margins may be inadequate. Further, the results indicate that task-specific training may improve safety margins in older adults. PMID:25071566

Texas curve margin of safety.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-01-01

This software can be used to assist with the assessment of margin of safety for a horizontal curve. It is intended for use by engineers and technicians responsible for safety analysis or management of rural highway pavement or traffic control devices...

The narrow-leaf syndrome: a functional and evolutionary approach to the form of fog-harvesting rosette plants.

PubMed

Martorell, Carlos; Ezcurra, Exequiel

2007-04-01

Plants that use fog as an important water-source frequently have a rosette growth habit. The performance of this morphology in relation to fog interception has not been studied. Some first-principles from physics predict that narrow leaves, together with other ancillary traits (large number and high flexibility of leaves, caudices, and/or epiphytism) which constitute the "narrow-leaf syndrome" should increase fog-interception efficiency. This was tested using aluminum models of rosettes that differed in leaf length, width and number and were exposed to artificial fog. The results were validated using seven species of Tillandsia and four species of xerophytic rosettes. The total amount of fog intercepted in rosette plants increased with total leaf area, while narrow leaves maximized interception efficiency (measured as interception per unit area). The number of leaves in the rosettes is physically constrained because wide-leafed plants can only have a few blades. At the limits of this constraint, net fog interception was independent of leaf form, but interception efficiency was maximized by large numbers of narrow leaves. Atmospheric Tillandsia species show the narrow-leaf syndrome. Their fog interception efficiencies were correlated to the ones predicted from aluminum-model data. In the larger xerophytic rosette species, the interception efficiency was greatest in plants showing the narrow-leaf syndrome. The adaptation to fog-harvesting in several narrow-leaved rosettes was tested for evolutionary convergence in 30 xerophytic rosette species using a comparative method. There was a significant evolutionary tendency towards the development of the narrow-leaf syndrome the closer the species grew to areas where fog is frequently available. This study establishes convergence in a very wide group of plants encompassing genera as contrasting as Tillandsia and Agave as a result of their dependence on fog.

Marginal Bone Loss after Ten Years in an Adult Danish Population: A Radiographic Study.

PubMed

Bahrami, Golnosh; Vaeth, Michael; Wenzel, Ann; Isidor, Flemming

To evaluate marginal bone loss over a 10-year period in individuals and in tooth groups in relation to age and level of marginal bone. In 1997, 616 randomly selected individuals (mean age: 42 years, range: 21-63 years) underwent a full-mouth radiographic survey. In 2008, the survey was repeated in 362 of the same individuals (182 women and 180 men). The marginal bone level of each tooth was measured in mm from the cementoenamel junction to the marginal bone. These measurements were used to calculate marginal bone loss during the 10-year period for individuals and tooth groups in relation to age and to baseline marginal bone level, calculated as the average between measurements in 1997 and 2008 to circumvent regression towards the mean. The average annual marginal bone loss was 0.09 mm (SD ± 0.04 mm) during the 10-year study period. The association between marginal bone loss and baseline marginal bone level was more pronounced in the youngest age group, compared to the other age groups. Molars displayed the most severe bone loss during the study period. Marginal bone loss over a 10-year period is associated with age and baseline marginal bone level. Younger individuals with a reduced marginal bone level were at higher risk for further bone loss. Molars lose marginal bone more rapidly than other tooth groups.

Impedance self-matching ultra-narrow linewidth fiber resonator by use of a tunable π-phase-shifted FBG.

PubMed

Jing, Mingyong; Yu, Bo; Hu, Jianyong; Hou, Huifang; Zhang, Guofeng; Xiao, Liantuan; Jia, Suotang

2017-05-15

In this paper, we present a novel ultra-narrow linewidth fiber resonator formed by a tunable polarization maintaining (PM) π-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating and a PM uniform fiber Bragg grating with a certain length of PM single mode fiber patch cable between them. Theoretical prediction shows that this resonator has ultra-narrow linewidth resonant peaks and is easy to realize impedance matching. We experimentally obtain 3 MHz narrow linewidth impedance matched resonant peak in a 7.3 m ultra-long passive fiber cavity. The impedance self-matching characteristic of this resonator also makes itself particularly suitable for use in ultra-sensitive sensors, ultra-narrow band rejection optical filters and fiber lasers applications.

Upper Extremity Nerve Function and Pain in Human Volunteers with Narrow versus Wide Tourniquets.

PubMed

Kovar, Florian; Jauregui, Julio J; Specht, Stacy C; Baker, Erin; Bhave, Anil; Herzenberg, John E

2016-01-01

Nerve injury is a serious potential complication associated with clinical use of tourniquets during surgery. A novel narrow, single-use silicon ring tourniquet has been introduced, which may cause less nerve compression and provide a larger field of surgical exposure than standard wide tourniquets. We investigated both types of tourniquets in the non-dominant proximal upper arm of 15 healthy human volunteers. Pain and neurological effects were assessed during 15 minute trials with each tourniquet applied 1 week apart without anesthesia according to the manufacturers' recommendations. Median nerve function was studied using the pressure-specified sensory device, an instrumented two-point discriminator, and pain was assessed by two validated instruments. Skin sores, redness, nerve damage, or neurological complications did not occur in either group. Subjects reported more pain with the narrow tourniquet; however, measurable effect on median nerve function was the same in both groups. Tourniquet application with the narrow device was more efficient, the device was easier to use, and larger surgical field exposure was obtained. We conclude that the sensory deficit with the use of narrow tourniquets is not greater than that observed with pneumatic/wide tourniquets.

Learning English Vocabulary by Hyperglossing and Narrow Reading: Readlang

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiliçkaya, Ferit

2017-01-01

Hyperglossing -textual and/or pictorial representations of lexical items is found to be aiding the development of decoding, and narrow reading is a useful strategy for L2 reading pedagogy. Although the research on glossing provides mixed findings regarding the benefits, it is also acknowledged that glossing improves especially incidental…

Engineering analysis division internal note. OFT-1 margin assessment. [results of analysis to determine space shuttle subsystem margins for orbital flight test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, L. D., Jr.

1977-01-01

The results are documented of an analysis conducted to determine space shuttle vehicle (SSV) subsystem margins for the reference flight profile for the first orbital flight test (OFT-1). In general, the results show increased margins for the OFT-1 indicators when compared to Mission 3A resutls. The inclusion of element and wing aerodynamic variations on OFT-1, in combination with winds and systems dispersions, resulted in the forward Z (FTO1) attach load indicator exceeding specified limits. The inboard and outboard elevon hinge moment margins (9 percent and 3 percent, respectively) on OFT-1 reflect values consistent with the load relief requirements dictated by elevon hinge moment variations. All other structural load indicators for OFT-1 had margins in excess of 10 percent. The SSV first stage stagnation heating indicators for OFT-1 were about 45 percent less than for Mission 3A. The hydraulic systems demands for both missions were essentially the same. The results also show OFT-1 performance requirements from the consideration of winds and dispersions to be approximately 3,300 lbs greater than Mission 3A.

Perceived Marginalization and the Prediction of Romantic Relationship Stability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehmiller, Justin J.; Agnew, Christopher R.

2007-01-01

The present research examined how perceived marginalization of one's romantic relationship is associated with level of future commitment to and stability of that involvement. Results from a 7-month longitudinal study of romantically involved individuals (N = 215) revealed that perceived social network marginalization at Time 1 predicted breakup…

Marginalization of girl mothers during reintegration from armed groups in Sierra Leone.

PubMed

Burman, M E; McKay, S

2007-12-01

Although the widespread presence of girls who participate in fighting forces is increasingly recognized, they remain a highly marginalized group globally, receiving little attention either during or after armed conflict. This is especially true for "girl mothers," girls who return to communities with children born while members of fighting forces. The concept of marginalization (Hall et al. 1994) is used to examine what happens to girl soldiers, especially girl mothers, in the aftermath of armed conflict when they seek to reintegrate back into their communities. This analysis, as part of a larger study of reintegration of girl mothers, is based on field work with girls who were in fighting forces in northwest Sierra Leone, especially those who returned with children. The type and level of marginalization these girls experience is consistent with the conceptualization of marginalization; however, they lack voice and experience shame and vulnerability. Moreover, economics were fundamentally related to their marginalization. The girls' access to resources was significantly constrained because the area was heavily impacted by the war and because of widespread poverty throughout Sierra Leone. The findings raise important questions about marginalization of girls affected by war. Girls and girl mothers experience an extremely high level of marginalization; however, some aspects are not consistent with the original conceptualization of marginalization. Theory development in nursing needs to incorporate multiple voices, especially those of the very marginalized and be done in such a manner that benefits and empowers.

ALMA observations of the narrow HR 4796A debris ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, Grant M.; Marino, Sebastian; Matrà, Luca; Panić, Olja; Wilner, David; Wyatt, Mark C.; Yelverton, Ben

2018-04-01

The young A0V star HR 4796A is host to a bright and narrow ring of dust, thought to originate in collisions between planetesimals within a belt analogous to the Solar system's Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. Here we present high spatial resolution 880 μm continuum images from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. The 80 au radius dust ring is resolved radially with a characteristic width of 10 au, consistent with the narrow profile seen in scattered light. Our modelling consistently finds that the disc is also vertically resolved with a similar extent. However, this extent is less than the beam size, and a disc that is dynamically very cold (i.e. vertically thin) provides a better theoretical explanation for the narrow scattered light profile, so we remain cautious about this conclusion. We do not detect 12CO J=3-2 emission, concluding that unless the disc is dynamically cold the CO+CO2 ice content of the planetesimals is of order a few per cent or less. We consider the range of semi-major axes and masses of an interior planet supposed to cause the ring's eccentricity, finding that such a planet should be more massive than Neptune and orbit beyond 40 au. Independent of our ALMA observations, we note a conflict between mid-IR pericentre-glow and scattered light imaging interpretations, concluding that models where the spatial dust density and grain size vary around the ring should be explored.

What makes up marginal lands and how can it be defined and classified?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanina, Vadym

2017-04-01

Definitions of marginal lands are often not explicit. The term "marginal" is not supported by either a precise definition or research to determine which lands fall into this category. To identify marginal lands terminology/methodology is used which varies between physical characteristics and the current land use of a site as basic perspective. The term 'Marginal' is most commonly followed by 'degraded' lands, and other widely used terms such as 'abandoned', 'idle', 'pasture', 'surplus agricultural land', 'Conservation Reserve Programme' (CRP)', 'barren and carbon-poor land', etc. Some terms are used synonymously. To the category of "marginal" lands are predominantly included lands which are excluded from cultivation due to economic infeasibility or physical restriction for growing conventional crops. Such sites may still have potential to be used for alternative agricultural practice, e.g. bioenergy feedstock production. The existing categorizing of marginal lands does not allow evaluating soil fertility potential or to define type and level of constrains for growing crops as the reason of a low practical value with regards to land use planning. A new marginal land classification has to be established and developed. This classification should be built on criteria of soil biophysical properties, ecologic, environment and climate handicaps for growing crops, be easy in use and of high practical value. The SEEMLA consortium made steps to build such a marginal land classification which is based on direct criteria depicting soil properties and constrains, and defining their productivity potential. By this classification marginal lands are divided into eleven categories: shallow rooting, low fertility, stony texture, sandy texture, clay texture, salinic, sodicic, acidic, overwet, eroded, and contaminated. The basis of this classification was taken criteria modified after and adapted from Regulation EU (1305)2013. To define an area of marginal lands with climate and

Narrowing beam-walking is a clinically feasible approach for assessing balance ability in lower-limb prosthesis users.

PubMed

Sawers, Andrew; Hafner, Brian J

2018-05-08

Challenging clinical balance tests are needed to expose balance deficits in lower-limb prost-hesis users. This study examined whether narrowing beam-walking could overcome conceptual and practical limitations identified in fixed-width beam-walking. Cross-sectional. Unilateral lower-limb prosthesis users. Participants walked 10 times along a low, narrowing beam. Performance was quantified using the normalized distance walked. Heuristic rules were applied to determine whether the narrowing beam task was "too easy," "too hard," or "appropriately challenging" for each participant. Linear regression and Bland-Altman plots were used to determine whether combinations of the first 5 trials could predict participants' stable beam-walking performance. Forty unilateral lower-limb prosthesis users participated. Narrowing beam-walking was appropriately challenging for 98% of participants. Performance stabilized for 93% of participants within 5 trials, while 62% were stable across all trials. The mean of trials 3-5 accurately predicted stable performance. A clinical narrowing beam-walking test is likely to challenge a range of lower-limb prosthesis users, have minimal administrative burden, and exhibit no floor or ceiling effects. Narrowing beam-walking is therefore a clinically viable method to evaluate lower-limb prosthesis users' balance ability, but requires psychometric testing before it is used to assess fall risk.

Expansion joint noise reduction on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-12-01

"Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) responded to citizen complaints about expansion joint noise on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge (TNB) by installing new wall coated in noise absorptive materials. The goal of the project was to redu...

Marginal Emissions Factors for Electricity Generation in the Midcontinent ISO.

PubMed

Thind, Maninder P S; Wilson, Elizabeth J; Azevedo, Inês L; Marshall, Julian D

2017-12-19

Environmental consequences of electricity generation are often determined using average emission factors. However, as different interventions are incrementally pursued in electricity systems, the resulting marginal change in emissions may differ from what one would predict based on system-average conditions. Here, we estimate average emission factors and marginal emission factors for CO 2 , SO 2 , and NO x from fossil and nonfossil generators in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region during years 2007-2016. We analyze multiple spatial scales (all MISO; each of the 11 MISO states; each utility; each generator) and use MISO data to characterize differences between the two emission factors (average; marginal). We also explore temporal trends in emissions factors by hour, day, month, and year, as well as the differences that arise from including only fossil generators versus total generation. We find, for example, that marginal emission factors are generally higher during late-night and early morning compared to afternoons. Overall, in MISO, average emission factors are generally higher than marginal estimates (typical difference: ∼20%). This means that the true environmental benefit of an energy efficiency program may be ∼20% smaller than anticipated if one were to use average emissions factors. Our analysis can usefully be extended to other regions to support effective near-term technical, policy and investment decisions based on marginal rather than only average emission factors.

Passive margins getting squeezed in the mantle convection vice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamato, Philippe; Husson, Laurent; Becker, Thorsten W.; Pedoja, Kevin

2014-05-01

Passive margins often exhibit uplift, exhumation and tectonic inversion. We speculate that the compression in the lithosphere gradually increased during the Cenozoic. In the same time, the many mountain belts at active margins that accompany this event seem readily witness this increase. However, how that compression increase affects passive margins remains unclear. In order to address this issue, we design a 2D viscous numerical model wherein a lithospheric plate rests above a weaker mantle. It is driven by a mantle conveyor belt, alternatively excited by a lateral downwelling on one side, an upwelling on the other side, or both simultaneously. The lateral edges of the plate are either free or fixed, representing the cases of free convergence, and collision or slab anchoring, respectively. This distinction changes the upper boundary condition for mantle circulation and, as a consequence, the stress field. Our results show that between these two regimes, the flow pattern transiently evolves from a free-slip convection mode towards a no-slip boundary condition above the upper mantle. In the second case, the lithosphere is highly stressed horizontally and deforms. For an equivalent bulk driving force, compression increases drastically at passive margins provided that upwellings are active. Conversely, if downwellings alone are activated, compression occurs at short distances from the trench and extension prevails elsewhere. These results are supported by Earth-like 3D spherical models that reveal the same pattern, where active upwellings are required to excite passive margins compression. These results support the idea that compression at passive margins, is the response to the underlying mantle flow, that is increasingly resisted by the Cenozoic collisions.

Computer-aided marginal artery detection on computed tomographic colonography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Zhuoshi; Yao, Jianhua; Wang, Shijun; Liu, Jiamin; Summers, Ronald M.

2012-03-01

Computed tomographic colonography (CTC) is a minimally invasive technique for colonic polyps and cancer screening. The marginal artery of the colon, also known as the marginal artery of Drummond, is the blood vessel that connects the inferior mesenteric artery with the superior mesenteric artery. The marginal artery runs parallel to the colon for its entire length, providing the blood supply to the colon. Detecting the marginal artery may benefit computer-aided detection (CAD) of colonic polyp. It can be used to identify teniae coli based on their anatomic spatial relationship. It can also serve as an alternative marker for colon localization, in case of colon collapse and inability to directly compute the endoluminal centerline. This paper proposes an automatic method for marginal artery detection on CTC. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work presented for this purpose. Our method includes two stages. The first stage extracts the blood vessels in the abdominal region. The eigenvalue of Hessian matrix is used to detect line-like structures in the images. The second stage is to reduce the false positives in the first step. We used two different masks to exclude the false positive vessel regions. One is a dilated colon mask which is obtained by colon segmentation. The other is an eroded visceral fat mask which is obtained by fat segmentation in the abdominal region. We tested our method on a CTC dataset with 6 cases. Using ratio-of-overlap with manual labeling of the marginal artery as the standard-of-reference, our method yielded true positive, false positive and false negative fractions of 89%, 33%, 11%, respectively.

Intersession reliability of self-selected and narrow stance balance testing in older adults.

PubMed

Riemann, Bryan L; Piersol, Kelsey

2017-10-01

Despite the common practice of using force platforms to assess balance of older adults, few investigations have examined the reliability of postural screening tests in this population. We sought to determine the test-retest reliability of self-selected and narrow stance balance testing with eyes open and eyes closed in healthy older adults. Thirty older adults (>65 years) completed 45 s trials of eyes open and eyes closed stability tests using self-selected and narrow stances on two separate days (1.9 ± .7 days). Average medial-lateral center of pressure velocity was computed. The ICC results ranged from .74 to .86, and no significant systematic changes (P < .05) occurred between the testing sessions for any of the tests. The standard error of measurement ranged from 15.9 to 23.6%. Reliability estimates were similar between the two stances and visual conditions assessed. Slightly higher coefficients were identified for the self-selected stances compared to the narrow stances under both visual conditions; however, there were negligible differences between the sessions. The within subject session-to-session variability provides a basis for further research to consider differences between fallers and non-fallers. Reliability for eyes open and closed balance testing using self-selected and narrow stances in older adults was established which should provide a foundation for the development of fall risk screening tests.

Assessment of the relationship between a narrow fragmented QRS complex and coronary slow flow.