The radiological impact of electricity generation by U.K. coal and nuclear systems.

PubMed

Robson, A

1984-05-01

Radiological impact is discussed for U.K. coal and nuclear power cycles under normal operation. The type having the greater impact depends on the radiological basis of the comparison, the particular nuclear reactor system considered and whether or not the whole fuel cycle, especially irradiated nuclear fule reprocessing , is included in the analysis. More importantly, the various impacts are shown to be generally acceptable in an absolute sense i.e. exposures are less than and usually low in comparison with radiological safety guidelines and everyday natural radiation exposures.

Statistical assessment of normal mitral annular geometry using automated three-dimensional echocardiographic analysis.

PubMed

Pouch, Alison M; Vergnat, Mathieu; McGarvey, Jeremy R; Ferrari, Giovanni; Jackson, Benjamin M; Sehgal, Chandra M; Yushkevich, Paul A; Gorman, Robert C; Gorman, Joseph H

2014-01-01

The basis of mitral annuloplasty ring design has progressed from qualitative surgical intuition to experimental and theoretical analysis of annular geometry with quantitative imaging techniques. In this work, we present an automated three-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic image analysis method that can be used to statistically assess variability in normal mitral annular geometry to support advancement in annuloplasty ring design. Three-dimensional patient-specific models of the mitral annulus were automatically generated from 3D echocardiographic images acquired from subjects with normal mitral valve structure and function. Geometric annular measurements including annular circumference, annular height, septolateral diameter, intercommissural width, and the annular height to intercommissural width ratio were automatically calculated. A mean 3D annular contour was computed, and principal component analysis was used to evaluate variability in normal annular shape. The following mean ± standard deviations were obtained from 3D echocardiographic image analysis: annular circumference, 107.0 ± 14.6 mm; annular height, 7.6 ± 2.8 mm; septolateral diameter, 28.5 ± 3.7 mm; intercommissural width, 33.0 ± 5.3 mm; and annular height to intercommissural width ratio, 22.7% ± 6.9%. Principal component analysis indicated that shape variability was primarily related to overall annular size, with more subtle variation in the skewness and height of the anterior annular peak, independent of annular diameter. Patient-specific 3D echocardiographic-based modeling of the human mitral valve enables statistical analysis of physiologically normal mitral annular geometry. The tool can potentially lead to the development of a new generation of annuloplasty rings that restore the diseased mitral valve annulus back to a truly normal geometry. Copyright © 2014 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A comparison of VLSI architecture of finite field multipliers using dual, normal or standard basis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hsu, I. S.; Truong, T. K.; Shao, H. M.; Deutsch, L. J.; Reed, I. S.

1987-01-01

Three different finite field multipliers are presented: (1) a dual basis multiplier due to Berlekamp; (2) a Massy-Omura normal basis multiplier; and (3) the Scott-Tavares-Peppard standard basis multiplier. These algorithms are chosen because each has its own distinct features which apply most suitably in different areas. Finally, they are implemented on silicon chips with nitride metal oxide semiconductor technology so that the multiplier most desirable for very large scale integration implementations can readily be ascertained.

Temperature-feedback upconversion nanocomposite for accurate photothermal therapy at facile temperature

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xingjun; Feng, Wei; Chang, Jian; Tan, Yan-Wen; Li, Jiachang; Chen, Min; Sun, Yun; Li, Fuyou

2016-01-01

Photothermal therapy (PTT) at present, following the temperature definition for conventional thermal therapy, usually keeps the temperature of lesions at 42–45 °C or even higher. Such high temperature kills cancer cells but also increases the damage of normal tissues near lesions through heat conduction and thus brings about more side effects and inhibits therapeutic accuracy. Here we use temperature-feedback upconversion nanoparticle combined with photothermal material for real-time monitoring of microscopic temperature in PTT. We observe that microscopic temperature of photothermal material upon illumination is high enough to kill cancer cells when the temperature of lesions is still low enough to prevent damage to normal tissue. On the basis of the above phenomenon, we further realize high spatial resolution photothermal ablation of labelled tumour with minimal damage to normal tissues in vivo. Our work points to a method for investigating photothermal properties at nanoscale, and for the development of new generation of PTT strategy. PMID:26842674

Temperature-feedback upconversion nanocomposite for accurate photothermal therapy at facile temperature.

PubMed

Zhu, Xingjun; Feng, Wei; Chang, Jian; Tan, Yan-Wen; Li, Jiachang; Chen, Min; Sun, Yun; Li, Fuyou

2016-02-04

Photothermal therapy (PTT) at present, following the temperature definition for conventional thermal therapy, usually keeps the temperature of lesions at 42-45 °C or even higher. Such high temperature kills cancer cells but also increases the damage of normal tissues near lesions through heat conduction and thus brings about more side effects and inhibits therapeutic accuracy. Here we use temperature-feedback upconversion nanoparticle combined with photothermal material for real-time monitoring of microscopic temperature in PTT. We observe that microscopic temperature of photothermal material upon illumination is high enough to kill cancer cells when the temperature of lesions is still low enough to prevent damage to normal tissue. On the basis of the above phenomenon, we further realize high spatial resolution photothermal ablation of labelled tumour with minimal damage to normal tissues in vivo. Our work points to a method for investigating photothermal properties at nanoscale, and for the development of new generation of PTT strategy.

Structure design of and experimental research on a two-stage laval foam breaker for foam fluid recycling.

PubMed

Wang, Jin-song; Cao, Pin-lu; Yin, Kun

2015-07-01

Environmental, economical and efficient antifoaming technology is the basis for achievement of foam drilling fluid recycling. The present study designed a novel two-stage laval mechanical foam breaker that primarily uses vacuum generated by Coanda effect and Laval principle to break foam. Numerical simulation results showed that the value and distribution of negative pressure of two-stage laval foam breaker were larger than that of the normal foam breaker. Experimental results showed that foam-breaking efficiency of two-stage laval foam breaker was higher than that of normal foam breaker, when gas-to-liquid ratio and liquid flow rate changed. The foam-breaking efficiency of normal foam breaker decreased rapidly with increasing foam stability, whereas the two-stage laval foam breaker remained unchanged. Foam base fluid would be recycled using two-stage laval foam breaker, which would reduce the foam drilling cost sharply and waste disposals that adverse by affect the environment.

WASTE HANDLING BUILDING ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT

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

S.C. Khamamkar

2000-06-23

The Waste Handling Building Electrical System performs the function of receiving, distributing, transforming, monitoring, and controlling AC and DC power to all waste handling building electrical loads. The system distributes normal electrical power to support all loads that are within the Waste Handling Building (WHB). The system also generates and distributes emergency power to support designated emergency loads within the WHB within specified time limits. The system provides the capability to transfer between normal and emergency power. The system provides emergency power via independent and physically separated distribution feeds from the normal supply. The designated emergency electrical equipment will bemore » designed to operate during and after design basis events (DBEs). The system also provides lighting, grounding, and lightning protection for the Waste Handling Building. The system is located in the Waste Handling Building System. The system consists of a diesel generator, power distribution cables, transformers, switch gear, motor controllers, power panel boards, lighting panel boards, lighting equipment, lightning protection equipment, control cabling, and grounding system. Emergency power is generated with a diesel generator located in a QL-2 structure and connected to the QL-2 bus. The Waste Handling Building Electrical System distributes and controls primary power to acceptable industry standards, and with a dependability compatible with waste handling building reliability objectives for non-safety electrical loads. It also generates and distributes emergency power to the designated emergency loads. The Waste Handling Building Electrical System receives power from the Site Electrical Power System. The primary material handling power interfaces include the Carrier/Cask Handling System, Canister Transfer System, Assembly Transfer System, Waste Package Remediation System, and Disposal Container Handling Systems. The system interfaces with the MGR Operations Monitoring and Control System for supervisory monitoring and control signals. The system interfaces with all facility support loads such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, office, fire protection, monitoring and control, safeguards and security, and communications subsystems.« less

Humanized medium (h7H) allows long-term primary follicular thyroid cultures from human normal thyroid, benign neoplasm, and cancer.

PubMed

Bravo, Susana B; Garcia-Rendueles, Maria E R; Garcia-Rendueles, Angela R; Rodrigues, Joana S; Perez-Romero, Sihara; Garcia-Lavandeira, Montserrat; Suarez-Fariña, Maria; Barreiro, Francisco; Czarnocka, Barbara; Senra, Ana; Lareu, Maria V; Rodriguez-Garcia, Javier; Cameselle-Teijeiro, Jose; Alvarez, Clara V

2013-06-01

Mechanisms of thyroid physiology and cancer are principally studied in follicular cell lines. However, human thyroid cancer lines were found to be heavily contaminated by other sources, and only one supposedly normal-thyroid cell line, immortalized with SV40 antigen, is available. In primary culture, human follicular cultures lose their phenotype after passage. We hypothesized that the loss of the thyroid phenotype could be related to culture conditions in which human cells are grown in medium optimized for rodent culture, including hormones with marked differences in its affinity for the relevant rodent/human receptor. The objective of the study was to define conditions that allow the proliferation of primary human follicular thyrocytes for many passages without losing phenotype. Concentrations of hormones, transferrin, iodine, oligoelements, antioxidants, metabolites, and ethanol were adjusted within normal homeostatic human serum ranges. Single cultures were identified by short tandem repeats. Human-rodent interspecies contamination was assessed. We defined an humanized 7 homeostatic additives medium enabling growth of human thyroid cultures for more than 20 passages maintaining thyrocyte phenotype. Thyrocytes proliferated and were grouped as follicle-like structures; expressed Na+/I- symporter, pendrin, cytokeratins, thyroglobulin, and thyroperoxidase showed iodine-uptake and secreted thyroglobulin and free T3. Using these conditions, we generated a bank of thyroid tumors in culture from normal thyroids, Grave's hyperplasias, benign neoplasms (goiter, adenomas), and carcinomas. Using appropriate culture conditions is essential for phenotype maintenance in human thyrocytes. The bank of thyroid tumors in culture generated under humanized humanized 7 homeostatic additives culture conditions will provide a much-needed tool to compare similarly growing cells from normal vs pathological origins and thus to elucidate the molecular basis of thyroid disease.

A diagnostic approach in Alzheimer`s disease using three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections of Fluorine-18-FDG PET

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

Minoshima, S.; Frey, K.A.; Koeppe, R.A.

1995-07-01

To improve the diagnostic performance of PET as an aid in evaluating patients suspected of having Alzheimer`s disease, the authors developed a fully automated method which generates comprehensive image presentations and objective diagnostic indices. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose PET image sets were collected from 37 patients with probable Alzheimer`s disease (including questionable and mild dementia), 22 normal subjects and 5 patients with cerebrovascular disease. Following stereotactic anatomic standardization, metabolic activity on an individual`s PET image set was extracted to a set of predefined surface pixels (three-dimensional stereotactic surface projection, 3D-SSP), which was used in the subsequent analysis. A normal database was created bymore » averaging extracted datasets of the normal subjects. Patients` datasets were compared individually with the normal database by calculating a Z-score on a pixel-by-pixel basis and were displayed in 3D-SSP views for visual inspections. Diagnostic indices were then generated based on averaged Z-scores for the association cortices. Patterns and severities of metabolic reduction in patients with probable Alzheimer`s disease were seen in the standard 3D-SSP views of extracted raw data and statistical Z-scores. When discriminating patients with probable Alzheimer`s disease from normal subjects, diagnostic indices of the parietal association cortex and unilaterally averaged parietal-temporal-frontal cortex showed sensitivities of 95% and 97%, respectively, with a specificity of 100%. Neither index yielded false-positive results for cerebrovascular disease. 3D-SSP enables quantitative data extraction and reliable localization of metabolic abnormalities by means of stereotactic coordinates. The proposed method is a promising approach for interpreting functional brain PET scans. 45 refs., 5 figs.« less

Fault detection for hydraulic pump based on chaotic parallel RBF network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Chen; Ma, Ning; Wang, Zhipeng

2011-12-01

In this article, a parallel radial basis function network in conjunction with chaos theory (CPRBF network) is presented, and applied to practical fault detection for hydraulic pump, which is a critical component in aircraft. The CPRBF network consists of a number of radial basis function (RBF) subnets connected in parallel. The number of input nodes for each RBF subnet is determined by different embedding dimension based on chaotic phase-space reconstruction. The output of CPRBF is a weighted sum of all RBF subnets. It was first trained using the dataset from normal state without fault, and then a residual error generator was designed to detect failures based on the trained CPRBF network. Then, failure detection can be achieved by the analysis of the residual error. Finally, two case studies are introduced to compare the proposed CPRBF network with traditional RBF networks, in terms of prediction and detection accuracy.

An Improved Forwarding of Diverse Events with Mobile Sinks in Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Raza, Waseem; Arshad, Farzana; Ahmed, Imran; Abdul, Wadood; Ghouzali, Sanaa; Niaz, Iftikhar Azim; Javaid, Nadeem

2016-11-04

In this paper, a novel routing strategy to cater the energy consumption and delay sensitivity issues in deep underwater wireless sensor networks is proposed. This strategy is named as ESDR: Event Segregation based Delay sensitive Routing. In this strategy sensed events are segregated on the basis of their criticality and, are forwarded to their respective destinations based on forwarding functions. These functions depend on different routing metrics like: Signal Quality Index, Localization free Signal to Noise Ratio, Energy Cost Function and Depth Dependent Function. The problem of incomparable values of previously defined forwarding functions causes uneven delays in forwarding process. Hence forwarding functions are redefined to ensure their comparable values in different depth regions. Packet forwarding strategy is based on the event segregation approach which forwards one third of the generated events (delay sensitive) to surface sinks and two third events (normal events) are forwarded to mobile sinks. Motion of mobile sinks is influenced by the relative distribution of normal nodes. We have also incorporated two different mobility patterns named as; adaptive mobility and uniform mobility for mobile sinks. The later one is implemented for collecting the packets generated by the normal nodes. These improvements ensure optimum holding time, uniform delay and in-time reporting of delay sensitive events. This scheme is compared with the existing ones and outperforms the existing schemes in terms of network lifetime, delay and throughput.

To generate a finite element model of human thorax using the VCH dataset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Hui; Liu, Qian

2009-10-01

Purpose: To generate a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model of human thorax which may provide the basis of biomechanics simulation for the study of design effect and mechanism of safety belt when vehicle collision. Methods: Using manually or semi-manually segmented method, the interested area can be segmented from the VCH (Visible Chinese Human) dataset. The 3D surface model of thorax is visualized by using VTK (Visualization Toolkit) and further translated into (Stereo Lithography) STL format, which approximates the geometry of solid model by representing the boundaries with triangular facets. The data in STL format need to be normalized into NURBS surfaces and IGES format using software such as Geomagic Studio to provide archetype for reverse engineering. The 3D FE model was established using Ansys software. Results: The generated 3D FE model was an integrated thorax model which could reproduce human's complicated structure morphology including clavicle, ribs, spine and sternum. It was consisted of 1 044 179 elements in total. Conclusions: Compared with the previous thorax model, this FE model enhanced the authenticity and precision of results analysis obviously, which can provide a sound basis for analysis of human thorax biomechanical research. Furthermore, using the method above, we can also establish 3D FE models of some other organizes and tissues utilizing the VCH dataset.

Functional characterization of cell hybrids generated by induced fusion of primary porcine mesenchymal stem cells with an immortal murine cell line.

PubMed

Islam, M Q; Ringe, J; Reichmann, E; Migotti, R; Sittinger, M; da S Meirelles, L; Nardi, N B; Magnusson, P; Islam, K

2006-10-01

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) integrate into various organs and contribute to the regeneration of diverse tissues. However, the mechanistic basis of the plasticity of MSC is not fully understood. The change of cell fate has been suggested to occur through cell fusion. We have generated hybrid cell lines by polyethylene-glycol-mediated cell fusion of primary porcine MSC with the immortal murine fibroblast cell line F7, a derivative of the GM05267 cell line. The hybrid cell lines display fibroblastic morphology and proliferate like immortal cells. They contain tetraploid to hexaploid porcine chromosomes accompanied by hypo-diploid murine chromosomes. Interestingly, many hybrid cell lines also express high levels of tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase, which is considered to be a marker of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells. All tested hybrid cell lines retain osteogenic differentiation, a few of them also retain adipogenic potential, but none retain chondrogenic differentiation. Conditioned media from hybrid cells enhance the proliferation of both early-passage and late-passage porcine MSC, indicating that the hybrid cells secrete diffusible growth stimulatory factors. Murine F7 cells thus have the unique property of generating immortal cell hybrids containing unusually high numbers of chromosomes derived from normal cells. These hybrid cells can be employed in various studies to improve our understanding of regenerative biology. This is the first report, to our knowledge, describing the generation of experimentally induced cell hybrids by using normal primary MSC.

Raman spectral post-processing for oral tissue discrimination – a step for an automatized diagnostic system

PubMed Central

Carvalho, Luis Felipe C. S.; Nogueira, Marcelo Saito; Neto, Lázaro P. M.; Bhattacharjee, Tanmoy T.; Martin, Airton A.

2017-01-01

Most oral injuries are diagnosed by histopathological analysis of a biopsy, which is an invasive procedure and does not give immediate results. On the other hand, Raman spectroscopy is a real time and minimally invasive analytical tool with potential for the diagnosis of diseases. The potential for diagnostics can be improved by data post-processing. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the performance of preprocessing steps and multivariate analysis methods for the classification of normal tissues and pathological oral lesion spectra. A total of 80 spectra acquired from normal and abnormal tissues using optical fiber Raman-based spectroscopy (OFRS) were subjected to PCA preprocessing in the z-scored data set, and the KNN (K-nearest neighbors), J48 (unpruned C4.5 decision tree), RBF (radial basis function), RF (random forest), and MLP (multilayer perceptron) classifiers at WEKA software (Waikato environment for knowledge analysis), after area normalization or maximum intensity normalization. Our results suggest the best classification was achieved by using maximum intensity normalization followed by MLP. Based on these results, software for automated analysis can be generated and validated using larger data sets. This would aid quick comprehension of spectroscopic data and easy diagnosis by medical practitioners in clinical settings. PMID:29188115

Raman spectral post-processing for oral tissue discrimination - a step for an automatized diagnostic system.

PubMed

Carvalho, Luis Felipe C S; Nogueira, Marcelo Saito; Neto, Lázaro P M; Bhattacharjee, Tanmoy T; Martin, Airton A

2017-11-01

Most oral injuries are diagnosed by histopathological analysis of a biopsy, which is an invasive procedure and does not give immediate results. On the other hand, Raman spectroscopy is a real time and minimally invasive analytical tool with potential for the diagnosis of diseases. The potential for diagnostics can be improved by data post-processing. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the performance of preprocessing steps and multivariate analysis methods for the classification of normal tissues and pathological oral lesion spectra. A total of 80 spectra acquired from normal and abnormal tissues using optical fiber Raman-based spectroscopy (OFRS) were subjected to PCA preprocessing in the z-scored data set, and the KNN (K-nearest neighbors), J48 (unpruned C4.5 decision tree), RBF (radial basis function), RF (random forest), and MLP (multilayer perceptron) classifiers at WEKA software (Waikato environment for knowledge analysis), after area normalization or maximum intensity normalization. Our results suggest the best classification was achieved by using maximum intensity normalization followed by MLP. Based on these results, software for automated analysis can be generated and validated using larger data sets. This would aid quick comprehension of spectroscopic data and easy diagnosis by medical practitioners in clinical settings.

Semantic knowledge fractionations: verbal propositions vs. perceptual input? Evidence from a child with Klinefelter syndrome.

PubMed

Robinson, Sally J; Temple, Christine M

2013-04-01

This paper addresses the relative independence of different types of lexical- and factually-based semantic knowledge in JM, a 9-year-old boy with Klinefelter syndrome (KS). JM was matched to typically developing (TD) controls on the basis of chronological age. Lexical-semantic knowledge was investigated for common noun (CN) and mathematical vocabulary items (MV). Factually-based semantic knowledge was investigated for general and number facts. For CN items, JM's lexical stores were of a normal size but the volume of correct 'sensory feature' semantic knowledge he generated within verbal item descriptions was significantly reduced. He was also significantly impaired at naming item descriptions and pictures, particularly for fruit and vegetables. There was also weak object decision for fruit and vegetables. In contrast, for MV items, JM's lexical stores were elevated, with no significant difference in the amount and type of correct semantic knowledge generated within verbal item descriptions and normal naming. JM's fact retrieval accuracy was normal for all types of factual knowledge. JM's performance indicated a dissociation between the representation of CN and MV vocabulary items during development. JM's preserved semantic knowledge of facts in the face of impaired semantic knowledge of vocabulary also suggests that factually-based semantic knowledge representation is not dependent on normal lexical-semantic knowledge during development. These findings are discussed in relation to the emergence of distinct semantic knowledge representations during development, due to differing degrees of dependency upon the acquisition and representation of semantic knowledge from verbal propositions and perceptual input.

Quantifying Pilot Contribution to Flight Safety During Dual Generator Failure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Etherington, Timothy J.; Kramer, Lynda J.; Kennedy, Kellie D.; Bailey, Randall E.; Last, Mary Carolyn

2017-01-01

Accident statistics cite flight crew error in over 60% of accidents involving transport category aircraft. Yet, a well-trained and well-qualified pilot is acknowledged as the critical center point of aircraft systems safety and an integral safety component of the entire commercial aviation system. No data currently exists that quantifies the contribution of the flight crew in this role. Neither does data exist for how often the flight crew handles non-normal procedures or system failures on a daily basis in the National Airspace System. A pilot-in-the-loop high fidelity motion simulation study was conducted by the NASA Langley Research Center in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to evaluate the pilot's contribution to flight safety during normal flight and in response to aircraft system failures. Eighteen crews flew various normal and non-normal procedures over a two-day period and their actions were recorded in response to failures. To quantify the human's contribution, crew complement was used as the experiment independent variable in a between-subjects design. Pilot actions and performance when one of the flight crew was unavailable were also recorded for comparison against the nominal two-crew operations. This paper details diversion decisions, perceived safety of flight, workload, time to complete pertinent checklists, and approach and landing results while dealing with a complete loss of electrical generators. Loss of electrical power requires pilots to complete the flight without automation support of autopilots, flight directors, or auto throttles. For reduced crew complements, the additional workload and perceived safety of flight was considered unacceptable.

Modeling and simulation for fewer-axis grinding of complex surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhengjian; Peng, Xiaoqiang; Song, Ci

2017-10-01

As the basis of fewer-axis grinding of complex surface, the grinding mathematical model is of great importance. A mathematical model of the grinding wheel was established, and then coordinate and normal vector of the wheel profile could be calculated. Through normal vector matching at the cutter contact point and the coordinate system transformation, the grinding mathematical model was established to work out the coordinate of the cutter location point. Based on the model, interference analysis was simulated to find out the right position and posture of workpiece for grinding. Then positioning errors of the workpiece including the translation positioning error and the rotation positioning error were analyzed respectively, and the main locating datum was obtained. According to the analysis results, the grinding tool path was planned and generated to grind the complex surface, and good form accuracy was obtained. The grinding mathematical model is simple, feasible and can be widely applied.

Generation of coherent states of photon-added type via pathway of eigenfunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Górska, K.; Penson, K. A.; Duchamp, G. H. E.

2010-09-01

We obtain and investigate the regular eigenfunctions of simple differential operators xr dr + 1/dxr + 1, r = 1, 2, ..., with the eigenvalues equal to 1. With the help of these eigenfunctions, we construct a non-unitary analogue of a boson displacement operator which will be acting on the vacuum. In this way, we generate collective quantum states of the Fock space which are normalized and equipped with the resolution of unity with the positive weight functions that we obtain explicitly. These states are thus coherent states in the sense of Klauder. They span the truncated Fock space without first r lowest-lying basis states: |0rang, |1rang, ..., |r - 1rang. These states are squeezed, sub-Poissonian in nature and reminiscent of photon-added states in Agarwal and Tara (1991 Phys. Rev. A 43 492).

Rational development and characterization of humanized anti-EGFR variant III chimeric antigen receptor T cells for glioblastoma.

PubMed

Johnson, Laura A; Scholler, John; Ohkuri, Takayuki; Kosaka, Akemi; Patel, Prachi R; McGettigan, Shannon E; Nace, Arben K; Dentchev, Tzvete; Thekkat, Pramod; Loew, Andreas; Boesteanu, Alina C; Cogdill, Alexandria P; Chen, Taylor; Fraietta, Joseph A; Kloss, Christopher C; Posey, Avery D; Engels, Boris; Singh, Reshma; Ezell, Tucker; Idamakanti, Neeraja; Ramones, Melissa H; Li, Na; Zhou, Li; Plesa, Gabriela; Seykora, John T; Okada, Hideho; June, Carl H; Brogdon, Jennifer L; Maus, Marcela V

2015-02-18

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are synthetic molecules designed to redirect T cells to specific antigens. CAR-modified T cells can mediate long-term durable remissions in B cell malignancies, but expanding this platform to solid tumors requires the discovery of surface targets with limited expression in normal tissues. The variant III mutation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRvIII) results from an in-frame deletion of a portion of the extracellular domain, creating a neoepitope. We chose a vector backbone encoding a second-generation CAR based on efficacy of a murine scFv-based CAR in a xenograft model of glioblastoma. Next, we generated a panel of humanized scFvs and tested their specificity and function as soluble proteins and in the form of CAR-transduced T cells; a low-affinity scFv was selected on the basis of its specificity for EGFRvIII over wild-type EGFR. The lead candidate scFv was tested in vitro for its ability to direct CAR-transduced T cells to specifically lyse, proliferate, and secrete cytokines in response to antigen-bearing targets. We further evaluated the specificity of the lead CAR candidate in vitro against EGFR-expressing keratinocytes and in vivo in a model of mice grafted with normal human skin. EGFRvIII-directed CAR T cells were also able to control tumor growth in xenogeneic subcutaneous and orthotopic models of human EGFRvIII(+) glioblastoma. On the basis of these results, we have designed a phase 1 clinical study of CAR T cells transduced with humanized scFv directed to EGFRvIII in patients with either residual or recurrent glioblastoma (NCT02209376). Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Spectroscopic and molecular structure investigation of the phosphorus-containing G‧2 dendrimer with terminal aldehyde groups using DFT method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furer, V. L.; Vandyukov, A. E.; Majoral, J. P.; Caminade, A. M.; Kovalenko, V. I.

2015-02-01

The FTIR and FT Raman spectra of the second generation dendrimer G‧2 built from thiophosphoryl core with terminal aldehyde groups have been recorded. The structural optimization and normal mode analysis were performed for model compound C, consisting of thiophosphoryl core, one branch with three repeated units, and four 4-oxybenzaldehyde terminal groups on the basis of the density functional theory (DFT) at the PBE/TZ2P level. The vibrational frequencies, infrared and Raman intensities for the t,g,g- and t,-g,g-conformers of the terminal groups were calculated. The t,g,g-conformer is 2.0 kcal/mol less stable compared to t,-g,g-conformer. A reliable assignment of the fundamental bands observed in the experimental IR and Raman spectra of dendrimer was achieved. For the low generations (G‧1 to G‧3) the disk form of studied dendrimer molecules is the most probable. For higher generations, the shape of dendrimer molecules will be that of a cauliflower.

Restricted VH gene usage and generation of antibody diversity in rabbit.

PubMed

Knight, K L

1992-01-01

The presence of VHa allotypic specificities on nearly all rabbit Ig molecules has perplexed immunologists for many years. How could these allotypic specificities be inherited as if controlled by alleles if the germline has hundreds of VHa allotype-encoding genes and if most of these genes are used in VDJ gene rearrangements. I review recent data indicating that the allelic inheritance of the VHa allotypes can be explained by preferential utilization of the D-proximal VH gene VH1 in VDJ gene rearrangements. The preferential usage of one VH gene, however, limits the contribution of combinatorial joining of multiple VH, D and JH gene segments to the generation of antibody diversity. The roles of somatic gene conversion and somatic mutation in generating antibody diversity are discussed. Further, the limited usage of germline VH genes in normal, allotype-suppressed and the mutant Alicia rabbit as well as the molecular basis of latent allotypes and VH/CH recombinants is reviewed.

Selective loss of verbal imagery.

PubMed

Mehta, Z; Newcombe, F

1996-05-01

This single case study of the ability to generate verbal and non-verbal imagery in a woman who sustained a gunshot wound to the brain reports a significant difficulty in generating images of word shapes but not a significant problem in generating object images. Further dissociation, however, was observed in her ability to generate images of living vs non-living material. She made more errors in imagery and factual information tasks for non-living items than for living items. This pattern contrasts with our previous report of the agnosic patient, M.S., who had severe difficulty in generating images of living material, whereas his ability to image the shape of words was comparable to that of normal control subjects. Furthermore, with regard to the generation of images of living compared with non-living material, M.S. shows more errors with living than nonliving items. In contrast, the present patient, S.M., made significantly more errors with non-living relative to living items. There appear to be two types of double dissociation which reinforce the growing evidence of dissociable impairments in the ability to generate images for different types of verbal and non-verbal material. Such dissociations, presumably related to sensory and cognitive processing demands, address the problem of the neural basis of imagery.

Diffusion tensor eigenvector directional color imaging patterns in the evaluation of cerebral white matter tracts altered by tumor.

PubMed

Field, Aaron S; Alexander, Andrew L; Wu, Yu-Chien; Hasan, Khader M; Witwer, Brian; Badie, Behnam

2004-10-01

To categorize the varied appearances of tumor-altered white matter (WM) tracts on diffusion tensor eigenvector directional color maps. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was obtained preoperatively in 13 patients with brain tumors ranging from benign to high-grade malignant, including primary and metastatic lesions, and maps of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), fractional anisotropy (FA), and major eigenvector direction were generated. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn within identifiable WM tracts affected by tumor, avoiding grossly cystic and necrotic regions, known fiber crossings, and gray matter. Patterns of WM tract alteration were categorized on the basis of qualitative analysis of directional color maps and correlation analysis of ADC and FA. Four basic patterns of WM alteration were identified: 1) normal or nearly normal FA and ADC, with abnormal tract location or tensor directions attributable to bulk mass displacement, 2) moderately decreased FA and increased ADC with normal tract locations and tensor directions, 3) moderately decreased FA and increased ADC with abnormal tensor directions, and 4) near isotropy. FA and ADC were inversely correlated for Patterns 1-3 but did not discriminate edema from infiltrating tumor. However, in the absence of mass displacement, infiltrating tumor was found to produce tensor directional changes that were not observed with vasogenic edema, suggesting the possibility of discrimination on the basis of directional statistics. Tumor alteration of WM tracts tends to produce one of four patterns on FA and directional color maps. Clinical application of these patterns must await further study. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

19 CFR 351.404 - Selection of the market to be used as the basis for normal value.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... value. (a) Introduction. Although in most circumstances sales of the foreign like product in the home... market if the Secretary is satisfied that sales of the foreign like product in that country are of... use of sales to a third country or constructed value as the basis for normal value. This section...

Gear-box fault detection using time-frequency based methods

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

Odgaard, Peter Fogh; Stoustrup, Jakob

2015-01-01

Gear-box fault monitoring and detection is important for optimization of power generation and availability of wind turbines. The current industrial approach is to use condition monitoring systems, which runs in parallel with the wind turbine control system, using expensive additional sensors. An alternative would be to use the existing measurements which are normally available for the wind turbine control system. The usage of these sensors instead would cut down the cost of the wind turbine by not using additional sensors. One of these available measurements is the generator speed, in which changes in the gear-box resonance frequency can be detected.more » Two different time-frequency based approaches are presented in this paper. One is a filter based approach and the other is based on a Karhunen-Loeve basis. Both of them detects the gear-box fault with an acceptable detection delay.« less

Sequential Designs Based on Bayesian Uncertainty Quantification in Sparse Representation Surrogate Modeling

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

Chen, Ray -Bing; Wang, Weichung; Jeff Wu, C. F.

A numerical method, called OBSM, was recently proposed which employs overcomplete basis functions to achieve sparse representations. While the method can handle non-stationary response without the need of inverting large covariance matrices, it lacks the capability to quantify uncertainty in predictions. We address this issue by proposing a Bayesian approach which first imposes a normal prior on the large space of linear coefficients, then applies the MCMC algorithm to generate posterior samples for predictions. From these samples, Bayesian credible intervals can then be obtained to assess prediction uncertainty. A key application for the proposed method is the efficient construction ofmore » sequential designs. Several sequential design procedures with different infill criteria are proposed based on the generated posterior samples. As a result, numerical studies show that the proposed schemes are capable of solving problems of positive point identification, optimization, and surrogate fitting.« less

Digital image classification approach for estimating forest clearing and regrowth rates and trends

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sader, Steven A.

1987-01-01

A technique is presented to monitor vegetation changes for a selected study area in Costa Rica. A normalized difference vegetation index was computed for three dates of Landsat satellite data and a modified parallelipiped classifier was employed to generate a multitemporal greenness image representing all three dates. A second-generation image was created by partitioning the intensity levels at each date into high, medium, and low and thereby reducing the number of classes to 21. A sampling technique was applied to describe forest and other land cover change occurring between time periods based on interpretation of aerial photography that closely matched the dates of satellite acquisition. Comparison of the Landsat-derived classes with the photo-interpreted sample areas can provide a basis for evaluating the satellite monitoring technique and the accuracy of estimating forest clearing and regrowth rates and trends.

Research and implementation of group animation based on normal cloud model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Min; Wei, Bin; Peng, Bao

2011-12-01

Group Animation is a difficult technology problem which always has not been solved in computer Animation technology, All current methods have their limitations. This paper put forward a method: the Motion Coordinate and Motion Speed of true fish group was collected as sample data, reverse cloud generator was designed and run, expectation, entropy and super entropy are gotten. Which are quantitative value of qualitative concept. These parameters are used as basis, forward cloud generator was designed and run, Motion Coordinate and Motion Speed of two-dimensional fish group animation are produced, And two spirit state variable about fish group : the feeling of hunger, the feeling of fear are designed. Experiment is used to simulated the motion state of fish Group Animation which is affected by internal cause and external cause above, The experiment shows that the Group Animation which is designed by this method has strong Realistic.

Vorticity equation for MHD fast waves in geospace environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamauchi, M.; Lundin, R.; Lui, A. T. Y.

1993-01-01

The MHD vorticity equation is modified in order to apply it to nonlinear MHD fast waves or shocks when their extent along the magnetic field is limited. Field-aligned current (FAC) generation is also discussed on the basis of this modified vorticity equation. When the wave normal is not aligned to the finite velocity convection and the source region is spatially limited, a longitudinal polarization causes a pair of plus and minus charges inside the compressional plane waves or shocks, generating a pair of FACs. This polarization is not related to the separation between the electrons and ions caused by their difference in mass, a separation which is inherent to compressional waves. The resultant double field-aligned current structure exists both with and without the contributions from curvature drift, which is questionable in terms of its contribution to vorticity change from the viewpoint of single-particle motion.

Sequential Designs Based on Bayesian Uncertainty Quantification in Sparse Representation Surrogate Modeling

DOE PAGES

Chen, Ray -Bing; Wang, Weichung; Jeff Wu, C. F.

2017-04-12

A numerical method, called OBSM, was recently proposed which employs overcomplete basis functions to achieve sparse representations. While the method can handle non-stationary response without the need of inverting large covariance matrices, it lacks the capability to quantify uncertainty in predictions. We address this issue by proposing a Bayesian approach which first imposes a normal prior on the large space of linear coefficients, then applies the MCMC algorithm to generate posterior samples for predictions. From these samples, Bayesian credible intervals can then be obtained to assess prediction uncertainty. A key application for the proposed method is the efficient construction ofmore » sequential designs. Several sequential design procedures with different infill criteria are proposed based on the generated posterior samples. As a result, numerical studies show that the proposed schemes are capable of solving problems of positive point identification, optimization, and surrogate fitting.« less

Density Functional Theory Study of Cyanoetheneselenol: A Molecule of Astrobiological Interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surajbali, P.; Ramanah, D. Kodi; Rhyman, L.; Alswaidan, I. A.; Fun, H.-K.; Somanah, R.; Ramasami, P.

2015-12-01

The interstellar medium has a rich chemistry which involves a wide variety of molecules. Of particular interest are molecules that have a link to prebiotic chemistry which hold the key to understanding of our origins. On the basis of suggestions that selenium may have been involved in the origin and evolution of life, we have studied the selenium analogue of cyanoethenethiol, namely the novel cyanoetheneselenol. Cyanoetheneselenol exhibits conformational and geometrical isomerism. This theoretical work deals with the study of four forms of cyanoetheneselenol in terms of their structural, spectroscopic and thermodynamic parameters. All computations were performed using density functional theory method with the B3LYP functional and the Pople basis set, 6-311 + G(d,p), for all atoms. The relative stability of the four isomers of cyanoetheneselenol was obtained and interpreted. The infrared spectra were generated and assignment of the normal modes of vibration was performed. Probable regions of detection, proposed on the basis of parameters obtained from this study for the four isomers, include comets, the molecular cloud: Sagittarius B2(N), and planetary atmospheres. The molecular and spectroscopic parameters should be useful for future identification of the astrobiological molecule cyanoetheneselenol and the development of the Square Kilometre Array.

GENETICS OF X-RAY INDUCED PIGMENTATION IN JUTE

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

Sarma, M.S.; Ghosh, K.

1961-03-01

A full-green strain of Corchorus capsularis having the constitution ccAARR for the anthocyanin factors was treated with x rays. In the X/sub 2/ generation of a bifurcated but otherwise normal looking selection from the 45 Kvp, 40,000 r treatment, a pigmented type was obtained as a recessive segregant. The pigmented mutant is indistinguishable from full-green in the early stages; at later stages the stem is dark-coppery-red and the integuments of ovules are pink even at the flowering stage. Although the embryos of seeds of the mutant are normal, the endosperm is imperfectiy developed; this results in extremely poor germination. Crossesmore » of the pigmented mutant with cAR, CAR and CA/sup D/r showed one, two, and four factor differences, respectively. On the basis of this evidence, it is concluded that the induced change is at a newly identified locus, Pi, and is recessive to the normal state; the action of pi is dependent on the presence of two doses of R; pi is epistatic over C; Pi or at least one dose of r is essential for the normal functioning of C; and in the absence of C-controlled anthocyamin, A and A/sup D/, the two alleles of A tested, have no recognizable action. (auth)« less

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

Hamadneh, Nawaf; Sathasivam, Saratha; Choon, Ong Hong

Logic programming is the process that leads from an original formulation of a computing problem to executable programs. A normal logic program consists of a finite set of clauses. A valuation I of logic programming is a mapping from ground atoms to false or true. The single step operator of any logic programming is defined as a function (T{sub p}:I→I). Logic programming is well-suited to building the artificial intelligence systems. In this study, we established a new technique to compute the single step operators of logic programming in the radial basis function neural networks. To do that, we proposed amore » new technique to generate the training data sets of single step operators. The training data sets are used to build the neural networks. We used the recurrent radial basis function neural networks to get to the steady state (the fixed point of the operators). To improve the performance of the neural networks, we used the particle swarm optimization algorithm to train the networks.« less

Unmanned aircraft system-derived crop height and normalized difference vegetation index metrics for sorghum yield and aphid stress assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanton, Carly; Starek, Michael J.; Elliott, Norman; Brewer, Michael; Maeda, Murilo M.; Chu, Tianxing

2017-04-01

A small, fixed-wing unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was used to survey a replicated small plot field experiment designed to estimate sorghum damage caused by an invasive aphid. Plant stress varied among 40 plots through manipulation of aphid densities. Equipped with a consumer-grade near-infrared camera, the UAS was flown on a recurring basis over the growing season. The raw imagery was processed using structure-from-motion to generate normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) maps of the fields and three-dimensional point clouds. NDVI and plant height metrics were averaged on a per plot basis and evaluated for their ability to identify aphid-induced plant stress. Experimental soil signal filtering was performed on both metrics, and a method filtering low near-infrared values before NDVI calculation was found to be the most effective. UAS NDVI was compared with NDVI from sensors onboard a manned aircraft and a tractor. The correlation results showed dependence on the growth stage. Plot averages of NDVI and canopy height values were compared with per-plot yield at 14% moisture and aphid density. The UAS measures of plant height and NDVI were correlated to plot averages of yield and insect density. Negative correlations between aphid density and NDVI were seen near the end of the season in the most damaged crops.

19 CFR 351.414 - Comparison of normal value with export price (constructed export price).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... export price). (a) Introduction. The Secretary normally will average prices used as the basis for normal... calculate weighted averages for such shorter period as the Secretary deems appropriate. (e) Application of...

[Imaging evaluation on adaptability of proximal humeral anatomy after shoulder replacement with individualized shoulder prosthesis].

PubMed

Shi, Youxing; Tang, Kanglai; Yuan, Chengsong; Tao, Xu; Wang, Huaqing; Chen, Bo; Guo, Yupeng

2015-03-24

Modern shoulder prosthesis has evolved through four generations. And the fourth generation technology has a core three-dimensional design of restoring 3D reconstruction of proximal humeral anatomy. Thus a new shoulder prosthesis is developed on the basis of the technology of 3D prosthesis. Assessment of whether shoulder prosthesis can restore individualized reconstruction of proximal humeral anatomy is based on the adaptability of proximal humeral anatomy. To evaluate the adaptability of proximal humeral anatomy through measuring the parameters of proximal humeral anatomy after shoulder replacement with individualized shoulder prosthesis and compare with normal data. The parameters of proximal humeral anatomy were analyzed and evaluated for a total of 12 cases undergoing shoulder replacement with individualized shoulder prosthesis. The relevant anatomical parameters included neck-shaft angle (NSA), retroversion angle (RA), humeral head height (HH) and humeral head diameter (HD). And the anatomical parameters were compared with the data from normal side. All underwent shoulder replacement with individualized shoulder prosthesis. The postoperative parameters of proximal humeral anatomy were compared with those of normal side. And the difference of NSA was < 3°, RA < 3°, HH < 3 mm and HD < 2 mm. And paired-sample t test was used to study the parameters of proximal humeral anatomy between postoperative and normal side. The normal and postoperative NSA was (140.2 ± 6.8)° and (139.5 ± 6.6)° respectively, RA (34.4 ± 3.3)° and (33.8-3.1)°, HH (15.3 ± 2.1) mm and (14.6+0.9) mm, HW (42.2 ± 2.82) mm and (41.8 ± 2.33) mm respectively. No significant difference existed between two groups (P > 0.05). Individualized shoulder prosthesis has excellent adaptability to shoulder. All core parameters are freely adjustable and specification models may be optimized. With matching tools, individualized shoulder prosthesis improves the accuracy and reliability in shoulder replacement.

Reduced Order Model Basis Vector Generation: Generates Basis Vectors fro ROMs

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

Arrighi, Bill

2016-03-03

libROM is a library that implements order reduction via singular value decomposition (SVD) of sampled state vectors. It implements 2 parallel, incremental SVD algorithms and one serial, non-incremental algorithm. It also provides a mechanism for adaptive sampling of basis vectors.

Diuretics prescribing in chronic kidney disease patients: physician assessment versus bioimpedence spectroscopy.

PubMed

Khan, Yusra Habib; Sarriff, Azmi; Adnan, Azreen Syazril; Khan, Amer Hayat; Mallhi, Tauqeer Hussain

2017-06-01

The relationship between hypertension and fluid overload in pre-dialysis CKD patients need to be elucidated. Current study aimed to find relationship between fluid overload and hypertension along with prescribed diuretic therapy using bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS). A prospective observational study was conducted by inviting pre-dialysis CKD patients. Fluid overload was assessed by BIS. A total of 312 CKD patients with mean eGFR 24.5 ± 11.2 ml/min/1.73 m 2 were enrolled. Based on OH value ≥7 %, 135 (43.3 %) patients were hypervolemic while euvolemia was observed in 177 (56.7 %) patients. Patients were categorized in different regions of hydration reference plot (HRP) generated by BIS i.e., 5.1 % in region-N (normal BP and fluid status), 20.5 % in region I (hypertensive with severe fluid overload), 29.5 % in region I-II (hypertensive with mild fluid overload), 22 % in region II (hypertensive with normohydration), 10.2 % in region III (underhydration with normal/low BP) and 12.5 % in region IV (normal BP with severe fluid overload). A total of 144 (46 %) patients received diuretics on basis of physician assessment of BP and edema. Maximum diuretics 100 (69.4 %) were prescribed in patients belonging to regions I and I-II of HRP. Interestingly, a similar number of diuretic prescriptions were observed in region II (13 %) and region IV (12 %). Surprisingly, 7 (4.9 %) of patients in region III who were neither hypervolemic nor hypertensive were also prescribed with diuretics. BIS can aid clinicians to categorize CKD patients on basis of their fluid status and provide individualized pharmacotherapy to manage hypertensive CKD patients.

Three-dimensional organotypic culture: experimental models of mammalian biology and disease.

PubMed

Shamir, Eliah R; Ewald, Andrew J

2014-10-01

Mammalian organs are challenging to study as they are fairly inaccessible to experimental manipulation and optical observation. Recent advances in three-dimensional (3D) culture techniques, coupled with the ability to independently manipulate genetic and microenvironmental factors, have enabled the real-time study of mammalian tissues. These systems have been used to visualize the cellular basis of epithelial morphogenesis, to test the roles of specific genes in regulating cell behaviours within epithelial tissues and to elucidate the contribution of microenvironmental factors to normal and disease processes. Collectively, these novel models can be used to answer fundamental biological questions and generate replacement human tissues, and they enable testing of novel therapeutic approaches, often using patient-derived cells.

A theoretical multi-reflection method for analysis of optomechanical behavior of the Fabry-Perot cavity with moving boundary condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahrampour, A. R.; Vahedi, M.; Abdi, M.; Ghobadi, R.; Golshani, M.; Tofighi, S.; Parvin, B.

2011-09-01

The opto-mechanical coupling and the generation of Stokes and anti-Stokes frequencies in the in-band and intra-band regimes of operation of the Fabry-Perot cavity with a moving mirror on the basis of multi-reflection method (MRM) are described by a unique theory. The frequency characteristic function of the Fabry-Perot filter is modified. By increasing the amplitude of mirror oscillation the Fabry-Perot bandwidth increases and normal mode splitting occurred. The conversion efficiencies of the Stokes and anti-Stokes frequencies versus the mechanical amplitude of oscillation have an optimum value. Also, the delay function corresponding to the radiation pressure is obtained.

Engine Data Interpretation System (EDIS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cost, Thomas L.; Hofmann, Martin O.

1990-01-01

A prototype of an expert system was developed which applies qualitative or model-based reasoning to the task of post-test analysis and diagnosis of data resulting from a rocket engine firing. A combined component-based and process theory approach is adopted as the basis for system modeling. Such an approach provides a framework for explaining both normal and deviant system behavior in terms of individual component functionality. The diagnosis function is applied to digitized sensor time-histories generated during engine firings. The generic system is applicable to any liquid rocket engine but was adapted specifically in this work to the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). The system is applied to idealized data resulting from turbomachinery malfunction in the SSME.

Molecular basis of the allelic inheritance of rabbit immunoglobulin VH allotypes: implications for the generation of antibody diversity.

PubMed

Knight, K L; Becker, R S

1990-03-23

Rabbits are unique in that their immunoglobulin VH regions bear allotypic markers encoded by allelic genes. The presence of these markers on most serum immunoglobulins is difficult to explain, as the germline contains several hundred VH genes. We cloned VH genes from normal rabbits of the VHa allotypes a1, a2, and a3 and from a mutant a2 rabbit, Alicia, which expresses almost no a2 allotype. The D-proximal VH gene VH1 of normal rabbits encoded prototype a1, a2, or a3 allotype VH regions in a1, a2, or a3 rabbits, respectively; VH1 was shown to be preferentially utilized in leukemic rabbit B cells. This VH1 gene was deleted from the germline of the Alicia rabbit. These data suggest that the allelic inheritance of a allotypes results from preferential utilization of VH1 in VDJ rearrangements. We suggest that antibody diversity in rabbit primarily results from somatic hypermutation and gene conversion.

Magnetization Transfer Ratio Relates to Cognitive Impairment in Normal Elderly

PubMed Central

Seiler, Stephan; Pirpamer, Lukas; Hofer, Edith; Duering, Marco; Jouvent, Eric; Fazekas, Franz; Mangin, Jean-Francois; Chabriat, Hugues; Dichgans, Martin; Ropele, Stefan; Schmidt, Reinhold

2014-01-01

Magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) can detect microstructural brain tissue changes and may be helpful in determining age-related cerebral damage. We investigated the association between the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) in gray and white matter (WM) and cognitive functioning in 355 participants of the Austrian stroke prevention family study (ASPS-Fam) aged 38–86 years. MTR maps were generated for the neocortex, deep gray matter structures, WM hyperintensities, and normal appearing WM (NAWM). Adjusted mixed models determined whole brain and lobar cortical MTR to be directly and significantly related to performance on tests of memory, executive function, and motor skills. There existed an almost linear dose-effect relationship. MTR of deep gray matter structures and NAWM correlated to executive functioning. All associations were independent of demographics, vascular risk factors, focal brain lesions, and cortex volume. Further research is needed to understand the basis of this association at the tissue level, and to determine the role of MTR in predicting cognitive decline and dementia. PMID:25309438

Bell-Curve Based Evolutionary Optimization Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sobieszczanski-Sobieski, J.; Laba, K.; Kincaid, R.

1998-01-01

The paper presents an optimization algorithm that falls in the category of genetic, or evolutionary algorithms. While the bit exchange is the basis of most of the Genetic Algorithms (GA) in research and applications in America, some alternatives, also in the category of evolutionary algorithms, but use a direct, geometrical approach have gained popularity in Europe and Asia. The Bell-Curve Based Evolutionary Algorithm (BCB) is in this alternative category and is distinguished by the use of a combination of n-dimensional geometry and the normal distribution, the bell-curve, in the generation of the offspring. The tool for creating a child is a geometrical construct comprising a line connecting two parents and a weighted point on that line. The point that defines the child deviates from the weighted point in two directions: parallel and orthogonal to the connecting line, the deviation in each direction obeying a probabilistic distribution. Tests showed satisfactory performance of BCB. The principal advantage of BCB is its controllability via the normal distribution parameters and the geometrical construct variables.

Developmental lineage priming in Dictyostelium by heterogeneous Ras activation.

PubMed

Chattwood, Alex; Nagayama, Koki; Bolourani, Parvin; Harkin, Lauren; Kamjoo, Marzieh; Weeks, Gerald; Thompson, Christopher R L

2013-11-26

In cell culture, genetically identical cells often exhibit heterogeneous behavior, with only 'lineage primed' cells responding to differentiation inducing signals. It has recently been proposed that such heterogeneity exists during normal embryonic development to allow position independent patterning based on 'salt and pepper' differentiation and sorting out. However, the molecular basis of lineage priming and how it leads to reproducible cell type proportioning are poorly understood. To address this, we employed a novel forward genetic approach in the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum. These studies reveal that the Ras-GTPase regulator gefE is required for normal lineage priming and salt and pepper differentiation. This is because Ras-GTPase activity sets the intrinsic response threshold to lineage specific differentiation signals. Importantly, we show that although gefE expression is uniform, transcription of its target, rasD, is both heterogeneous and dynamic, thus providing a novel mechanism for heterogeneity generation and position-independent differentiation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01067.001.

Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics and Static Normal Mode Analysis: The C–H Region of DMSO as a Case Study

DOE PAGES

Fischer, Sean A.; Ueltschi, Tyler W.; El-Khoury, Patrick Z.; ...

2015-07-29

Carbon-hydrogen (C-H) vibration modes serve as key probes in the chemical identification of hydrocarbons and in vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy of hydrocarbons at the liquid/gas interface. Their assignments pose a challenge from a theoretical viewpoint. Here in this work, we present a detailed study of the C-H stretching region of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) using a new Gaussian basis set- based ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) module that we have implemented in the NWChem computational chemistry program. By combining AIMD simulations and static normal mode analysis, we interpret experimental infrared and Raman spectra and explore the role of anharmonic effectsmore » in this system. Our anharmonic normal mode analysis of the in-phase and out-of-phase symmetric C-H stretching modes challenges the previous experimental assignment of the shoulder in the symmetric C-H stretching peak as an overtone or Fermi resonance. In addition, our AIMD simulations also show significant broadening of the in-phase symmetric C-H stretching resonance, which suggests that the experimentally observed shoulder is due to thermal broadening of the symmetric stretching resonance.« less

Atmospheric Correction of High-Spatial-Resolution Commercial Satellite Imagery Products Using MODIS Atmospheric Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pagnutti, Mary; Holekamp, Kara; Ryan, Robert E.; Vaughan, Ronald; Russell, Jeffrey A.; Prados, Don; Stanley, Thomas

2005-01-01

Remotely sensed ground reflectance is the basis for many inter-sensor interoperability or change detection techniques. Satellite inter-comparisons and accurate vegetation indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, which is used to describe or to imply a wide variety of biophysical parameters and is defined in terms of near-infrared and redband reflectance, require the generation of accurate reflectance maps. This generation relies upon the removal of solar illumination, satellite geometry, and atmospheric effects and is generally referred to as atmospheric correction. Atmospheric correction of remotely sensed imagery to ground reflectance, however, has been widely applied to only a few systems. In this study, we atmospherically corrected commercially available, high spatial resolution IKONOS and QuickBird imagery using several methods to determine the accuracy of the resulting reflectance maps. We used extensive ground measurement datasets for nine IKONOS and QuickBird scenes acquired over a two-year period to establish reflectance map accuracies. A correction approach using atmospheric products derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer data created excellent reflectance maps and demonstrated a reliable, effective method for reflectance map generation.

Ingestional and transgenerational effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident on the pale grass blue butterfly

PubMed Central

Taira, Wataru; Hiyama, Atsuki; Nohara, Chiyo; Sakauchi, Ko; Otaki, Joji M.

2015-01-01

One important public concern in Japan is the potential health effects on animals and humans that live in the Tohoku-Kanto districts associated with the ingestion of foods contaminated with artificial radionuclides from the collapsed Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. Additionally, transgenerational or heritable effects of radiation exposure are also important public concerns because these effects could cause long-term changes in animal and human populations. Here, we concisely review our findings and implications related to the ingestional and transgenerational effects of radiation exposure on the pale grass blue butterfly, Zizeeria maha, which coexists with humans. The butterfly larval ingestion of contaminated leaves found in areas of human habitation, even at low doses, resulted in morphological abnormalities and death for some individuals, whereas other individuals were not affected, at least morphologically. This variable sensitivity serves as a basis for the adaptive evolution of radiation resistance. The distribution of abnormality and mortality rates from low to high doses fits well with a Weibull function model or a power function model. The offspring generated by morphologically normal individuals that consumed contaminated leaves exhibited high mortality rates when fed contaminated leaves; importantly, low mortality rates were restored when they were fed non-contaminated leaves. Our field monitoring over 3 years (2011–2013) indicated that abnormality and mortality rates peaked primarily in the fall of 2011 and decreased afterwards to normal levels. These findings indicate high impacts of early exposure and transgenerationally accumulated radiation effects over a specific period; however, the population regained normality relatively quickly after ∼15 generations within 3 years. PMID:26661851

Efficient High-Fidelity, Geometrically Exact, Multiphysics Structural Models

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-14

fuctionally graded core. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 68:940– 966, 2006. 7F. Shang, Z. Wang, and Z. Li. Analysis of...normal deformable plate theory and MLPG method with radial basis fuctions . Composite Structures, 80:539– 552, 2007. 17W. Zhen and W. Chen. A higher-order...functionally graded plates by using higher-order shear and normal deformable plate theory and MLPG method with radial basis fuctions . Composite Structures, 80

NADPH:Quinone Oxidoreductase 1 Regulates Host Susceptibility to Ozone via Isoprostane Generation*

PubMed Central

Kummarapurugu, Apparao B.; Fischer, Bernard M.; Zheng, Shuo; Milne, Ginger L.; Ghio, Andrew J.; Potts-Kant, Erin N.; Foster, W. Michael; Soderblom, Erik J.; Dubois, Laura G.; Moseley, M. Arthur; Thompson, J. Will; Voynow, Judith A.

2013-01-01

NADPH:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is recognized as a major susceptibility gene for ozone-induced pulmonary toxicity. In the absence of NQO1 as can occur by genetic mutation, the human airway is protected from harmful effects of ozone. We recently reported that NQO1-null mice are protected from airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary inflammation following ozone exposure. However, NQO1 regenerates intracellular antioxidants and therefore should protect the individual from oxidative stress. To explain this paradox, we tested whether in the absence of NQO1 ozone exposure results in increased generation of A2-isoprostane, a cyclopentenone isoprostane that blunts inflammation. Using GC-MS, we found that NQO1-null mice had greater lung tissue levels of D2- and E2-isoprostanes, the precursors of J2- and A2-isoprostanes, both at base line and following ozone exposure compared with congenic wild-type mice. We confirmed in primary cultures of normal human bronchial epithelial cells that A2-isoprostane inhibited ozone-induced NF-κB activation and IL-8 regulation. Furthermore, we determined that A2-isoprostane covalently modified the active Cys179 domain in inhibitory κB kinase in the presence of ozone in vitro, thus establishing the biochemical basis for A2-isoprostane inhibition of NF-κB. Our results demonstrate that host factors may regulate pulmonary susceptibility to ozone by regulating the generation of A2-isoprostanes in the lung. These observations provide the biochemical basis for the epidemiologic observation that NQO1 regulates pulmonary susceptibility to ozone. PMID:23275341

Variable corneal compensation improves discrimination between normal and glaucomatous eyes with the scanning laser polarimeter.

PubMed

Tannenbaum, Dana P; Hoffman, Douglas; Lemij, Hans G; Garway-Heath, David F; Greenfield, David S; Caprioli, Joseph

2004-02-01

The presently available scanning laser polarimeter (SLP) has a fixed corneal compensator (FCC) that neutralizes corneal birefringence only in eyes with birefringence that matches the population mode. A prototype variable corneal compensator (VCC) provides neutralization of individual corneal birefringence based on individual macular retardation patterns. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative ability of the SLP with the FCC and with the VCC to discriminate between normal and glaucomatous eyes. Prospective, nonrandomized, comparative case series. Algorithm-generating set consisting of 56 normal eyes and 55 glaucomatous eyes and an independent data set consisting of 83 normal eyes and 56 glaucomatous eyes. Sixteen retardation measurements were obtained with the SLP with the FCC and the VCC from all subjects. Dependency of parameters on age, gender, ethnic origin, and eye side was sought. Logistic regression was used to evaluate how well the various parameters could detect glaucoma. Discriminant functions were generated, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was determined. Discrimination between normal and glaucomatous eyes on the basis of single parameters was significantly better with the VCC than with the FCC for 6 retardation parameters: nasal average (P = 0.0003), superior maximum (P = 0.0003), ellipse average (P = 0.002), average thickness (P = 0.003), superior average (P = 0.010), and inferior average (P = 0.010). Discriminant analysis identified the optimal combination of parameters for the FCC and for the VCC. When the discriminant functions were applied to the independent data set, areas under the ROC curve were 0.84 for the FCC and 0.90 for the VCC (P<0.021). When the discriminant functions were applied to a subset of patients with early visual field loss, areas under the ROC curve were 0.82 for the FCC and 0.90 for the VCC (P<0.016). Individual correction for corneal birefringence with the VCC significantly improved the ability of the SLP to distinguish between normal and glaucomatous eyes and enabled detection of patients with early glaucoma.

20 CFR 627.455 - Reports required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... outlays on an accrual basis. If the recipient's accounting records are not normally kept on the accrual basis, the recipient shall develop such accrual information through an analysis of the documentation on...

Planning Training Loads for the 400 M Hurdles in Three-Month Mesocycles using Artificial Neural Networks.

PubMed

Przednowek, Krzysztof; Iskra, Janusz; Wiktorowicz, Krzysztof; Krzeszowski, Tomasz; Maszczyk, Adam

2017-12-01

This paper presents a novel approach to planning training loads in hurdling using artificial neural networks. The neural models performed the task of generating loads for athletes' training for the 400 meters hurdles. All the models were calculated based on the training data of 21 Polish National Team hurdlers, aged 22.25 ± 1.96, competing between 1989 and 2012. The analysis included 144 training plans that represented different stages in the annual training cycle. The main contribution of this paper is to develop neural models for planning training loads for the entire career of a typical hurdler. In the models, 29 variables were used, where four characterized the runner and 25 described the training process. Two artificial neural networks were used: a multi-layer perceptron and a network with radial basis functions. To assess the quality of the models, the leave-one-out cross-validation method was used in which the Normalized Root Mean Squared Error was calculated. The analysis shows that the method generating the smallest error was the radial basis function network with nine neurons in the hidden layer. Most of the calculated training loads demonstrated a non-linear relationship across the entire competitive period. The resulting model can be used as a tool to assist a coach in planning training loads during a selected training period.

Coca leaf chewing as therapy for cocaine maintenance.

PubMed

Hurtado-Gumucio, J

2000-10-01

Major ethnic groups in Bolivia (Aymaras and Quechuas) have chewed the coca leaf for generations upon generations without health problems. The effects of coca leaf chewing produce a level of social and economic adaptation that is beyond what is normally possible. This was a major factor during the Spanish colonization of Bolivia, when forced native labor was used extensively. The cocaine base, or "pasta", may be seen as a type of South American crack. Its obligatory method of administration is smoking. A primary condition of the "pasta" smoker is compulsive drug-search behavior and addiction to cocaine base destroys emotional and mental balance. Socio-economic maladjustment is the norm amongst "pasta" addicts. Since 1984 I have recommended the chewing of the coca leaf, between 100 to 200 grams of coca leaf per week for the treatment of cocaine dependence. Since this treatment was dispensed on an ad hoc basis, it was not possible to measure the relapses. However, an assessment was conducted on the basis of mental condition and level of social and economic adaptation before and after treatment. The patent's level of social acceptance, before treatment, only reached 60% at most, and after treatment, 26% improved their level of adaptation. Four patients among 50 reached an adaptation level of 100%. Upon final assessment, the level of social adaptation prior to treatment was only 28%, after treatment as many as 48.8% of the patients were socially adapted.

Mecanismos de plasticidad (funcional y dependiente de actividad) en el cerebro auditivo adulto y en desarrollo

PubMed Central

Izquierdo, M.A.; Oliver, D.L.; Malmierca, M.S.

2010-01-01

Summary Introduction and development Sensory systems show a topographic representation of the sensory epithelium in the central nervous system. In the auditory system this representation originates tonotopic maps. For the last four decades these changes in tonotopic maps have been widely studied either after peripheral mechanical lesions or by exposing animals to an augmented acoustic environment. These sensory manipulations induce plastic reorganizations in the tonotopic map of the auditory cortex. By contrast, acoustic trauma does not seem to induce functional plasticity at subcortical nuclei. Mechanisms that generate these changes differ in their molecular basis and temporal course and we can distinguish two different mechanisms: those involving an active reorganization process, and those that show a simple reflection of the loss of peripheral afferences. Only the former involve a genuine process of plastic reorganization. Neuronal plasticity is critical for the normal development and function of the adult auditory system, as well as for the rehabilitation needed after the implantation of auditory prostheses. However, development of plasticity can also generate abnormal sensation like tinnitus. Recently, a new concept in neurobiology so-called ‘neuronal stability’ has emerged and its implications and conceptual basis could help to improve the treatments of hearing loss. Conclusion A combination of neuronal plasticity and stability is suggested as a powerful and promising future strategy in the design of new treatments of hearing loss. PMID:19340783

Planning Training Loads for the 400 M Hurdles in Three-Month Mesocycles using Artificial Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Iskra, Janusz; Wiktorowicz, Krzysztof; Krzeszowski, Tomasz; Maszczyk, Adam

2017-01-01

Abstract This paper presents a novel approach to planning training loads in hurdling using artificial neural networks. The neural models performed the task of generating loads for athletes’ training for the 400 meters hurdles. All the models were calculated based on the training data of 21 Polish National Team hurdlers, aged 22.25 ± 1.96, competing between 1989 and 2012. The analysis included 144 training plans that represented different stages in the annual training cycle. The main contribution of this paper is to develop neural models for planning training loads for the entire career of a typical hurdler. In the models, 29 variables were used, where four characterized the runner and 25 described the training process. Two artificial neural networks were used: a multi-layer perceptron and a network with radial basis functions. To assess the quality of the models, the leave-one-out cross-validation method was used in which the Normalized Root Mean Squared Error was calculated. The analysis shows that the method generating the smallest error was the radial basis function network with nine neurons in the hidden layer. Most of the calculated training loads demonstrated a non-linear relationship across the entire competitive period. The resulting model can be used as a tool to assist a coach in planning training loads during a selected training period. PMID:29339998

Station blackout transient at the Browns Ferry Unit 1 Plant: a severe accident sequence analysis (SASA) program study

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

Schultz, R.R.

1982-01-01

Operating plant transients are of great interest for many reasons, not the least of which is the potential for a mild transient to degenerate to a severe transient yielding core damage. Using the Browns Ferry (BF) Unit-1 plant as a basis of study, the station blackout sequence was investigated by the Severe Accident Sequence Analysis (SASA) Program in support of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Unresolved Safety Issue A-44: Station Blackout. A station blackout transient occurs when the plant's AC power from a comemrcial power grid is lost and cannot be restored by the diesel generators. Under normal operating conditions, fmore » a loss of offsite power (LOSP) occurs (i.e., a complete severance of the BF plants from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power grid), the eight diesel generators at the three BF units would quickly start and power the emergency AC buses. Of the eight diesel generators, only six are needed to safely shut down all three units. Examination of BF-specific data show that LOSP frequency is low at Unit 1. The station blackout frequency is even lower (5.7 x 10/sup -4/ events per year) and hinges on whether the diesel generators start. The frequency of diesel generator failure is dictated in large measure by the emergency equipment cooling water (EECW) system that cools the diesel generators.« less

Continuous Sub-daily Rainfall Simulation for Regional Flood Risk Assessment - Modelling of Spatio-temporal Correlation Structure of Extreme Precipitation in the Austrian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salinas, J. L.; Nester, T.; Komma, J.; Bloeschl, G.

2017-12-01

Generation of realistic synthetic spatial rainfall is of pivotal importance for assessing regional hydroclimatic hazard as the input for long term rainfall-runoff simulations. The correct reproduction of observed rainfall characteristics, such as regional intensity-duration-frequency curves, and spatial and temporal correlations is necessary to adequately model the magnitude and frequency of the flood peaks, by reproducing antecedent soil moisture conditions before extreme rainfall events, and joint probability of flood waves at confluences. In this work, a modification of the model presented by Bardossy and Platte (1992), where precipitation is first modeled on a station basis as a multivariate autoregressive model (mAr) in a Normal space. The spatial and temporal correlation structures are imposed in the Normal space, allowing for a different temporal autocorrelation parameter for each station, and simultaneously ensuring the positive-definiteness of the correlation matrix of the mAr errors. The Normal rainfall is then transformed to a Gamma-distributed space, with parameters varying monthly according to a sinusoidal function, in order to adapt to the observed rainfall seasonality. One of the main differences with the original model is the simulation time-step, reduced from 24h to 6h. Due to a larger availability of daily rainfall data, as opposite to sub-daily (e.g. hourly), the parameters of the Gamma distributions are calibrated to reproduce simultaneously a series of daily rainfall characteristics (mean daily rainfall, standard deviations of daily rainfall, and 24h intensity-duration-frequency [IDF] curves), as well as other aggregated rainfall measures (mean annual rainfall, and monthly rainfall). The calibration of the spatial and temporal correlation parameters is performed in a way that the catchment-averaged IDF curves aggregated at different temporal scales fit the measured ones. The rainfall model is used to generate 10.000 years of synthetic precipitation, fed into a rainfall-runoff model to derive the flood frequency in the Tirolean Alps in Austria. Given the number of generated events, the simulation framework is able to generate a large variety of rainfall patterns, as well as reproduce the variograms of relevant extreme rainfall events in the region of interest.

Mock Certification Basis for an Unmanned Rotorcraft for Precision Agricultural Spraying

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayhurst, Kelly J.; Maddalon, Jeffrey M.; Neogi, Natasha A.; Verstynen, Harry A.; Buelow, Barry; McCormick, G. Frank

2015-01-01

This technical report presents the results of a case study using a hazard-based approach to develop preliminary design and performance criteria for an unmanned agricultural rotorcraft requiring airworthiness certification. This case study is one of the first in the public domain to examine design and performance criteria for an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in tandem with its concept of operations. The case study results are intended to support development of airworthiness standards that could form a minimum safety baseline for midsize unmanned rotorcraft performing precision agricultural spraying operations under beyond visual line-of-sight conditions in a rural environment. This study investigates the applicability of current methods, processes, and standards for assuring airworthiness of conventionally piloted (manned) aircraft to assuring the airworthiness of UAS. The study started with the development of a detailed concept of operations for precision agricultural spraying with an unmanned rotorcraft (pp. 5-18). The concept of operations in conjunction with a specimen unmanned rotorcraft were used to develop an operational context and a list of relevant hazards (p. 22). Minimum design and performance requirements necessary to mitigate the hazards provide the foundation of a proposed (or mock) type certification basis. A type certification basis specifies the applicable standards an applicant must show compliance with to receive regulatory approval. A detailed analysis of the current airworthiness regulations for normal-category rotorcraft (14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 27) was performed. Each Part 27 regulation was evaluated to determine whether it mitigated one of the relevant hazards for the specimen UAS. Those regulations that did were included in the initial core of the type certification basis (pp. 26-31) as written or with some simple modifications. Those regulations that did not mitigate a recognized hazard were excluded from the certification basis. The remaining regulations were applicable in intent, but the text could not be easily tailored. Those regulations were addressed in separate issue papers. Exploiting established regulations avoids the difficult task of generating and interpreting novel requirements, through the use of acceptable, standardized language. The rationale for the disposition of the regulations was assessed and captured (pp. 58-115). The core basis was then augmented by generating additional requirements (pp. 38-47) to mitigate hazards for an unmanned sprayer that are not covered in Part 27.

10 CFR 50.49 - Environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... following design basis events to ensure— (A) The integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary; (B) The...) Design basis events are defined as conditions of normal operation, including anticipated operational occurrences, design basis accidents, external events, and natural phenomena for which the plant must be...

10 CFR 50.49 - Environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... following design basis events to ensure— (A) The integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary; (B) The...) Design basis events are defined as conditions of normal operation, including anticipated operational occurrences, design basis accidents, external events, and natural phenomena for which the plant must be...

10 CFR 50.49 - Environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... following design basis events to ensure— (A) The integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary; (B) The...) Design basis events are defined as conditions of normal operation, including anticipated operational occurrences, design basis accidents, external events, and natural phenomena for which the plant must be...

Spinal Locomotor Circuits Develop Using Hierarchical Rules Based on Motorneuron Position and Identity.

PubMed

Hinckley, Christopher A; Alaynick, William A; Gallarda, Benjamin W; Hayashi, Marito; Hilde, Kathryn L; Driscoll, Shawn P; Dekker, Joseph D; Tucker, Haley O; Sharpee, Tatyana O; Pfaff, Samuel L

2015-09-02

The coordination of multi-muscle movements originates in the circuitry that regulates the firing patterns of spinal motorneurons. Sensory neurons rely on the musculotopic organization of motorneurons to establish orderly connections, prompting us to examine whether the intraspinal circuitry that coordinates motor activity likewise uses cell position as an internal wiring reference. We generated a motorneuron-specific GCaMP6f mouse line and employed two-photon imaging to monitor the activity of lumbar motorneurons. We show that the central pattern generator neural network coordinately drives rhythmic columnar-specific motorneuron bursts at distinct phases of the locomotor cycle. Using multiple genetic strategies to perturb the subtype identity and orderly position of motorneurons, we found that neurons retained their rhythmic activity-but cell position was decoupled from the normal phasing pattern underlying flexion and extension. These findings suggest a hierarchical basis of motor circuit formation that relies on increasingly stringent matching of neuronal identity and position. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mutations in the RS1 gene in a Chinese family with X-linked juvenile retinoschisis.

PubMed

Hou, Qiaofang; Chu, Yan; Guo, Qiannan; Wu, Dong; Liao, Shixiu

2012-02-01

The purpose of our study was to identify the mutations in the retinoschisis 1 (RS1) gene, which was associated with X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) in a four-generation Chinese family, and to provide the theoretical basis for gene diagnosis and gene therapy. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes. All six exons and flanking intronic regions were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by direct sequencing. Through our genetic analysis, one frameshift 573delG mutation was identified in the patients of this four-generation pedigree; however, this mutation was absent in normal or non-carrier subjects. In conclusion, this 573delG mutation is reported in the Chinese population for the first time. This mutation widens the mutational spectrum of RS1 in Asians. Identification of mutations in the RS1 gene and expanded information on clinical manifestations will facilitate early diagnosis, appropriate early therapy, and genetic counseling regarding the prognosis of XLRS.

Three-dimensional organotypic culture: experimental models of mammalian biology and disease

PubMed Central

Shamir, Eliah R.; Ewald, Andrew J.

2015-01-01

Mammalian organs are challenging to study as they are fairly inaccessible to experimental manipulation and optical observation. Recent advances in three-dimensional (3D) culture techniques, coupled with the ability to independently manipulate genetic and microenvironmental factors, have enabled the real-time study of mammalian tissues. These systems have been used to visualize the cellular basis of epithelial morphogenesis, to test the roles of specific genes in regulating cell behaviours within epithelial tissues and to elucidate the contribution of microenvironmental factors to normal and disease processes. Collectively, these novel models can be used to answer fundamental biological questions and generate replacement human tissues, and they enable testing of novel therapeutic approaches, often using patient-derived cells. PMID:25237826

Design of a global soil moisture initialization procedure for the simple biosphere model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liston, G. E.; Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K.

1993-01-01

Global soil moisture and land-surface evapotranspiration fields are computed using an analysis scheme based on the Simple Biosphere (SiB) soil-vegetation-atmosphere interaction model. The scheme is driven with observed precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration, where the potential evapotranspiration is computed following the surface air temperature-potential evapotranspiration regression of Thomthwaite (1948). The observed surface air temperature is corrected to reflect potential (zero soil moisture stress) conditions by letting the ratio of actual transpiration to potential transpiration be a function of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and runoff data are generated on a daily basis for a 10-year period, January 1979 through December 1988, using observed precipitation gridded at a 4 deg by 5 deg resolution.

Molecular Basis of ADP Inhibition of Vacuolar (V)-type ATPase/Synthase*

PubMed Central

Kishikawa, Jun-ichi; Nakanishi, Atsuko; Furuike, Shou; Tamakoshi, Masatada; Yokoyama, Ken

2014-01-01

Reduction of ATP hydrolysis activity of vacuolar-type ATPase/synthase (V0V1) as a result of ADP inhibition occurs as part of the normal mechanism of V0V1 of Thermus thermophilus but not V0V1 of Enterococcus hirae or eukaryotes. To investigate the molecular basis for this difference, domain-swapped chimeric V1 consisting of both T. thermophilus and E. hirae enzymes were generated, and their function was analyzed. The data showed that the interaction between the nucleotide binding and C-terminal domains of the catalytic A subunit from E. hirae V1 is central to increasing binding affinity of the chimeric V1 for phosphate, resulting in reduction of the ADP inhibition. These findings together with a comparison of the crystal structures of T. thermophilus V1 with E. hirae V1 strongly suggest that the A subunit adopts a conformation in T. thermophilus V1 different from that in E. hirae V1. This key difference results in ADP inhibition of T. thermophilus V1 by abolishing the binding affinity for phosphate during ATP hydrolysis. PMID:24247239

Molecular Analysis of Bacterial Community Dynamics During Bioaugmentation Studies in a Soil Column and at a Field Test Site

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-03

82 4.14 A GelComparII-generated UPGMA clustering dendrogram and corresponding normalized restriction...A GelComparII-generated UPGMA clustering dendrogram and corresponding normalized restriction profiles from the community...A GelComparII-generated UPGMA clustering dendrogram and corresponding normalized restriction profiles from the community

The structure and development of streamwise vortex arrays embedded in a turbulent boundary layer. Ph.D. Thesis - Case Western Reserve Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wendt, Bruce J.; Greber, Isaac; Hingst, Warren R.

1991-01-01

An investigation of the structure and development of streamwise vortices embedded in a turbulent boundary layer was conducted. The vortices were generated by a single spanwise row of rectangular vortex generator blades. A single embedded vortex was examined, as well as arrays of embedded counter rotating vortices produced by equally spaced vortex generators. Measurements of the secondary velocity field in the crossplane provided the basis for characterization of vortex structure. Vortex structure was characterized by four descriptors. The center of each vortex core was located at the spanwise and normal position of peak streamwise vorticity. Vortex concentration was characterized by the magnitude of the peak streamwise vorticity, and the vortex strength by its circulation. Measurements of the secondary velocity field were conducted at two crossplane locations to examine the streamwise development of the vortex arrays. Large initial spacings of the vortex generators produced pairs of strong vortices which tended to move away from the wall region while smaller spacings produced tight arrays of weak vortices close to the wall. A model of vortex interaction and development is constructed using the experimental results. The model is based on the structure of the Oseen Vortex. Vortex trajectories are modelled by including the convective effects of neighbors.

38 CFR 36.4225 - Authority to close manufactured home loans on the automatic basis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... on a normal accounting or business cycle. The lender's latest financial statements (profit and loss... manufactured home loans on the automatic basis. 36.4225 Section 36.4225 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief... manufactured home loans on the automatic basis. (a) Supervised lenders of the classes described in 38 U.S.C...

38 CFR 36.4225 - Authority to close manufactured home loans on the automatic basis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... on a normal accounting or business cycle. The lender's latest financial statements (profit and loss... manufactured home loans on the automatic basis. 36.4225 Section 36.4225 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief... manufactured home loans on the automatic basis. (a) Supervised lenders of the classes described in 38 U.S.C...

38 CFR 36.4225 - Authority to close manufactured home loans on the automatic basis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... on a normal accounting or business cycle. The lender's latest financial statements (profit and loss... manufactured home loans on the automatic basis. 36.4225 Section 36.4225 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief... manufactured home loans on the automatic basis. (a) Supervised lenders of the classes described in 38 U.S.C...

38 CFR 36.4225 - Authority to close manufactured home loans on the automatic basis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... on a normal accounting or business cycle. The lender's latest financial statements (profit and loss... manufactured home loans on the automatic basis. 36.4225 Section 36.4225 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief... manufactured home loans on the automatic basis. (a) Supervised lenders of the classes described in 38 U.S.C...

Changes in radiation dose with variations in human anatomy: larger and smaller normal-stature adults.

PubMed

Marine, Patrick M; Stabin, Michael G; Fernald, Michael J; Brill, Aaron B

2010-05-01

A systematic evaluation has been performed to study how specific absorbed fractions (SAFs) vary with changes in adult body size, for persons of different size but normal body stature. A review of the literature was performed to evaluate how individual organ sizes vary with changes in total body weight of normal-stature individuals. On the basis of this literature review, changes were made to our easily deformable reference adult male and female total-body models. Monte Carlo simulations of radiation transport were performed; SAFs for photons were generated for 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile adults; and comparisons were made to the reference (50th) percentile SAF values. Differences in SAFs for organs irradiating themselves were between 0.5% and 1.0%/kg difference in body weight, from 15% to 30% overall, for organs within the trunk. Differences in SAFs for organs outside the trunk were not greater than the uncertainties in the data and will not be important enough to change calculated doses. For organs irradiating other organs within the trunk, differences were significant, between 0.3% and 1.1%/kg, or about 8%-33% overall. The differences are interesting and can be used to estimate how different patients' dosimetry might vary from values reported in standard dose tables.

Personality and complex brain networks: The role of openness to experience in default network efficiency

PubMed Central

Kaufman, Scott Barry; Benedek, Mathias; Jung, Rex E.; Kenett, Yoed N.; Jauk, Emanuel; Neubauer, Aljoscha C.; Silvia, Paul J.

2015-01-01

Abstract The brain's default network (DN) has been a topic of considerable empirical interest. In fMRI research, DN activity is associated with spontaneous and self‐generated cognition, such as mind‐wandering, episodic memory retrieval, future thinking, mental simulation, theory of mind reasoning, and creative cognition. Despite large literatures on developmental and disease‐related influences on the DN, surprisingly little is known about the factors that impact normal variation in DN functioning. Using structural equation modeling and graph theoretical analysis of resting‐state fMRI data, we provide evidence that Openness to Experience—a normally distributed personality trait reflecting a tendency to engage in imaginative, creative, and abstract cognitive processes—underlies efficiency of information processing within the DN. Across two studies, Openness predicted the global efficiency of a functional network comprised of DN nodes and corresponding edges. In Study 2, Openness remained a robust predictor—even after controlling for intelligence, age, gender, and other personality variables—explaining 18% of the variance in DN functioning. These findings point to a biological basis of Openness to Experience, and suggest that normally distributed personality traits affect the intrinsic architecture of large‐scale brain systems. Hum Brain Mapp 37:773–779, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26610181

Abnormal Whole Blood Thrombi in Humans with Inherited Platelet Receptor Defects

PubMed Central

Castellino, Francis J.; Liang, Zhong; Davis, Patrick K.; Balsara, Rashna D.; Musunuru, Harsha; Donahue, Deborah L.; Smith, Denise L.; Sandoval-Cooper, Mayra J.; Ploplis, Victoria A.; Walsh, Mark

2012-01-01

To delineate the critical features of platelets required for formation and stability of thrombi, thromboelastography and platelet aggregation measurements were employed on whole blood of normal patients and of those with Bernard-Soulier Syndrome (BSS) and Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia (GT). We found that separation of platelet activation, as assessed by platelet aggregation, from that needed to form viscoelastic stable whole blood thrombi, occurred. In normal human blood, ristocetin and collagen aggregated platelets, but did not induce strong viscoelastic thrombi. However, ADP, arachidonic acid, thrombin, and protease-activated-receptor-1 and -4 agonists, stimulated both processes. During this study, we identified the genetic basis of a very rare double heterozygous GP1b deficiency in a BSS patient, along with a new homozygous GP1b inactivating mutation in another BSS patient. In BSS whole blood, ADP responsiveness, as measured by thrombus strength, was diminished, while ADP-induced platelet aggregation was normal. Further, the platelets of 3 additional GT patients showed very weak whole blood platelet aggregation toward the above agonists and provided whole blood thrombi of very low viscoelastic strength. These results indicate that measurements of platelet counts and platelet aggregability do not necessarily correlate with generation of stable thrombi, a potentially significant feature in patient clinical outcomes. PMID:23300803

Method for construction of normalized cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Soares, Marcelo B.; Efstratiadis, Argiris

1998-01-01

This invention provides a method to normalize a directional cDNA library constructed in a vector that allows propagation in single-stranded circle form comprising: (a) propagating the directional cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating fragments complementary to the 3' noncoding sequence of the single-stranded circles in the library to produce partial duplexes; (c) purifying the partial duplexes; (d) melting and reassociating the purified partial duplexes to appropriate Cot; and (e) purifying the unassociated single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. This invention also provides normalized cDNA libraries generated by the above-described method and uses of the generated libraries.

Method for construction of normalized cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Soares, M.B.; Efstratiadis, A.

1998-11-03

This invention provides a method to normalize a directional cDNA library constructed in a vector that allows propagation in single-stranded circle form comprising: (a) propagating the directional cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating fragments complementary to the 3` noncoding sequence of the single-stranded circles in the library to produce partial duplexes; (c) purifying the partial duplexes; (d) melting and reassociating the purified partial duplexes to appropriate Cot; and (e) purifying the unassociated single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. This invention also provides normalized cDNA libraries generated by the above-described method and uses of the generated libraries. 19 figs.

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

Fischer, Sean A.; Ueltschi, Tyler W.; El-Khoury, Patrick Z.

Carbon-hydrogen (C-H) vibration modes serve as key probes in the chemical identification of hydrocarbons and in vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy of hydrocarbons at the liquid/gas interface. Their assignments pose a challenge from a theoretical viewpoint. Here in this work, we present a detailed study of the C-H stretching region of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) using a new Gaussian basis set- based ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) module that we have implemented in the NWChem computational chemistry program. By combining AIMD simulations and static normal mode analysis, we interpret experimental infrared and Raman spectra and explore the role of anharmonic effectsmore » in this system. Our anharmonic normal mode analysis of the in-phase and out-of-phase symmetric C-H stretching modes challenges the previous experimental assignment of the shoulder in the symmetric C-H stretching peak as an overtone or Fermi resonance. In addition, our AIMD simulations also show significant broadening of the in-phase symmetric C-H stretching resonance, which suggests that the experimentally observed shoulder is due to thermal broadening of the symmetric stretching resonance.« less

Fractional Snow Cover Mapping by Artificial Neural Networks and Support Vector Machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Çiftçi, B. B.; Kuter, S.; Akyürek, Z.; Weber, G.-W.

2017-11-01

Snow is an important land cover whose distribution over space and time plays a significant role in various environmental processes. Hence, snow cover mapping with high accuracy is necessary to have a real understanding for present and future climate, water cycle, and ecological changes. This study aims to investigate and compare the design and use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and support vector machines (SVMs) algorithms for fractional snow cover (FSC) mapping from satellite data. ANN and SVM models with different model building settings are trained by using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer surface reflectance values of bands 1-7, normalized difference snow index and normalized difference vegetation index as predictor variables. Reference FSC maps are generated from higher spatial resolution Landsat ETM+ binary snow cover maps. Results on the independent test data set indicate that the developed ANN model with hyperbolic tangent transfer function in the output layer and the SVM model with radial basis function kernel produce high FSC mapping accuracies with the corresponding values of R = 0.93 and R = 0.92, respectively.

Rapid Communication: MiR-92a as a housekeeping gene for analysis of bovine mastitis-related microRNA in milk.

PubMed

Lai, Y C; Fujikawa, T; Ando, T; Kitahara, G; Koiwa, M; Kubota, C; Miura, N

2017-06-01

Our aim was to identify a suitable microRNA housekeeping gene for real-time PCR analysis of bovine mastitis-related microRNA in milk. We identified , , and as housekeeping gene candidates on the basis of previous Solexa sequencing results. Threshold cycle (CT) values for , , and did not differ between milk from control cows and milk from mastitis-affected cows. NormFinder software identified as the most stable single housekeeping gene. We evaluated the suitability of the housekeeping gene candidates by using them to assess expression levels of the inflammation-related gene . Regardless of the housekeeping gene candidates used for normalization, relative expression levels of were significantly higher in mastitis-affected samples than in control samples. However, of all the housekeeping genes and gene combinations investigated, normalization with alone generated the difference in relative expression between mastitis-affected and control samples with the highest significance. These results suggest that is suitable for use as a housekeeping gene for analysis of bovine mastitis-related microRNA in milk.

Minimization of color shift generated in RGBW quad structure.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hong Chul; Yun, Jae Kyeong; Baek, Heume-Il; Kim, Ki Duk; Oh, Eui Yeol; Chung, In Jae

2005-03-01

The purpose of RGBW Quad Structure Technology is to realize higher brightness than that of normal panel (RGB stripe structure) by adding white sub-pixel to existing RGB stripe structure. However, there is side effect called 'color shift' resulted from increasing brightness. This side effect degrades general color characteristics due to change of 'Hue', 'Brightness' and 'Saturation' as compared with existing RGB stripe structure. Especially, skin-tone colors show a tendency to get darker in contrast to normal panel. We"ve tried to minimize 'color shift' through use of LUT (Look Up Table) for linear arithmetic processing of input data, data bit expansion to 12-bit for minimizing arithmetic tolerance and brightness weight of white sub-pixel on each R, G, B pixel. The objective of this study is to minimize and keep Δu'v' value (we commonly use to represent a color difference), quantitative basis of color difference between RGB stripe structure and RGBW quad structure, below 0.01 level (existing 0.02 or higher) using Macbeth colorchecker that is general reference of color characteristics.

Quantum Dynamics with Short-Time Trajectories and Minimal Adaptive Basis Sets.

PubMed

Saller, Maximilian A C; Habershon, Scott

2017-07-11

Methods for solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation via basis set expansion of the wave function can generally be categorized as having either static (time-independent) or dynamic (time-dependent) basis functions. We have recently introduced an alternative simulation approach which represents a middle road between these two extremes, employing dynamic (classical-like) trajectories to create a static basis set of Gaussian wavepackets in regions of phase-space relevant to future propagation of the wave function [J. Chem. Theory Comput., 11, 8 (2015)]. Here, we propose and test a modification of our methodology which aims to reduce the size of basis sets generated in our original scheme. In particular, we employ short-time classical trajectories to continuously generate new basis functions for short-time quantum propagation of the wave function; to avoid the continued growth of the basis set describing the time-dependent wave function, we employ Matching Pursuit to periodically minimize the number of basis functions required to accurately describe the wave function. Overall, this approach generates a basis set which is adapted to evolution of the wave function while also being as small as possible. In applications to challenging benchmark problems, namely a 4-dimensional model of photoexcited pyrazine and three different double-well tunnelling problems, we find that our new scheme enables accurate wave function propagation with basis sets which are around an order-of-magnitude smaller than our original trajectory-guided basis set methodology, highlighting the benefits of adaptive strategies for wave function propagation.

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

Park, G. Barratt, E-mail: barratt@mit.edu

Franck-Condon vibrational overlap integrals for the A{sup ~1}A{sub u}—X{sup ~1}Σ{sup +}{sub g} transition in acetylene have been calculated in full dimension in the harmonic normal mode basis. The calculation uses the method of generating functions first developed for polyatomic Franck-Condon factors by Sharp and Rosenstock [J. Chem. Phys. 41(11), 3453–3463 (1964)], and previously applied to acetylene by Watson [J. Mol. Spectrosc. 207(2), 276–284 (2001)] in a reduced-dimension calculation. Because the transition involves a large change in the equilibrium geometry of the electronic states, two different types of corrections to the coordinate transformation are considered to first order: corrections for axis-switchingmore » between the Cartesian molecular frames and corrections for the curvilinear nature of the normal modes at large amplitude. The angular factor in the wave function for the out-of-plane component of the trans bending mode, ν{sub 4}{sup ″}, is treated as a rotation, which results in an Eckart constraint on the polar coordinates of the bending modes. To simplify the calculation, the other degenerate bending mode, ν{sub 5}{sup ″}, is integrated in the Cartesian basis and later transformed to the constrained polar coordinate basis, restoring the conventional v and l quantum numbers. An updated A{sup ~}-state harmonic force field obtained recently in the R. W. Field research group is evaluated. The results for transitions involving the gerade vibrational modes are in qualitative agreement with experiment. Calculated results for transitions involving ungerade modes are presented in Paper II of this series [G. B. Park, J. H. Baraban, and R. W. Field, “Full dimensional Franck–Condon factors for the acetylene A{sup ~1}A{sub u}—X{sup ~1}Σ{sup +}{sub g} transition. II. Vibrational overlap factors for levels involving excitation in ungerade modes,” J. Chem. Phys. 141, 134305 (2014)].« less

Utilization of group theory in studies of molecular clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ocak, Mahir E.

The structure of the molecular symmetry group of molecular clusters was analyzed and it is shown that the molecular symmetry group of a molecular cluster can be written as direct products and semidirect products of its subgroups. Symmetry adaptation of basis functions in direct product groups and semidirect product groups was considered in general and the sequential symmetry adaptation procedure which is already known for direct product groups was extended to the case of semidirect product groups. By using the sequential symmetry adaptation procedure a new method for calculating the VRT spectra of molecular clusters which is named as Monomer Basis Representation (MBR) method is developed. In the MBR method, calculations starts with a single monomer with the purpose of obtaining an optimized basis for that monomer as a linear combination of some primitive basis functions. Then, an optimized basis for each identical monomer is generated from the optimized basis of this monomer. By using the optimized bases of the monomers, a basis is generated generated for the solution of the full problem, and the VRT spectra of the cluster is obtained by using this basis. Since an optimized basis is used for each monomer which has a much smaller size than the primitive basis from which the optimized bases are generated, the MBR method leads to an exponential optimization in the size of the basis that is required for the calculations. Application of the MBR method has been illustrated by calculating the VRT spectra of water dimer by using the SAPT-5st potential surface of Groenenboom et al. The rest of the calculations are in good agreement with both the original calculations of Groenenboom et al. and also with the experimental results. Comparing the size of the optimized basis with the size of the primitive basis, it can be said that the method works efficiently. Because of its efficiency, the MBR method can be used for studies of clusters bigger than dimers. Thus, MBR method can be used for studying the many-body terms and for deriving accurate potential surfaces.

Calculation of grain boundary normals directly from 3D microstructure images

DOE PAGES

Lieberman, E. J.; Rollett, A. D.; Lebensohn, R. A.; ...

2015-03-11

The determination of grain boundary normals is an integral part of the characterization of grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials. These normal vectors are difficult to quantify due to the discretized nature of available microstructure characterization techniques. The most common method to determine grain boundary normals is by generating a surface mesh from an image of the microstructure, but this process can be slow, and is subject to smoothing issues. A new technique is proposed, utilizing first order Cartesian moments of binary indicator functions, to determine grain boundary normals directly from a voxelized microstructure image. In order to validate the accuracymore » of this technique, the surface normals obtained by the proposed method are compared to those generated by a surface meshing algorithm. Specifically, the local divergence between the surface normals obtained by different variants of the proposed technique and those generated from a surface mesh of a synthetic microstructure constructed using a marching cubes algorithm followed by Laplacian smoothing is quantified. Next, surface normals obtained with the proposed method from a measured 3D microstructure image of a Ni polycrystal are used to generate grain boundary character distributions (GBCD) for Σ3 and Σ9 boundaries, and compared to the GBCD generated using a surface mesh obtained from the same image. Finally, the results show that the proposed technique is an efficient and accurate method to determine voxelized fields of grain boundary normals.« less

Copper as a target for prostate cancer therapeutics: copper-ionophore pharmacology and altering systemic copper distribution.

PubMed

Denoyer, Delphine; Pearson, Helen B; Clatworthy, Sharnel A S; Smith, Zoe M; Francis, Paul S; Llanos, Roxana M; Volitakis, Irene; Phillips, Wayne A; Meggyesy, Peter M; Masaldan, Shashank; Cater, Michael A

2016-06-14

Copper-ionophores that elevate intracellular bioavailable copper display significant therapeutic utility against prostate cancer cells in vitro and in TRAMP (Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of Mouse Prostate) mice. However, the pharmacological basis for their anticancer activity remains unclear, despite impending clinical trails. Herein we show that intracellular copper levels in prostate cancer, evaluated in vitro and across disease progression in TRAMP mice, were not correlative with copper-ionophore activity and mirrored the normal levels observed in patient prostatectomy tissues (Gleason Score 7 & 9). TRAMP adenocarcinoma cells harbored markedly elevated oxidative stress and diminished glutathione (GSH)-mediated antioxidant capacity, which together conferred selective sensitivity to prooxidant ionophoric copper. Copper-ionophore treatments [CuII(gtsm), disulfiram & clioquinol] generated toxic levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in TRAMP adenocarcinoma cells, but not in normal mouse prostate epithelial cells (PrECs). Our results provide a basis for the pharmacological activity of copper-ionophores and suggest they are amendable for treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Additionally, recent in vitro and mouse xenograft studies have suggested an increased copper requirement by prostate cancer cells. We demonstrated that prostate adenocarcinoma development in TRAMP mice requires a functional supply of copper and is significantly impeded by altered systemic copper distribution. The presence of a mutant copper-transporting Atp7b protein (tx mutation: A4066G/Met1356Val) in TRAMP mice changed copper-integration into serum and caused a remarkable reduction in prostate cancer burden (64% reduction) and disease severity (grade), abrogating adenocarcinoma development. Implications for current clinical trials are discussed.

Independence of Movement Preparation and Movement Initiation.

PubMed

Haith, Adrian M; Pakpoor, Jina; Krakauer, John W

2016-03-09

Initiating a movement in response to a visual stimulus takes significantly longer than might be expected on the basis of neural transmission delays, but it is unclear why. In a visually guided reaching task, we forced human participants to move at lower-than-normal reaction times to test whether normal reaction times are strictly necessary for accurate movement. We found that participants were, in fact, capable of moving accurately ∼80 ms earlier than their reaction times would suggest. Reaction times thus include a seemingly unnecessary delay that accounts for approximately one-third of their duration. Close examination of participants' behavior in conventional reaction-time conditions revealed that they generated occasional, spontaneous errors in trials in which their reaction time was unusually short. The pattern of these errors could be well accounted for by a simple model in which the timing of movement initiation is independent of the timing of movement preparation. This independence provides an explanation for why reaction times are usually so sluggish: delaying the mean time of movement initiation relative to preparation reduces the risk that a movement will be initiated before it has been appropriately prepared. Our results suggest that preparation and initiation of movement are mechanistically independent and may have a distinct neural basis. The results also demonstrate that, even in strongly stimulus-driven tasks, presentation of a stimulus does not directly trigger a movement. Rather, the stimulus appears to trigger an internal decision whether to make a movement, reflecting a volitional rather than reactive mode of control. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/363007-10$15.00/0.

Copper as a target for prostate cancer therapeutics: copper-ionophore pharmacology and altering systemic copper distribution

PubMed Central

Denoyer, Delphine; Pearson, Helen B.; Clatworthy, Sharnel A.S.; Smith, Zoe M.; Francis, Paul S.; Llanos, Roxana M.; Volitakis, Irene; Phillips, Wayne A.; Meggyesy, Peter M.; Masaldan, Shashank; Cater, Michael A.

2016-01-01

Copper-ionophores that elevate intracellular bioavailable copper display significant therapeutic utility against prostate cancer cells in vitro and in TRAMP (Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of Mouse Prostate) mice. However, the pharmacological basis for their anticancer activity remains unclear, despite impending clinical trails. Herein we show that intracellular copper levels in prostate cancer, evaluated in vitro and across disease progression in TRAMP mice, were not correlative with copper-ionophore activity and mirrored the normal levels observed in patient prostatectomy tissues (Gleason Score 7 & 9). TRAMP adenocarcinoma cells harbored markedly elevated oxidative stress and diminished glutathione (GSH)-mediated antioxidant capacity, which together conferred selective sensitivity to prooxidant ionophoric copper. Copper-ionophore treatments [CuII(gtsm), disulfiram & clioquinol] generated toxic levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in TRAMP adenocarcinoma cells, but not in normal mouse prostate epithelial cells (PrECs). Our results provide a basis for the pharmacological activity of copper-ionophores and suggest they are amendable for treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Additionally, recent in vitro and mouse xenograft studies have suggested an increased copper requirement by prostate cancer cells. We demonstrated that prostate adenocarcinoma development in TRAMP mice requires a functional supply of copper and is significantly impeded by altered systemic copper distribution. The presence of a mutant copper-transporting Atp7b protein (tx mutation: A4066G/Met1356Val) in TRAMP mice changed copper-integration into serum and caused a remarkable reduction in prostate cancer burden (64% reduction) and disease severity (grade), abrogating adenocarcinoma development. Implications for current clinical trials are discussed. PMID:27175597

Temporally resolved proton radiography of rapidly varying electric and magnetic fields in laser-driven capacitor coil targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morace, A.; Santos, J. J.; Bailly-Grandvaux, M.; Ehret, M.; Alpinaniz, J.; Brabetz, C.; Schaumann, G.; Volpe, L.

2017-02-01

Understanding the dynamics of rapidly varying electromagnetic fields in intense short pulse laser plasma interactions is of key importance to understand the mechanisms at the basis of a wide variety of physical processes, from high energy density physics and fusion science to the development of ultrafast laser plasma devices to control laser-generated particle beams. Target normal sheath accelerated (TNSA) proton radiography represents an ideal tool to diagnose ultrafast electromagnetic phenomena, providing 2D spatially and temporally resolved radiographs with temporal resolution varying from 2-3 ps to few tens of ps. In this work we introduce the proton radiography technique and its application to diagnose the spatial and temporal evolution of electromagnetic fields in laser-driven capacitor coil targets.

The origin and development of malocclusions. When, where and how dental malocclusions develop.

PubMed

Loudon, Merle E

2013-01-01

This article describes the forces of the muscles from the stomatonathic system and how they interact in many children to change the normal forces of growth. Because of this change in muscle forces there is a change from normal teeth and bone growth positions to abnormal positions. These normal and/or abnormal changes in muscle forces are the basis for development into class one, class two and class three occlusions. This is very valuable information for the orthodontic clinician because these muscle forces are the fundamental basis for all orthodontic treatment. By knowing this an orthodontic clinician will be more able to diagnose and treat a malocclusion. This is exceptionally important for the dentist who is just starting to learn diagnosis, treatment planning, functional and fixed orthodontic treatment.

Diapause in a tropical oil-collecting bee: molecular basis unveiled by RNA-Seq.

PubMed

Santos, Priscila Karla F; de Souza Araujo, Natalia; Françoso, Elaine; Zuntini, Alexandre Rizzo; Arias, Maria Cristina

2018-04-27

Diapause is a natural phenomenon characterized by an arrest in development that ensures the survival of organisms under extreme environmental conditions. The process has been well documented in arthropods. However, its molecular basis has been mainly studied in species from temperate zones, leaving a knowledge gap of this phenomenon in tropical species. In the present study, the Neotropical and solitary bee Tetrapedia diversipes was employed as a model for investigating diapause in species from tropical zones. Being a bivoltine insect, Tetrapedia diversipes produce two generations of offspring per year. The first generation, normally born during the wet season, develops faster than individuals from the second generation, born after the dry season. Furthermore, it has been shown that the development of the progeny, of the second generation, is halted at the 5th larval instar, and remains in larval diapause during the dry season. Towards the goal of gaining a better understanding of the diapause phenomenon we compared the global gene expression pattern, in larvae, from both reproductive generations and during diapause. The results demonstrate that there are similarities in the observed gene expression patterns to those already described for temperate climate models, and also identify diapause-related genes that have not been previously reported in the literature. The RNA-Seq analysis identified 2275 differentially expressed transcripts, of which 1167 were annotated. Of these genes, during diapause, 352 were upregulated and 815 were downregulated. According to their biological functions, these genes were categorized into the following groups: cellular detoxification, cytoskeleton, cuticle, sterol and lipid metabolism, cell cycle, heat shock proteins, immune response, circadian clock, and epigenetic control. Many of the identified genes have already been described as being related to diapause; however, new genes were discovered, for the first time, in this study. Among those, we highlight: Niemann-Pick type C1, NPC2 and Acyl-CoA binding protein homolog (all involved in ecdysteroid synthesis); RhoBTB2 and SASH1 (associated with cell cycle regulation) and Histone acetyltransferase KAT7 (related to epigenetic transcriptional regulation). The results presented here add important findings to the understanding of diapause in tropical species, thus increasing the comprehension of diapause-related molecular mechanisms.

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

Rossi, Tuomas P., E-mail: tuomas.rossi@alumni.aalto.fi; Sakko, Arto; Puska, Martti J.

We present an approach for generating local numerical basis sets of improving accuracy for first-principles nanoplasmonics simulations within time-dependent density functional theory. The method is demonstrated for copper, silver, and gold nanoparticles that are of experimental interest but computationally demanding due to the semi-core d-electrons that affect their plasmonic response. The basis sets are constructed by augmenting numerical atomic orbital basis sets by truncated Gaussian-type orbitals generated by the completeness-optimization scheme, which is applied to the photoabsorption spectra of homoatomic metal atom dimers. We obtain basis sets of improving accuracy up to the complete basis set limit and demonstrate thatmore » the performance of the basis sets transfers to simulations of larger nanoparticles and nanoalloys as well as to calculations with various exchange-correlation functionals. This work promotes the use of the local basis set approach of controllable accuracy in first-principles nanoplasmonics simulations and beyond.« less

JPRS Report: East Asia Southeast Asia.

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-07-26

private sector companies and will be set up on a BOO basis. Speaking in Jakarta on 2 June, Habibie said : "Thus far several companies from the United...private sector the construction of the "Muria" generator on a BOO basis. He said : "Why should we turn over the nuclear powered electricity generator... said that the plan to offer this construction project to the private sector on a BOO basis is quite realistic. However, he quickly added that the

Altered neuroendocrine regulation of gonadotropin secretion in women distance runners.

PubMed

Veldhuis, J D; Evans, W S; Demers, L M; Thorner, M O; Wakat, D; Rogol, A D

1985-09-01

We tested the hypothesis that the neuroendocrine control of gonadotropin secretion is altered in certain women distance runners with secondary amenorrhea. To this end, we quantitated the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous pulsatile LH secretion during a 24-h interval in nine such women. The ability of the pituitary gland to release LH normally was assessed by administration of graded bolus doses of GnRH during the subsequent 8 h. Compared to normally menstruating women, six of nine amenorrheic distance runners had a distinct reduction in spontaneous LH pulse frequency, with one, three, six, five, four, or two pulses per 24 h (normal, 8-15 pulses/24 h). This reduction in LH pulse frequency occurred without any significant alterations in plasma concentrations of estradiol and free testosterone or 24-h integrated serum concentrations of LH, FSH, or PRL. Moreover, in long-distance runners, the capacity of the pituitary gland to release LH was normal or accentuated in response to exogenous pulses of GnRH. In the six women athletes with diminished spontaneous LH pulsatility, acute ovarian responsiveness also was normal, since serum estradiol concentrations increased normally in response to the GnRH-induced LH pulses. Although long-distance runners had significantly lower estimated percent body fat compared to control women, specific changes in pulsatile gonadotropin release did not correlate with degree of body leanness. In summary, certain long-distance runners with secondary amenorrhea or severe oligomenorrhea have unambiguously decreased spontaneous LH pulse frequency with intact pituitary responsiveness to GnRH. This neuroendocrine disturbance may be relevant to exercise-associated amenorrhea, since pulsatile LH release is a prerequisite for cyclic ovarian function. We speculate that such alterations in pulsatile LH release in exercising women reflect an adaptive response of the hypothalamic pulse generator controlling the intermittent GnRH signal to the pituitary gland. The basis for amenorrhea in the remaining runners who have normal pulsatile properties of LH release is not known.

In vitro genotoxicity of exhaust emissions of diesel and gasoline engine vehicles operated on a unified driving cycle.

PubMed

Liu, Yu-Qing; Keane, Michael; Ensell, Mang; Miller, William; Kashon, Michael; Ong, Tong-man; Mauderly, Joe; Lawson, Doug; Gautam, Mridul; Zielinska, Barbara; Whitney, Kevin; Eberhardt, James; Wallace, William

2005-01-01

Acetone extracts of engine exhaust particulate matter (PM) and of vapor-phase semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) collected from a set of 1998-2000 model year normal emitter diesel engine automobile or light trucks and from a set of 1982-1996 normal emitter gasoline engine automobiles or light trucks operated on the California Unified Driving Cycle at 22 [degree]C were assayed for in vitro genotoxic activities. Gasoline and diesel PM were comparably positive mutagens for Salmonella typhimurium strains YG1024 and YG1029 on a mass of PM extract basis with diesel higher on a mileage basis; gasoline SVOC was more active than diesel on an extracted-mass basis, with diesel SVOC more active on a mileage basis. For chromosomal damage indicated by micronucleus induction in Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts (V79 cells), diesel PM expressed about one-tenth that of gasoline PM on a mass of extract basis, but was comparably active on a mileage basis; diesel SVOC was inactive. For DNA damage in V79 cells indicated by the single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay, gasoline PM was positive while diesel PM was active at the higher doses; gasoline SVOC was active with toxicity preventing measurement at high doses, while diesel SVOC was inactive at all but the highest dose.

Generation of HER2 monoclonal antibodies using epitopes of a rabbit polyclonal antibody.

PubMed

Hu, Francis Jingxin; Uhlen, Mathias; Rockberg, Johan

2014-01-25

One of the issues in using polyclonal antibodies is the limited amount of reagent available from an immunisation, leading to batch-to-batch variation and difficulties in obtaining the same antibody performance when the same antigen is re-immunised into several separate animals. This led to the development of hybridoma technology allowing, at least theoretically, for an unlimited production of a specific binder. Nevertheless, polyclonal antibodies are widely used in research and diagnostics and there exists a need for robust methods to convert a polyclonal antibody with good binding performance into a renewable monoclonal with identical or similar binding specificity. Here we have used precise information regarding the functional recognition sequence (epitope) of a rabbit polyclonal antibody with attractive binding characteristics as the basis for generation of a renewable mouse monoclonal antibody. First, the original protein fragment antigen was used for immunisation and generation of mouse hybridoma, without obtaining binders to the same epitope region. Instead a peptide designed using the functional epitope and structural information was synthesised and used for hybridoma production. Several of the monoclonal antibodies generated were found to have similar binding characteristics to those of the original polyclonal antibody. These monoclonal antibodies detected native HER2 on cell lines and were also able to stain HER2 in immunohistochemistry using xenografted mice, as well as human normal and cancer tissues. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Generation and initial characterization of FDD knock in mice.

PubMed

Giliberto, Luca; Matsuda, Shuji; Vidal, Ruben; D'Adamio, Luciano

2009-11-18

Mutations in the integral membrane protein 2B, also known as BRI(2), a type II trans-membrane domain protein cause two autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases, Familial British and Danish Dementia. In these conditions, accumulation of a C-terminal peptide (ABri and ADan) cleaved off from the mutated precursor protein by the pro-protein convertase furin, leads to amyloid deposition in the walls of blood vessels and parenchyma of the brain. Recent advances in the understanding of the generation of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease has lead to the finding that BRI(2) interacts with the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), decreasing the efficiency of APP processing to generate Abeta. The interaction between the two precursors, APP and BRI(2), and possibly between Abeta and ABri or ADan, could be important in influencing the rate of amyloid production or the tendency of these peptides to aggregate. We have generated the first BRI(2) Danish Knock-In (FDD(KI)) murine model of FDD, expressing the pathogenic decamer duplication in exon 6 of the BRI(2) gene. FDD(KI) mice do not show any evident abnormal phenotype, with normal brain histology and no detectable amyloid deposition in blood vessel walls or parenchyma. This new murine mouse model will be important to further understand the interaction between APP and BRI(2), and to provide insights into the molecular basis of FDD.

Study of 1 MW PV array at the Kennedy Space Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhere, Neelkanth G.; Schneller, Eric; Martin, Wayne R.; Dhere, Ramesh G.

2016-09-01

FP and L has deployed a 1 MW c-Si in a fenced compound at the Kennedy Space Center. Two 500 kW inverters located in an elevated and air-conditioned enclosure convert direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). The generated power, DC and AC voltages and currents are measured and recorded. Charts of variation of PV parameters are generated for analyses. The generated power is also tabulated and reported on periodic basis. Infrared and visual images of the array, sections of the array, and of individual modules from the front and back are recorded periodically. Any interruption of power generation are recorded. The dust and corrosion on screws and frame were observed in a few modules. The temperature of active area of module is higher than that of metallic support and frame probably because of conduction of the heat by the heavy metallic structure. The 1-MW PV array is operating normally without signs of excessive degradation except for collection of dust towards the bottom of a few modules. Since these modules were not washed periodically and any cleaning was by rain. Thus the collection of dust towards the bottom of modules can be understood and does not pose a serious problem. Corrosion on screws and frame were observed in a few modules. This study if continued over a long time, will serve to follow the behavior of this reasonable size PV Plant.

Reliability of steam generator tubing

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

Kadokami, E.

1997-02-01

The author presents results on studies made of the reliability of steam generator (SG) tubing. The basis for this work is that in Japan the issue of defects in SG tubing is addressed by the approach that any detected defect should be repaired, either by plugging the tube or sleeving it. However, this leaves open the issue that there is a detection limit in practice, and what is the effect of nondetectable cracks on the performance of tubing. These studies were commissioned to look at the safety issues involved in degraded SG tubing. The program has looked at a numbermore » of different issues. First was an assessment of the penetration and opening behavior of tube flaws due to internal pressure in the tubing. They have studied: penetration behavior of the tube flaws; primary water leakage from through-wall flaws; opening behavior of through-wall flaws. In addition they have looked at the question of the reliability of tubing with flaws during normal plant operation. Also there have been studies done on the consequences of tube rupture accidents on the integrity of neighboring tubes.« less

Modeling Psychomotor Retardation using iPSCs from MCT8-Deficient Patients Indicates a Prominent Role for the Blood-Brain Barrier.

PubMed

Vatine, Gad D; Al-Ahmad, Abraham; Barriga, Bianca K; Svendsen, Soshana; Salim, Ariel; Garcia, Leslie; Garcia, Veronica J; Ho, Ritchie; Yucer, Nur; Qian, Tongcheng; Lim, Ryan G; Wu, Jie; Thompson, Leslie M; Spivia, Weston R; Chen, Zhaohui; Van Eyk, Jennifer; Palecek, Sean P; Refetoff, Samuel; Shusta, Eric V; Svendsen, Clive N

2017-06-01

Inactivating mutations in the thyroid hormone (TH) transporter Monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) cause severe psychomotor retardation in children. Animal models do not reflect the biology of the human disease. Using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), we generated MCT8-deficient neural cells that showed normal TH-dependent neuronal properties and maturation. However, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) controls TH entry into the brain, and reduced TH availability to neural cells could instead underlie the diseased phenotype. To test potential BBB involvement, we generated an iPSC-based BBB model of MCT8 deficiency, and we found that MCT8 was necessary for polarized influx of the active form of TH across the BBB. We also found that a candidate drug did not appreciably cross the mutant BBB. Our results therefore clarify the underlying physiological basis of this disorder, and they suggest that circumventing the diseased BBB to deliver active TH to the brain could be a viable therapeutic strategy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scalable Open Science Approach for Mutation Calling of Tumor Exomes Using Multiple Genomic Pipelines.

PubMed

Ellrott, Kyle; Bailey, Matthew H; Saksena, Gordon; Covington, Kyle R; Kandoth, Cyriac; Stewart, Chip; Hess, Julian; Ma, Singer; Chiotti, Kami E; McLellan, Michael; Sofia, Heidi J; Hutter, Carolyn; Getz, Gad; Wheeler, David; Ding, Li

2018-03-28

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cancer genomics dataset includes over 10,000 tumor-normal exome pairs across 33 different cancer types, in total >400 TB of raw data files requiring analysis. Here we describe the Multi-Center Mutation Calling in Multiple Cancers project, our effort to generate a comprehensive encyclopedia of somatic mutation calls for the TCGA data to enable robust cross-tumor-type analyses. Our approach accounts for variance and batch effects introduced by the rapid advancement of DNA extraction, hybridization-capture, sequencing, and analysis methods over time. We present best practices for applying an ensemble of seven mutation-calling algorithms with scoring and artifact filtering. The dataset created by this analysis includes 3.5 million somatic variants and forms the basis for PanCan Atlas papers. The results have been made available to the research community along with the methods used to generate them. This project is the result of collaboration from a number of institutes and demonstrates how team science drives extremely large genomics projects. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification and Validation of Expressed Sequence Tags from Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) Root

PubMed Central

Kumar, Ravi Ranjan; Yadav, Shailesh; Joshi, Shourabh; Bhandare, Prithviraj P.; Patil, Vinod Kumar; Kulkarni, Pramod B.; Sonkawade, Swati; Naik, G. R.

2014-01-01

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp.) is an important food legume crop of rain fed agriculture in the arid and semiarid tropics of the world. It has deep and extensive root system which serves a number of important physiological and metabolic functions in plant development and growth. In order to identify genes associated with pigeonpea root, ESTs were generated from the root tissues of pigeonpea (GRG-295 genotype) by normalized cDNA library. A total of 105 high quality ESTs were generated by sequencing of 250 random clones which resulted in 72 unigenes comprising 25 contigs and 47 singlets. The ESTs were assigned to 9 functional categories on the basis of their putative function. In order to validate the possible expression of transcripts, four genes, namely, S-adenosylmethionine synthetase, phosphoglycerate kinase, serine carboxypeptidase, and methionine aminopeptidase, were further analyzed by reverse transcriptase PCR. The possible role of the identified transcripts and their functions associated with root will also be a valuable resource for the functional genomics study in legume crop. PMID:24895494

Log-odds sequence logos

PubMed Central

Yu, Yi-Kuo; Capra, John A.; Stojmirović, Aleksandar; Landsman, David; Altschul, Stephen F.

2015-01-01

Motivation: DNA and protein patterns are usefully represented by sequence logos. However, the methods for logo generation in common use lack a proper statistical basis, and are non-optimal for recognizing functionally relevant alignment columns. Results: We redefine the information at a logo position as a per-observation multiple alignment log-odds score. Such scores are positive or negative, depending on whether a column’s observations are better explained as arising from relatedness or chance. Within this framework, we propose distinct normalized maximum likelihood and Bayesian measures of column information. We illustrate these measures on High Mobility Group B (HMGB) box proteins and a dataset of enzyme alignments. Particularly in the context of protein alignments, our measures improve the discrimination of biologically relevant positions. Availability and implementation: Our new measures are implemented in an open-source Web-based logo generation program, which is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CBBresearch/Yu/logoddslogo/index.html. A stand-alone version of the program is also available from this site. Contact: altschul@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:25294922

Prognostic significance of normal quantitative Tl-201 stress scintigraphy in relation to pretest likelihood of coronary artery disease

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

Russo, D.J.; Russo, D.; Clements, J.

A previous study reported an excellent prognosis and low cardiac event rate in patients(pts) with chest pain and normal quantitative T1-201 scintigraphy(SC). Such result would not be unexpected if the population under study had a predominance of pts with low pre-T1-201 likelihood(L) of significant coronary artery disease (CAD). Hence, the authors undertook telephone follow-up in pts with chest pain syndrome and normal quantitative T1-201 exercise SC, and related outcome to pretest L of CAD. Pretest L was determined by serial L analysis on the basis of: symptoms, age, sex, and exercise ECG. All pts had T1-201 SC immediately post exercisemore » and 2 hrs later. After interpolative background correction, circumferential count and washout profiles were generated. All pts had unequivocally normal studies. Of a total of 96 pts studied in 1981-82, 20 pts were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 76 pts, 45 were males and 31 females. The pretest L of CAD had an inverted Gaussian distribution: thirty-four pts(47%) had <33% L of CAD, 3 pts (5%) had 33-66% L of CAD, and 35 pts(48%) had >66% L of CAD. Mean follow-up was 22+- 3 months. No deaths occurred. Two pts(3%) (with pretest L of 54% and 94%) had myocardial infarctions, 8 and 22 months respectively after T1-201 stress SC. One pt underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) 16 months after T1-201 stress SC. These findings confirm excellent prognostic significance of normal quantitative T1-201 stress scintigraphy.« less

Molecular basis of abnormal red-green color vision: a family with three types of color vision defects.

PubMed Central

Drummond-Borg, M; Deeb, S; Motulsky, A G

1988-01-01

The molecular nature of three different types of X-linked color-vision defects, protanomaly, deuteranomaly, and protanopia, in a large 3-generation family was determined. In the protanomalous and protanopic males the normal red pigment gene was replaced by a 5' red-3' green fusion gene. The protanomalous male had more red pigment DNA in his fusion gene than did the more severely affected protanopic individual. The deuteranomalous individual had four green pigment genes and one 5' green-3' red fusion gene. These results extend those of Nathans et al., who proposed that most red-green color-vision defects arise as a result of unequal crossing-over between the red and green pigment genes. The various data suggest that differences in severity of color-vision defects associated with fusion genes are caused by differences in crossover sites between the red and green pigment genes. Currently used molecular methodology is not sufficiently sensitive to define these fusion points accurately, and the specific color-vision defect within the deutan or protan class cannot be predicted. The DNA patterns for color-vision genes of female heterozygotes have not previously been described. Patterns of heterozygotes may not be distinguishable from those of normals. However, a definite assignment of the various color pigment gene arrays could be carried out by family study. Two compound heterozygotes for color-vision defects who tested as normal by anomaloscopy were found to carry abnormal fusion genes. In addition, a normal red pigment gene was present on one chromosome and at least one normal green pigment gene was present on the other.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Images Figure 3 PMID:2847528

Model-Based Normalization of a Fractional-Crystal Collimator for Small-Animal PET Imaging

PubMed Central

Li, Yusheng; Matej, Samuel; Karp, Joel S.; Metzler, Scott D.

2017-01-01

Previously, we proposed to use a coincidence collimator to achieve fractional-crystal resolution in PET imaging. We have designed and fabricated a collimator prototype for a small-animal PET scanner, A-PET. To compensate for imperfections in the fabricated collimator prototype, collimator normalization, as well as scanner normalization, is required to reconstruct quantitative and artifact-free images. In this study, we develop a normalization method for the collimator prototype based on the A-PET normalization using a uniform cylinder phantom. We performed data acquisition without the collimator for scanner normalization first, and then with the collimator from eight different rotation views for collimator normalization. After a reconstruction without correction, we extracted the cylinder parameters from which we generated expected emission sinograms. Single scatter simulation was used to generate the scattered sinograms. We used the least-squares method to generate the normalization coefficient for each LOR based on measured, expected and scattered sinograms. The scanner and collimator normalization coefficients were factorized by performing two normalizations separately. The normalization methods were also verified using experimental data acquired from A-PET with and without the collimator. In summary, we developed a model-base collimator normalization that can significantly reduce variance and produce collimator normalization with adequate statistical quality within feasible scan time. PMID:29270539

Model-Based Normalization of a Fractional-Crystal Collimator for Small-Animal PET Imaging.

PubMed

Li, Yusheng; Matej, Samuel; Karp, Joel S; Metzler, Scott D

2017-05-01

Previously, we proposed to use a coincidence collimator to achieve fractional-crystal resolution in PET imaging. We have designed and fabricated a collimator prototype for a small-animal PET scanner, A-PET. To compensate for imperfections in the fabricated collimator prototype, collimator normalization, as well as scanner normalization, is required to reconstruct quantitative and artifact-free images. In this study, we develop a normalization method for the collimator prototype based on the A-PET normalization using a uniform cylinder phantom. We performed data acquisition without the collimator for scanner normalization first, and then with the collimator from eight different rotation views for collimator normalization. After a reconstruction without correction, we extracted the cylinder parameters from which we generated expected emission sinograms. Single scatter simulation was used to generate the scattered sinograms. We used the least-squares method to generate the normalization coefficient for each LOR based on measured, expected and scattered sinograms. The scanner and collimator normalization coefficients were factorized by performing two normalizations separately. The normalization methods were also verified using experimental data acquired from A-PET with and without the collimator. In summary, we developed a model-base collimator normalization that can significantly reduce variance and produce collimator normalization with adequate statistical quality within feasible scan time.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone testing in pituitary disease.

PubMed

Loriaux, D L; Nieman, L

1991-06-01

The availability of CRH for clinical use and the data so far generated by clinical investigators interested in its application to the problem of Cushing's syndrome have resulted in a new approach to the differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome (Fig. 2). Once the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome is made with certainty, an initial separation into ACTH-dependent versus ACTH-independent categories is made on the basis of the plasma ACTH response to CRH. Plasma ACTH levels in excess of 10 pg/mL imply an ACTH-dependent process. Patients with an ACTH-dependent process are then divided into eutopic versus ectopic sources on the basis of the central to peripheral gradient of ACTH measured in the inferior petrosal sinuses simultaneously 3 to 5 minutes after the administration of CRH, 1 microgram/kg. The average post-CRH gradient in patients with eutopic ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome is 50. The lower bound is 3.3. Ectopic sources have a gradient of less than 2. Patients with ACTH-independent Cushing's syndrome can be confidently evaluated with imaging techniques, such as CT or MRI, looking for adrenal neoplasm or the "normal to small" glands characteristic of micronodular adrenal dysplasia.

Normalization behaviours of rural fathers living with chronically-ill children: an Australian experience.

PubMed

Peck, Blake; Lillibridge, Jennifer

2005-03-01

This article reports findings from a larger qualitative study conducted to gain insight into the experience of fathers living with their chronically-ill children in rural Victoria, Australia. Data were collected via unstructured interviews with four fathers. The findings presented in this article explore the phenomena of normalization for fathers within the chronic illness experience. Fathers described normalizing the experience of living with their chronically-ill child as involving a combination of various coping strategies and behaviours including: (1) accepting the child's condition, (2) changing expectations, (3) focusing energies on a day-to-day basis, (4) minimizing knowledge-seeking behaviours, and (5) engaging in external distraction activities. Findings highlight the complex and unique normalization strategies these men utilized and contribute to knowledge and understanding of the complex nature of raising a chronically-ill child in rural Australia and provide a sound basis upon which to guide an ongoing and holistic assessment of fathers with chronically-ill children.

Preface: cardiac control pathways: signaling and transport phenomena.

PubMed

Sideman, Samuel

2008-03-01

Signaling is part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular functions and coordinates cellular activity. Transfer of ions and signaling molecules and their interactions with appropriate receptors, transmembrane transport, and the consequent intracellular interactions and functional cellular response represent a complex system of interwoven phenomena of transport, signaling, conformational changes, chemical activation, and/or genetic expression. The well-being of the cell thus depends on a harmonic orchestration of all these events and the existence of control mechanisms that assure the normal behavior of the various parameters involved and their orderly expression. The ability of cells to sustain life by perceiving and responding correctly to their microenvironment is the basis for development, tissue repair, and immunity, as well as normal tissue homeostasis. Natural deviations, or human-induced interference in the signaling pathways and/or inter- and intracellular transport and information transfer, are responsible for the generation, modulation, and control of diseases. The present overview aims to highlight some major topics of the highly complex cellular information transfer processes and their control mechanisms. Our goal is to contribute to the understanding of the normal and pathophysiological phenomena associated with cardiac functions so that more efficient therapeutic modalities can be developed. Our objective in this volume is to identify and enhance the study of some basic passive and active physical and chemical transport phenomena, physiological signaling pathways, and their biological consequences.

Normal modes and mode transformation of pure electron vortex beams

PubMed Central

Thirunavukkarasu, G.; Mousley, M.; Babiker, M.

2017-01-01

Electron vortex beams constitute the first class of matter vortex beams which are currently routinely produced in the laboratory. Here, we briefly review the progress of this nascent field and put forward a natural quantum basis set which we show is suitable for the description of electron vortex beams. The normal modes are truncated Bessel beams (TBBs) defined in the aperture plane or the Fourier transform of the transverse structure of the TBBs (FT-TBBs) in the focal plane of a lens with the said aperture. As these modes are eigenfunctions of the axial orbital angular momentum operator, they can provide a complete description of the two-dimensional transverse distribution of the wave function of any electron vortex beam in such a system, in analogy with the prominent role Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beams played in the description of optical vortex beams. The characteristics of the normal modes of TBBs and FT-TBBs are described, including the quantized orbital angular momentum (in terms of the winding number l) and the radial index p>0. We present the experimental realization of such beams using computer-generated holograms. The mode analysis can be carried out using astigmatic transformation optics, demonstrating close analogy with the astigmatic mode transformation between LG and Hermite–Gaussian beams. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Optical orbital angular momentum’. PMID:28069769

Role of the pedunculopontine nucleus in controlling gait and sleep in normal and parkinsonian monkeys.

PubMed

Karachi, C; Francois, Chantal

2018-03-01

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) develop cardinal motor symptoms, including akinesia, rigidity, and tremor, that are alleviated by dopaminergic medication and/or subthalamic deep brain stimulation. Over the time course of the disease, gait and balance disorders worsen and become resistant to pharmacological and surgical treatments. These disorders generate debilitating motor symptoms leading to increased dependency, morbidity, and mortality. PD patients also experience sleep disturbance that raise the question of a common physiological basis. An extensive experimental and clinical body of work has highlighted the crucial role of the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) in the control of gait and sleep, and its potential major role in PD. Here, we summarise our investigations in the monkey PPN in the normal and parkinsonian states. We first examined the anatomy and connectivity of the PPN and the cuneiform nucleus which both belong to the mesencephalic locomotor region. Second, we conducted experiments to demonstrate the specific effects of PPN cholinergic lesions on locomotion in the normal and parkinsonian monkey. Third, we aimed to understand how PPN cholinergic lesions impair sleep in parkinsonian monkeys. Our final goal was to develop a novel model of advanced PD with gait and sleep disorders. We believe that this monkey model, even if it does not attempt to reproduce the exact human disease with all its complexities, represents a good biomedical model to characterise locomotion and sleep in the context of PD.

Normal modes and mode transformation of pure electron vortex beams.

PubMed

Thirunavukkarasu, G; Mousley, M; Babiker, M; Yuan, J

2017-02-28

Electron vortex beams constitute the first class of matter vortex beams which are currently routinely produced in the laboratory. Here, we briefly review the progress of this nascent field and put forward a natural quantum basis set which we show is suitable for the description of electron vortex beams. The normal modes are truncated Bessel beams (TBBs) defined in the aperture plane or the Fourier transform of the transverse structure of the TBBs (FT-TBBs) in the focal plane of a lens with the said aperture. As these modes are eigenfunctions of the axial orbital angular momentum operator, they can provide a complete description of the two-dimensional transverse distribution of the wave function of any electron vortex beam in such a system, in analogy with the prominent role Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams played in the description of optical vortex beams. The characteristics of the normal modes of TBBs and FT-TBBs are described, including the quantized orbital angular momentum (in terms of the winding number l) and the radial index p>0. We present the experimental realization of such beams using computer-generated holograms. The mode analysis can be carried out using astigmatic transformation optics, demonstrating close analogy with the astigmatic mode transformation between LG and Hermite-Gaussian beams.This article is part of the themed issue 'Optical orbital angular momentum'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Electron Transport Coefficients and Effective Ionization Coefficients in SF6-O2 and SF6-Air Mixtures Using Boltzmann Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Linsheng; Xu, Min; Yuan, Dingkun; Zhang, Yafang; Hu, Zhaoji; Tan, Zhihong

2014-10-01

The electron drift velocity, electron energy distribution function (EEDF), density-normalized effective ionization coefficient and density-normalized longitudinal diffusion velocity are calculated in SF6-O2 and SF6-Air mixtures. The experimental results from a pulsed Townsend discharge are plotted for comparison with the numerical results. The reduced field strength varies from 40 Td to 500 Td (1 Townsend=10-17 V·cm2) and the SF6 concentration ranges from 10% to 100%. A Boltzmann equation associated with the two-term spherical harmonic expansion approximation is utilized to gain the swarm parameters in steady-state Townsend. Results show that the accuracy of the Boltzmann solution with a two-term expansion in calculating the electron drift velocity, electron energy distribution function, and density-normalized effective ionization coefficient is acceptable. The effective ionization coefficient presents a distinct relationship with the SF6 content in the mixtures. Moreover, the E/Ncr values in SF6-Air mixtures are higher than those in SF6-O2 mixtures and the calculated value E/Ncr in SF6-O2 and SF6-Air mixtures is lower than the measured value in SF6-N2. Parametric studies conducted on these parameters using the Boltzmann analysis offer substantial insight into the plasma physics, as well as a basis to explore the ozone generation process.

41 CFR 60-742.5 - Processing of complaints filed with OFCCP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and those which also include an allegation of... the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or age. OFCCP shall normally retain... systemic or class nature on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin that it receives...

41 CFR 60-742.5 - Processing of complaints filed with OFCCP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and those which also include an allegation of... the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or age. OFCCP shall normally retain... systemic or class nature on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin that it receives...

41 CFR 60-742.5 - Processing of complaints filed with OFCCP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and those which also include an allegation of... the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or age. OFCCP shall normally retain... systemic or class nature on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin that it receives...

41 CFR 60-742.5 - Processing of complaints filed with OFCCP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and those which also include an allegation of... the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or age. OFCCP shall normally retain... systemic or class nature on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin that it receives...

41 CFR 60-742.5 - Processing of complaints filed with OFCCP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and those which also include an allegation of... the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or age. OFCCP shall normally retain... systemic or class nature on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin that it receives...

A Molecular Basis of Cancer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberg, Robert A.

1983-01-01

Discusses the molecular basis of cancer, focusing on genetics of the disease. Indicates that human cancers are initiated by oncogenes (altered versions of normal genes) and that in one case the critical alteration is a single point mutation that changes one amino acid in the protein encoded by the gene. (JN)

AP1000{sup R} nuclear power plant safety overview for spent fuel cooling

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

Gorgemans, J.; Mulhollem, L.; Glavin, J.

2012-07-01

The AP1000{sup R} plant is an 1100-MWe class pressurized water reactor with passive safety features and extensive plant simplifications that enhance construction, operation, maintenance, safety and costs. The AP1000 design uses passive features to mitigate design basis accidents. The passive safety systems are designed to function without safety-grade support systems such as AC power, component cooling water, service water or HVAC. Furthermore, these passive features 'fail safe' during a non-LOCA event such that DC power and instrumentation are not required. The AP1000 also has simple, active, defense-in-depth systems to support normal plant operations. These active systems provide the first levelmore » of defense against more probable events and they provide investment protection, reduce the demands on the passive features and support the probabilistic risk assessment. The AP1000 passive safety approach allows the plant to achieve and maintain safe shutdown in case of an accident for 72 hours without operator action, meeting the expectations provided in the U.S. Utility Requirement Document and the European Utility Requirements for passive plants. Limited operator actions are required to maintain safe conditions in the spent fuel pool via passive means. In line with the AP1000 approach to safety described above, the AP1000 plant design features multiple, diverse lines of defense to ensure spent fuel cooling can be maintained for design-basis events and beyond design-basis accidents. During normal and abnormal conditions, defense-in-depth and other systems provide highly reliable spent fuel pool cooling. They rely on off-site AC power or the on-site standby diesel generators. For unlikely design basis events with an extended loss of AC power (i.e., station blackout) or loss of heat sink or both, spent fuel cooling can still be provided indefinitely: - Passive systems, requiring minimal or no operator actions, are sufficient for at least 72 hours under all possible pool heat load conditions. - After 3 days, several different means are provided to continue spent fuel cooling using installed plant equipment as well as off-site equipment with built-in connections. Even for beyond design basis accidents with postulated pool damage and multiple failures in the passive safety-related systems and in the defense-in-depth active systems, the AP1000 multiple spent fuel pool spray and fill systems provide additional lines of defense to prevent spent fuel damage. (authors)« less

Hyperbolic Prismatic Grid Generation and Solution of Euler Equations on Prismatic Grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pandya, S. A.; Chattot, JJ; Hafez, M. M.; Kutler, Paul (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

A hyperbolic grid generation method is used to generate prismatic grids and an approach using prismatic grids to solve the Euler equations is presented. The theory of the stability and feasibility of the hyperbolic grid generation method is presented. The hyperbolic grid generation method of Steger et al for structured grids is applied to a three dimensional triangularized surface definition to generate a grid that is unstructured on each successive layer. The grid, however, retains structure in the body-normal direction and has a computational cell shaped like a triangular prism. In order to take advantage of the structure in the normal direction, a finite-volume scheme that treats the unknowns along the normal direction implicitly is introduced and the flow over a sphere is simulated.

Systems of Generators for the Normalizers of Certain Elements of the Braid Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurzo, G. G.

1985-06-01

Systems of generators of normalizers are determined for certain elements of the braid group {\\mathfrak{B}}_{n+1}. These systems of generators consist of fewer than 2n explicitly written words in the positive alphabet of {\\mathfrak{B}}_{n+1}. Bibliography: 10 titles.

Application of a truncated normal failure distribution in reliability testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groves, C., Jr.

1968-01-01

Statistical truncated normal distribution function is applied as a time-to-failure distribution function in equipment reliability estimations. Age-dependent characteristics of the truncated function provide a basis for formulating a system of high-reliability testing that effectively merges statistical, engineering, and cost considerations.

A computational perspective on autism

PubMed Central

Rosenberg, Ari; Patterson, Jaclyn Sky; Angelaki, Dora E.

2015-01-01

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests as a heterogeneous set of social, cognitive, motor, and perceptual symptoms. This system-wide pervasiveness suggests that, rather than narrowly impacting individual systems such as affection or vision, autism may broadly alter neural computation. Here, we propose that alterations in nonlinear, canonical computations occurring throughout the brain may underlie the behavioral characteristics of autism. One such computation, called divisive normalization, balances a neuron’s net excitation with inhibition reflecting the overall activity of the neuronal population. Through neural network simulations, we investigate how alterations in divisive normalization may give rise to autism symptomatology. Our findings show that a reduction in the amount of inhibition that occurs through divisive normalization can account for perceptual consequences of autism, consistent with the hypothesis of an increased ratio of neural excitation to inhibition (E/I) in the disorder. These results thus establish a bridge between an E/I imbalance and behavioral data on autism that is currently absent. Interestingly, our findings implicate the context-dependent, neuronal milieu as a key factor in autism symptomatology, with autism reflecting a less “social” neuronal population. Through a broader discussion of perceptual data, we further examine how altered divisive normalization may contribute to a wide array of the disorder’s behavioral consequences. These analyses show how a computational framework can provide insights into the neural basis of autism and facilitate the generation of falsifiable hypotheses. A computational perspective on autism may help resolve debates within the field and aid in identifying physiological pathways to target in the treatment of the disorder. PMID:26170299

Four-zone varifocus mirrors with adaptive control of primary and higher-order spherical aberration

PubMed Central

Lukes, Sarah J.; Downey, Ryan D.; Kreitinger, Seth T.; Dickensheets, David L.

2017-01-01

Electrostatically actuated deformable mirrors with four concentric annular electrodes can exert independent control over defocus as well as primary, secondary, and tertiary spherical aberration. In this paper we use both numerical modeling and physical measurements to characterize recently developed deformable mirrors with respect to the amount of spherical aberration each can impart, and the dependence of that aberration control on the amount of defocus the mirror is providing. We find that a four-zone, 4 mm diameter mirror can generate surface shapes with arbitrary primary, secondary, and tertiary spherical aberration over ranges of ±0.4, ±0.2, and ±0.15 μm, respectively, referred to a non-normalized Zernike polynomial basis. We demonstrate the utility of this mirror for aberration-compensated focusing of a high NA optical system. PMID:27409212

Magnetic resonance guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of musculoskeletal tumors

PubMed Central

Avedian, Raffi S.; Gold, Garry; Ghanouni, Pejman; Pauly, Kim Butts

2015-01-01

This article reviews the fundamental principles and clinical experimental uses of magnetic resonance guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) ablation of musculoskeletal tumors. MRgHIFU is a noninvasive treatment modality that takes advantage of the ability of magnetic resonance to measure tissue temperature and uses this technology to guide high-intensity focused ultrasound waves to a specific focus within the human body that results in heat generation and complete thermal necrosis of the targeted tissue. Adjacent normal tissues are spared because of the accurate delivery of thermal energy, as well as, local blood perfusion that provides a cooling effect. MRgHIFU is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of uterine fibroids and is used on an experimental basis to treat breast, prostate, liver, bone, and brain tumors. PMID:26120376

[Confusion and solution for vital pulp therapy].

PubMed

Dingming, Huang; Qian, Lu; Qian, Liao; Ling, Ye; Xuedong, Zhou

2017-06-01

Dental pulp tissue plays a role in forming dentin, providing nutrition, conducting pain, and generating protective responses to environmental stimuli. Bacterial infection is the main cause of pulp disease, where histopathological changes are the histological basis for determining the choice of treatment and the evaluation of therapeutic effect. Thus, particular attention should be given to eliminate infection, as well as preserve and maintain pulpal health in teeth that show reversible or limited pulpal injuries. Vital pulp therapy, especially its indications and prognostic factors, has been a research hotspot that often causes confusion among clinicians. In this paper, we briefly introduce the confusion and solution for vital pulp therapy in terms of indications, pulp condition assessment, infection elimination, and capping material selection. In addition, we develop a clinical pathway and an operation normalization of vital pulp therapy to better perform the therapy.

Separation of both fibrous and globular proteins on the basis of molecular weight using high-performance size exclusion chromatography.

PubMed

Barden, J A

1983-11-01

A high-performance size exclusion liquid chromatographic system has been used to separate proteins with different shapes solely on the basis of their molecular weights. After the effects of ionic and hydrophobic interactions with the stationary phase have been overcome, protein elution is normally governed by their effective size in solution. Conditions are described under which proteins, with isoelectric points within the normal operating pH range of the columns, are eluted independent of their Stokes' radii. Even fibrous proteins with axial ratios of 50 elute according to their known molecular weights over the range 2000-2,000,000.

On the dynamical basis of the classification of normal galaxies

PubMed Central

Haass, J.; Bertin, G.; Lin, C. C.

1982-01-01

Some realistic galaxy models have been found to support discrete unstable spiral modes. Here, through the study of the relevant physical mechanisms and an extensive numerical investigation of the properties of the dominant modes in a wide class of galactic equilibria, we show how spiral structures are excited with different morphological features, depending on the properties of the equilibrium model. We identify the basic dynamical parameters and mechanisms and compare the resulting morphology of spiral modes with the actual classification of galaxies. The present study suggests a dynamical basis for the transition among various types and subclasses of normal and barred spiral galaxies. Images PMID:16593200

Effects of rotation on coolant passage heat transfer. Volume 2: Coolant passages with trips normal and skewed to the flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, B. V.; Wagner, J. H.; Steuber, G. D.

1993-01-01

An experimental program was conducted to investigate heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of rotating multipass passages, for configurations and dimensions typical of modem turbine blades. This experimental program is one part of the NASA Hot Section Technology (HOST) Initiative, which has as its overall objective the development and verification of improved analysis methods that will form the basis for a design system that will produce turbine components with improved durability. The objective of this program was the generation of a data base of heat transfer and pressure loss data required to develop heat transfer correlations and to assess computational fluid dynamic techniques for rotating coolant passages. The experimental work was broken down into two phases. Phase 1 consists of experiments conducted in a smooth wall large scale heat transfer model. A detailed discussion of these results was presented in volume 1 of a NASA Report. In Phase 2 the large scale model was modified to investigate the effects of skewed and normal passage turbulators. The results of Phase 2 along with comparison to Phase 1 is the subject of this Volume 2 NASA Report.

Introduction to the molecular basis of cancer metabolism and the Warburg effect.

PubMed

Ngo, Darleen C; Ververis, Katherine; Tortorella, Stephanie M; Karagiannis, Tom C

2015-04-01

In differentiated normal cells, the conventional route of glucose metabolism involves glycolysis, followed by the citric acid cycle and electron transport chain to generate usable energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This occurs in the presence of oxygen. In hypoxic conditions, normal cells undergo anaerobic glycolysis to yield significantly less energy producing lactate as a product. As first highlighted in the 1920s by Otto Warburg, the metabolism exhibited by tumor cells involves an increased rate of aerobic glycolysis, known as the Warburg effect. In aerobic glycolysis, pyruvate molecules yielded from glycolysis are converted into fewer molecules of ATP even in the presence of oxygen. Evidence indicates that the reasons as to why tumor cells undergo aerobic glycolysis include: (1) the shift in priority to accumulate biomass rather than energy production, (2) the evasion of apoptosis as fewer reactive oxygen species are released by the mitochondria and (3) the production of lactate to further fuel growth of tumors. In this mini-review we discuss emerging molecular aspects of cancer metabolism and the Warburg effect. Aspects of the Warburg effect are analyzed in the context of the established hallmarks of cancer including the role of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes.

Monoclonal antibodies of predefined specificity detect activated ras gene expression in human mammary and colon carcinomas.

PubMed Central

Hand, P H; Thor, A; Wunderlich, D; Muraro, R; Caruso, A; Schlom, J

1984-01-01

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) of predefined specificity have been generated by utilizing a synthetic peptide reflecting amino acid positions 10-17 of the Hu-rasT24 gene product as immunogen. These MAbs, designated RAP-1 through RAP-5 (RA, ras; P, peptide), have been shown to react with the ras gene product p21. Since the Hu-ras reactive determinants (positions 10-17) have been predicted to be within the tertiary structure of the p21 molecule, it was not unexpected that denaturation of cell extracts or tissue sections with Formalin or glutaraldehyde enhanced binding of the RAP MAbs. When paraffin-embedded Formalin-fixed tissue sections and the avidin-biotin complex immunoperoxidase method were used, the RAP MAbs clearly defined enhanced ras p21 expression in the majority of human colon and mammary carcinomas. The majority of all abnormal ducts and lobules from fibroadenoma and fibrocystic disease patients were negative, as were all normal mammary and colonic epithelia examined. The findings reported here form the basis for quantitative radioimmunoassays for a ras translational product and provide a means to evaluate ras p21 expression within individual cells of normal tissues and benign, "premalignant," and malignant lesions. Images PMID:6382261

Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential Study in Children with Autistic Disorder.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Virginia; Wong, Sik Nin

1991-01-01

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials were compared in 109 children with infantile autism, 38 with autistic condition, 19 with mental retardation, and 20 normal children. Children with infantile autism or autistic condition had significantly longer brainstem transmission time than normal children suggesting neurological damage as the basis of…

Seasonal changes in carbohydrate levels in roots of sugar maple

Treesearch

Philip M. Wargo; Philip M. Wargo

1971-01-01

This study was done to determine the normal complement of individual carbohydrates present in roots of sugar maples duringthe year and to obtain, as a basis for future comparison, an estimate of the normal variation and range of concentrations of individual carbohydrates in the roots during the year.

19 CFR 351.405 - Calculation of normal value based on constructed value.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... value. 351.405 Section 351.405 Customs Duties INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE... constructed value as the basis for normal value where: neither the home market nor a third country market is... a fictitious market are disregarded; no contemporaneous sales of comparable merchandise are...

About a flame propagation by a premixed gas mixture at high turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaponov, Sergey A.

2018-03-01

In the paper the new model of the turbulent flame propagation in a premixed gas is offered. In its basis the diffusion equation of combustion products with a source, which is proportional to the contact surface of combustion products with a fresh mixture and an expansion coefficient is put. It is shown that the dependence of the generation rate of combustion products on their mass concentration satisfies conditions of the KPP (Kolmogorov, Petrovsky, Piskounov). In this case, the flame propagation speed depends on the flame surface in a unit volume near the leading front. But at turbulent motion the isolated fragments of combustion products surrounded with fresh mix can be formed on the forward front. It is assumed that the isolated fragments are the sphere shape at the weak turbulence, and with increase in intensity of turbulent pulsations the flame surface of each center is proportional to the pulsations velocity and inversely proportional to the flame speed relatively combustion products, i.e. it is inversely proportional to the product of normal flame speed and expansion coefficient. As a result the formula for the propagation speed calculation of the turbulent flame is proposed which includes not only traditional values of a pulsations velocity and normal flame speed, but also values of an expansion coefficient. On its basis it is explained why the turbulent flame speed exceeds the pulsations velocity by many times at moderate turbulence. It is shown that at the power dependence the turbulent flame speed on the pulsation velocity exponent can vary from 0.5 to unit. The received dependence can be improved if to replace the flat laminar flame with average on the surface of the curved flame, i.e. to take into account the Markstein theory.

20 CFR 645.240 - What are the reporting requirements for Welfare-to-Work programs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... expenditures and program income must be on the accrual basis of accounting and cumulative by fiscal year of appropriation. If the recipient's accounting records are not normally kept on the accrual basis of accounting, the recipient must develop accrual information through an analysis of the documentation on hand. (d...

20 CFR 667.300 - What are the reporting requirements for Workforce Investment Act programs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) Reported expenditures and program income, including any profits earned, must be on the accrual basis of accounting and cumulative by fiscal year of appropriation. If the recipient's accounting records are not normally kept on the accrual basis of accounting, the recipient must develop accrual information through an...

Fault detection and diagnosis using neural network approaches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kramer, Mark A.

1992-01-01

Neural networks can be used to detect and identify abnormalities in real-time process data. Two basic approaches can be used, the first based on training networks using data representing both normal and abnormal modes of process behavior, and the second based on statistical characterization of the normal mode only. Given data representative of process faults, radial basis function networks can effectively identify failures. This approach is often limited by the lack of fault data, but can be facilitated by process simulation. The second approach employs elliptical and radial basis function neural networks and other models to learn the statistical distributions of process observables under normal conditions. Analytical models of failure modes can then be applied in combination with the neural network models to identify faults. Special methods can be applied to compensate for sensor failures, to produce real-time estimation of missing or failed sensors based on the correlations codified in the neural network.

Animal models to study microRNA function

PubMed Central

Pal, Arpita S.; Kasinski, Andrea L.

2018-01-01

The discovery of the microRNAs, lin-4 and let-7 as critical mediators of normal development in Caenorhabditis elegans and their conservation throughout evolution has spearheaded research towards identifying novel roles of microRNAs in other cellular processes. To accurately elucidate these fundamental functions, especially in the context of an intact organism various microRNA transgenic models have been generated and evaluated. Transgenic C. elegans (worms), Drosophila melanogaster (flies), Danio rerio (zebrafish), and Mus musculus (mouse) have contributed immensely towards uncovering the roles of multiple microRNAs in cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, pathways that are severely altered in human diseases such as cancer. The simple model organisms, C. elegans, D. melanogaster and D. rerio do not develop cancers, but have proved to be convenient systesm in microRNA research, especially in characterizing the microRNA biogenesis machinery which is often dysregulated during human tumorigenesis. The microRNA-dependent events delineated via these simple in vivo systems have been further verified in vitro, and in more complex models of cancers, such as M. musculus. The focus of this review is to provide an overview of the important contributions made in the microRNA field using model organisms. The simple model systems provided the basis for the importance of microRNAs in normal cellular physiology, while the more complex animal systems provided evidence for the role of microRNAs dysregulation in cancers. Highlights include an overview of the various strategies used to generate transgenic organisms and a review of the use of transgenic mice for evaluating pre-clinical efficacy of microRNA-based cancer therapeutics. PMID:28882225

Distinctive Glycerophospholipid Profiles of Human Seminoma and Adjacent Normal Tissues by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masterson, Timothy A.; Dill, Allison L.; Eberlin, Livia S.; Mattarozzi, Monica; Cheng, Liang; Beck, Stephen D. W.; Bianchi, Federica; Cooks, R. Graham

2011-08-01

Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) has been successfully used to discriminate between normal and cancerous human tissue from different anatomical sites. On the basis of this, DESI-MS imaging was used to characterize human seminoma and adjacent normal tissue. Seminoma and adjacent normal paired human tissue sections (40 tissues) from 15 patients undergoing radical orchiectomy were flash frozen in liquid nitrogen and sectioned to 15 μm thickness and thaw mounted to glass slides. The entire sample was two-dimensionally analyzed by the charged solvent spray to form a molecular image of the biological tissue. DESI-MS images were compared with formalin-fixed, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained slides of the same material. Increased signal intensity was detected for two seminolipids [seminolipid (16:0/16:0) and seminolipid (30:0)] in the normal tubule testis tissue; these compounds were undetectable in seminoma tissue, as well as from the surrounding fat, muscle, and blood vessels. A glycerophosphoinositol [PI(18:0/20:4)] was also found at increased intensity in the normal testes tubule tissue when compared with seminoma tissue. Ascorbic acid (i.e., vitamin C) was found at increased amounts in seminoma tissue when compared with normal tissue. DESI-MS analysis was successfully used to visualize the location of several types of molecules across human seminoma and normal tissues. Discrimination between seminoma and adjacent normal testes tubules was achieved on the basis of the spatial distributions and varying intensities of particular lipid species as well as ascorbic acid. The increased presence of ascorbic acid within seminoma compared with normal seminiferous tubules was previously unknown.

The law of distribution of light beam direction fluctuations in telescopes. [normal density functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divinskiy, M. L.; Kolchinskiy, I. G.

1974-01-01

The distribution of deviations from mean star trail directions was studied on the basis of 105 star trails. It was found that about 93% of the trails yield a distribution in agreement with the normal law. About 4% of the star trails agree with the Charlier distribution.

The Social Roots of a Global Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soholt, Polli

2015-01-01

Polli Soholt points to normalization in the first plane as leading to the successful realization of the human personality, which is the basis of social development. Children who have cultivated concentration and purposeful work at an early age develop the virtues to become world citizens. Normalization can be assisted by certain practices: 1)…

Free vibrations and buckling analysis of laminated plates by oscillatory radial basis functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neves, A. M. A.; Ferreira, A. J. M.

2015-12-01

In this paper the free vibrations and buckling analysis of laminated plates is performed using a global meshless method. A refined version of Kant's theorie which accounts for transverse normal stress and through-the-thickness deformation is used. The innovation is the use of oscillatory radial basis functions. Numerical examples are performed and results are presented and compared to available references. Such functions proved to be an alternative to the tradicional nonoscillatory radial basis functions.

Understanding the Double Quantum Muonium RF Resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreitzman, S. R.; Cottrell, S. P.; Fleming, D. G.; Sun-Mack, S.

A physically intuitive analytical solution to the Mu + RF Hamiltonian and lineshape is developed. The method is based on reformulating the problem in a basis set that explicitly accounts for the 1q RF transitions and identifying an isolated upper 1q quasi-eigenstate within that basis. Subsequently the double quantum resonance explicitly manifests itself via the non-zero interaction term between the pair of lower ortho-normalized 1q basis states, which in this field region are substantially the | \\uparrow \\uparrow > and | \\downarrow \\downarrow > Mu states.

29 CFR 548.306 - Average earnings for year or quarter year preceding the current quarter.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... per week. Normally his established basic rate would be computed by dividing 2,318 hours into $4,244... hours of work, work assignments and duties, and the basis of remuneration for employment, were not... period. Significant differences in weekly hours of work, work assignments and duties, the basis of...

26 CFR 1.367(b)-5 - Distributions of stock described in section 355.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... identification principles of § 1.367(e)-1(d) (including the reporting procedures in § 1.367(e)-1(d)(2) and (3... distributee's basis in such stock immediately after the distribution (determined under the normal principles of section 358) shall be reduced by the amount of the difference. However, the distributee's basis in...

Aeroacoustic analysis of the human phonation process based on a hybrid acoustic PIV approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lodermeyer, Alexander; Tautz, Matthias; Becker, Stefan; Döllinger, Michael; Birk, Veronika; Kniesburges, Stefan

2018-01-01

The detailed analysis of sound generation in human phonation is severely limited as the accessibility to the laryngeal flow region is highly restricted. Consequently, the physical basis of the underlying fluid-structure-acoustic interaction that describes the primary mechanism of sound production is not yet fully understood. Therefore, we propose the implementation of a hybrid acoustic PIV procedure to evaluate aeroacoustic sound generation during voice production within a synthetic larynx model. Focusing on the flow field downstream of synthetic, aerodynamically driven vocal folds, we calculated acoustic source terms based on the velocity fields obtained by time-resolved high-speed PIV applied to the mid-coronal plane. The radiation of these sources into the acoustic far field was numerically simulated and the resulting acoustic pressure was finally compared with experimental microphone measurements. We identified the tonal sound to be generated downstream in a small region close to the vocal folds. The simulation of the sound propagation underestimated the tonal components, whereas the broadband sound was well reproduced. Our results demonstrate the feasibility to locate aeroacoustic sound sources inside a synthetic larynx using a hybrid acoustic PIV approach. Although the technique employs a 2D-limited flow field, it accurately reproduces the basic characteristics of the aeroacoustic field in our larynx model. In future studies, not only the aeroacoustic mechanisms of normal phonation will be assessable, but also the sound generation of voice disorders can be investigated more profoundly.

Generation and Initial Characterization of FDD Knock In Mice

PubMed Central

Giliberto, Luca; Matsuda, Shuji; Vidal, Ruben; D'Adamio, Luciano

2009-01-01

Background Mutations in the integral membrane protein 2B [1], also known as BRI2 [2], a type II trans-membrane domain protein cause two autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases, Familial British and Danish Dementia [3]. In these conditions, accumulation of a C-terminal peptide (ABri and ADan) cleaved off from the mutated precursor protein by the pro-protein convertase furin [4], leads to amyloid deposition in the walls of blood vessels and parenchyma of the brain. Recent advances in the understanding of the generation of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease has lead to the finding that BRI2 interacts with the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), decreasing the efficiency of APP processing to generate Aβ [5], [6], [7]. The interaction between the two precursors, APP and BRI2, and possibly between Aβ and ABri or ADan, could be important in influencing the rate of amyloid production or the tendency of these peptides to aggregate. Methodology/Principal Findings We have generated the first BRI2 Danish Knock-In (FDDKI) murine model of FDD, expressing the pathogenic decamer duplication in exon 6 of the BRI2 gene. FDDKI mice do not show any evident abnormal phenotype, with normal brain histology and no detectable amyloid deposition in blood vessel walls or parenchyma. Conclusions/Significance This new murine mouse model will be important to further understand the interaction between APP and BRI2, and to provide insights into the molecular basis of FDD. PMID:19924302

Longitudinal dispersion in model of central airways during high-frequency ventilation.

PubMed

van der Kooij, A M; Luijendijk, S C

1991-04-01

We have measured the longitudinal dispersion of boluses of helium, acetylene and sulphur hexafluoride in a plastic model of the human airways--generations zero through six--during high frequency ventilation (HFV). HFV was maintained by a piston pump. Frequency f and tidal volume VT ranged from 2.5 to 25 Hz and from 5 to 20 ml, respectively. Boluses were injected near the entrance of the zeroth generation (trachea), and the dispersion curves were measured by mass spectrometry at the end of the sixth airway generation. The shapes of the bolus dispersion curves could be well described with Gaussian distribution functions. With the exception of the HFV-conditions with VT = 5 ml, the effective dispersion coefficient DDISP appeared to be independent of the molecular diffusion coefficient. This independency was also found by other investigators in studies with dogs and human subjects. The measured results for DDISP for different f and VT could be satisfactorily described with the empirical equation DDISP = 0.0617 f0.8VT1.38 [cm2S-1]. Application of this equation to f and VT values normally applied in man resulted in DDISP values which should be considered to be too small for maintaining eucapnic ventilation in vivo. On the basis of this result we believe that during HFV in intubated subjects gas transport by longitudinal dispersion will be limited to the instrumental dead space--the endotracheal tube inclusive--and a few generations of large bronchi.

Ethnicity-Dependent and -Independent Heterogeneity in Healthy Normal Breast Hierarchy Impacts Tumor Characterization

PubMed Central

Nakshatri, Harikrishna; Anjanappa, Manjushree; Bhat-Nakshatri, Poornima

2015-01-01

Recent reports of widespread genetic variation affecting regulation of gene expression raise the possibility of significant inter-individual differences in stem-progenitor-mature cell hierarchy in adult organs. This has not been explored because of paucity of methods to quantitatively assess subpopulation of normal epithelial cells on individual basis. We report the remarkable inter-individual differences in differentiation capabilities as documented by phenotypic heterogeneity in stem-progenitor-mature cell hierarchy of the normal breast. Ethnicity and genetic predisposition are partly responsible for this heterogeneity, evidenced by the finding that CD44+/CD24- and PROCR+/EpCAM- multi-potent stem cells were elevated significantly in African American women compared with Caucasians. ALDEFLUOR+ luminal stem/progenitor cells were lower in BRCA1-mutation carriers compared with cells from healthy donors (p = 0.0014). Moreover, tumor and adjoining-normal breast cells of the same patients showed distinct CD49f+/EpCAM+ progenitor, CD271+/EpCAM- basal, and ALDEFLUOR+ cell profiles. These inter-individual differences in the rate of differentiation in the normal breast may contribute to a substantial proportion of transcriptome, epigenome, and signaling pathway alterations and consequently has the potential to spuriously magnify the extent of documented tumor-specific gene expression. Therefore, comparative analysis of phenotypically defined subpopulations of normal and tumor cells on an individual basis may be required to identify cancer-specific aberrations. PMID:26311223

Ethnicity-Dependent and -Independent Heterogeneity in Healthy Normal Breast Hierarchy Impacts Tumor Characterization.

PubMed

Nakshatri, Harikrishna; Anjanappa, Manjushree; Bhat-Nakshatri, Poornima

2015-08-27

Recent reports of widespread genetic variation affecting regulation of gene expression raise the possibility of significant inter-individual differences in stem-progenitor-mature cell hierarchy in adult organs. This has not been explored because of paucity of methods to quantitatively assess subpopulation of normal epithelial cells on individual basis. We report the remarkable inter-individual differences in differentiation capabilities as documented by phenotypic heterogeneity in stem-progenitor-mature cell hierarchy of the normal breast. Ethnicity and genetic predisposition are partly responsible for this heterogeneity, evidenced by the finding that CD44+/CD24- and PROCR+/EpCAM- multi-potent stem cells were elevated significantly in African American women compared with Caucasians. ALDEFLUOR+ luminal stem/progenitor cells were lower in BRCA1-mutation carriers compared with cells from healthy donors (p = 0.0014). Moreover, tumor and adjoining-normal breast cells of the same patients showed distinct CD49f+/EpCAM+ progenitor, CD271+/EpCAM- basal, and ALDEFLUOR+ cell profiles. These inter-individual differences in the rate of differentiation in the normal breast may contribute to a substantial proportion of transcriptome, epigenome, and signaling pathway alterations and consequently has the potential to spuriously magnify the extent of documented tumor-specific gene expression. Therefore, comparative analysis of phenotypically defined subpopulations of normal and tumor cells on an individual basis may be required to identify cancer-specific aberrations.

A Spectrum of Monoclonal Antibodies Reactive with Human Mammary Tumor Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colcher, D.; Horan Hand, P.; Nuti, M.; Schlom, J.

1981-05-01

Splenic lymphocytes of mice, immunized with membrane-enriched fractions of metastatic human mammary carcinoma tissues, were fused with the NS-1 non-immunoglobulin-secreting murine myeloma cell line. This resulted in the generation of hybridoma cultures secreting immunoglobulins reactive in solid-phase radioimmunoassays with extracts of metastatic mammary carcinoma cells from involved livers, but not with extracts of apparently normal human liver. As a result of further screening of immunoglobulin reactivities and double cloning of cultures, 11 monoclonal antibodies were chosen that demonstrated reactivities with human mammary tumor cells and not with apparently normal human tissues. These monoclonal antibodies could be placed into at least five major groups on the basis of their differential binding to the surface of various live human mammary tumor cells in culture, to extracts of mammary tumor tissues, or to tissue sections of mammary tumor cells studied by the immunoperoxidase technique. Whereas a spectrum of reactivities to mammary tumors was observed with the 11 monoclonal antibodies, no reactivity was observed to apparently normal cells of the following human tissues: breast, lymph node, lung, skin, testis, kidney, thymus, bone marrow, spleen, uterus, thyroid, intestine, liver, bladder, tonsils, stomach, prostate, and salivary gland. Several of the antibodies also demonstrated a ``pancarcinoma'' reactivity, showing binding to selected non-breast carcinomas. None of the monoclonal antibodies showed binding to purified ferritin or carcinoembryonic antigen. Monoclonal antibodies of all five major groups, however, demonstrated binding to human metastatic mammary carcinoma cells both in axillary lymph nodes and at distal sites.

Individualized cost-effective conventional ovulation induction treatment in normogonadotrophic anovulatory infertility (WHO group 2).

PubMed

Eijkemans, Marinus J C; Polinder, Suzanne; Mulders, Annemarie G M G J; Laven, Joop S E; Habbema, J Dik F; Fauser, Bart C J M

2005-10-01

Conventional treatment in normogonadotrophic anovulatory infertility (WHO 2) consists of clomiphene citrate (CC), followed by exogenous gonadotrophins (FSH) and IVF. Response to these treatments may be predicted on the basis of individual patient characteristics. We aimed to devise a patient-tailored, cost-effective treatment algorithm involving the above-mentioned treatment modalities, based on individual patient characteristics. Sixteen prognostic groups are defined, according to the presence or absence of: age >30 years, amenorrhea, elevated androgen levels and obesity. The chances of response with each of the three treatments were calculated using prediction models. Treatment costs were based on the data of 240 patients visiting a specialist academic fertility unit. Outcome was an ongoing pregnancy within 12 months after initiation of treatment. The costs per pregnancy of three different strategies were compared, with a threshold for cost-effectiveness of 10 000. The strategy CC + FSH + IVF compared with FSH + IVF generated more pregnancies against lower costs. Compared with CC + IVF, it also produced more pregnancies, but at higher costs. For <30 years of age with normal androgen levels, costs per pregnancy were less than 10 000. For women >30 years old, costs per pregnancy were 25 000 and over 200 000, when presenting with normal or elevated androgen levels, respectively. The conventional treatment protocol is efficient for women aged <30 years with normal androgen levels. For women >30 years old with elevated androgen levels, FSH may be skipped.

Machine-Learning Based Channel Quality and Stability Estimation for Stream-Based Multichannel Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Rehan, Waqas; Fischer, Stefan; Rehan, Maaz

2016-09-12

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have become more and more diversified and are today able to also support high data rate applications, such as multimedia. In this case, per-packet channel handshaking/switching may result in inducing additional overheads, such as energy consumption, delays and, therefore, data loss. One of the solutions is to perform stream-based channel allocation where channel handshaking is performed once before transmitting the whole data stream. Deciding stream-based channel allocation is more critical in case of multichannel WSNs where channels of different quality/stability are available and the wish for high performance requires sensor nodes to switch to the best among the available channels. In this work, we will focus on devising mechanisms that perform channel quality/stability estimation in order to improve the accommodation of stream-based communication in multichannel wireless sensor networks. For performing channel quality assessment, we have formulated a composite metric, which we call channel rank measurement (CRM), that can demarcate channels into good, intermediate and bad quality on the basis of the standard deviation of the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the average of the link quality indicator (LQI) of the received packets. CRM is then used to generate a data set for training a supervised machine learning-based algorithm (which we call Normal Equation based Channel quality prediction (NEC) algorithm) in such a way that it may perform instantaneous channel rank estimation of any channel. Subsequently, two robust extensions of the NEC algorithm are proposed (which we call Normal Equation based Weighted Moving Average Channel quality prediction (NEWMAC) algorithm and Normal Equation based Aggregate Maturity Criteria with Beta Tracking based Channel weight prediction (NEAMCBTC) algorithm), that can perform channel quality estimation on the basis of both current and past values of channel rank estimation. In the end, simulations are made using MATLAB, and the results show that the Extended version of NEAMCBTC algorithm (Ext-NEAMCBTC) outperforms the compared techniques in terms of channel quality and stability assessment. It also minimizes channel switching overheads (in terms of switching delays and energy consumption) for accommodating stream-based communication in multichannel WSNs.

Machine-Learning Based Channel Quality and Stability Estimation for Stream-Based Multichannel Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Rehan, Waqas; Fischer, Stefan; Rehan, Maaz

2016-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have become more and more diversified and are today able to also support high data rate applications, such as multimedia. In this case, per-packet channel handshaking/switching may result in inducing additional overheads, such as energy consumption, delays and, therefore, data loss. One of the solutions is to perform stream-based channel allocation where channel handshaking is performed once before transmitting the whole data stream. Deciding stream-based channel allocation is more critical in case of multichannel WSNs where channels of different quality/stability are available and the wish for high performance requires sensor nodes to switch to the best among the available channels. In this work, we will focus on devising mechanisms that perform channel quality/stability estimation in order to improve the accommodation of stream-based communication in multichannel wireless sensor networks. For performing channel quality assessment, we have formulated a composite metric, which we call channel rank measurement (CRM), that can demarcate channels into good, intermediate and bad quality on the basis of the standard deviation of the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the average of the link quality indicator (LQI) of the received packets. CRM is then used to generate a data set for training a supervised machine learning-based algorithm (which we call Normal Equation based Channel quality prediction (NEC) algorithm) in such a way that it may perform instantaneous channel rank estimation of any channel. Subsequently, two robust extensions of the NEC algorithm are proposed (which we call Normal Equation based Weighted Moving Average Channel quality prediction (NEWMAC) algorithm and Normal Equation based Aggregate Maturity Criteria with Beta Tracking based Channel weight prediction (NEAMCBTC) algorithm), that can perform channel quality estimation on the basis of both current and past values of channel rank estimation. In the end, simulations are made using MATLAB, and the results show that the Extended version of NEAMCBTC algorithm (Ext-NEAMCBTC) outperforms the compared techniques in terms of channel quality and stability assessment. It also minimizes channel switching overheads (in terms of switching delays and energy consumption) for accommodating stream-based communication in multichannel WSNs. PMID:27626429

Neuroeconomic approaches to mental disorders

PubMed Central

Kishida, Kenneth T.; King-Casas, Brooks; Montague, P. Read

2010-01-01

The pervasiveness of decision-making in every area of human endeavor highlights the importance of understanding choice mechanisms and their detailed relationship to underlying neurobiological function. This review surveys the recent and productive application of game theoretic probes (economic games) to mental disorders. Such games typically possess concrete concepts of optimal play, thus providing quantitative ways to track when subjects’ choices match or deviate from optimal. This feature equips economic games with natural classes of control signals that should guide learning and choice in the agents that play them. These signals and their underlying physical correlates in the brain are now being used to generate objective biomarkers that may prove useful for exposing and understanding the neurogenetic basis of normal and pathological human cognition. Thus, game theoretic probes represent some of the first steps toward producing computationally principled, objective measures of cognitive function and dysfunction useful for the diagnosis, treatment and understanding of mental disorders. PMID:20797532

Early intervention for late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency.

PubMed

Fujisawa, Daisuke; Mitsubuchi, Hiroshi; Matsumoto, Shirou; Iwai, Masanori; Nakamura, Kimitoshi; Hoshide, Ryuji; Harada, Nawomi; Yoshino, Makoto; Endo, Fumio

2015-01-01

We report the case of a family with late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD). Several family members had died from OTCD, and the c.221G>A, p.Lys221Lys mutation was detected at the 3' end of exon 6 of OTC in the X-chromosome of some members. We provided genetic counseling on pregnancy, delivery, and neonate management to a 4th-generation female carrier and decided on metabolic management of her child from birth. Two male patients were diagnosed with late-onset OTCD on the basis of blood amino acid and genetic analysis, and they received arginine supplementation from the asymptomatic, early neonatal period. These children grew and developed normally, without decompensation. Patients with late-onset OTCD can and should be diagnosed and treated in the early neonatal period, especially those from families already diagnosed with late-onset OTCD, and family members must be provided with genetic counseling. © 2015 Japan Pediatric Society.

Extracting grain-orientation-dependent data from in situ time-of-flight neutron diffraction. I. Inverse pole figures

DOE PAGES

Stoica, Grigoreta M.; Stoica, Alexandru Dan; An, Ke; ...

2014-11-28

The problem of calculating the inverse pole figure (IPF) is analyzed from the perspective of the application of time-of flight neutron diffraction toin situmonitoring of the thermomechanical behavior of engineering materials. On the basis of a quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) method, a consistent set of grain orientations is generated and used to compute the weighting factors for IPF normalization. The weighting factors are instrument dependent and were calculated for the engineering materials diffractometer VULCAN (Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory). The QMC method is applied to face-centered cubic structures and can be easily extended to other crystallographic symmetries. Examples includemore » 316LN stainless steelin situloaded in tension at room temperature and an Al–2%Mg alloy, substantially deformed by cold rolling and in situannealed up to 653 K.« less

In-line localized monitoring of catalyst activity in selective catalytic NO.sub.x reduction systems

DOEpatents

Muzio, Lawrence J [Laguna Niguel, CA; Smith, Randall A [Huntington Beach, CA

2009-12-22

Localized catalyst activity in an SCR unit for controlling emissions from a boiler, power plant, or any facility that generates NO.sub.x-containing flue gases is monitored by one or more modules that operate on-line without disrupting the normal operation of the facility. Each module is positioned over a designated lateral area of one of the catalyst beds in the SCR unit, and supplies ammonia, urea, or other suitable reductant to the catalyst in the designated area at a rate that produces an excess of the reductant over NO.sub.x on a molar basis through the designated area. Sampling probes upstream and downstream of the designated area draw samples of the gas stream for NO.sub.x analysis, and the catalyst activity is determined from the difference in NO.sub.x levels between the two probes.

Inclusion of extremes of prematurity in ventricular index centile charts.

PubMed

Boyle, M; Shim, R; Gnanasekaran, R; Tarrant, A; Ryan, S; Foran, A; McCallion, N

2015-06-01

To assess the relationship between ventricular index (VI) measurements and postmenstrual age in preterm infants and to generate centile charts and normal ranges for frontal horn ratio (FHR) for a large contemporary cohort of preterm infants. A retrospective cohort study of 253 infants with birth gestation less than 32 weeks admitted between January 2009 and December 2011 to a tertiary NICU in Ireland. A total of 816 cranial ultrasounds were reviewed. Data collected were grouped according to postmenstrual age at the time of scan from 23 weeks to 45 weeks. Median values for VI show a general trend to increase with gestation. FHR did not significantly change with postmenstrual age at scan with a median value of 0.31. There is a slight increase in VI as gestation at the time of scans increases. These results provide the basis for updated centile charts which we propose for current practice.

An Affect-Centered Model of the Psyche and its Consequences for a New Understanding of Nonlinear Psychodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciompi, Luc

At variance with a purely cognitivistic approach, an affect-centered model of mental functioning called `fractal affect-logic' is presented on the basis of current emotional-psychological and neurobiological research. Functionally integrated feeling-thinking-behaving programs generated by action appear in this model as the basic `building blocks' of the psyche. Affects are understood as the essential source of energy that mobilises and organises both linear and nonlinear affective-cognitive dynamics, under the influence of appropriate control parameters and order parameters. Global patterns of affective-cognitive functioning form dissipative structures in the sense of Prigogine, with affect-specific attractors and repulsors, bifurcations, high sensitivity for initial conditions and a fractal overall structure that may be represented in a complex potential landscape of variable configuration. This concept opens new possibilities of understanding normal and pathological psychodynamics and sociodynamics, with numerous practical and theoretical implications.

Study on the friction of κ-carrageenan hydrogels in air and aqueous environments.

PubMed

Kozbial, Andrew; Li, Lei

2014-03-01

Understanding the friction mechanism of polysaccharide hydrogels, which is the key component of human cartilage that has very low friction coefficient, is critical to develop next generation artificial joint replacement materials. In this study, the friction of the polysaccharide κ-carrageenan hydrogel was investigated to elucidate the effect of external load, cross-linking density, velocity, and environment on friction. Our experimental results show that (1) coefficient of friction (COF) decreases with normal load in air and remains constant in water, (2) increasing cross-linking density concurrently increases friction and is proportional to Young's modulus, (3) COF increases with testing velocity in both air and water, and (4) friction is reduced in aqueous environment due to the lubricating effect of water. The underlying frictional mechanism is discussed on the basis of water transport from bulk to surface and a previously proposed "repulsion-adsorption" model. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Centrality and multiparticle production in ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions

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

Drozhzhova, T. A.; Kovalenko, V. N.; Seryakov, A. Yu.

2016-09-15

A critical analysis of methods for selecting central events in high-energy proton–nucleus (pA) and nucleus–nucleus (AA) collisions is presented. A sample of event classes in which background fluctuations associated with the dispersion of the impact parameter of each event or the number of participant nucleons are minimal is examined. At the SPS and LHC energies, the numbers of nucleon–nucleon collisions are estimated with the aid of the Monte Carlo event generators HIJING and AMPT, which take into account energy–momentum conservation, and on the basis of a non-Glauber model involving string fusion and a modified Glauber model. The results obtained inmore » this way demonstrate the need for revising the extensively used application of the Glauber model in normalizing multiplicity yields in experimental data on pA and AA collisions in the soft region of the spectrum.« less

34 CFR 110.11 - Definitions of “normal operation” and “statutory objective.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Definitions of ânormal operationâ and âstatutory objective.â 110.11 Section 110.11 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF AGE IN PROGRAMS OR...

The Early Maternal Linguistic Environment of Normal and Down's Syndrome (Mongoloid) Language Learning Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buium, Nissan; Rynders, John

To demonstrate that the child learning language constructs his theory of language on the basis of the linguistic data available to him, this study investigated 21 linguistic parameters that Down's Syndrome and normal children are exposed to in their maternal linguistic environment. It was found that mothers produced certain levels of linguistic…

45 CFR 91.13 - Exceptions to the rules against age discrimination: Normal operation or statutory objective of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... objective of any program or activity. A recipient is permitted to take an action, otherwise prohibited by...: Normal operation or statutory objective of any program or activity. 91.13 Section 91.13 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF AGE IN...

45 CFR 90.14 - Exceptions to the rules against age discrimination. Normal operation or statutory objective of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

.... Normal operation or statutory objective of any program or activity. 90.14 Section 90.14 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF AGE IN... operation or statutory objective of any program or activity. A recipient is permitted to take an action...

Systematic changes in position sense accompany normal aging across adulthood.

PubMed

Herter, Troy M; Scott, Stephen H; Dukelow, Sean P

2014-03-25

Development of clinical neurological assessments aimed at separating normal from abnormal capabilities requires a comprehensive understanding of how basic neurological functions change (or do not change) with increasing age across adulthood. In the case of proprioception, the research literature has failed to conclusively determine whether or not position sense in the upper limb deteriorates in elderly individuals. The present study was conducted a) to quantify whether upper limb position sense deteriorates with increasing age, and b) to generate a set of normative data that can be used for future comparisons with clinical populations. We examined position sense in 209 healthy males and females between the ages of 18 and 90 using a robotic arm position-matching task that is both objective and reliable. In this task, the robot moved an arm to one of nine positions and subjects attempted to mirror-match that position with the opposite limb. Measures of position sense were recorded by the robotic apparatus in hand-and joint-based coordinates, and linear regressions were used to quantify age-related changes and percentile boundaries of normal behaviour. For clinical comparisons, we also examined influences of sex (male versus female) and test-hand (dominant versus non-dominant) on all measures of position sense. Analyses of hand-based parameters identified several measures of position sense (Variability, Shift, Spatial Contraction, Absolute Error) with significant effects of age, sex, and test-hand. Joint-based parameters at the shoulder (Absolute Error) and elbow (Variability, Shift, Absolute Error) also exhibited significant effects of age and test-hand. The present study provides strong evidence that several measures of upper extremity position sense exhibit declines with age. Furthermore, this data provides a basis for quantifying when changes in position sense are related to normal aging or alternatively, pathology.

Dosimetric impact of daily setup variations during treatment of canine nasal tumors using intensity-modulated radiation therapy.

PubMed

Deveau, Michael A; Gutiérrez, Alonso N; Mackie, Thomas R; Tomé, Wolfgang A; Forrest, Lisa J

2010-01-01

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) can be employed to yield precise dose distributions that tightly conform to targets and reduce high doses to normal structures by generating steep dose gradients. Because of these sharp gradients, daily setup variations may have an adverse effect on clinical outcome such that an adjacent normal structure may be overdosed and/or the target may be underdosed. This study provides a detailed analysis of the impact of daily setup variations on optimized IMRT canine nasal tumor treatment plans when variations are not accounted for due to the lack of image guidance. Setup histories of ten patients with nasal tumors previously treated using helical tomotherapy were replanned retrospectively to study the impact of daily setup variations on IMRT dose distributions. Daily setup shifts were applied to IMRT plans on a fraction-by-fraction basis. Using mattress immobilization and laser alignment, mean setup error magnitude in any single dimension was at least 2.5 mm (0-10.0 mm). With inclusions of all three translational coordinates, mean composite offset vector was 5.9 +/- 3.3 mm. Due to variations, a loss of equivalent uniform dose for target volumes of up to 5.6% was noted which corresponded to a potential loss in tumor control probability of 39.5%. Overdosing of eyes and brain was noted by increases in mean normalized total dose and highest normalized dose given to 2% of the volume. Findings suggest that successful implementation of canine nasal IMRT requires daily image guidance to ensure accurate delivery of precise IMRT distributions when non-rigid immobilization techniques are utilized. Unrecognized geographical misses may result in tumor recurrence and/or radiation toxicities to the eyes and brain.

DOSIMETRIC IMPACT OF DAILY SETUP VARIATIONS DURING TREATMENT OF CANINE NASAL TUMORS USING INTENSITY-MODULATED RADIATION THERAPY

PubMed Central

Deveau, Michael A.; Gutiérrez, Alonso N.; Mackie, Thomas R.; Tomé, Wolfgang A.; Forrest, Lisa J.

2009-01-01

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) can be employed to yield precise dose distributions that tightly conform to targets and reduce high doses to normal structures by generating steep dose gradients. Because of these sharp gradients, daily setup variations may have an adverse effect on clinical outcome such that an adjacent normal structure may be overdosed and/or the target may be underdosed. This study provides a detailed analysis of the impact of daily setup variations on optimized IMRT canine nasal tumor treatment plans when variations are not accounted for due to the lack of image guidance. Setup histories of ten patients with nasal tumors previously treated using helical tomotherapy were replanned retrospectively to study the impact of daily setup variations on IMRT dose distributions. Daily setup shifts were applied to IMRT plans on a fraction-by-fraction basis. Using mattress immobilization and laser alignment, mean setup error magnitude in any single dimension was at least 2.5mm (0-10.0mm). With inclusions of all three translational coordinates, mean composite offset vector was 5.9±3.3mm. Due to variations, a loss of equivalent uniform dose (EUD) for target volumes of up to 5.6% was noted which corresponded to a potential loss in TCP of 39.5%. Overdosing of eyes and brain was noted by increases in mean normalized total dose (NTDmean) and highest normalized dose given to 2% of the volume (NTD2%). Findings suggest that successful implementation of canine nasal IMRT requires daily image guidance to ensure accurate delivery of precise IMRT distributions when non-rigid immobilization techniques are utilized. Unrecognized geographical misses may result in tumor recurrence and/or radiation toxicities to the eyes and brain. PMID:20166402

3D texture analysis for classification of second harmonic generation images of human ovarian cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Bruce; Campbell, Kirby R.; Tilbury, Karissa; Nadiarnykh, Oleg; Brewer, Molly A.; Patankar, Manish; Singh, Vikas; Eliceiri, Kevin. W.; Campagnola, Paul J.

2016-10-01

Remodeling of the collagen architecture in the extracellular matrix (ECM) has been implicated in ovarian cancer. To quantify these alterations we implemented a form of 3D texture analysis to delineate the fibrillar morphology observed in 3D Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) microscopy image data of normal (1) and high risk (2) ovarian stroma, benign ovarian tumors (3), low grade (4) and high grade (5) serous tumors, and endometrioid tumors (6). We developed a tailored set of 3D filters which extract textural features in the 3D image sets to build (or learn) statistical models of each tissue class. By applying k-nearest neighbor classification using these learned models, we achieved 83-91% accuracies for the six classes. The 3D method outperformed the analogous 2D classification on the same tissues, where we suggest this is due the increased information content. This classification based on ECM structural changes will complement conventional classification based on genetic profiles and can serve as an additional biomarker. Moreover, the texture analysis algorithm is quite general, as it does not rely on single morphological metrics such as fiber alignment, length, and width but their combined convolution with a customizable basis set.

Evaluation of normalization methods in mammalian microRNA-Seq data

PubMed Central

Garmire, Lana Xia; Subramaniam, Shankar

2012-01-01

Simple total tag count normalization is inadequate for microRNA sequencing data generated from the next generation sequencing technology. However, so far systematic evaluation of normalization methods on microRNA sequencing data is lacking. We comprehensively evaluate seven commonly used normalization methods including global normalization, Lowess normalization, Trimmed Mean Method (TMM), quantile normalization, scaling normalization, variance stabilization, and invariant method. We assess these methods on two individual experimental data sets with the empirical statistical metrics of mean square error (MSE) and Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) statistic. Additionally, we evaluate the methods with results from quantitative PCR validation. Our results consistently show that Lowess normalization and quantile normalization perform the best, whereas TMM, a method applied to the RNA-Sequencing normalization, performs the worst. The poor performance of TMM normalization is further evidenced by abnormal results from the test of differential expression (DE) of microRNA-Seq data. Comparing with the models used for DE, the choice of normalization method is the primary factor that affects the results of DE. In summary, Lowess normalization and quantile normalization are recommended for normalizing microRNA-Seq data, whereas the TMM method should be used with caution. PMID:22532701

Material Separation Using Dual-Energy CT: Current and Emerging Applications.

PubMed

Patino, Manuel; Prochowski, Andrea; Agrawal, Mukta D; Simeone, Frank J; Gupta, Rajiv; Hahn, Peter F; Sahani, Dushyant V

2016-01-01

Dual-energy (DE) computed tomography (CT) offers the opportunity to generate material-specific images on the basis of the atomic number Z and the unique mass attenuation coefficient of a particular material at different x-ray energies. Material-specific images provide qualitative and quantitative information about tissue composition and contrast media distribution. The most significant contribution of DE CT-based material characterization comes from the capability to assess iodine distribution through the creation of an image that exclusively shows iodine. These iodine-specific images increase tissue contrast and amplify subtle differences in attenuation between normal and abnormal tissues, improving lesion detection and characterization in the abdomen. In addition, DE CT enables computational removal of iodine influence from a CT image, generating virtual noncontrast images. Several additional materials, including calcium, fat, and uric acid, can be separated, permitting imaging assessment of metabolic imbalances, elemental deficiencies, and abnormal deposition of materials within tissues. The ability to obtain material-specific images from a single, contrast-enhanced CT acquisition can complement the anatomic knowledge with functional information, and may be used to reduce the radiation dose by decreasing the number of phases in a multiphasic CT examination. DE CT also enables generation of energy-specific and virtual monochromatic images. Clinical applications of DE CT leverage both material-specific images and virtual monochromatic images to expand the current role of CT and overcome several limitations of single-energy CT. (©)RSNA, 2016.

Implications of the method of capital cost payment on the weighted average cost of capital.

PubMed Central

Boles, K E

1986-01-01

The author develops a theoretical and mathematical model, based on published financial management literature, to describe the cost of capital structure for health care delivery entities. This model is then used to generate the implications of changing the capital cost reimbursement mechanism from a cost basis to a prospective basis. The implications are that the cost of capital is increased substantially, the use of debt must be restricted, interest rates for borrowed funds will increase, and, initially, firms utilizing debt efficiently under cost-basis reimbursement will be restricted to the generation of funds from equity only under a prospective system. PMID:3525468

Normal mode-guided transition pathway generation in proteins

PubMed Central

Lee, Byung Ho; Seo, Sangjae; Kim, Min Hyeok; Kim, Youngjin; Jo, Soojin; Choi, Moon-ki; Lee, Hoomin; Choi, Jae Boong

2017-01-01

The biological function of proteins is closely related to its structural motion. For instance, structurally misfolded proteins do not function properly. Although we are able to experimentally obtain structural information on proteins, it is still challenging to capture their dynamics, such as transition processes. Therefore, we need a simulation method to predict the transition pathways of a protein in order to understand and study large functional deformations. Here, we present a new simulation method called normal mode-guided elastic network interpolation (NGENI) that performs normal modes analysis iteratively to predict transition pathways of proteins. To be more specific, NGENI obtains displacement vectors that determine intermediate structures by interpolating the distance between two end-point conformations, similar to a morphing method called elastic network interpolation. However, the displacement vector is regarded as a linear combination of the normal mode vectors of each intermediate structure, in order to enhance the physical sense of the proposed pathways. As a result, we can generate more reasonable transition pathways geometrically and thermodynamically. By using not only all normal modes, but also in part using only the lowest normal modes, NGENI can still generate reasonable pathways for large deformations in proteins. This study shows that global protein transitions are dominated by collective motion, which means that a few lowest normal modes play an important role in this process. NGENI has considerable merit in terms of computational cost because it is possible to generate transition pathways by partial degrees of freedom, while conventional methods are not capable of this. PMID:29020017

Mean flow generation mechanism by inertial waves and normal modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Will, Andreas; Ghasemi, Abouzar

2016-04-01

The mean flow generation mechanism by nonlinearity of the inertial normal modes and inertial wave beams in a rotating annular cavity with longitudinally librating walls in stable regime is discussed. Inertial normal modes (standing waves) are excited when libration frequency matches eigenfrequencies of the system. Inertial wave beams are produced by Ekman pumping and suction in a rotating cylinder and form periodic orbits or periodic ray trajectories at selected frequencies. Inertial wave beams emerge as concentrated shear layers in a librating annular cavity, while normal modes appear as global recirculation cells. Both (inertial wave beam and mode) are helical and thus intrinsically non-linear flow structures. No second mode or wave is necessary for non-linearity. We considered the low order normal modes (1,1), (2,1) and (2,2) which are expected to be excited in the planetary objects and investigate the mean flow generation mechanism using two independent solutions: 1) analytical solution (Borcia 2012) and 2) the wave component of the flow (ω0 component) obtained from the direct numerical simulation (DNS). It is well known that a retrograde bulk mean flow is generated by the Ekman boundary layer and E1/4-Stewartson layer close to the outer cylinder side wall due to libration. At and around the normal mode resonant frequencies we found additionally a prograde azimuthal mean flow (Inertial Normal Mode Mean Flow: INMMF) in the bulk of the fluid. The fluid in the bulk is in geostrophic balance in the absence of the inertial normal modes. However, when INMMF is excited, we found that the geostrophic balance does not hold in the region occupied by INMMF. We hypothesize that INMMF is generated by the nonlinearity of the normal modes or by second order effects. Expanding the velocity {V}(u_r,u_θ,u_z) and pressure (p) in a power series in ɛ (libration amplitude), the Navier-Stokes equations are segregated into the linear and nonlinear parts at orders ɛ1 and ɛ^2, respectively. The former is used to find the analytical solution of the normal modes (Borcia 2012). Plugging two independent solutions into the latter we investigate the generation mechanism of INMMF. We found R1^1=overbar{partial_z(u_r1 u_z^1)}, R2^1=overbar{partial_r(u_r1 u_r^1)} as source terms responsible for the generation of INMMF. The helical structure of the inertial waves causes the nonlinear terms R1 and R2 to be nonzero, contributing to the generation of INMMF. We used u_ra and u_za obtained from the analytical solution (Borcia 2012) and computed the source terms R1a and R2a and found a structural correspondence with the corresponding field computed from the DNS solution for the three normal modes investigated. The sum of R11 and R21 exhibits a good structural correspondence with INMMF. Interestingly, INMMF magnitude depends on the inertial wave beams and normal modes. For instance we found that INMMF is generated more efficiently for the libration frequency ω=1.58, although the resonant frequency is predicted by the analytical solution to be at ω=1.576 (normal mode (2,1)). Separating the inertial wave beams from the flow field obtained by DNS, using the analytical normal mode solution, we explored the phase lag between inertial wave beams and normal mode. We inferred that the normal mode amplitude is high only if the phase lag between the inertial wave beam and the normal mode is predominantly positive. In this case a high amplitude INMMF amplitude can be found. This supports the hypothesis that the normal modes are generated by the inertial wave beam in analogy to resonant forcing in classical mechanics. Interestingly, the 'optimum' phase lag found is much smaller than π/2. {Acknowledgement:} This work is a part of the project "Mischung und Grundstromanregung durch propagierende Trgheitswellen: Theorie, Experiment und Simulation" supported by the German Science Foundation (DFG). We would like to thank M. Klein, U. Harlander, I. Borcia and E. Schaller for helpful discussions and invaluable contributions. {References:} Borcia, I. D. & Harlander, U. 2012 Inertial waves in a rotating annulus with inclined inner cylinder: comparing the spectrum of wave attractor frequency bands and the eigenspectrum in the limit of zero inclination. Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 27, 397-413.

Efficient and simpler method to construct normalized cDNA libraries with improved representations of full-length cDNAs

DOEpatents

Soares, Marcelo Bento; Bonaldo, Maria de Fatima

1998-01-01

This invention provides a method to normalize a cDNA library comprising: (a) constructing a directionally cloned library containing cDNA inserts wherein the insert is capable of being amplified by polymerase chain reaction; (b) converting a double-stranded cDNA library into single-stranded DNA circles; (c) generating single-stranded nucleic acid molecules complementary to the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) by polymerase chain reaction with appropriate primers; (d) hybridizing the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) with the complementary single-stranded nucleic acid molecules generated in step (c) to produce partial duplexes to an appropriate Cot; and (e) separating the unhybridized single-stranded DNA circles from the hybridized DNA circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. This invention also provides a method to normalize a cDNA library wherein the generating of single-stranded nucleic acid molecules complementary to the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) is by excising cDNA inserts from the double-stranded cDNA library; purifying the cDNA inserts from cloning vectors; and digesting the cDNA inserts with an exonuclease. This invention further provides a method to construct a subtractive cDNA library following the steps described above. This invention further provides normalized and/or subtractive cDNA libraries generated by the above methods.

Efficient and simpler method to construct normalized cDNA libraries with improved representations of full-length cDNAs

DOEpatents

Soares, M.B.; Fatima Bonaldo, M. de

1998-12-08

This invention provides a method to normalize a cDNA library comprising: (a) constructing a directionally cloned library containing cDNA inserts wherein the insert is capable of being amplified by polymerase chain reaction; (b) converting a double-stranded cDNA library into single-stranded DNA circles; (c) generating single-stranded nucleic acid molecules complementary to the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) by polymerase chain reaction with appropriate primers; (d) hybridizing the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) with the complementary single-stranded nucleic acid molecules generated in step (c) to produce partial duplexes to an appropriate Cot; and (e) separating the unhybridized single-stranded DNA circles from the hybridized DNA circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. This invention also provides a method to normalize a cDNA library wherein the generating of single-stranded nucleic acid molecules complementary to the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) is by excising cDNA inserts from the double-stranded cDNA library; purifying the cDNA inserts from cloning vectors; and digesting the cDNA inserts with an exonuclease. This invention further provides a method to construct a subtractive cDNA library following the steps described above. This invention further provides normalized and/or subtractive cDNA libraries generated by the above methods. 25 figs.

Negotiating Domination and Resistance: English Language Learners and Foucault's "Care of the Self" in the Context of English-Only Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bondy, Jennifer M.

2016-01-01

This article explores the basis for resistance to the normalizing technologies associated with English-only legislation and resulting educational practices. The dominance of English-only education in US public schools has normalized English first language speakers and English language learning by appropriating the technology of language in order…

Detection of fallen trees in ALS point clouds using a Normalized Cut approach trained by simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polewski, Przemyslaw; Yao, Wei; Heurich, Marco; Krzystek, Peter; Stilla, Uwe

2015-07-01

Downed dead wood is regarded as an important part of forest ecosystems from an ecological perspective, which drives the need for investigating its spatial distribution. Based on several studies, Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) has proven to be a valuable remote sensing technique for obtaining such information. This paper describes a unified approach to the detection of fallen trees from ALS point clouds based on merging short segments into whole stems using the Normalized Cut algorithm. We introduce a new method of defining the segment similarity function for the clustering procedure, where the attribute weights are learned from labeled data. Based on a relationship between Normalized Cut's similarity function and a class of regression models, we show how to learn the similarity function by training a classifier. Furthermore, we propose using an appearance-based stopping criterion for the graph cut algorithm as an alternative to the standard Normalized Cut threshold approach. We set up a virtual fallen tree generation scheme to simulate complex forest scenarios with multiple overlapping fallen stems. This simulated data is then used as a basis to learn both the similarity function and the stopping criterion for Normalized Cut. We evaluate our approach on 5 plots from the strictly protected mixed mountain forest within the Bavarian Forest National Park using reference data obtained via a manual field inventory. The experimental results show that our method is able to detect up to 90% of fallen stems in plots having 30-40% overstory cover with a correctness exceeding 80%, even in quite complex forest scenes. Moreover, the performance for feature weights trained on simulated data is competitive with the case when the weights are calculated using a grid search on the test data, which indicates that the learned similarity function and stopping criterion can generalize well on new plots.

A method for analyzing electrical impedance spectroscopy data from breast cancer patients

PubMed Central

Kim, Bong Seok; Isaacson, David; Xia, Hongjun; Kao, Tzu-Jen; Newell, Jonathan C; Saulnier, Gary J

2008-01-01

Research on freshly-excised malignant breast tissues and surrounding normal tissues in an in vitro impedance cell has shown that breast tumors have different conductivity and permittivity from normal or non-malignant tissues. This contrast may provide a basis for breast cancer detection using electrical impedance imaging. This paper describes a procedure for collecting electrical impedance spectroscopy data simultaneously and in register with tomosynthesis data from patients. We describe the methods used to analyze the data in order to determine if the electrodes are making contact with the breast of the patient. Canonical voltage patterns are applied and used to synthesize the data that would have resulted from constant voltage patterns applied to each of two parallel mammography plates. A type of Cole–Cole plot is generated and displayed from each of the currents measured on each of the electrodes for each of the frequencies (5, 10, 30, 100 and 300 kHz) of applied voltages. We illustrate the potential usefulness of these displays in distinguishing breast cancer from benign lesions with the Cole–Cole plots for two patients—one having cancer and one having a benign lesion—by comparing these graphs with electrical impedance spectra previously found by Jossinet and Schmitt in tissue samples taken from a variety of patients. PMID:17664638

A method for analyzing electrical impedance spectroscopy data from breast cancer patients.

PubMed

Kim, Bong Seok; Isaacson, David; Xia, Hongjun; Kao, Tzu-Jen; Newell, Jonathan C; Saulnier, Gary J

2007-07-01

Research on freshly-excised malignant breast tissues and surrounding normal tissues in an in vitro impedance cell has shown that breast tumors have different conductivity and permittivity from normal or non-malignant tissues. This contrast may provide a basis for breast cancer detection using electrical impedance imaging. This paper describes a procedure for collecting electrical impedance spectroscopy data simultaneously and in register with tomosynthesis data from patients. We describe the methods used to analyze the data in order to determine if the electrodes are making contact with the breast of the patient. Canonical voltage patterns are applied and used to synthesize the data that would have resulted from constant voltage patterns applied to each of two parallel mammography plates. A type of Cole-Cole plot is generated and displayed from each of the currents measured on each of the electrodes for each of the frequencies (5, 10, 30, 100 and 300 kHz) of applied voltages. We illustrate the potential usefulness of these displays in distinguishing breast cancer from benign lesions with the Cole-Cole plots for two patients--one having cancer and one having a benign lesion--by comparing these graphs with electrical impedance spectra previously found by Jossinet and Schmitt in tissue samples taken from a variety of patients.

Pulsatile tinnitus: imaging and differential diagnosis.

PubMed

Hofmann, Erich; Behr, Robert; Neumann-Haefelin, Tobias; Schwager, Konrad

2013-06-01

Pulsatile tinnitus, unlike idiopathic tinnitus, usually has a specific, identifiable cause. Nonetheless, uncertainty often arises in clinical practice about the findings to be sought and the strategy for work-up. Selective literature review and evaluation of our own series of patients. Pulsatile tinnitus can have many causes. No prospective studies on this subject are available to date. Pulsatile tinnitus requires both a functional organ of hearing and a genuine, physical source of sound, which can, under certain conditions, even be objectified by an examiner. Pulsatile tinnitus can be classified by its site of generation as arterial, arteriovenous, or venous. Typical arterial causes are arteriosclerosis, dissection, and fibromuscular dysplasia. Common causes at the arteriovenous junction include arteriovenous fistulae and highly vascularized skull base tumors. Common venous causes are intracranial hypertension and, as predisposing factors, anomalies and normal variants of the basal veins and sinuses. In our own series of patients, pulsatile tinnitus was most often due to highly vascularized tumors of the temporal bone (16%), followed by venous normal variants and anomalies (14%) and vascular stenoses (9%). Dural arteriovenous fistulae, inflammatory hyperemia, and intracranial hypertension were tied for fourth place (8% each). The clinical findings and imaging studies must always be evaluated together. Thorough history-taking and clinical examination are the basis for the efficient use of imaging studies to reveal the cause of pulsatile tinnitus.

A Bayesian method for detecting pairwise associations in compositional data

PubMed Central

Ventz, Steffen; Huttenhower, Curtis

2017-01-01

Compositional data consist of vectors of proportions normalized to a constant sum from a basis of unobserved counts. The sum constraint makes inference on correlations between unconstrained features challenging due to the information loss from normalization. However, such correlations are of long-standing interest in fields including ecology. We propose a novel Bayesian framework (BAnOCC: Bayesian Analysis of Compositional Covariance) to estimate a sparse precision matrix through a LASSO prior. The resulting posterior, generated by MCMC sampling, allows uncertainty quantification of any function of the precision matrix, including the correlation matrix. We also use a first-order Taylor expansion to approximate the transformation from the unobserved counts to the composition in order to investigate what characteristics of the unobserved counts can make the correlations more or less difficult to infer. On simulated datasets, we show that BAnOCC infers the true network as well as previous methods while offering the advantage of posterior inference. Larger and more realistic simulated datasets further showed that BAnOCC performs well as measured by type I and type II error rates. Finally, we apply BAnOCC to a microbial ecology dataset from the Human Microbiome Project, which in addition to reproducing established ecological results revealed unique, competition-based roles for Proteobacteria in multiple distinct habitats. PMID:29140991

TU-A-12A-08: Computing Longitudinal Material Changes in Bone Metastases Using Dual Energy Computed Tomography

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

Schmidtlein, CR; Hwang, S; Veeraraghavan, H

Purpose: This study demonstrates a methodology for tracking changes in metastatic bone disease using trajectories in material basis space in serial dual energy computed tomography (DECT) studies. Methods: This study includes patients with bone metastases from breast cancer that had clinical surveillance CT scans using a General Electric CT750HD in dual energy mode. A radiologist defined regions-of-interested (ROI) for bone metastasis, normal bone, and marrow across the serial DECT scans. Our approach employs a Radon transform to forward-projection the basis images, namely, water and iodine, into sinogram space. This data is then repartitioned into fat/bone and effective density/Z image pairsmore » using assumed energy spectrums for the x-ray energies. This approach both helps remove negative material densities and avoids adding spectrum-hardening artifacts. These new basis data sets were then reconstructed via filtered back-projection to create new material basis pair images. The trajectories of these pairs were then plotted in the new basis space providing a means to both visualize and quantitatively measure changes in the material properties of the tumors. Results: ROI containing radiologist defined metastatic bone disease showed well-defined trajectories in both fat/bone and effective density/Z space. ROI that contained radiologist defined normal bone and marrow did not exhibit any discernible trajectories and were stable from scan to scan. Conclusions: The preliminary results show that changes in material composition and effective density/Z image pairs were seen primarily in metastasis and not in normal tissue. This study indicates that by using routine clinical DECT it may be possible to monitor therapy response of bone metastases because healing or worsening bone metastases change material composition of bone. Additional studies are needed to further validate these results and to test for their correlation with outcome.« less

The Two-Dimensional Gabor Function Adapted to Natural Image Statistics: A Model of Simple-Cell Receptive Fields and Sparse Structure in Images.

PubMed

Loxley, P N

2017-10-01

The two-dimensional Gabor function is adapted to natural image statistics, leading to a tractable probabilistic generative model that can be used to model simple cell receptive field profiles, or generate basis functions for sparse coding applications. Learning is found to be most pronounced in three Gabor function parameters representing the size and spatial frequency of the two-dimensional Gabor function and characterized by a nonuniform probability distribution with heavy tails. All three parameters are found to be strongly correlated, resulting in a basis of multiscale Gabor functions with similar aspect ratios and size-dependent spatial frequencies. A key finding is that the distribution of receptive-field sizes is scale invariant over a wide range of values, so there is no characteristic receptive field size selected by natural image statistics. The Gabor function aspect ratio is found to be approximately conserved by the learning rules and is therefore not well determined by natural image statistics. This allows for three distinct solutions: a basis of Gabor functions with sharp orientation resolution at the expense of spatial-frequency resolution, a basis of Gabor functions with sharp spatial-frequency resolution at the expense of orientation resolution, or a basis with unit aspect ratio. Arbitrary mixtures of all three cases are also possible. Two parameters controlling the shape of the marginal distributions in a probabilistic generative model fully account for all three solutions. The best-performing probabilistic generative model for sparse coding applications is found to be a gaussian copula with Pareto marginal probability density functions.

Three key regimes of single pulse generation per round trip of all-normal-dispersion fiber lasers mode-locked with nonlinear polarization rotation.

PubMed

Smirnov, Sergey; Kobtsev, Sergey; Kukarin, Sergey; Ivanenko, Aleksey

2012-11-19

We show experimentally and numerically new transient lasing regime between stable single-pulse generation and noise-like generation. We characterize qualitatively all three regimes of single pulse generation per round-trip of all-normal-dispersion fiber lasers mode-locked due to effect of nonlinear polarization evolution. We study spectral and temporal features of pulses produced in all three regimes as well as compressibility of such pulses. Simple criteria are proposed to identify lasing regime in experiment.

Novel BICD2 mutation in a Japanese family with autosomal dominant lower extremity-predominant spinal muscular atrophy-2.

PubMed

Yoshioka, Mieko; Morisada, Naoya; Toyoshima, Daisaku; Yoshimura, Hajime; Nishio, Hisahide; Iijima, Kazumoto; Takeshima, Yasuhiro; Uehara, Tomoko; Kosaki, Kenjiro

2018-04-01

The most common form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a recessive disorder caused by SMN1 mutations in 5q13, whereas the genetic etiologies of non-5q SMA are very heterogenous and largely remain to be elucidated. We present a father and son with atrophy and weakness of the lower leg muscles since infancy. Genetic studies in this family revealed a novel BICD2 mutation causing autosomal dominant lower extremity-predominant SMA type 2. The proband was the father, aged 30, and the son was aged 3. Both of them were born uneventfully to nonconsanguineous parents. While the father first walked at the age of 19 months, the son was unable to walk at age 3 years. In both, knee and ankle reflexes were absent and sensation was intact. Serum creatine kinase levels were normal. The son showed congenital arthrogryposis and underwent orthopedic corrections for talipes calcaneovalgus. Investigation of the father at the age of 5 years revealed normal results on nerve conduction studies and sural nerve biopsy. Electromyography showed chronic neurogenic change, and muscle biopsy showed features suggestive of denervation. The father was diagnosed clinically with a sporadic distal SMA. Follow-up studies showed very slow progression. Next-generation and Sanger sequencing revealed a deleterious mutation in BICD2: c.1667A>G, p.Tyr556Cys, in this family. BICD2 is a cytoplasmic conserved motor-adaptor protein involved in anterograde and retrograde transport along the microtubules. Next-generation sequencing will further clarify the genetic basis of non-5q SMA. Copyright © 2017 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Some characteristics of the glutathione cycle revealed by ionising and non-ionising electromagnetic radiation.

PubMed

Holt, J A

1995-10-01

The cyclic reaction of GSH-->GSSG-->GSH (designated R(exp) or R(e)) obeys the three specific features of life by producing energy in exponential quantities relative to time, is in effect irreversible and is inherited from generation to generation. In multicellular life, this reaction produces the energy for mitosis and is kept in controlled inactivity until needed to maintain perfection of form and function by energising mitosis. The immediate control of Re appears to be feedback process-dependent on the concentration of GSSG. Ultra high-frequency electromagnetic radiation of 434 MHz (UHF) will change Re from inactive to active and, in so doing, it causes resonance and/or fluorescence of the glutathione cycle which changes its radiosensitivity. Re is the primary direct target of ionising radiation and produces the energy for mitosis. Clinical observations suggest that, in the normal cell, Re is inactive and is not killed by 3 x 2700 rads or 6 x 1650 rads yet, when active, its sensitivity value (DO) is approximately 160 rads. Using the standard radiobiological equation of response to ionising radiation, it can be deduced that radiosensitive cancers have two or three Re units active per cell and radioresistance increases in proportion to the number of potentially active Re units per cell. Re appears to be the main cause of cancers' increased conductivity of electricity compared with normal tissue. In cancer therapy, UHF is the best radiosensitiser ever discovered (up to two or more decades). Re is also intelligent compared with non-exponential reactions but cannot be the basis of intellectual brain functions which must be based on non-electrical chemical processes.

Practical Methods for Including Torsional Anharmonicity in Thermochemical Calculations on Complex Molecules: The Internal-Coordinate Multi-Structural Approximation

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

Zheng, J.; Yu, T.; Papajak, E.

2011-01-01

Many methods for correcting harmonic partition functions for the presence of torsional motions employ some form of one-dimensional torsional treatment to replace the harmonic contribution of a specific normal mode. However, torsions are often strongly coupled to other degrees of freedom, especially other torsions and low-frequency bending motions, and this coupling can make assigning torsions to specific normal modes problematic. Here, we present a new class of methods, called multi-structural (MS) methods, that circumvents the need for such assignments by instead adjusting the harmonic results by torsional correction factors that are determined using internal coordinates. We present three versions ofmore » the MS method: (i) MS-AS based on including all structures (AS), i.e., all conformers generated by internal rotations; (ii) MS-ASCB based on all structures augmented with explicit conformational barrier (CB) information, i.e., including explicit calculations of all barrier heights for internal-rotation barriers between the conformers; and (iii) MS-RS based on including all conformers generated from a reference structure (RS) by independent torsions. In the MS-AS scheme, one has two options for obtaining the local periodicity parameters, one based on consideration of the nearly separable limit and one based on strongly coupled torsions. The latter involves assigning the local periodicities on the basis of Voronoi volumes. The methods are illustrated with calculations for ethanol, 1-butanol, and 1-pentyl radical as well as two one-dimensional torsional potentials. The MS-AS method is particularly interesting because it does not require any information about conformational barriers or about the paths that connect the various structures.« less

Practical methods for including torsional anharmonicity in thermochemical calculations on complex molecules: the internal-coordinate multi-structural approximation.

PubMed

Zheng, Jingjing; Yu, Tao; Papajak, Ewa; Alecu, I M; Mielke, Steven L; Truhlar, Donald G

2011-06-21

Many methods for correcting harmonic partition functions for the presence of torsional motions employ some form of one-dimensional torsional treatment to replace the harmonic contribution of a specific normal mode. However, torsions are often strongly coupled to other degrees of freedom, especially other torsions and low-frequency bending motions, and this coupling can make assigning torsions to specific normal modes problematic. Here, we present a new class of methods, called multi-structural (MS) methods, that circumvents the need for such assignments by instead adjusting the harmonic results by torsional correction factors that are determined using internal coordinates. We present three versions of the MS method: (i) MS-AS based on including all structures (AS), i.e., all conformers generated by internal rotations; (ii) MS-ASCB based on all structures augmented with explicit conformational barrier (CB) information, i.e., including explicit calculations of all barrier heights for internal-rotation barriers between the conformers; and (iii) MS-RS based on including all conformers generated from a reference structure (RS) by independent torsions. In the MS-AS scheme, one has two options for obtaining the local periodicity parameters, one based on consideration of the nearly separable limit and one based on strongly coupled torsions. The latter involves assigning the local periodicities on the basis of Voronoi volumes. The methods are illustrated with calculations for ethanol, 1-butanol, and 1-pentyl radical as well as two one-dimensional torsional potentials. The MS-AS method is particularly interesting because it does not require any information about conformational barriers or about the paths that connect the various structures.

Acoustic phenomena observed in lung auscultation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korenbaum, V. I.; Tagil'Tsev, A. A.; Kulakov, Yu. V.

2003-05-01

The results of studying respiratory noise at the chest wall by the method of acoustic intensimetry reveal the presence of frequency components with different signs of the real and imaginary parts of the cross spectrum obtained for the responses of the receivers of vibratory displacement and dynamic force. An acoustic model is proposed to explain this difference on the basis of the hypothesis that the contributions of both air-borne and structure-borne sound are significant in the transmission of respiratory noise to the chest wall. It is shown that, when considered as an acoustic channel for the basic respiratory noise, the respiratory system of an adult subject has two resonances: in the frequency bands within 110 150 and 215 350 Hz. For adults in normal condition, the air-borne component of the basic respiratory noise predominates in the region 100 300 Hz in the lower parts of lungs. At forced respiration of healthy adults, the sounds of vesicular respiration are generated by the turbulent air flow in the 11th-through 13th-generation bronchi, and the transmission of these sounds to the chest wall in normal condition is mainly through air and is determined by the resonance of the vibratory system formed by the elasticity of air in the respiratory ducts of lungs and by the surface mass density of the chest wall. It is demonstrated that the distance from the chest wall to the sources of structure-borne additional respiratory noise, namely, wheezing with frequencies above 300 Hz, can be estimated numerically from the ratio between the real and imaginary parts of the cross spectrum on the assumption that the source is of the quadrupole type.

Nonlinear Decay of Alfvén Waves Driven by Interplaying Two- and Three-dimensional Nonlinear Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, J. S.; Voitenko, Y.; De Keyser, J.; Wu, D. J.

2018-04-01

We study the decay of Alfvén waves in the solar wind, accounting for the joint operation of two-dimensional (2D) scalar and three-dimensional (3D) vector nonlinear interactions between Alfvén and slow waves. These interactions have previously been studied separately in long- and short-wavelength limits where they lead to 2D scalar and 3D vector decays, correspondingly. The joined action of the scalar and vector interactions shifts the transition between 2D and 3D decays to significantly smaller wavenumbers than was predicted by Zhao et al. who compared separate scalar and vector decays. In application to the broadband Alfvén waves in the solar wind, this means that the vector nonlinear coupling dominates in the extended wavenumber range 5 × 10‑4 ≲ ρ i k 0⊥ ≲ 1, where the decay is essentially 3D and nonlocal, generating product Alfvén and slow waves around the ion gyroscale. Here ρ i is the ion gyroradius, and k 0⊥ is the pump Alfvén wavenumber. It appears that, except for the smallest wavenumbers at and below {ρ }i{k}0\\perp ∼ {10}-4 in Channel I, the nonlinear decay of magnetohydrodynamic Alfvén waves propagating from the Sun is nonlocal and cannot generate counter-propagating Alfvén waves with similar scales needed for the turbulent cascade. Evaluation of the nonlinear frequency shift shows that product Alfvén waves can still be approximately described as normal Alfvénic eigenmodes. On the contrary, nonlinearly driven slow waves deviate considerably from normal modes and are therefore difficult to identify on the basis of their phase velocities and/or polarization.

Simultaneous Characterization of Somatic Events and HPV-18 Integration in a Metastatic Cervical Carcinoma Patient Using DNA and RNA Sequencing

PubMed Central

Liang, Winnie S.; Aldrich, Jessica; Nasser, Sara; Kurdoglu, Ahmet; Phillips, Lori; Reiman, Rebecca; McDonald, Jacquelyn; Izatt, Tyler; Christoforides, Alexis; Baker, Angela; Craig, Christine; Egan, Jan B.; Chase, Dana M.; Farley, John H.; Bryce, Alan H.; Stewart, A. Keith; Borad, Mitesh J.; Carpten, John D.; Craig, David W.; Monk, Bradley J.

2014-01-01

Objective Integration of carcinogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) into the host genome is a significant tumorigenic factor in specific cancers including cervical carcinoma. Although major strides have been made with respect to HPV diagnosis and prevention, identification and development of efficacious treatments for cervical cancer patients remains a goal and thus requires additional detailed characterization of both somatic events and HPV integration. Given this need, the goal of this study was to use the next generation sequencing to simultaneously evaluate somatic alterations and expression changes in a patient’s cervical squamous carcinoma lesion metastatic to the lung and to detect and analyze HPV infection in the same sample. Materials and Methods We performed tumor and normal exome, tumor and normal shallow whole-genome sequencing, and RNA sequencing of the patient’s lung metastasis. Results We generated over 1.2 billion mapped reads and identified 130 somatic point mutations and indels, 21 genic translocations, 16 coding regions demonstrating copy number changes, and over 36 genes demonstrating altered expression in the tumor (corrected P < 0.05). Sequencing also revealed the HPV type 18 (HPV-18) integration in the metastasis. Using both DNA and RNA reads, we pinpointed 3 major events indicating HPV-18 integration into an intronic region of chromosome 6p25.1 in the patient’s tumor and validated these events with Sanger sequencing. This integration site has not been reported for HPV-18. Conclusions We demonstrate that DNA and RNA sequencing can be used to concurrently characterize somatic alterations and expression changes in a biopsy and delineate HPV integration at base resolution in cervical cancer. Further sequencing will allow us to better understand the molecular basis of cervical cancer pathogenesis. PMID:24418928

23 CFR 777.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... substances into organic matter and recycled on a continuing basis. Compensatory mitigation means restoration... normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil...

23 CFR 777.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... substances into organic matter and recycled on a continuing basis. Compensatory mitigation means restoration... normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil...

23 CFR 777.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... substances into organic matter and recycled on a continuing basis. Compensatory mitigation means restoration... normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil...

23 CFR 777.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... substances into organic matter and recycled on a continuing basis. Compensatory mitigation means restoration... normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil...

23 CFR 777.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... substances into organic matter and recycled on a continuing basis. Compensatory mitigation means restoration... normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil...

Level 2 Ancillary Products and Datasets Algorithm Theoretical Basis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diner, D.; Abdou, W.; Gordon, H.; Kahn, R.; Knyazikhin, Y.; Martonchik, J.; McDonald, D.; McMuldroch, S.; Myneni, R.; West, R.

1999-01-01

This Algorithm Theoretical Basis (ATB) document describes the algorithms used to generate the parameters of certain ancillary products and datasets used during Level 2 processing of Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MIST) data.

Normalized cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Soares, Marcelo B.; Efstratiadis, Argiris

1997-01-01

This invention provides a method to normalize a directional cDNA library constructed in a vector that allows propagation in single-stranded circle form comprising: (a) propagating the directional cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating fragments complementary to the 3' noncoding sequence of the single-stranded circles in the library to produce partial duplexes; (c) purifying the partial duplexes; (d) melting and reassociating the purified partial duplexes to moderate Cot; and (e) purifying the unassociated single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library.

Normalized cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Soares, M.B.; Efstratiadis, A.

1997-06-10

This invention provides a method to normalize a directional cDNA library constructed in a vector that allows propagation in single-stranded circle form comprising: (a) propagating the directional cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating fragments complementary to the 3{prime} noncoding sequence of the single-stranded circles in the library to produce partial duplexes; (c) purifying the partial duplexes; (d) melting and reassociating the purified partial duplexes to moderate Cot; and (e) purifying the unassociated single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. 4 figs.

78 FR 60321 - Biweekly Notice; Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses and Combined Licenses...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-01

... sample selection. A steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) event is one of the design basis accidents that... in the design basis accident analysis. The proposed change will not cause the consequences of a SGTR... changes to the plant design basis or postulated accidents resulting from potential tube degradation. The...

X-y interactions underlie sperm head abnormality in hybrid male house mice.

PubMed

Campbell, Polly; Nachman, Michael W

2014-04-01

The genetic basis of hybrid male sterility in house mice is complex, highly polygenic, and strongly X linked. Previous work suggested that there might be interactions between the Mus musculus musculus X and the M. m. domesticus Y with a large negative effect on sperm head morphology in hybrid males with an F1 autosomal background. To test this, we introgressed the M. m. domesticus Y onto a M. m. musculus background and measured the change in sperm morphology, testis weight, and sperm count across early backcross generations and in 11th generation backcross males in which the opportunity for X-autosome incompatibilities is effectively eliminated. We found that abnormality in sperm morphology persists in M. m. domesticus Y introgression males, and that this phenotype is rescued by M. m. domesticus introgressions on the X chromosome. In contrast, the severe reductions in testis weight and sperm count that characterize F1 males were eliminated after one generation of backcrossing. These results indicate that X-Y incompatibilities contribute specifically to sperm morphology. In contrast, X-autosome incompatibilities contribute to low testis weight, low sperm count, and sperm morphology. Restoration of normal testis weight and sperm count in first generation backcross males suggests that a small number of complex incompatibilities between loci on the M. m. musculus X and the M. m. domesticus autosomes underlie F1 male sterility. Together, these results provide insight into the genetic architecture of F1 male sterility and help to explain genome-wide patterns of introgression across the house mouse hybrid zone.

Carcinogenesis: alterations in reciprocal interactions of normal functional structure of biologic systems.

PubMed

Davydyan, Garri

2015-12-01

The evolution of biologic systems (BS) includes functional mechanisms that in some conditions may lead to the development of cancer. Using mathematical group theory and matrix analysis, previously, it was shown that normally functioning BS are steady functional structures regulated by three basis regulatory components: reciprocal links (RL), negative feedback (NFB) and positive feedback (PFB). Together, they form an integrative unit maintaining system's autonomy and functional stability. It is proposed that phylogenetic development of different species is implemented by the splitting of "rudimentary" characters into two relatively independent functional parts that become encoded in chromosomes. The functional correlate of splitting mechanisms is RL. Inversion of phylogenetic mechanisms during ontogenetic development leads cell differentiation until cells reach mature states. Deterioration of reciprocal structure in the genome during ontogenesis gives rise of pathological conditions characterized by unsteadiness of the system. Uncontrollable cell proliferation and invasive cell growth are the leading features of the functional outcomes of malfunctioning systems. The regulatory element responsible for these changes is RL. In matrix language, pathological regulation is represented by matrices having positive values of diagonal elements ( TrA  > 0) and also positive values of matrix determinant ( detA  > 0). Regulatory structures of that kind can be obtained if the negative entry of the matrix corresponding to RL is replaced with the positive one. To describe not only normal but also pathological states of BS, a unit matrix should be added to the basis matrices representing RL, NFB and PFB. A mathematical structure corresponding to the set of these four basis functional patterns (matrices) is a split quaternion (coquaternion). The structure and specific role of basis elements comprising four-dimensional linear space of split quaternions help to understand what changes in mechanism of cell differentiation may lead to cancer development.

Descriptive Quantitative Analysis of Rearfoot Alignment Radiographic Parameters.

PubMed

Meyr, Andrew J; Wagoner, Matthew R

2015-01-01

Although the radiographic parameters of the transverse talocalcaneal angle (tTCA), calcaneocuboid angle (CCA), talar head uncovering (THU), calcaneal inclination angle (CIA), talar declination angle (TDA), lateral talar-first metatarsal angle (lTFA), and lateral talocalcaneal angle (lTCA) form the basis of the preoperative evaluation and procedure selection for pes planovalgus deformity, the so-called normal values of these measurements are not well-established. The objectives of the present study were to retrospectively evaluate the descriptive statistics of these radiographic parameters (tTCA, CCA, THU, CIA, TDA, lTFA, and lTCA) in a large population, and, second, to determine an objective basis for defining "normal" versus "abnormal" measurements. As a secondary outcome, the relationship of these variables to the body mass index was assessed. Anteroposterior and lateral foot radiographs from 250 consecutive patients without a history of previous foot and ankle surgery and/or trauma were evaluated. The results revealed a mean measurement of 24.12°, 13.20°, 74.32%, 16.41°, 26.64°, 8.37°, and 43.41° for the tTCA, CCA, THU, CIA, TDA, lTFA, and lTCA, respectively. These were generally in line with the reported historical normal values. Descriptive statistical analysis demonstrated that the tTCA, THU, and TDA met the standards to be considered normally distributed but that the CCA, CIA, lTFA, and lTCA demonstrated data characteristics of both parametric and nonparametric distributions. Furthermore, only the CIA (R = -0.2428) and lTCA (R = -0.2449) demonstrated substantial correlation with the body mass index. No differentiations in deformity progression were observed when the radiographic parameters were plotted against each other to lead to a quantitative basis for defining "normal" versus "abnormal" measurements. Copyright © 2015 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Phonological Contrast on Auditory Word Discrimination in Children with and without Reading Disability: A Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wehner, Daniel T.; Ahlfors, Seppo P.; Mody, Maria

2007-01-01

Poor readers perform worse than their normal reading peers on a variety of speech perception tasks, which may be linked to their phonological processing abilities. The purpose of the study was to compare the brain activation patterns of normal and impaired readers on speech perception to better understand the phonological basis in reading…

26 CFR 1.901-2 - Income, war profits, or excess profits tax paid or accrued.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... section, the foreign tax is likely to reach net gain in the normal circumstances in which it applies, (ii... income tax liability to another country. (b) Net gain—(1) In general. A foreign tax is likely to reach net gain in the normal circumstances in which it applies if and only if the tax, judged on the basis...

26 CFR 1.901-2 - Income, war profits, or excess profits tax paid or accrued.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... section, the foreign tax is likely to reach net gain in the normal circumstances in which it applies, (ii... income tax liability to another country. (b) Net gain—(1) In general. A foreign tax is likely to reach net gain in the normal circumstances in which it applies if and only if the tax, judged on the basis...

Bas-Relief Modeling from Normal Images with Intuitive Styles.

PubMed

Ji, Zhongping; Ma, Weiyin; Sun, Xianfang

2014-05-01

Traditional 3D model-based bas-relief modeling methods are often limited to model-dependent and monotonic relief styles. This paper presents a novel method for digital bas-relief modeling with intuitive style control. Given a composite normal image, the problem discussed in this paper involves generating a discontinuity-free depth field with high compression of depth data while preserving or even enhancing fine details. In our framework, several layers of normal images are composed into a single normal image. The original normal image on each layer is usually generated from 3D models or through other techniques as described in this paper. The bas-relief style is controlled by choosing a parameter and setting a targeted height for them. Bas-relief modeling and stylization are achieved simultaneously by solving a sparse linear system. Different from previous work, our method can be used to freely design bas-reliefs in normal image space instead of in object space, which makes it possible to use any popular image editing tools for bas-relief modeling. Experiments with a wide range of 3D models and scenes show that our method can effectively generate digital bas-reliefs.

VLSI architectures for computing multiplications and inverses in GF(2m)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, C. C.; Truong, T. K.; Shao, H. M.; Deutsch, L. J.; Omura, J. K.

1985-01-01

Finite field arithmetic logic is central in the implementation of Reed-Solomon coders and in some cryptographic algorithms. There is a need for good multiplication and inversion algorithms that are easily realized on VLSI chips. Massey and Omura recently developed a new multiplication algorithm for Galois fields based on a normal basis representation. A pipeline structure is developed to realize the Massey-Omura multiplier in the finite field GF(2m). With the simple squaring property of the normal-basis representation used together with this multiplier, a pipeline architecture is also developed for computing inverse elements in GF(2m). The designs developed for the Massey-Omura multiplier and the computation of inverse elements are regular, simple, expandable and, therefore, naturally suitable for VLSI implementation.

VLSI architectures for computing multiplications and inverses in GF(2-m)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, C. C.; Truong, T. K.; Shao, H. M.; Deutsch, L. J.; Omura, J. K.; Reed, I. S.

1983-01-01

Finite field arithmetic logic is central in the implementation of Reed-Solomon coders and in some cryptographic algorithms. There is a need for good multiplication and inversion algorithms that are easily realized on VLSI chips. Massey and Omura recently developed a new multiplication algorithm for Galois fields based on a normal basis representation. A pipeline structure is developed to realize the Massey-Omura multiplier in the finite field GF(2m). With the simple squaring property of the normal-basis representation used together with this multiplier, a pipeline architecture is also developed for computing inverse elements in GF(2m). The designs developed for the Massey-Omura multiplier and the computation of inverse elements are regular, simple, expandable and, therefore, naturally suitable for VLSI implementation.

VLSI architectures for computing multiplications and inverses in GF(2m).

PubMed

Wang, C C; Truong, T K; Shao, H M; Deutsch, L J; Omura, J K; Reed, I S

1985-08-01

Finite field arithmetic logic is central in the implementation of Reed-Solomon coders and in some cryptographic algorithms. There is a need for good multiplication and inversion algorithms that can be easily realized on VLSI chips. Massey and Omura recently developed a new multiplication algorithm for Galois fields based on a normal basis representation. In this paper, a pipeline structure is developed to realize the Massey-Omura multiplier in the finite field GF(2m). With the simple squaring property of the normal basis representation used together with this multiplier, a pipeline architecture is developed for computing inverse elements in GF(2m). The designs developed for the Massey-Omura multiplier and the computation of inverse elements are regular, simple, expandable, and therefore, naturally suitable for VLSI implementation.

Bayesian anomaly detection in monitoring data applying relevance vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Tomoo

2011-04-01

A method for automatically classifying the monitoring data into two categories, normal and anomaly, is developed in order to remove anomalous data included in the enormous amount of monitoring data, applying the relevance vector machine (RVM) to a probabilistic discriminative model with basis functions and their weight parameters whose posterior PDF (probabilistic density function) conditional on the learning data set is given by Bayes' theorem. The proposed framework is applied to actual monitoring data sets containing some anomalous data collected at two buildings in Tokyo, Japan, which shows that the trained models discriminate anomalous data from normal data very clearly, giving high probabilities of being normal to normal data and low probabilities of being normal to anomalous data.

Normalization of a chromosomal contact map.

PubMed

Cournac, Axel; Marie-Nelly, Hervé; Marbouty, Martial; Koszul, Romain; Mozziconacci, Julien

2012-08-30

Chromatin organization has been increasingly studied in relation with its important influence on DNA-related metabolic processes such as replication or regulation of gene expression. Since its original design ten years ago, capture of chromosome conformation (3C) has become an essential tool to investigate the overall conformation of chromosomes. It relies on the capture of long-range trans and cis interactions of chromosomal segments whose relative proportions in the final bank reflect their frequencies of interactions, hence their spatial proximity in a population of cells. The recent coupling of 3C with deep sequencing approaches now allows the generation of high resolution genome-wide chromosomal contact maps. Different protocols have been used to generate such maps in various organisms. This includes mammals, drosophila and yeast. The massive amount of raw data generated by the genomic 3C has to be carefully processed to alleviate the various biases and byproducts generated by the experiments. Our study aims at proposing a simple normalization procedure to minimize the influence of these unwanted but inevitable events on the final results. Careful analysis of the raw data generated previously for budding yeast S. cerevisiae led to the identification of three main biases affecting the final datasets, including a previously unknown bias resulting from the circularization of DNA molecules. We then developed a simple normalization procedure to process the data and allow the generation of a normalized, highly contrasted, chromosomal contact map for S. cerevisiae. The same method was then extended to the first human genome contact map. Using the normalized data, we revisited the preferential interactions originally described between subsets of discrete chromosomal features. Notably, the detection of preferential interactions between tRNA in yeast and CTCF, PolII binding sites in human can vary with the normalization procedure used. We quantitatively reanalyzed the genomic 3C data obtained for S. cerevisiae, identified some of the biases inherent to the technique and proposed a simple normalization procedure to analyse them. Such an approach can be easily generalized for genomic 3C experiments in other organisms. More experiments and analysis will be necessary to reach optimal resolution and accuracies of the maps generated through these approaches. Working with cell population presenting highest levels of homogeneity will prove useful in this regards.

Diagnosing and Mapping Pulmonary Emphysema on X-Ray Projection Images: Incremental Value of Grating-Based X-Ray Dark-Field Imaging

PubMed Central

Meinel, Felix G.; Schwab, Felix; Schleede, Simone; Bech, Martin; Herzen, Julia; Achterhold, Klaus; Auweter, Sigrid; Bamberg, Fabian; Yildirim, Ali Ö.; Bohla, Alexander; Eickelberg, Oliver; Loewen, Rod; Gifford, Martin; Ruth, Ronald; Reiser, Maximilian F.; Pfeiffer, Franz; Nikolaou, Konstantin

2013-01-01

Purpose To assess whether grating-based X-ray dark-field imaging can increase the sensitivity of X-ray projection images in the diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema and allow for a more accurate assessment of emphysema distribution. Materials and Methods Lungs from three mice with pulmonary emphysema and three healthy mice were imaged ex vivo using a laser-driven compact synchrotron X-ray source. Median signal intensities of transmission (T), dark-field (V) and a combined parameter (normalized scatter) were compared between emphysema and control group. To determine the diagnostic value of each parameter in differentiating between healthy and emphysematous lung tissue, a receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed both on a per-pixel and a per-individual basis. Parametric maps of emphysema distribution were generated using transmission, dark-field and normalized scatter signal and correlated with histopathology. Results Transmission values relative to water were higher for emphysematous lungs than for control lungs (1.11 vs. 1.06, p<0.001). There was no difference in median dark-field signal intensities between both groups (0.66 vs. 0.66). Median normalized scatter was significantly lower in the emphysematous lungs compared to controls (4.9 vs. 10.8, p<0.001), and was the best parameter for differentiation of healthy vs. emphysematous lung tissue. In a per-pixel analysis, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the normalized scatter value was significantly higher than for transmission (0.86 vs. 0.78, p<0.001) and dark-field value (0.86 vs. 0.52, p<0.001) alone. Normalized scatter showed very high sensitivity for a wide range of specificity values (94% sensitivity at 75% specificity). Using the normalized scatter signal to display the regional distribution of emphysema provides color-coded parametric maps, which show the best correlation with histopathology. Conclusion In a murine model, the complementary information provided by X-ray transmission and dark-field images adds incremental diagnostic value in detecting pulmonary emphysema and visualizing its regional distribution as compared to conventional X-ray projections. PMID:23555692

Diagnosing and mapping pulmonary emphysema on X-ray projection images: incremental value of grating-based X-ray dark-field imaging.

PubMed

Meinel, Felix G; Schwab, Felix; Schleede, Simone; Bech, Martin; Herzen, Julia; Achterhold, Klaus; Auweter, Sigrid; Bamberg, Fabian; Yildirim, Ali Ö; Bohla, Alexander; Eickelberg, Oliver; Loewen, Rod; Gifford, Martin; Ruth, Ronald; Reiser, Maximilian F; Pfeiffer, Franz; Nikolaou, Konstantin

2013-01-01

To assess whether grating-based X-ray dark-field imaging can increase the sensitivity of X-ray projection images in the diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema and allow for a more accurate assessment of emphysema distribution. Lungs from three mice with pulmonary emphysema and three healthy mice were imaged ex vivo using a laser-driven compact synchrotron X-ray source. Median signal intensities of transmission (T), dark-field (V) and a combined parameter (normalized scatter) were compared between emphysema and control group. To determine the diagnostic value of each parameter in differentiating between healthy and emphysematous lung tissue, a receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed both on a per-pixel and a per-individual basis. Parametric maps of emphysema distribution were generated using transmission, dark-field and normalized scatter signal and correlated with histopathology. Transmission values relative to water were higher for emphysematous lungs than for control lungs (1.11 vs. 1.06, p<0.001). There was no difference in median dark-field signal intensities between both groups (0.66 vs. 0.66). Median normalized scatter was significantly lower in the emphysematous lungs compared to controls (4.9 vs. 10.8, p<0.001), and was the best parameter for differentiation of healthy vs. emphysematous lung tissue. In a per-pixel analysis, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the normalized scatter value was significantly higher than for transmission (0.86 vs. 0.78, p<0.001) and dark-field value (0.86 vs. 0.52, p<0.001) alone. Normalized scatter showed very high sensitivity for a wide range of specificity values (94% sensitivity at 75% specificity). Using the normalized scatter signal to display the regional distribution of emphysema provides color-coded parametric maps, which show the best correlation with histopathology. In a murine model, the complementary information provided by X-ray transmission and dark-field images adds incremental diagnostic value in detecting pulmonary emphysema and visualizing its regional distribution as compared to conventional X-ray projections.

Normal isometric strength of rotatorcuff muscles in adults.

PubMed

Chezar, A; Berkovitch, Y; Haddad, M; Keren, Y; Soudry, M; Rosenberg, N

2013-01-01

The most prevalent disorders of the shoulder are related to the muscles of rotator cuff. In order to develop a mechanical method for the evaluation of the rotator cuff muscles, we created a database of isometric force generation by the rotator cuff muscles in normal adult population. We hypothesised the existence of variations according to age, gender and dominancy of limb. A total of 400 healthy adult volunteers were tested, classified into groups of 50 men and women for each decade of life. Maximal isometric force was measured at standardised positions for supraspinatus, infraspinatus and subscapularis muscles in both shoulders in every person. Torque of the force was calculated and normalised to lean body mass. The profiles of mean torque-time curves for each age and gender group were compared. Our data showed that men gradually gained maximal strength in the fifth decade, and showed decreased strength in the sixth. In women the maximal strength was gained in the fourth decade with gradual decline to the sixth decade of life. The dominant arm was stronger in most of the tested groups. The torque profiles of the rotator cuff muscles in men at all ages were significantly higher than that in women. We found previously unrecognised variations of rotator cuff muscles' isometric strength according to age, gender and dominancy in a normal population. The presented data may serve as a basis for the future studies for identification of the abnormal patterns of muscle isometric strength in patients with pathology of the rotator cuff muscles. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2013;2:214-19.

Industrial process surveillance system

DOEpatents

Gross, Kenneth C.; Wegerich, Stephan W.; Singer, Ralph M.; Mott, Jack E.

1998-01-01

A system and method for monitoring an industrial process and/or industrial data source. The system includes generating time varying data from industrial data sources, processing the data to obtain time correlation of the data, determining the range of data, determining learned states of normal operation and using these states to generate expected values, comparing the expected values to current actual values to identify a current state of the process closest to a learned, normal state; generating a set of modeled data, and processing the modeled data to identify a data pattern and generating an alarm upon detecting a deviation from normalcy.

Industrial process surveillance system

DOEpatents

Gross, K.C.; Wegerich, S.W.; Singer, R.M.; Mott, J.E.

1998-06-09

A system and method are disclosed for monitoring an industrial process and/or industrial data source. The system includes generating time varying data from industrial data sources, processing the data to obtain time correlation of the data, determining the range of data, determining learned states of normal operation and using these states to generate expected values, comparing the expected values to current actual values to identify a current state of the process closest to a learned, normal state; generating a set of modeled data, and processing the modeled data to identify a data pattern and generating an alarm upon detecting a deviation from normalcy. 96 figs.

Industrial Process Surveillance System

DOEpatents

Gross, Kenneth C.; Wegerich, Stephan W; Singer, Ralph M.; Mott, Jack E.

2001-01-30

A system and method for monitoring an industrial process and/or industrial data source. The system includes generating time varying data from industrial data sources, processing the data to obtain time correlation of the data, determining the range of data, determining learned states of normal operation and using these states to generate expected values, comparing the expected values to current actual values to identify a current state of the process closest to a learned, normal state; generating a set of modeled data, and processing the modeled data to identify a data pattern and generating an alarm upon detecting a deviation from normalcy.

49 CFR 192.614 - Damage prevention program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., blasting, boring, tunneling, backfilling, the removal of aboveground structures by either explosive or...) Include the identity, on a current basis, of persons who normally engage in excavation activities in the...

49 CFR 192.614 - Damage prevention program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., blasting, boring, tunneling, backfilling, the removal of aboveground structures by either explosive or...) Include the identity, on a current basis, of persons who normally engage in excavation activities in the...

49 CFR 192.614 - Damage prevention program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., blasting, boring, tunneling, backfilling, the removal of aboveground structures by either explosive or...) Include the identity, on a current basis, of persons who normally engage in excavation activities in the...

49 CFR 192.614 - Damage prevention program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., blasting, boring, tunneling, backfilling, the removal of aboveground structures by either explosive or...) Include the identity, on a current basis, of persons who normally engage in excavation activities in the...

49 CFR 192.614 - Damage prevention program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., blasting, boring, tunneling, backfilling, the removal of aboveground structures by either explosive or...) Include the identity, on a current basis, of persons who normally engage in excavation activities in the...

Miscarriage

MedlinePlus

... Normal and Problem Pregnancies . 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 41. Ellenson LH, Pirog EC. The ... Pathologic Basis of Disease . 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015:chap 22. Hobel CJ, Williams J. ...

Normalized Metadata Generation for Human Retrieval Using Multiple Video Surveillance Cameras.

PubMed

Jung, Jaehoon; Yoon, Inhye; Lee, Seungwon; Paik, Joonki

2016-06-24

Since it is impossible for surveillance personnel to keep monitoring videos from a multiple camera-based surveillance system, an efficient technique is needed to help recognize important situations by retrieving the metadata of an object-of-interest. In a multiple camera-based surveillance system, an object detected in a camera has a different shape in another camera, which is a critical issue of wide-range, real-time surveillance systems. In order to address the problem, this paper presents an object retrieval method by extracting the normalized metadata of an object-of-interest from multiple, heterogeneous cameras. The proposed metadata generation algorithm consists of three steps: (i) generation of a three-dimensional (3D) human model; (ii) human object-based automatic scene calibration; and (iii) metadata generation. More specifically, an appropriately-generated 3D human model provides the foot-to-head direction information that is used as the input of the automatic calibration of each camera. The normalized object information is used to retrieve an object-of-interest in a wide-range, multiple-camera surveillance system in the form of metadata. Experimental results show that the 3D human model matches the ground truth, and automatic calibration-based normalization of metadata enables a successful retrieval and tracking of a human object in the multiple-camera video surveillance system.

Normalized Metadata Generation for Human Retrieval Using Multiple Video Surveillance Cameras

PubMed Central

Jung, Jaehoon; Yoon, Inhye; Lee, Seungwon; Paik, Joonki

2016-01-01

Since it is impossible for surveillance personnel to keep monitoring videos from a multiple camera-based surveillance system, an efficient technique is needed to help recognize important situations by retrieving the metadata of an object-of-interest. In a multiple camera-based surveillance system, an object detected in a camera has a different shape in another camera, which is a critical issue of wide-range, real-time surveillance systems. In order to address the problem, this paper presents an object retrieval method by extracting the normalized metadata of an object-of-interest from multiple, heterogeneous cameras. The proposed metadata generation algorithm consists of three steps: (i) generation of a three-dimensional (3D) human model; (ii) human object-based automatic scene calibration; and (iii) metadata generation. More specifically, an appropriately-generated 3D human model provides the foot-to-head direction information that is used as the input of the automatic calibration of each camera. The normalized object information is used to retrieve an object-of-interest in a wide-range, multiple-camera surveillance system in the form of metadata. Experimental results show that the 3D human model matches the ground truth, and automatic calibration-based normalization of metadata enables a successful retrieval and tracking of a human object in the multiple-camera video surveillance system. PMID:27347961

Unprompted generation of obesity stereotypes.

PubMed

Horsburgh-McLeod, G; Latner, J D; O'Brien, K S

2009-01-01

Prejudice towards obese people is widespread and has negative consequences for individuals with obesity. The present study covertly examined whether participants spontaneously generate different written transcript content (i.e., more negative stereotypes) when presented with a picture of an obese person or a normal-weight person. Two pictures of young women were computer generated to appear identical in all features except for body shape, which was either obese or normal-weight. Forty-nine women blind to the nature of the study were randomized to receive either the obese or normal-weight picture and asked to write a free-response description of a typical "day in the life" of the woman depicted. Independent coding of the transcripts revealed more frequent negative stereotypes and more negative valence generated by participants asked to describe a typical day of the obese target. These differences are consistent with the prevalent negative stereotypes of obese individuals.

Independent representation of parts and the relations between them: evidence from integrative agnosia.

PubMed

Behrmann, Marlene; Peterson, Mary A; Moscovitch, Morris; Suzuki, Satoru

2006-10-01

Whether objects are represented as a collection of parts whose relations are coded independently remains a topic of ongoing discussion among theorists in the domain of shape perception. S. M., an individual with integrative agnosia, and neurologically intact ("normal") individuals learned initially to identify 4 target objects constructed of 2 simple volumetric parts. At test, the targets were mixed with distractors, some of which could be discriminated from the targets on the basis of a mismatching part, whereas the rest could be discriminated only on the basis of the altered spatial arrangements of parts. S. M. learned to identify the target objects, although at a rate slower than that of the normal participants. At test, he correctly rejected distractors on the basis of mismatching parts but was profoundly impaired at rejecting distractors made of the same local components but with mismatching spatial arrangements. These results suggest that encoding the spatial arrangements of parts of an object requires a mechanism that is different from that required for encoding the shape of individual parts, with the former selectively compromised in integrative agnosia. Copyright 2006 APA.

Prediction of forced expiratory volume in pulmonary function test using radial basis neural networks and k-means clustering.

PubMed

Manoharan, Sujatha C; Ramakrishnan, Swaminathan

2009-10-01

In this work, prediction of forced expiratory volume in pulmonary function test, carried out using spirometry and neural networks is presented. The pulmonary function data were recorded from volunteers using commercial available flow volume spirometer in standard acquisition protocol. The Radial Basis Function neural networks were used to predict forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) from the recorded flow volume curves. The optimal centres of the hidden layer of radial basis function were determined by k-means clustering algorithm. The performance of the neural network model was evaluated by computing their prediction error statistics of average value, standard deviation, root mean square and their correlation with the true data for normal, restrictive and obstructive cases. Results show that the adopted neural networks are capable of predicting FEV1 in both normal and abnormal cases. Prediction accuracy was more in obstructive abnormality when compared to restrictive cases. It appears that this method of assessment is useful in diagnosing the pulmonary abnormalities with incomplete data and data with poor recording.

Engineering ultra-flattened normal dispersion photonic crystal fiber with silica material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferhat, Mohamed Lamine; Cherbi, Lynda; Bahloul, Lies; Hariz, Abdelhafid

2017-05-01

The tailoring of the group velocity dispersion (GVD) of an optical fiber is critical in many applications, influence on the bandwidth of information transmission in optical communication systems, successful utilization of nonlinear optical properties in applications such as supercontinuum generation, wavelength conversion and harmonic generation via stimulated Raman scattering ...In this work, we propose a design of ultra-flattened photonic crystal fiber by changing the diameter of the air holes of the cladding rings. The geometry is composed of only four rings, hexagonal structure of air holes and silica as background of the solid core. As a result, we present structures with broadband flat normal dispersion on many wavelengths bands useful for several applications. We obtain flat normal dispersion over 1000 nm broadband flat normal dispersion below -7 [ps/nm.km], and ultra-flat near zero normal dispersion below -0.2 [ps/nm.km] over 150 nm. The modeled photonic crystal fiber would be valuable for the fabrication of ultra-flattened-dispersion fibers, and have potential applications in wide-band high-speed optical communication systems, supercontinuum generation and many other applications.

Effects of Elicitation Procedures on the Narratives of Normal and Closed Head-Injured Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liles, Betty Z.; And Others

1989-01-01

Twenty-three normal adults and four closed head-injured (CHI) adults with a high level of language recovery retold and generated stories. The two tasks differentially influenced the performance of both groups. The two groups differed in measures of cohesiveness and story grammar only in the story generation task. (Author/JDD)

STANLEY (Sandia Text ANaLysis Extensible librarY) Ver. 1.1

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

BENZ, ZACHARY; APODACA, VINCENT; BASILICO, JUSTIN

2009-11-10

Reusable, extensible text analysis library. This library forms the basis for the automated generation of cognitive models from text for Sandia's Cognition program. It also is the basis for the suite of underlying, related applications.

Milk Allergy in Infants

MedlinePlus

... which normally fights infections, overreacts to proteins in cow's milk (the basis for most commercial baby formulas). ... days to weeks after they're first given cow milk-based formula. Breastfed infants have a lower ...

Some Advances in Downscaling Probabilistic Climate Forecasts for Agricultural Decision Support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, E.; Ines, A.

2015-12-01

Seasonal climate forecasts, commonly provided in tercile-probabilities format (below-, near- and above-normal), need to be translated into more meaningful information for decision support of practitioners in agriculture. In this paper, we will present two new novel approaches to temporally downscale probabilistic seasonal climate forecasts: one non-parametric and another parametric method. First, the non-parametric downscaling approach called FResampler1 uses the concept of 'conditional block sampling' of weather data to create daily weather realizations of a tercile-based seasonal climate forecasts. FResampler1 randomly draws time series of daily weather parameters (e.g., rainfall, maximum and minimum temperature and solar radiation) from historical records, for the season of interest from years that belong to a certain rainfall tercile category (e.g., being below-, near- and above-normal). In this way, FResampler1 preserves the covariance between rainfall and other weather parameters as if conditionally sampling maximum and minimum temperature and solar radiation if that day is wet or dry. The second approach called predictWTD is a parametric method based on a conditional stochastic weather generator. The tercile-based seasonal climate forecast is converted into a theoretical forecast cumulative probability curve. Then the deviates for each percentile is converted into rainfall amount or frequency or intensity to downscale the 'full' distribution of probabilistic seasonal climate forecasts. Those seasonal deviates are then disaggregated on a monthly basis and used to constrain the downscaling of forecast realizations at different percentile values of the theoretical forecast curve. As well as the theoretical basis of the approaches we will discuss sensitivity analysis (length of data and size of samples) of them. In addition their potential applications for managing climate-related risks in agriculture will be shown through a couple of case studies based on actual seasonal climate forecasts for: rice cropping in the Philippines and maize cropping in India and Kenya.

Text analysis devices, articles of manufacture, and text analysis methods

DOEpatents

Turner, Alan E; Hetzler, Elizabeth G; Nakamura, Grant C

2013-05-28

Text analysis devices, articles of manufacture, and text analysis methods are described according to some aspects. In one aspect, a text analysis device includes processing circuitry configured to analyze initial text to generate a measurement basis usable in analysis of subsequent text, wherein the measurement basis comprises a plurality of measurement features from the initial text, a plurality of dimension anchors from the initial text and a plurality of associations of the measurement features with the dimension anchors, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to access a viewpoint indicative of a perspective of interest of a user with respect to the analysis of the subsequent text, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use the viewpoint to generate the measurement basis.

Are soluble factors relevant for polymorphonuclear leukocyte dysregulation in septicemia?

PubMed Central

Wenisch, C; Graninger, W

1995-01-01

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) of twelve patients with gram-negative septicemia exhibited a decreased capacity to phagocytize Escherichia coli and generate reactive oxygen products which normalized within 7 days of treatment. Ex vivo exchange of plasma from age-, sex-, and blood-group-identical normal controls resulted in an increase of both phagocytic capacity and reactive oxygen intermediate generation in PMNs of septicemic patients and transiently reduced phagocytosis and reactive oxygen intermediate production in PMNs of normal controls. These results suggest that extrinsic factors are crucial for PMN function. PMID:7697538

Method for construction of normalized cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Soares, Marcelo B.; Efstratiadis, Argiris

1996-01-01

This invention provides a method to normalize a directional cDNA library constructed in a vector that allows propagation in single-stranded circle form comprising: (a) propagating the directional cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating fragments complementary to the 3' noncoding sequence of the single-stranded circles in the library to produce partial duplexes; (c) purifying the partial duplexes; (d) melting and reassociating the purified partial duplexes to moderate Cot; and (e) purifying the unassociated single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library.

Method for construction of normalized cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Soares, M.B.; Efstratiadis, A.

1996-01-09

This invention provides a method to normalize a directional cDNA library constructed in a vector that allows propagation in single-stranded circle form. The method comprises: (a) propagating the directional cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating fragments complementary to the 3` noncoding sequence of the single-stranded circles in the library to produce partial duplexes; (c) purifying the partial duplexes; (d) melting and reassociating the purified partial duplexes to moderate Cot; and (e) purifying the unassociated single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. 4 figs.

MODIS. Volume 2: MODIS level 1 geolocation, characterization and calibration algorithm theoretical basis document, version 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, John L.; Harnden, Joann M. K.; Montgomery, Harry; Anuta, Paul; Kvaran, Geir; Knight, ED; Bryant, Tom; Mckay, AL; Smid, Jon; Knowles, Dan, Jr.

1994-01-01

The EOS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) is being developed by NASA for flight on the Earth Observing System (EOS) series of satellites, the first of which (EOS-AM-1) is scheduled for launch in 1998. This document describes the algorithms and their theoretical basis for the MODIS Level 1B characterization, calibration, and geolocation algorithms which must produce radiometrically, spectrally, and spatially calibrated data with sufficient accuracy so that Global change research programs can detect minute changes in biogeophysical parameters. The document first describes the geolocation algorithm which determines geodetic latitude, longitude, and elevation of each MODIS pixel and the determination of geometric parameters for each observation (satellite zenith angle, satellite azimuth, range to the satellite, solar zenith angle, and solar azimuth). Next, the utilization of the MODIS onboard calibration sources, which consist of the Spectroradiometric Calibration Assembly (SRCA), Solar Diffuser (SD), Solar Diffuser Stability Monitor (SDSM), and the Blackbody (BB), is treated. Characterization of these sources and integration of measurements into the calibration process is described. Finally, the use of external sources, including the Moon, instrumented sites on the Earth (called vicarious calibration), and unsupervised normalization sites having invariant reflectance and emissive properties is treated. Finally, algorithms for generating utility masks needed for scene-based calibration are discussed. Eight appendices are provided, covering instrument design and additional algorithm details.

Experimental investigation of protein folding and misfolding.

PubMed

Dobson, Christopher M

2004-09-01

Newly synthesised proteins need to fold, often to intricate and close-packed structures, in order to function. The underlying mechanism by which this complex process takes place both in vitro and in vivo is now becoming understood, at least in general terms, as a result of the application of a wide range of biophysical and computational methods used in combination with the techniques of biochemistry and protein engineering. It is increasingly apparent, however, that folding is not only crucial for generating biological activity, but that it is also coupled to a wide range of processes within the cell, ranging from the trafficking of proteins to specific organelles to the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Not surprisingly, therefore, the failure of proteins to fold appropriately, or to remain correctly folded, is associated with a large number of cellular malfunctions that give rise to disease. Misfolding, and its consequences such as aggregation, can be investigated by extending the types of techniques used to study the normal folding process. Application of these techniques is enabling the development of a unified description of the interconversion and regulation of the different conformational states available to proteins in living systems. Such a description proves a generic basis for understanding the fundamental links between protein misfolding and its associated clinical disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Type II diabetes, and for exploring novel therapeutic strategies directed at their prevention and treatment on a rational basis.

Enhanced Vertical Perception through Head-Related Impulse Response Customization Based on Pinna Response Tuning in the Median Plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Ki Hoon; Park, Youngjin

Human's ability to perceive elevation of a sound and distinguish whether a sound is coming from the front or rear strongly depends on the monaural spectral features of the pinnae. In order to realize an effective virtual auditory display by HRTF (head-related transfer function) customization, the pinna responses were isolated from the median HRIRs (head-related impulse responses) of 45 individual HRIRs in the CIPIC HRTF database and modeled as linear combinations of 4 or 5 basic temporal shapes (basis functions) per each elevation on the median plane by PCA (principal components analysis) in the time domain. By tuning the weight of each basis function computed for a specific height to replace the pinna response in the KEMAR HRIR at the same height with the resulting customized pinna response and listening to the filtered stimuli over headphones, 4 individuals with normal hearing sensitivity were able to create a set of HRIRs that outperformed the KEMAR HRIRs in producing vertical effects with reduced front/back ambiguity in the median plane. Since the monaural spectral features of the pinnae are almost independent of azimuthal variation of the source direction, similar vertical effects could also be generated at different azimuthal directions simply by varying the ITD (interaural time difference) according to the direction as well as the size of each individual's own head.

An Approach for Reducing the Error Rate in Automated Lung Segmentation

PubMed Central

Gill, Gurman; Beichel, Reinhard R.

2016-01-01

Robust lung segmentation is challenging, especially when tens of thousands of lung CT scans need to be processed, as required by large multi-center studies. The goal of this work was to develop and assess a method for the fusion of segmentation results from two different methods to generate lung segmentations that have a lower failure rate than individual input segmentations. As basis for the fusion approach, lung segmentations generated with a region growing and model-based approach were utilized. The fusion result was generated by comparing input segmentations and selectively combining them using a trained classification system. The method was evaluated on a diverse set of 204 CT scans of normal and diseased lungs. The fusion approach resulted in a Dice coefficient of 0.9855 ± 0.0106 and showed a statistically significant improvement compared to both input segmentation methods. In addition, the failure rate at different segmentation accuracy levels was assessed. For example, when requiring that lung segmentations must have a Dice coefficient of better than 0.97, the fusion approach had a failure rate of 6.13%. In contrast, the failure rate for region growing and model-based methods was 18.14% and 15.69%, respectively. Therefore, the proposed method improves the quality of the lung segmentations, which is important for subsequent quantitative analysis of lungs. Also, to enable a comparison with other methods, results on the LOLA11 challenge test set are reported. PMID:27447897

The conditional power of randomization tests for single-case effect sizes in designs with randomized treatment order: A Monte Carlo simulation study.

PubMed

Michiels, Bart; Heyvaert, Mieke; Onghena, Patrick

2018-04-01

The conditional power (CP) of the randomization test (RT) was investigated in a simulation study in which three different single-case effect size (ES) measures were used as the test statistics: the mean difference (MD), the percentage of nonoverlapping data (PND), and the nonoverlap of all pairs (NAP). Furthermore, we studied the effect of the experimental design on the RT's CP for three different single-case designs with rapid treatment alternation: the completely randomized design (CRD), the randomized block design (RBD), and the restricted randomized alternation design (RRAD). As a third goal, we evaluated the CP of the RT for three types of simulated data: data generated from a standard normal distribution, data generated from a uniform distribution, and data generated from a first-order autoregressive Gaussian process. The results showed that the MD and NAP perform very similarly in terms of CP, whereas the PND performs substantially worse. Furthermore, the RRAD yielded marginally higher power in the RT, followed by the CRD and then the RBD. Finally, the power of the RT was almost unaffected by the type of the simulated data. On the basis of the results of the simulation study, we recommend at least 20 measurement occasions for single-case designs with a randomized treatment order that are to be evaluated with an RT using a 5% significance level. Furthermore, we do not recommend use of the PND, because of its low power in the RT.

Involution and Difference Schemes for the Navier-Stokes Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerdt, Vladimir P.; Blinkov, Yuri A.

In the present paper we consider the Navier-Stokes equations for the two-dimensional viscous incompressible fluid flows and apply to these equations our earlier designed general algorithmic approach to generation of finite-difference schemes. In doing so, we complete first the Navier-Stokes equations to involution by computing their Janet basis and discretize this basis by its conversion into the integral conservation law form. Then we again complete the obtained difference system to involution with eliminating the partial derivatives and extracting the minimal Gröbner basis from the Janet basis. The elements in the obtained difference Gröbner basis that do not contain partial derivatives of the dependent variables compose a conservative difference scheme. By exploiting arbitrariness in the numerical integration approximation we derive two finite-difference schemes that are similar to the classical scheme by Harlow and Welch. Each of the two schemes is characterized by a 5×5 stencil on an orthogonal and uniform grid. We also demonstrate how an inconsistent difference scheme with a 3×3 stencil is generated by an inappropriate numerical approximation of the underlying integrals.

Correlation, Cost Risk, and Geometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dean, Edwin B.

1992-01-01

The geometric viewpoint identifies the choice of a correlation matrix for the simulation of cost risk with the pairwise choice of data vectors corresponding to the parameters used to obtain cost risk. The correlation coefficient is the cosine of the angle between the data vectors after translation to an origin at the mean and normalization for magnitude. Thus correlation is equivalent to expressing the data in terms of a non orthogonal basis. To understand the many resulting phenomena requires the use of the tensor concept of raising the index to transform the measured and observed covariant components into contravariant components before vector addition can be applied. The geometric viewpoint also demonstrates that correlation and covariance are geometric properties, as opposed to purely statistical properties, of the variates. Thus, variates from different distributions may be correlated, as desired, after selection from independent distributions. By determining the principal components of the correlation matrix, variates with the desired mean, magnitude, and correlation can be generated through linear transforms which include the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors of the correlation matrix. The conversion of the data to a non orthogonal basis uses a compound linear transformation which distorts or stretches the data space. Hence, the correlated data does not have the same properties as the uncorrelated data used to generate it. This phenomena is responsible for seemingly strange observations such as the fact that the marginal distributions of the correlated data can be quite different from the distributions used to generate the data. The joint effect of statistical distributions and correlation remains a fertile area for further research. In terms of application to cost estimating, the geometric approach demonstrates that the estimator must have data and must understand that data in order to properly choose the correlation matrix appropriate for a given estimate. There is a general feeling by employers and managers that the field of cost requires little technical or mathematical background. Contrary to that opinion, this paper demonstrates that a background in mathematics equivalent to that needed for typical engineering and scientific disciplines at the masters or doctorate level is appropriate within the field of cost risk.

Volume-preserving normal forms of Hopf-zero singularity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gazor, Majid; Mokhtari, Fahimeh

2013-10-01

A practical method is described for computing the unique generator of the algebra of first integrals associated with a large class of Hopf-zero singularity. The set of all volume-preserving classical normal forms of this singularity is introduced via a Lie algebra description. This is a maximal vector space of classical normal forms with first integral; this is whence our approach works. Systems with a nonzero condition on their quadratic parts are considered. The algebra of all first integrals for any such system has a unique (modulo scalar multiplication) generator. The infinite level volume-preserving parametric normal forms of any nondegenerate perturbation within the Lie algebra of any such system is computed, where it can have rich dynamics. The associated unique generator of the algebra of first integrals are derived. The symmetry group of the infinite level normal forms are also discussed. Some necessary formulas are derived and applied to appropriately modified Rössler and generalized Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equations to demonstrate the applicability of our theoretical results. An approach (introduced by Iooss and Lombardi) is applied to find an optimal truncation for the first level normal forms of these examples with exponentially small remainders. The numerically suggested radius of convergence (for the first integral) associated with a hypernormalization step is discussed for the truncated first level normal forms of the examples. This is achieved by an efficient implementation of the results using Maple.

Artificial gravity reveals that economy of action determines the stability of sensorimotor coordination.

PubMed

Carson, Richard G; Oytam, Yalchin; Riek, Stephan

2009-01-01

When we move along in time with a piece of music, we synchronise the downward phase of our gesture with the beat. While it is easy to demonstrate this tendency, there is considerable debate as to its neural origins. It may have a structural basis, whereby the gravitational field acts as an orientation reference that biases the formulation of motor commands. Alternatively, it may be functional, and related to the economy with which motion assisted by gravity can be generated by the motor system. We used a robotic system to generate a mathematical model of the gravitational forces acting upon the hand, and then to reverse the effect of gravity, and invert the weight of the limb. In these circumstances, patterns of coordination in which the upward phase of rhythmic hand movements coincided with the beat of a metronome were more stable than those in which downward movements were made on the beat. When a normal gravitational force was present, movements made down-on-the-beat were more stable than those made up-on-the-beat. The ubiquitous tendency to make a downward movement on a musical beat arises not from the perception of gravity, but as a result of the economy of action that derives from its exploitation.

Formaldehyde and some fully n-methylated substances in boar seminal fluids. Short communication.

PubMed

Szilágyi, M; Németh, Z I; Albert, L; Sarlós, P; Tyihák, E

2006-03-01

On the basis of recent observations it is supposed that seminal fluids may contain--mainly in hydroxymethyl groups--formaldehyde (HCHO) and quaternary ammonium compounds as potential HCHO generators, therefore, preliminary investigations were carried out for the identification of these compounds in pig seminal fluids using OPLC, HPLC and MALDI MS techniques. The fresh pig seminal fluid was frozen in liquid nitrogen, powdered and aliquots (0.25 g) were treated with 0.7 ml ethanolic dimedone solution. The suspension was centrifuged and the clear supernatant was used for analysis by OPLC or after dilution with HPLC or MALDI MS technique. After OPLC separation of formaldemethone the fully N-methylated compounds which are stayed on the start point were separated by OPLC using an other eluent system. It has been established that the HCHO is really a normal component of the pig seminal fluid, as well. It can be isolated and identified in dimedone adduct form. The measurable amount of HCHO depended on the concentration applied of dimedone. According to OPLC and MALDI MS investigations L-carnitine is the main quaternary ammonium compound in pig seminal fluid which can generate a protection of the sperm cells against environmental and other influences. Considerable differences have been found among individuals concerning concentrations of quaternary ammonium compounds in the seminal fluid of pigs.

Optical Biomarkers of Serous and Mucinous Human Ovarian Tumor Assessed with Nonlinear Optics Microscopies

PubMed Central

Adur, Javier; Pelegati, Vitor B.; de Thomaz, Andre A.; Baratti, Mariana O.; Almeida, Diogo B.; Andrade, L. A. L. A.; Bottcher-Luiz, Fátima; Carvalho, Hernandes F.; Cesar, Carlos L.

2012-01-01

Background Nonlinear optical (NLO) microscopy techniques have potential to improve the early detection of epithelial ovarian cancer. In this study we showed that multimodal NLO microscopies, including two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF), second-harmonic generation (SHG), third-harmonic generation (THG) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) can detect morphological and metabolic changes associated with ovarian cancer progression. Methodology/Principal Findings We obtained strong TPEF + SHG + THG signals from fixed samples stained with Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) and robust FLIM signal from fixed unstained samples. Particularly, we imaged 34 ovarian biopsies from different patients (median age, 49 years) including 5 normal ovarian tissue, 18 serous tumors and 11 mucinous tumors with the multimodal NLO platform developed in our laboratory. We have been able to distinguish adenomas, borderline, and adenocarcinomas specimens. Using a complete set of scoring methods we found significant differences in the content, distribution and organization of collagen fibrils in the stroma as well as in the morphology and fluorescence lifetime from epithelial ovarian cells. Conclusions/Significance NLO microscopes provide complementary information about tissue microstructure, showing distinctive patterns for serous and mucinous ovarian tumors. The results provide a basis to interpret future NLO images of ovarian tissue and lay the foundation for future in vivo optical evaluation of premature ovarian lesions. PMID:23056557

POD analysis of the instability mode of a low-speed streak in a laminar boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Si-Chao; Pan, Chong; Wang, Jin-Jun; Rinoshika, Akira

2017-12-01

The instability of one single low-speed streak in a zero-pressure-gradient laminar boundary layer is investigated experimentally via both hydrogen bubble visualization and planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurement. A single low-speed streak is generated and destabilized by the wake of an interference wire positioned normal to the wall and in the upstream. The downstream development of the streak includes secondary instability and self-reproduction process, which leads to the generation of two additional streaks appearing on either side of the primary one. A proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis of PIV measured velocity field is used to identify the components of the streak instability in the POD mode space: for a sinuous/varicose type of POD mode, its basis functions present anti-symmetric/symmetric distributions about the streak centerline in the streamwise component, and the symmetry condition reverses in the spanwise component. It is further shown that sinuous mode dominates the turbulent kinematic energy (TKE) through the whole streak evolution process, the TKE content first increases along the streamwise direction to a saturation value and then decays slowly. In contrast, varicose mode exhibits a sustained growth of the TKE content, suggesting an increasing competition of varicose instability against sinuous instability.

Assessment of the potential suitability of selected commercially available enzymes for cleaning-in-place (CIP) in the dairy industry.

PubMed

Boyce, Angela; Piterina, Anna V; Walsh, Gary

2010-10-01

The potential suitability of 10 commercial protease and lipase products for cleaning-in-place (CIP) application in the dairy industry was investigated on a laboratory scale. Assessment was based primarily on the ability of the enzymes to remove an experimentally generated milk fouling deposit from stainless steel (SS) panels. Three protease products were identified as being most suitable for this application on the basis of their cleaning performance at 40 °C, which was comparable to that of the commonly used cleaning agent, 1% NaOH at 60 °C. This was judged by quantification of residual organic matter and protein on the SS surface after cleaning and analysis by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). Enzyme activity was removed/inactivated under conditions simulating those normally undertaken after cleaning (rinsing with water, acid circulation, sanitation). Preliminary process-scale studies strongly suggest that enzyme-based CIP achieves satisfactory cleaning at an industrial scale. Cost analysis indicates that replacing caustic-based cleaning procedures with biodegradable enzymes operating at lower temperatures would be economically viable. Additional potential benefits include decreased energy and water consumption, improved safety, reduced waste generation, greater compatibility with wastewater treatment processes and a reduction in the environmental impact of the cleaning process.

Effects of iron oxide contrast agent in combination with various transfection agents during mesenchymal stem cells labelling: An in vitro toxicological evaluation.

PubMed

Mishra, Sushanta Kumar; Khushu, Subash; Gangenahalli, Gurudutta

2018-03-22

The use of iron oxide nanoparticles for different biomedical applications, hold immense promise to develop negative tissue contrast in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Previously, we have optimized the labelling of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with iron oxide nanoparticles complexed to different transfection agents like poly-l-lysine (IO-PLL) and protamine sulfate (Fe-Pro) on the basis of relaxation behaviour and its biological expressions. However, there is a distinct need to investigate the biocompatibility and biosafety concerns coupled with its cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. This study was prepared to evaluate the viability of cells, generation of ROS, changes in actin cytoskeleton, investigation of cell death, level of GSH and TAC, activities of SOD and GPx, and stability of DNA in MSCs after labelling. Results demonstrated a marginal alteration in toxicological parameters like ROS generation, cell length, actin cytoskeleton, total apoptosis and DNA damage was detected after stem cell labelling. Insignificant depletion of GSH and SOD level, and increase in GPx and TAC level in MSCs were measured after labelling with IO-PLL and Fe-Pro complexes, which later on recovered and normalized to its baseline. This MSCs labelling could provide a reference guideline for toxicological analysis and relaxometry based in vivo MRI detection. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A Conceptual Basis for Developing Common Curricula in Teacher Education Programs for Occupational Education. Graduate Studies in Education, Number 2, Volume 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Courtney, E. Wayne

The purpose of this document was to generate a rationale and a design for planning a conceptual basis for developing common curriculums in vocational teacher education training programs. A review of the literature discusses heuristic approaches to teacher education, the rational basis for common programs, empirical studies in teacher education,…

A Study on Gröbner Basis with Inexact Input

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagasaka, Kosaku

Gröbner basis is one of the most important tools in recent symbolic algebraic computations. However, computing a Gröbner basis for the given polynomial ideal is not easy and it is not numerically stable if polynomials have inexact coefficients. In this paper, we study what we should get for computing a Gröbner basis with inexact coefficients and introduce a naive method to compute a Gröbner basis by reduced row echelon form, for the ideal generated by the given polynomial set having a priori errors on their coefficients.

14 CFR 1214.809 - Short-term call-up and accelerated launch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... short-term call-up and accelerated launch provisions of the Shuttle policy normally are not offered to Spacelab customers. NASA will negotiate any such customer requirements on an individual basis. ...

14 CFR 1214.809 - Short-term call-up and accelerated launch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... short-term call-up and accelerated launch provisions of the Shuttle policy normally are not offered to Spacelab customers. NASA will negotiate any such customer requirements on an individual basis. ...

14 CFR 1214.809 - Short-term call-up and accelerated launch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... short-term call-up and accelerated launch provisions of the Shuttle policy normally are not offered to Spacelab customers. NASA will negotiate any such customer requirements on an individual basis. ...

14 CFR 1214.809 - Short-term call-up and accelerated launch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... short-term call-up and accelerated launch provisions of the Shuttle policy normally are not offered to Spacelab customers. NASA will negotiate any such customer requirements on an individual basis. ...

Equivalent Safety Basis for Evaluation of On-Site Packages for US DOE Facilities

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

Smith, A.C.

Packages for transport of radioactive material within the boundaries of a Department of Energy facility (on-site) must conform to the requirements for packages shipped in normal commerce, or must provide equivalent safety. Equivalence is achieved if the frequency of severe on-site accidents, which could result in a release of radioactive material, is less than or equal to the frequency of Beyond-HAC accidents for packages in commerce. This is shown to be achieved it the rate of on-site accident is 22 per 100 MVM or lower. For equivalence to Normal Conditions of Transport, for on-site packages, appropriate, defensible Design Basis Conditionsmore » can be established and the ability of the package to meet the reduced requirements shown in the On-site Safety Assessment.« less

Stability of Tsallis entropy and instabilities of Rényi and normalized Tsallis entropies: a basis for q-exponential distributions.

PubMed

Abe, Sumiyoshi

2002-10-01

The q-exponential distributions, which are generalizations of the Zipf-Mandelbrot power-law distribution, are frequently encountered in complex systems at their stationary states. From the viewpoint of the principle of maximum entropy, they can apparently be derived from three different generalized entropies: the Rényi entropy, the Tsallis entropy, and the normalized Tsallis entropy. Accordingly, mere fittings of observed data by the q-exponential distributions do not lead to identification of the correct physical entropy. Here, stabilities of these entropies, i.e., their behaviors under arbitrary small deformation of a distribution, are examined. It is shown that, among the three, the Tsallis entropy is stable and can provide an entropic basis for the q-exponential distributions, whereas the others are unstable and cannot represent any experimentally observable quantities.

Sensor placement for diagnosability in space-borne systems - A model-based reasoning approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, Steve; Doyle, Richard; Rouquette, Nicolas

1992-01-01

This paper presents an approach to evaluating sensor placements on the basis of how well they are able to discriminate between a given fault and normal operating modes and/or other fault modes. In this approach, a model of the system in both normal operations and fault modes is used to evaluate possible sensor placements upon the basis of three criteria. Discriminability measures how much of a divergence in expected sensor readings the two system modes can be expected to produce. Accuracy measures confidence in the particular model predictions. Timeliness measures how long after the fault occurrence the expected divergence will take place. These three metrics then can be used to form a recommendation for a sensor placement. This paper describes how these measures can be computed and illustrated these methods with a brief example.

Nonequilibrium Tuning of the Thermal Casimir Effect.

PubMed

Dean, David S; Lu, Bing-Sui; Maggs, A C; Podgornik, Rudolf

2016-06-17

In net-neutral systems correlations between charge fluctuations generate strong attractive thermal Casimir forces and engineering these forces to optimize nanodevice performance is an important challenge. We show how the normal and lateral thermal Casimir forces between two plates containing Brownian charges can be modulated by decorrelating the system through the application of an electric field, which generates a nonequilibrium steady state with a constant current in one or both plates, reducing the ensuing fluctuation-generated normal force while at the same time generating a lateral drag force. This hypothesis is confirmed by detailed numerical simulations as well as an analytical approach based on stochastic density functional theory.

Tuning sensitivity of CAR to EGFR density limits recognition of normal tissue while maintaining potent anti-tumor activity

PubMed Central

Caruso, Hillary G.; Hurton, Lenka V.; Najjar, Amer; Rushworth, David; Ang, Sonny; Olivares, Simon; Mi, Tiejuan; Switzer, Kirsten; Singh, Harjeet; Huls, Helen; Lee, Dean A.; Heimberger, Amy B.; Champlin, Richard E.; Cooper, Laurence J. N.

2015-01-01

Many tumors over express tumor-associated antigens relative to normal tissue, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This limits targeting by human T cells modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) due to potential for deleterious recognition of normal cells. We sought to generate CAR+ T cells capable of distinguishing malignant from normal cells based on the disparate density of EGFR expression by generating two CARs from monoclonal antibodies which differ in affinity. T cells with low affinity Nimo-CAR selectively targeted cells over-expressing EGFR, but exhibited diminished effector function as the density of EGFR decreased. In contrast, the activation of T cells bearing high affinity Cetux-CAR was not impacted by the density of EGFR. In summary, we describe the generation of CARs able to tune T-cell activity to the level of EGFR expression in which a CAR with reduced affinity enabled T cells to distinguish malignant from non-malignant cells. PMID:26330164

Structural basis for pulmonary functional imaging.

PubMed

Itoh, H; Nakatsu, M; Yoxtheimer, L M; Uematsu, H; Ohno, Y; Hatabu, H

2001-03-01

An understanding of fine normal lung morphology is important for effective pulmonary functional imaging. The lung specimens must be inflated. These include (a) unfixed, inflated lung specimen, (b) formaldehyde fixed lung specimen, (c) fixed, inflated dry lung specimen, and (d) histology specimen. Photography, magnified view, radiograph, computed tomography, and histology of these specimens are demonstrated. From a standpoint of diagnostic imaging, the main normal lung structures consist of airways (bronchi and bronchioles), alveoli, pulmonary vessels, secondary pulmonary lobules, and subpleural pulmonary lymphatic channels. This review summarizes fine radiologic normal lung morphology as an aid to effective pulmonary functional imaging.

Accurate Gaussian basis sets for atomic and molecular calculations obtained from the generator coordinate method with polynomial discretization.

PubMed

Celeste, Ricardo; Maringolo, Milena P; Comar, Moacyr; Viana, Rommel B; Guimarães, Amanda R; Haiduke, Roberto L A; da Silva, Albérico B F

2015-10-01

Accurate Gaussian basis sets for atoms from H to Ba were obtained by means of the generator coordinate Hartree-Fock (GCHF) method based on a polynomial expansion to discretize the Griffin-Wheeler-Hartree-Fock equations (GWHF). The discretization of the GWHF equations in this procedure is based on a mesh of points not equally distributed in contrast with the original GCHF method. The results of atomic Hartree-Fock energies demonstrate the capability of these polynomial expansions in designing compact and accurate basis sets to be used in molecular calculations and the maximum error found when compared to numerical values is only 0.788 mHartree for indium. Some test calculations with the B3LYP exchange-correlation functional for N2, F2, CO, NO, HF, and HCN show that total energies within 1.0 to 2.4 mHartree compared to the cc-pV5Z basis sets are attained with our contracted bases with a much smaller number of polarization functions (2p1d and 2d1f for hydrogen and heavier atoms, respectively). Other molecular calculations performed here are also in very good accordance with experimental and cc-pV5Z results. The most important point to be mentioned here is that our generator coordinate basis sets required only a tiny fraction of the computational time when compared to B3LYP/cc-pV5Z calculations.

Establishment and Characterization of Immortalized Minipig Neural Stem Cell Line

PubMed Central

Choi, Sung S.; Yoon, Seung-Bin; Lee, Sang-Rae; Kim, Sun-Uk; Cha, Young Joo; Lee, Daniel; Kim, Seung U.; Chang, Kyu-Tae; Lee, Hong J.

2017-01-01

Despite the increasing importance of minipigs in biomedical research, there has been relatively little research concerning minipig-derived adult stem cells as a promising research tool that could be used to develop stem cell-based therapies. We first generated immortalized neural stem cells (iNSCs) from primary minipig olfactory bulb cells (pmpOBCs) and defined the characteristics of the cell line. Primary neural cells were prepared from minipig neonate olfactory bulbs and immortalized by infection with retrovirus carrying the v-myc gene. The minipig iNSCs (mpiNSCs) had normal karyotypes and expressed NSC-specific markers, including nestin, vimentin, Musashi1, and SOX2, suggesting a similarity to human NSCs. On the basis of the global gene expression profiles from the microarray analysis, neurogenesis-associated transcript levels were predominantly altered in mpiNSCs compared with pmpOBCs. These findings increase our understanding of minipig stem cells and contribute to the utility of mpiNSCs as resources for immortalized stem cell experiments. PMID:27524466

Flow interaction of diffuser augmented wind turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Göltenbott, U.; Ohya, Y.; Yoshida, S.; Jamieson, P.

2016-09-01

Up-scaling of wind turbines has been a major trend in order to reduce the cost of energy generation from the wind. Recent studies however show that for a given technology, the cost always rises with upscaling, notably due to the increased mass of the system. To reach capacities beyond 10 MW, multi-rotor systems (MRS) have promising advantages. On the other hand, diffuser augmented wind turbines (DAWTs) can significantly increase the performance of the rotor. Up to now, diffuser augmentation has only been applied to single small wind turbines. In the present research, DAWTs are used in a multi-rotor system. In wind tunnel experiments, the aerodynamics of two and three DAWTs, spaced in close vicinity in the same plane normal to a uniform flow, have been analysed. Power increases of up to 5% and 9% for the two and three rotor configurations are respectively achieved in comparison to a stand-alone turbine. The physical dynamics of the flows are analysed on the basis of the results obtained with a stand-alone turbine.

Effect of salinity on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) during seed germination stage.

PubMed

Singh, Jogendra; Sastry, E V Divakar; Singh, Vijayata

2012-01-01

A study was conducted using ten genetically diverse genotypes along with their 45F1 (generated by diallel mating) under normal and salt stress conditions. Although, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is moderately sensitive to salinity but more attention to salinity is yet to be required in the production of tomato. In present study, germination rate, speed of germination, dry weight ratio and Na(+)/K(+) ratio in root and shoot, were the parameters assayed on three salinity levels; control, 1.0 % NaCl and 3.0 % NaCl with Hoagland's solution. Increasing salt stress negatively affected growth and development of tomato. When salt concentration increased, germination of tomato seed was reduced and the time needed to complete germination lengthened, root/shoot dry weight ratio was higher and Na(+) content increased but K(+) content decreased. Among the varieties, Sel-7 followed by Arka Vikas and crosses involving them as a parent were found to be the more tolerant genotypes in the present study on the basis of studied parameters.

Mucorales species activation of a serum leukotactic factor.

PubMed Central

Marx, R S; Forsyth, K R; Hentz, S K

1982-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that the focal accumulation of phagocytic leukocytes is an important feature of the host response in mucormycosis. To ascertain the basis for this influx of inflammatory cells, we evaluated the effect of members of the order Mucorales, including species from the genera Rhizopus, Absidia, and Mucor, on the chemotactic activity of normal human serum for neutrophils and monocytes. Both hyphae and spores produced concentration-dependent chemotaxigenesis in serum to a maximum level equivalent to that produced by zymosan activation of serum. Chemotactic activity was similar for live and heat-killed hyphae. No leukotactic activity was demonstrated in the absence of serum. The pretreatment of serum with anti-C3 antibody, heating at 56 degrees C, or 0.01 M EDTA abolished the activity. The pretreatment of serum with 0.01 M ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N-tetraacetic acid did not abolish the activity. These data provide evidence that the leukotactic activity of Mucorales species is generated through the alternative complement pathway. PMID:6759409

The molecular basis of herpes simplex virus latency

PubMed Central

Nicoll, Michael P; Proença, João T; Efstathiou, Stacey

2012-01-01

Herpes simplex virus type 1 is a neurotropic herpesvirus that establishes latency within sensory neurones. Following primary infection, the virus replicates productively within mucosal epithelial cells and enters sensory neurones via nerve termini. The virus is then transported to neuronal cell bodies where latency can be established. Periodically, the virus can reactivate to resume its normal lytic cycle gene expression programme and result in the generation of new virus progeny that are transported axonally back to the periphery. The ability to establish lifelong latency within the host and to periodically reactivate to facilitate dissemination is central to the survival strategy of this virus. Although incompletely understood, this review will focus on the mechanisms involved in the regulation of latency that centre on the functions of the virus-encoded latency-associated transcripts (LATs), epigenetic regulation of the latent virus genome and the molecular events that precipitate reactivation. This review considers current knowledge and hypotheses relating to the mechanisms involved in the establishment, maintenance and reactivation herpes simplex virus latency. PMID:22150699

Effects of electromagnetic radiation on the hemorheology of rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhiwei; Tian, Tian; Xiao, Bo; Li, Wen

2017-01-01

The current work examines the effects of electromagnetic radiation on the hemorheology to provide an experimental basis for radiation protection. Electromagnetic radiation was generated by a Helmholtz coil constructed from copper wire. There were six rats altogether: three rats in the experimental group, and three rats in the control group. The rats in the experimental group were continuously exposed to radiation for 10 hours every day, and rats in the control group remained in a normal environment. After 30 days, the characteristics of hemorheology of the two groups were compared. The average plasma viscosity, whole blood high shear velocity, and whole blood low shear viscosity were lower in rats in the experimental group than in rats in the control group, while the whole blood shear viscosity was higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Results suggest that long term exposure to electromagnetic radiation does have certain impacts on the cardiovascular system, deeming it necessary to take preventative measures.

Propagation of second sound in a superfluid Fermi gas in the unitary limit

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

Arahata, Emiko; Nikuni, Tetsuro

2009-10-15

We study sound propagation in a uniform superfluid gas of Fermi atoms in the unitary limit. The existence of normal and superfluid components leads to appearance of two sound modes in the collisional regime, referred to as first and second sounds. The second sound is of particular interest as it is a clear signal of a superfluid component. Using Landau's two-fluid hydrodynamic theory, we calculate hydrodynamic sound velocities and these weights in the density response function. The latter is used to calculate the response to a sudden modification of the external potential generating pulse propagation. The amplitude of a pulsemore » which is proportional to the weight in the response function is calculated, the basis of the approach of Nozieres and Schmitt-Rink for the BCS-BEC. We show that, in a superfluid Fermi gas at unitarity, the second-sound pulse is excited with an appreciate amplitude by density perturbations.« less

Establishment and Characterization of Immortalized Minipig Neural Stem Cell Line.

PubMed

Choi, Sung S; Yoon, Seung-Bin; Lee, Sang-Rae; Kim, Sun-Uk; Cha, Young Joo; Lee, Daniel; Kim, Seung U; Chang, Kyu-Tae; Lee, Hong J

2017-02-16

Despite the increasing importance of minipigs in biomedical research, there has been relatively little research concerning minipig-derived adult stem cells as a promising research tool that could be used to develop stem cell-based therapies. We first generated immortalized neural stem cells (iNSCs) from primary minipig olfactory bulb cells (pmpOBCs) and defined the characteristics of the cell line. Primary neural cells were prepared from minipig neonate olfactory bulbs and immortalized by infection with retrovirus carrying the v-myc gene. The minipig iNSCs (mpiNSCs) had normal karyotypes and expressed NSC-specific markers, including nestin, vimentin, Musashi1, and SOX2, suggesting a similarity to human NSCs. On the basis of the global gene expression profiles from the microarray analysis, neurogenesis-associated transcript levels were predominantly altered in mpiNSCs compared with pmpOBCs. These findings increase our understanding of minipig stem cells and contribute to the utility of mpiNSCs as resources for immortalized stem cell experiments.

Nuclear medicine in clinical neurology: an update

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

Oldendorf, W.H.

1981-01-01

Isotope scanning using technetium 99m pertechnetate has fallen into disuse since the advent of x-ray computerized tomography. Regional brain blood flow studies have been pursued on a research basis. Increased regional blood flow during focal seizure activity has been demonstrated and is of use in localizing such foci. Cisternography as a predictive tool in normal pressure hydrocephalus is falling into disuse. Positron tomographic scanning is a potent research tool that can demonstrate both regional glycolysis and blood flow. Unfortunately, it is extremely expensive and complex to apply in a clinical setting. With support from the National Institutes of Health, sevenmore » extramural centers have been funded to develop positron tomographic capabilities, and they will greatly advance our knowledge of stroke pathophysiology, seizure disorders, brain tumors, and various degenerative diseases. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging is a potentially valuable tool since it creates tomographic images representing the distribution of brain water. No tissue ionization is produced, and images comparable to second-generation computerized tomographic scans are already being produced in humans.« less

Touch responsiveness in zebrafish requires voltage-gated calcium channel 2.1b

PubMed Central

Low, Sean E.; Woods, Ian G.; Lachance, Mathieu; Ryan, Joel; Saint-Amant, Louis

2012-01-01

The molecular and physiological basis of the touch-unresponsive zebrafish mutant fakir has remained elusive. Here we report that the fakir phenotype is caused by a missense mutation in the gene encoding voltage-gated calcium channel 2.1b (CACNA1Ab). Injection of RNA encoding wild-type CaV2.1 restores touch responsiveness in fakir mutants, whereas knockdown of CACNA1Ab via morpholino oligonucleotides recapitulates the fakir mutant phenotype. Fakir mutants display normal current-evoked synaptic communication at the neuromuscular junction but have attenuated touch-evoked activation of motor neurons. NMDA-evoked fictive swimming is not affected by the loss of CaV2.1b, suggesting that this channel is not required for motor pattern generation. These results, coupled with the expression of CACNA1Ab by sensory neurons, suggest that CaV2.1b channel activity is necessary for touch-evoked activation of the locomotor network in zebrafish. PMID:22490555

Pathological brain detection based on wavelet entropy and Hu moment invariants.

PubMed

Zhang, Yudong; Wang, Shuihua; Sun, Ping; Phillips, Preetha

2015-01-01

With the aim of developing an accurate pathological brain detection system, we proposed a novel automatic computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) to detect pathological brains from normal brains obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning. The problem still remained a challenge for technicians and clinicians, since MR imaging generated an exceptionally large information dataset. A new two-step approach was proposed in this study. We used wavelet entropy (WE) and Hu moment invariants (HMI) for feature extraction, and the generalized eigenvalue proximal support vector machine (GEPSVM) for classification. To further enhance classification accuracy, the popular radial basis function (RBF) kernel was employed. The 10 runs of k-fold stratified cross validation result showed that the proposed "WE + HMI + GEPSVM + RBF" method was superior to existing methods w.r.t. classification accuracy. It obtained the average classification accuracies of 100%, 100%, and 99.45% over Dataset-66, Dataset-160, and Dataset-255, respectively. The proposed method is effective and can be applied to realistic use.

46 CFR 129.320 - Generators and motors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... INSTALLATIONS Power Sources and Distribution Systems § 129.320 Generators and motors. (a) Each generator and... windings, if DC; (7) When intended for connection in a normally grounded configuration, the grounding...

The effect of serum on monocyte tissue factor generation.

PubMed

Edwards, R L; Perla, D

1984-09-01

Human monocytes generate the procoagulant tissue factor (MTF) following exposure to a variety of immune stimuli in vitro. The generation of MTF is modified by T cells, lymphokines, and immunoregulatory lipoproteins, and recent studies have shown that MTF can be activated in an immune-specific manner following exposure to antigen. We have examined the role of serum factors in the regulation of MTF generation. Low concentrations (less than 1%) of heat-inactivated normal human serum greatly enhanced MTF generation in cultures of normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The stimulatory effect was observed in cultures of both unstimulated cells and cells exposed to bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Stimulation was not observed at high serum concentrations (greater than 10%) and could not be explained by endotoxin contamination or activation of the assay system. Stimulatory activity was present in plasma and BaSO4-adsorbed plasma as well as autologous and allogeneic serum, was not abolished by removal of serum lipoproteins, and did not require the presence of T cells for its expression. Sera from 28 different normal volunteers were screened for stimulatory activity and demonstrated a wide variation in potency. These results suggest that a potent factor is present in sera that enhances the expression of MTF activity in vitro. This factor is distinct from previously described lipoprotein regulators and may play a role in the initiation of coagulation in both normal hemostasis and pathologic states.

Design of a linear projector for use with the normal modes of the GLAS 4th order GCM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloom, S. C.

1984-01-01

The design of a linear projector for use with the normal modes of a model of atmospheric circulation is discussed. A central element in any normal mode initialization scheme is the process by which a set of data fields - winds, temperatures or geopotentials, and surface pressures - are expressed ("projected') in terms of the coefficients of a model's normal modes. This process is completely analogous to the Fourier decomposition of a single field (indeed a FFT applied in the zonal direction is a part of the process). Complete separability in all three spatial dimensions is assumed. The basis functions for the modal expansion are given. An important feature of the normal modes is their coupling of the structures of different fields, thus a coefficient in a normal mode expansion would contain both mass and momentum information.

Electric Power Quarterly, July-September 1984

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

Not Available

1985-01-01

The Electric Power Quarterly (EPQ) provides electric utilities' plant-level information about the cost, quantity, and quality of fossil fuel receipts, net generation, fuel consumption, and fuel stocks. The EPQ contains monthly data and quarterly totals for the reporting quarter. In this report, data collected on Form EIA-759 regarding electric utilities' net generation, fuel consumption, and fuel stocks are presented on a plant-by-plant basis. In addition, quantity, cost, and quality of fossil fuel receipts collected on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Form 423 are presented on a plant-by-plant basis.

Electric Power Quarterly, October-December 1984

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

Not Available

1985-04-01

The Electric Power Quarterly (EPQ) provides electric utilities' plant-level information about the cost, quantity, and quality of fossil fuel receipts, net generation, fuel consumption, and fuel stocks. The EPQ contains monthly data and quarterly totals for the reporting quarter. In this report, data collected on Form EIA-759 regarding electric utilities' net generation, fuel consumption, and fuel stocks are presented on a plant-by-plant basis. In addition, quantity, cost, and quality of fossil fuel receipts collected on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Form 423 are presented on a plant-by-plant basis.

Novel automatic detection of pleura and B-lines (comet-tail artifacts) on in vivo lung ultrasound scans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moshavegh, Ramin; Hansen, Kristoffer Lindskov; Møller Sørensen, Hasse; Hemmsen, Martin Christian; Ewertsen, Caroline; Nielsen, Michael Bachmann; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

2016-04-01

This paper presents a novel automatic method for detection of B-lines (comet-tail artifacts) in lung ultrasound scans. B-lines are the most commonly used artifacts for analyzing the pulmonary edema. They appear as laser-like vertical beams, which arise from the pleural line and spread down without fading to the edge of the screen. An increase in their number is associated with presence of edema. All the scans used in this study were acquired using a BK3000 ultrasound scanner (BK Ultrasound, Denmark) driving a 192-element 5:5 MHz wide linear transducer (10L2W, BK Ultrasound). The dynamic received focus technique was employed to generate the sequences. Six subjects, among those three patients after major surgery and three normal subjects, were scanned once and Six ultrasound sequences each containing 50 frames were acquired. The proposed algorithm was applied to all 300 in-vivo lung ultrasound images. The pleural line is first segmented on each image and then the B-line artifacts spreading down from the pleural line are detected and overlayed on the image. The resulting 300 images showed that the mean lateral distance between B-lines detected on images acquired from patients decreased by 20% in compare with that of normal subjects. Therefore, the method can be used as the basis of a method of automatically and qualitatively characterizing the distribution of B-lines.

Functional Neuroimaging of Spike-Wave Seizures

PubMed Central

Motelow, Joshua E.; Blumenfeld, Hal

2013-01-01

Generalized spike-wave seizures are typically brief events associated with dynamic changes in brain physiology, metabolism, and behavior. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides a relatively high spatio-temporal resolution method for imaging cortical-subcortical network activity during spike-wave seizures. Patients with spike-wave seizures often have episodes of staring and unresponsiveness which interfere with normal behavior. Results from human fMRI studies suggest that spike-wave seizures disrupt specific networks in the thalamus and fronto-parietal association cortex which are critical for normal attentive consciousness. However, the neuronal activity underlying imaging changes seen during fMRI is not well understood, particularly in abnormal conditions such as seizures. Animal models have begun to provide important fundamental insights into the neuronal basis for fMRI changes during spike-wave activity. Work from these models including both fMRI and direct neuronal recordings suggest that, like in humans, specific cortical-subcortical networks are involved in spike-wave, while other regions are spared. Regions showing fMRI increases demonstrate correlated increases in neuronal activity in animal models. The mechanisms of fMRI decreases in spike-wave will require further investigation. A better understanding of the specific brain regions involved in generating spike-wave seizures may help guide efforts to develop targeted therapies aimed at preventing or reversing abnormal excitability in these brain regions, ultimately leading to a cure for this disorder. PMID:18839093

Generation, Characterization and Application of Antibodies Directed against HERV-H Gag Protein in Colorectal Samples.

PubMed

Mullins, Christina S; Hühns, Maja; Krohn, Mathias; Peters, Sven; Cheynet, Valérie; Oriol, Guy; Guillotte, Michèle; Ducrot, Sandrine; Mallet, François; Linnebacher, Michael

2016-01-01

A substantial part of the human genome originates from transposable elements, remnants of ancient retroviral infections. Roughly 8% of the human genome consists of about 400,000 LTR elements including human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) sequences. Mainly, the interplay between epigenetic and post-transcriptional mechanisms is thought to silence HERV expression in most physiological contexts. Interestingly, aberrant reactivation of several HERV-H loci appears specific to colorectal carcinoma (CRC). The expression of HERV-H Gag proteins (Gag-H) was assessed using novel monoclonal mouse anti Gag-H antibodies. In a flow cytometry screen four antibody clones were tested on a panel of primary CRC cell lines and the most well performing ones were subsequently validated in western blot analysis. Finally, Gag-H protein expression was analyzed by immune histology on cell line cytospins and on clinical samples. There, we found a heterogeneous staining pattern with no background staining of endothelial, stromal and infiltrating immune cells but diffuse staining of the cytoplasm for positive tumor and normal crypt cells of the colonic epithelium. Taken together, the Gag-H antibody clone(s) present a valuable tool for staining of cells with colonic origin and thus form the basis for future more detailed investigations. The observed Gag-H protein staining in colonic epithelium crypt cells demands profound analyses of a potential role for Gag-H in the normal physiology of the human gut.

Developing an operational rangeland water requirement satisfaction index

USGS Publications Warehouse

Senay, Gabriel B.; Verdin, James P.; Rowland, James

2011-01-01

Developing an operational water requirement satisfaction index (WRSI) for rangeland monitoring is an important goal of the famine early warning systems network. An operational WRSI has been developed for crop monitoring, but until recently a comparable WRSI for rangeland was not successful because of the extremely poor performance of the index when based on published crop coefficients (K c) for rangelands. To improve the rangeland WRSI, we developed a simple calibration technique that adjusts the K c values for rangeland monitoring using long-term rainfall distribution and reference evapotranspiration data. The premise for adjusting the K c values is based on the assumption that a viable rangeland should exhibit above-average WRSI (values >80%) during a normal year. The normal year was represented by a median dekadal rainfall distribution (satellite rainfall estimate from 1996 to 2006). Similarly, a long-term average for potential evapotranspiration was used as input to the famine early warning systems network WRSI model in combination with soil-water-holding capacity data. A dekadal rangeland WRSI has been operational for east and west Africa since 2005. User feedback has been encouraging, especially with regard to the end-of-season WRSI anomaly products that compare the index's performance to ‘normal’ years. Currently, rangeland WRSI products are generated on a dekadal basis and posted for free distribution on the US Geological Survey early warning website at http://earlywarning.usgs.gov/adds/

Addition and subtraction of spin pumping voltages in magnetic hybrid structures

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

Azevedo, A., E-mail: aac@df.ufpe.br; Alves Santos, O.; Cunha, R. O.

2014-04-14

We report an investigation of the spin pumping voltage generated in bilayers of ferromagnetic/normal metal in which the ferromagnetic layer is yttrium iron garnet or Permalloy and the normal-metal layer is Pt or Ta. We also investigated a special case in which the voltage is detected in single layer of Permalloy under ferromagnetic resonance condition. It is shown that the spin pumping voltage generated in metallic bilayers have contributions from both layers and the resulting voltage depends on the relative signs of charge currents generated by the inverse spin Hall effect. For instance, the spin pumping voltage generated in Tamore » has the same sign as the one generate in single layer of Permalloy, but contrary to the voltage generated in Pt. When the voltage is measured in shunted metallic bilayers, the resulting voltage can be a sum or a subtraction of the voltages generated in both layers.« less

System and method for optical fiber based image acquisition suitable for use in turbine engines

DOEpatents

Baleine, Erwan; A V, Varun; Zombo, Paul J.; Varghese, Zubin

2017-05-16

A system and a method for image acquisition suitable for use in a turbine engine are disclosed. Light received from a field of view in an object plane is projected onto an image plane through an optical modulation device and is transferred through an image conduit to a sensor array. The sensor array generates a set of sampled image signals in a sensing basis based on light received from the image conduit. Finally, the sampled image signals are transformed from the sensing basis to a representation basis and a set of estimated image signals are generated therefrom. The estimated image signals are used for reconstructing an image and/or a motion-video of a region of interest within a turbine engine.

Dynamics of mode-coupling-induced microresonator frequency combs in normal dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Jae K.; Okawachi, Yoshitomo; Yu, Mengjie; Luke, Kevin; Ji, Xingchen; Lipson, Michal; Gaeta, Alexander L.

2016-12-01

We experimentally and theoretically investigate the dynamics of microresonator-based frequency comb generation assisted by mode coupling in the normal group-velocity dispersion (GVD) regime. We show that mode coupling can initiate intracavity modulation instability (MI) by directly perturbing the pump-resonance mode. We also observe the formation of a low-noise comb as the pump frequency is tuned further into resonance from the MI point. We determine the phase-matching conditions that accurately predict all the essential features of the MI and comb spectra, and extend the existing analogy between mode coupling and high-order dispersion to the normal GVD regime. We discuss the applicability of our analysis to the possibility of broadband comb generation in the normal GVD regime.

14 CFR § 1214.809 - Short-term call-up and accelerated launch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... The short-term call-up and accelerated launch provisions of the Shuttle policy normally are not offered to Spacelab customers. NASA will negotiate any such customer requirements on an individual basis. ...

46 CFR 195.11-15 - Plan approval and inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... and inspection. (a) Accommodation, power and chemical stores vans are subject to normal plan... review and initial inspection may be accepted on a single voyage basis by the OCMI provided that they are...

46 CFR 195.11-15 - Plan approval and inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... and inspection. (a) Accommodation, power and chemical stores vans are subject to normal plan... review and initial inspection may be accepted on a single voyage basis by the OCMI provided that they are...

46 CFR 195.11-15 - Plan approval and inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... and inspection. (a) Accommodation, power and chemical stores vans are subject to normal plan... review and initial inspection may be accepted on a single voyage basis by the OCMI provided that they are...

46 CFR 195.11-15 - Plan approval and inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... and inspection. (a) Accommodation, power and chemical stores vans are subject to normal plan... review and initial inspection may be accepted on a single voyage basis by the OCMI provided that they are...

[Attitude to death and changes of death image in Hungarian society. Study of the differences in generational value-judgments and of the possibilities of measurement. Is death still a taboo?].

PubMed

Zana, Agnes

2009-06-21

The aim of our research is to examine the sociological, anthropological, and psychological aspects of attitudes towards death; review the different approaches as a complex system; present the altered death image and the changes of tendency; analyze and interpret the most significant anxiety generating factors according to gender, age, and occupation; validate the fear of death and attitudes towards death scales in the Hungarian population; review the possibilities of interventions designed to reduce anxiety generating fear of death. Our hypotheses of our quantitative research were the following: women are characterized by a marked fear of death and anxiety; young people are more afraid of death; health care workers have a higher level death anxiety in comparison to other professionals due to the fact that they are face the suddenness and inevitability of death on daily basis, and this itself is an anxiety generating factor. We validated, adapted and calibrated two psychometric scales measuring fear of death and attitudes towards death. According to our findings, both the Neimeyer and Moore Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale and the Lester Attitude Toward Death Scale proved valid and suitable for measuring fear of death and attitudes towards death. The Hungarian version of the scales proved reliable. In accordance with our hypothesis, young people and women are characterized by higher level of fear of death and anxiety. Our hypothesis, namely that fear of death among health care workers higher as the normal population, was not confirmed. Yet, contrary to a segment of preceding measurements, lower level of fear and anxiety was found.

Human platelet lysate is a successful alternative serum supplement for propagation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

PubMed

Švajger, Urban

2017-04-01

Clinical protocols for dendritic cell (DC) generation from monocytes require the use of animal serum-free supplements. Serum-free media can also require up to 1% of serum supplementation. In addition, recommendations based on the 3Rs (Refinement, Reduction, Replacement) principle also recommend the use of non-animal sera in in vitro studies. The aim of this study was to explore the potential use of platelet lysate (PL) for generation of optimally differentiated DCs from monocytes. Cells were isolated from buffy coats from healthy volunteers using immunomagnetic selection. DCs were differentiated in RPMI1640 supplemented with either 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 10% AB serum or 10% PL with the addition of granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor and interleukin-4. Generated DCs were assessed for their morphology, viability, endocytotic capacity, surface phenotype (immature, mature and tolerogenic DCs) and activation of important signaling pathways. DC function was evaluated on the basis of their allostimulatory capacity, cytokine profile and ability to induce different T-helper subsets. DCs generated with PL displayed normal viability, morphology and endocytotic capacity. Their differentiation and maturation phenotype was comparable to FBS-cultured DCs. They showed functional plasticity and up-regulated tolerogenic markers in response to their environment. PL-cultured mature DCs displayed unhindered allostimulatory potential and the capacity to induce Th1 responses. The use of PL allowed for activation of crucial signaling proteins associated with DC differentiation and maturation. This study demonstrates for the first time that human PL represents a successful alternative to FBS in differentiation of DCs from monocytes. DCs display the major phenotypic and functional characteristics compared with existing culture protocols. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Generation co-ordination and energy trading systems in an open market

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

Eichler, R.

1998-07-01

The power industry in many parts of the world is currently undergoing dramatic changes: deregulation, privatization, competition and 3rd party access are the keywords. The major trends are summarized at the beginning of the paper to provide the basis for the evolving consequences for the power generation industry. In the restructured environment of the Open Market power generation companies frequently are organizationally separated from transmission, distribution, and supply and now have to sell their product directly to customers. This necessitates the introduction of energy trading support functions for both bilateral trading and power exchange trading. On the other hand, theremore » is a close relationship between energy trading and the technical process of energy production. The paper discusses design principles for software systems supporting maximum economic benefits. First practical application experience is also presented. The energy trading process requires the break up of proprietary databases and proprietary data structures as this process has a major need to communicate with external partners who normally use different systems. This directly leads to 3rd party products for the database, standardized data structures and standardized communication protocols. The Open Market environment calls for new and modified planning functions: in some cases measured value information necessary for updating load forecasts cannot be directly achieved. This leads to the need for an estimator of the actual load situation, a completely new function. Power scheduling has to take care of the generation company's balance but it need not always be forced to 0. Regulating services from the grid companies can be used instead. This gives the scheduling functions additional freedom for determining more economic overall solutions considering both purchase and services and sales of energy.« less

Procedure for normalization of cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Bonaldo, Maria DeFatima; Soares, Marcelo Bento

1997-01-01

This invention provides a method to normalize a cDNA library constructed in a vector capable of being converted to single-stranded circles and capable of producing complementary nucleic acid molecules to the single-stranded circles comprising: (a) converting the cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating complementary nucleic acid molecules to the single-stranded circles; (c) hybridizing the single-stranded circles converted in step (a) with complementary nucleic acid molecules of step (b) to produce partial duplexes to an appropriate Cot; (e) separating the unhybridized single-stranded circles from the hybridized single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library.

Global measurement of coagulation in plasma from normal and haemophilia dogs using a novel modified thrombin generation test – Demonstrated in vitro and ex vivo

PubMed Central

Madsen, Daniel Elenius; Nichols, Timothy C.; Merricks, Elizabeth P.; Waters, Emily K.; Wiinberg, Bo

2017-01-01

Introduction Canine models of severe haemophilia resemble their human equivalents both regarding clinical bleeding phenotype and response to treatment. Therefore pre-clinical studies in haemophilia dogs have allowed researchers to make valuable translational predictions regarding the potency and efficacy of new anti-haemophilia drugs (AHDs) in humans. To refine in vivo experiments and reduce number of animals, such translational studies are ideally preceded by in vitro prediction of compound efficacy using a plasma based global coagulation method. One such widely used method is the thrombin generation test (TGT). Unfortunately, commercially available TGTs are incapable of distinguishing between normal and haemophilia canine plasma, and therefore in vitro prediction using TGT has so far not been possible in canine plasma material. Aim Establish a modified TGT capable of: 1) distinguishing between normal and haemophilia canine plasma, 2) monitoring correlation between canine plasma levels of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and IX (FIX) and thrombin generation, 3) assessing for agreement between compound activity and thrombin generation in ex vivo samples. Methods A modified TGT assay was established where coagulation was triggered using a commercially available activated partial thromboplastin time reagent. Results With the modified TGT a significant difference was observed in thrombin generation between normal and haemophilia canine plasma. A dose dependent thrombin generation was observed when assessing haemophilia A and B plasma spiked with dilution series of FVIII and FIX, respectively. Correlation between FVIII activity and thrombin generation was observed when analyzing samples from haemophilia A dogs dosed with canine FVIII. Limit of detection was 0.1% (v/v) FVIII or FIX. Conclusion A novel modified TGT suitable for monitoring and prediction of replacement therapy efficacy in plasma from haemophilia A and B dogs was established. PMID:28384182

Neutron monitor generated data distributions in quantum variational Monte Carlo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kussainov, A. S.; Pya, N.

2016-08-01

We have assessed the potential applications of the neutron monitor hardware as random number generator for normal and uniform distributions. The data tables from the acquisition channels with no extreme changes in the signal level were chosen as the retrospective model. The stochastic component was extracted by fitting the raw data with splines and then subtracting the fit. Scaling the extracted data to zero mean and variance of one is sufficient to obtain a stable standard normal random variate. Distributions under consideration pass all available normality tests. Inverse transform sampling is suggested to use as a source of the uniform random numbers. Variational Monte Carlo method for quantum harmonic oscillator was used to test the quality of our random numbers. If the data delivery rate is of importance and the conventional one minute resolution neutron count is insufficient, we could always settle for an efficient seed generator to feed into the faster algorithmic random number generator or create a buffer.

1.4-7.2  μm broadband supercontinuum generation in an As-S chalcogenide tapered fiber pumped in the normal dispersion regime.

PubMed

Wang, Yingying; Dai, Shixun; Li, Guangtao; Xu, Dong; You, Chenyang; Han, Xin; Zhang, Peiqing; Wang, Xunsi; Xu, Peipeng

2017-09-01

We report a broadband supercontinuum (SC) generation in chalcogenide (ChG) step-index tapered fibers pumped in the normal dispersion regime. The fibers consisting of As 2 S 3 core and As 38 S 62 cladding glasses were fabricated using the isolated stacked extrusion method. A homemade tapering platform allows us to accurately control the core diameters and transition region lengths of the tapered fibers. An SC generation spanning from 1.4 to 7.2 μm was achieved by pumping a 12-cm-long tapered fiber with femtosecond laser pulses at 3.25 μm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the broadest SC generation obtained experimentally in tapered fibers when pumped in the normal dispersion regime so far. The effects of waist diameter and transition region length of the tapered fiber on the SC spectral behavior were also investigated.

A simple procedure for construction of the orthonormal basis vectors of irreducible representations of O(5) in the OT (3) ⊗ON (2) basis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Feng; Ding, Xiaoxue; Launey, Kristina D.; Draayer, J. P.

2018-06-01

A simple and effective algebraic isospin projection procedure for constructing orthonormal basis vectors of irreducible representations of O (5) ⊃OT (3) ⊗ON (2) from those in the canonical O (5) ⊃ SUΛ (2) ⊗ SUI (2) basis is outlined. The expansion coefficients are components of null space vectors of the projection matrix with four nonzero elements in each row in general. Explicit formulae for evaluating OT (3)-reduced matrix elements of O (5) generators are derived.

Black-Litterman model on non-normal stock return (Case study four banks at LQ-45 stock index)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahrivandi, Rizki; Noviyanti, Lienda; Setyanto, Gatot Riwi

2017-03-01

The formation of the optimal portfolio is a method that can help investors to minimize risks and optimize profitability. One model for the optimal portfolio is a Black-Litterman (BL) model. BL model can incorporate an element of historical data and the views of investors to form a new prediction about the return of the portfolio as a basis for preparing the asset weighting models. BL model has two fundamental problems, the assumption of normality and estimation parameters on the market Bayesian prior framework that does not from a normal distribution. This study provides an alternative solution where the modelling of the BL model stock returns and investor views from non-normal distribution.

Safe cervical spine clearance in adult obtunded blunt trauma patients on the basis of a normal multidetector CT scan--a meta-analysis and cohort study.

PubMed

Raza, Mushahid; Elkhodair, Samer; Zaheer, Asif; Yousaf, Sohail

2013-11-01

A true gold standard to rule out a significant cervical spine injury in subset of blunt trauma patients with altered sensorium is still to be agreed upon. The objective of this study is to determine whether in obtunded adult patients with blunt trauma, a clinically significant injury to the cervical spine be ruled out on the basis of a normal multidetector cervical spine computed tomography. Comprehensive database search was conducted to include all the prospective and retrospective studies on blunt trauma patients with altered sensorium undergoing cervical spine multidetector CT scan as core imaging modality to "clear" the cervical spine. The studies used two main gold standards, magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine and/or prolonged clinical follow-up. The data was extracted to report true positive, true negatives, false positives and false negatives. Meta-analysis of sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values was performed using Meta Analyst Beta 3.13 software. We also performed a retrospective investigation comparing a robust clinical follow-up and/or cervical spine MR findings in 53 obtunded blunt trauma patients, who previously had undergone a normal multidetector CT scan of the cervical spine reported by a radiologist. A total of 10 studies involving 1850 obtunded blunt trauma patients with initial cervical spine CT scan reported as normal were included in the final meta-analysis. The cumulative negative predictive value and specificity of cervical spine CT of the ten studies was 99.7% (99.4-99.9%, 95% confidence interval). The positive predictive value and sensitivity was 93.7% (84.0-97.7%, 95% confidence interval). In the retrospective review of our obtunded blunt trauma patients, none was later diagnosed to have significant cervical spine injury that required a change in clinical management. In a blunt trauma patient with altered sensorium, a normal cervical spine CT scan is conclusive to safely rule out a clinically significant cervical spine injury. The results of this meta-analysis strongly support the removal of cervical precautions in obtunded blunt trauma patient after normal cervical spine computed tomography. Any further imaging like magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine should be performed on case-to-case basis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data analytics approach to create waste generation profiles for waste management and collection.

PubMed

Niska, Harri; Serkkola, Ari

2018-04-30

Extensive monitoring data on waste generation is increasingly collected in order to implement cost-efficient and sustainable waste management operations. In addition, geospatial data from different registries of the society are opening for free usage. Novel data analytics approaches can be built on the top of the data to produce more detailed, and in-time waste generation information for the basis of waste management and collection. In this paper, a data-based approach based on the self-organizing map (SOM) and the k-means algorithm is developed for creating a set of waste generation type profiles. The approach is demonstrated using the extensive container-level waste weighting data collected in the metropolitan area of Helsinki, Finland. The results obtained highlight the potential of advanced data analytic approaches in producing more detailed waste generation information e.g. for the basis of tailored feedback services for waste producers and the planning and optimization of waste collection and recycling. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fission Product Appearance Rate Coefficients in Design Basis Source Term Determinations - Past and Present

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez, Pedro B.; Hamawi, John N.

2017-09-01

Nuclear power plant radiation protection design features are based on radionuclide source terms derived from conservative assumptions that envelope expected operating experience. Two parameters that significantly affect the radionuclide concentrations in the source term are failed fuel fraction and effective fission product appearance rate coefficients. Failed fuel fraction may be a regulatory based assumption such as in the U.S. Appearance rate coefficients are not specified in regulatory requirements, but have been referenced to experimental data that is over 50 years old. No doubt the source terms are conservative as demonstrated by operating experience that has included failed fuel, but it may be too conservative leading to over-designed shielding for normal operations as an example. Design basis source term methodologies for normal operations had not advanced until EPRI published in 2015 an updated ANSI/ANS 18.1 source term basis document. Our paper revisits the fission product appearance rate coefficients as applied in the derivation source terms following the original U.S. NRC NUREG-0017 methodology. New coefficients have been calculated based on recent EPRI results which demonstrate the conservatism in nuclear power plant shielding design.

An explicitly spin-free compact open-shell coupled cluster theory using a multireference combinatoric exponential ansatz: formal development and pilot applications.

PubMed

Datta, Dipayan; Mukherjee, Debashis

2009-07-28

In this paper, we present a comprehensive account of an explicitly spin-free compact state-universal multireference coupled cluster (CC) formalism for computing the state energies of simple open-shell systems, e.g., doublets and biradicals, where the target open-shell states can be described by a few configuration state functions spanning a model space. The cluster operators in this formalism are defined in terms of the spin-free unitary generators with respect to the common closed-shell component of all model functions (core) as vacuum. The spin-free cluster operators are either closed-shell-like n hole-n particle excitations (denoted by T(mu)) or involve excitations from the doubly occupied (nonvalence) orbitals to the singly occupied (valence) orbitals (denoted by S(e)(mu)). In addition, there are cluster operators with exchange spectator scatterings involving the valence orbitals (denoted by S(re)(mu)). We propose a new multireference cluster expansion ansatz for the wave operator with the above generally noncommuting cluster operators which essentially has the same physical content as the Jeziorski-Monkhorst ansatz with the commuting cluster operators defined in the spin-orbital basis. The T(mu) operators in our ansatz are taken to commute with all other operators, while the S(e)(mu) and S(re)(mu) operators are allowed to contract among themselves through the spectator valence orbitals. An important innovation of this ansatz is the choice of an appropriate automorphic factor accompanying each contracted composite of cluster operators in order to ensure that each distinct excitation generated by this composite appears only once in the wave operator. The resulting CC equations consist of two types of terms: a "direct" term and a "normalization" term containing the effective Hamiltonian operator. It is emphasized that the direct term is almost quartic in the cluster amplitudes, barring only a handful of terms and termination of the normalization term depends on the valence rank of the effective Hamiltonian operator and the excitation rank of the cluster operators at which the theory is truncated. Illustrative applications are presented by computing the state energies of neutral doublet radicals and doublet molecular cations and ionization energies of neutral molecules and comparing our results with the other open-shell CC theories, benchmark full CI results (when available) in the same basis, and the experimental results. Highly encouraging results show the efficacy of the method.

Improving the estimation of mealtime insulin dose in adults with type 1 diabetes: the Normal Insulin Demand for Dose Adjustment (NIDDA) study.

PubMed

Bao, Jiansong; Gilbertson, Heather R; Gray, Robyn; Munns, Diane; Howard, Gabrielle; Petocz, Peter; Colagiuri, Stephen; Brand-Miller, Jennie C

2011-10-01

Although carbohydrate counting is routine practice in type 1 diabetes, hyperglycemic episodes are common. A food insulin index (FII) has been developed and validated for predicting the normal insulin demand generated by mixed meals in healthy adults. We sought to compare a novel algorithm on the basis of the FII for estimating mealtime insulin dose with carbohydrate counting in adults with type 1 diabetes. A total of 28 patients using insulin pump therapy consumed two different breakfast meals of equal energy, glycemic index, fiber, and calculated insulin demand (both FII = 60) but approximately twofold difference in carbohydrate content, in random order on three consecutive mornings. On one occasion, a carbohydrate-counting algorithm was applied to meal A (75 g carbohydrate) for determining bolus insulin dose. On the other two occasions, carbohydrate counting (about half the insulin dose as meal A) and the FII algorithm (same dose as meal A) were applied to meal B (41 g carbohydrate). A real-time continuous glucose monitor was used to assess 3-h postprandial glycemia. Compared with carbohydrate counting, the FII algorithm significantly decreased glucose incremental area under the curve over 3 h (-52%, P = 0.013) and peak glucose excursion (-41%, P = 0.01) and improved the percentage of time within the normal blood glucose range (4-10 mmol/L) (31%, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the occurrence of hypoglycemia. An insulin algorithm based on physiological insulin demand evoked by foods in healthy subjects may be a useful tool for estimating mealtime insulin dose in patients with type 1 diabetes.

High Resolution Topography of Age-Related Changes in Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Electroencephalography

PubMed Central

Sprecher, Kate E.; Riedner, Brady A.; Smith, Richard F.; Tononi, Giulio; Davidson, Richard J.; Benca, Ruth M.

2016-01-01

Sleeping brain activity reflects brain anatomy and physiology. The aim of this study was to use high density (256 channel) electroencephalography (EEG) during sleep to characterize topographic changes in sleep EEG power across normal aging, with high spatial resolution. Sleep was evaluated in 92 healthy adults aged 18–65 years old using full polysomnography and high density EEG. After artifact removal, spectral power density was calculated for standard frequency bands for all channels, averaged across the NREM periods of the first 3 sleep cycles. To quantify topographic changes with age, maps were generated of the Pearson’s coefficient of the correlation between power and age at each electrode. Significant correlations were determined by statistical non-parametric mapping. Absolute slow wave power declined significantly with increasing age across the entire scalp, whereas declines in theta and sigma power were significant only in frontal regions. Power in fast spindle frequencies declined significantly with increasing age frontally, whereas absolute power of slow spindle frequencies showed no significant change with age. When EEG power was normalized across the scalp, a left centro-parietal region showed significantly less age-related decline in power than the rest of the scalp. This partial preservation was particularly significant in the slow wave and sigma bands. The effect of age on sleep EEG varies substantially by region and frequency band. This non-uniformity should inform the design of future investigations of aging and sleep. This study provides normative data on the effect of age on sleep EEG topography, and provides a basis from which to explore the mechanisms of normal aging as well as neurodegenerative disorders for which age is a risk factor. PMID:26901503

Autonomous role of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome platelet deficiency in inducing autoimmunity and inflammation.

PubMed

Sereni, Lucia; Castiello, Maria Carmina; Marangoni, Francesco; Anselmo, Achille; di Silvestre, Dario; Motta, Sara; Draghici, Elena; Mantero, Stefano; Thrasher, Adrian J; Giliani, Silvia; Aiuti, Alessandro; Mauri, Pierluigi; Notarangelo, Luigi D; Bosticardo, Marita; Villa, Anna

2018-02-06

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked immunodeficiency characterized by eczema, infections, and susceptibility to autoimmunity and malignancies. Thrombocytopenia is a constant finding, but its pathogenesis remains elusive. To dissect the basis of the WAS platelet defect, we used a novel conditional mouse model (CoWas) lacking Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) only in the megakaryocytic lineage in the presence of a normal immunologic environment, and in parallel we analyzed samples obtained from patients with WAS. Phenotypic and functional characterization of megakaryocytes and platelets in mutant CoWas mice and patients with WAS with and without autoantibodies was performed. Platelet antigen expression was examined through a protein expression profile and cluster proteomic interaction network. Platelet immunogenicity was tested by using ELISAs and B-cell and platelet cocultures. CoWas mice showed increased megakaryocyte numbers and normal thrombopoiesis in vitro, but WASp-deficient platelets had short lifespan and high expression of activation markers. Proteomic analysis identified signatures compatible with defects in cytoskeletal reorganization and metabolism yet surprisingly increased antigen-processing capabilities. In addition, WASp-deficient platelets expressed high levels of surface and soluble CD40 ligand and were capable of inducing B-cell activation in vitro. WASp-deficient platelets were highly immunostimulatory in mice and triggered the generation of antibodies specific for WASp-deficient platelets, even in the context of a normal immune system. Patients with WAS also showed platelet hyperactivation and increased plasma soluble CD40 ligand levels correlating with the presence of autoantibodies. Overall, these findings suggest that intrinsic defects in WASp-deficient platelets decrease their lifespan and dysregulate immune responses, corroborating the role of platelets as modulators of inflammation and immunity. Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of radiation safety for Small Modular Reactor (SMR) on PWR-100 MWe type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udiyani, P. M.; Husnayani, I.; Deswandri; Sunaryo, G. R.

2018-02-01

Indonesia as an archipelago country, including big, medium and small islands is suitable to construction of Small Medium/Modular reactors. Preliminary technology assessment on various SMR has been started, indeed the SMR is grouped into Light Water Reactor, Gas Cooled Reactor, and Solid Cooled Reactor and from its site it is group into Land Based reactor and Water Based Reactor. Fukushima accident made people doubt about the safety of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which impact on the public perception of the safety of nuclear power plants. The paper will describe the assessment of safety and radiation consequences on site for normal operation and Design Basis Accident postulation of SMR based on PWR-100 MWe in Bangka Island. Consequences of radiation for normal operation simulated for 3 units SMR. The source term was generated from an inventory by using ORIGEN-2 software and the consequence of routine calculated by PC-Cream and accident by PC Cosyma. The adopted methodology used was based on site-specific meteorological and spatial data. According to calculation by PC-CREAM 08 computer code, the highest individual dose in site area for adults is 5.34E-02 mSv/y in ESE direction within 1 km distance from stack. The result of calculation is that doses on public for normal operation below 1mSv/y. The calculation result from PC Cosyma, the highest individual dose is 1.92.E+00 mSv in ESE direction within 1km distance from stack. The total collective dose (all pathway) is 3.39E-01 manSv, with dominant supporting from cloud pathway. Results show that there are no evacuation countermeasure will be taken based on the regulation of emergency.

Initial conditions for dark soliton generation in normal-dispersion fiber lasers.

PubMed

Ge, Y Q; Luo, J L; Li, L; Jin, X X; Tang, D Y; Shen, D Y; Zhang, S M; Zhao, L M

2015-01-01

We report results of numerical simulations on the various initial conditions for dark soliton generation in an all-normal-dispersion fiber laser. All the dark solitons generated are odd dark solitons. Differently from the dark soliton generation in fibers, where an arbitrary dip could evolve into a dark soliton, it is found that the dark soliton can originate only from an initial dip with a certain parameter requirement. A bright pulse with either a hyperbolic secant square, Gaussian, or Lorentz profile can be developed into a dark soliton, provided that the parameters of the initial bright pulse are selected. Dark solitons can be generated in fiber lasers only if there is a phase jump, and this phase jump can be maintained and evolve to π during the pulse evolution.

An adaptive trajectory tracking control of four rotor hover vehicle using extended normalized radial basis function network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ul Amin, Rooh; Aijun, Li; Khan, Muhammad Umer; Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Kamsin, Amirrudin

2017-01-01

In this paper, an adaptive trajectory tracking controller based on extended normalized radial basis function network (ENRBFN) is proposed for 3-degree-of-freedom four rotor hover vehicle subjected to external disturbance i.e. wind turbulence. Mathematical model of four rotor hover system is developed using equations of motions and a new computational intelligence based technique ENRBFN is introduced to approximate the unmodeled dynamics of the hover vehicle. The adaptive controller based on the Lyapunov stability approach is designed to achieve tracking of the desired attitude angles of four rotor hover vehicle in the presence of wind turbulence. The adaptive weight update based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is used to avoid weight drift in case the system is exposed to external disturbances. The closed-loop system stability is also analyzed using Lyapunov stability theory. Simulations and experimental results are included to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

Recognizing the needs of family members of neuroscience patients in an intensive care setting.

PubMed

Prachar, Tanya Lynn; Mahanes, Dea; Arceneaux, Amy; Moss, Bridget L; Jones, Sue; Conaway, Mark; Burns, Suzanne M

2010-10-01

This quantitative study was designed to identify the needs of family members of neuroscience patients. An adaptation of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory was used to identify the top 10 needs of neuroscience families. Results were compared on the basis of whether the admission was planned or emergent. Needs were further examined on the basis of a family's perception of patient prognosis and communication with physicians and nurses. Most needs were recognized as being either important or very important with the need for information about the patient's care receiving the highest rating. Significant differences were noted between family members who expected their loved one to return to normal or with a slight decrease in activity versus those who expected their loved one to have a moderate to complete inability to perform normal activities. Communication with nurses was rated excellent or good significantly more often than communication with physicians.

[Genetic and immunological basis for ulcerative colitis].

PubMed

Tsuchiya, Kiichiro; Watanabe, Mamoru

2005-05-01

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the rectum and colon. Results from many studies in people and animals of intestinal inflammation suggest that ulcerative colitis results from environmental factors triggering a loss of tolerance for normal intestinal flora in genetically susceptible individuals. Although progress has been made in the overall management of the disease, there are few clinical data on biological agents in contrast to Crohn' s disease. Here, we discuss the genetic and immunological basis of ulcerative colitis including the recent findings.

Quantal Response: Nonparametric Modeling

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-01

DATES COVERED (From ‐ To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE    5a. CONTRACT NUMBER  5b. GRANT NUMBER  5c. PROGRAM  ELEMENT  NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S)    5d...creasing function as P(x) = G ( f (x) ) , where G is a monotone function such as the standard logistic, normal, or Cauchy CDF. Finite -dimensional...examples with dimension k = 5 where various colors distinguish the basis elements . Figure 3 shows logistic response estimates for these 3 basis sets

Modeling of normal contact of elastic bodies with surface relief taken into account

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goryacheva, I. G.; Tsukanov, I. Yu

2018-04-01

An approach to account the surface relief in normal contact problems for rough bodies on the basis of an additional displacement function for asperities is considered. The method and analytic expressions for calculating the additional displacement function for one-scale and two-scale wavy relief are presented. The influence of the microrelief geometric parameters, including the number of scales and asperities density, on additional displacements of the rough layer is analyzed.

Quantitative implementation of the endogenous molecular-cellular network hypothesis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

PubMed

Wang, Gaowei; Zhu, Xiaomei; Gu, Jianren; Ao, Ping

2014-06-06

A quantitative hypothesis for cancer genesis and progression-the endogenous molecular-cellular network hypothesis, intended to include both genetic and epigenetic causes of cancer-has been proposed recently. Using this hypothesis, here we address the molecular basis for maintaining normal liver and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the potential strategy to cure or relieve HCC. First, we elaborate the basic assumptions of the hypothesis and establish a core working network of HCC according to the hypothesis. Second, we quantify the working network by a nonlinear dynamical system. We show that the working network reproduces the main known features of normal liver and HCC at both the modular and molecular levels. Lastly, the validated working network reveals that (i) specific positive feedback loops are responsible for the maintenance of normal liver and HCC; (ii) inhibiting proliferation and inflammation-related positive feedback loops and simultaneously inducing a liver-specific positive feedback loop is predicated as a potential strategy to cure or relieve HCC; and (iii) the genesis and regression of HCC are asymmetric. In light of the characteristic properties of the nonlinear dynamical system, we demonstrate that positive feedback loops must exist as a simple and general molecular basis for the maintenance of heritable phenotypes, such as normal liver and HCC, and regulating the positive feedback loops directly or indirectly provides potential strategies to cure or relieve HCC.

Position paper: Management of men complaining of a small penis despite an actually normal size.

PubMed

Ghanem, Hussein; Glina, Sidney; Assalian, Pierre; Buvat, Jacques

2013-01-01

With the worldwide increase in penile augmentation procedures and claims of devices designed to elongate the penis, it becomes crucial to study the scientific basis of such procedures or devices, as well as the management of a complaint of a small penis in men with a normal penile size. The aim of this work is to study the scientific basis of opting to penile augmentation procedures and to develop guidelines based on the best available evidence for the management of men complaining of a small penis despite an actually normal size. We reviewed the literature and evaluated the evidence about what the normal penile size is, what patients complaining of a small penis usually suffer from, benefits vs. complications of surgery, penile stretching or traction devices, and outcome with patient education and counseling. Repeated presentation and detailed discussions within the Standard Committee of the International Society for Sexual Medicine were performed. Recommendations are based on the evaluation of evidence-based medical literature, widespread standards committee discussion, public presentation, and debate. We propose a practical approach for evaluating and counseling patients complaining of a small-sized penis. Based on the current status of science, penile lengthening procedure surgery is still considered experimental and should only be limited to special circumstances within research or university institutions with supervising ethics committees. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

MicroRNA array normalization: an evaluation using a randomized dataset as the benchmark.

PubMed

Qin, Li-Xuan; Zhou, Qin

2014-01-01

MicroRNA arrays possess a number of unique data features that challenge the assumption key to many normalization methods. We assessed the performance of existing normalization methods using two microRNA array datasets derived from the same set of tumor samples: one dataset was generated using a blocked randomization design when assigning arrays to samples and hence was free of confounding array effects; the second dataset was generated without blocking or randomization and exhibited array effects. The randomized dataset was assessed for differential expression between two tumor groups and treated as the benchmark. The non-randomized dataset was assessed for differential expression after normalization and compared against the benchmark. Normalization improved the true positive rate significantly in the non-randomized data but still possessed a false discovery rate as high as 50%. Adding a batch adjustment step before normalization further reduced the number of false positive markers while maintaining a similar number of true positive markers, which resulted in a false discovery rate of 32% to 48%, depending on the specific normalization method. We concluded the paper with some insights on possible causes of false discoveries to shed light on how to improve normalization for microRNA arrays.

MicroRNA Array Normalization: An Evaluation Using a Randomized Dataset as the Benchmark

PubMed Central

Qin, Li-Xuan; Zhou, Qin

2014-01-01

MicroRNA arrays possess a number of unique data features that challenge the assumption key to many normalization methods. We assessed the performance of existing normalization methods using two microRNA array datasets derived from the same set of tumor samples: one dataset was generated using a blocked randomization design when assigning arrays to samples and hence was free of confounding array effects; the second dataset was generated without blocking or randomization and exhibited array effects. The randomized dataset was assessed for differential expression between two tumor groups and treated as the benchmark. The non-randomized dataset was assessed for differential expression after normalization and compared against the benchmark. Normalization improved the true positive rate significantly in the non-randomized data but still possessed a false discovery rate as high as 50%. Adding a batch adjustment step before normalization further reduced the number of false positive markers while maintaining a similar number of true positive markers, which resulted in a false discovery rate of 32% to 48%, depending on the specific normalization method. We concluded the paper with some insights on possible causes of false discoveries to shed light on how to improve normalization for microRNA arrays. PMID:24905456

Development of a Premium Quality Plasma-derived IVIg (IQYMUNE®) Utilizing the Principles of Quality by Design-A Worked-through Case Study.

PubMed

Paolantonacci, Philippe; Appourchaux, Philippe; Claudel, Béatrice; Ollivier, Monique; Dennett, Richard; Siret, Laurent

2018-01-01

Polyvalent human normal immunoglobulins for intravenous use (IVIg), indicated for rare and often severe diseases, are complex plasma-derived protein preparations. A quality by design approach has been used to develop the Laboratoire Français du Fractionnement et des Biotechnologies new-generation IVIg, targeting a high level of purity to generate an enhanced safety profile while maintaining a high level of efficacy. A modular approach of quality by design was implemented consisting of five consecutive steps to cover all the stages from the product design to the final product control strategy.A well-defined target product profile was translated into 27 product quality attributes that formed the basis of the process design. In parallel, a product risk analysis was conducted and identified 19 critical quality attributes among the product quality attributes. Process risk analysis was carried out to establish the links between process parameters and critical quality attributes. Twelve critical steps were identified, and for each of these steps a risk mitigation plan was established.Among the different process risk mitigation exercises, five process robustness studies were conducted at qualified small scale with a design of experiment approach. For each process step, critical process parameters were identified and, for each critical process parameter, proven acceptable ranges were established. The quality risk management and risk mitigation outputs, including verification of proven acceptable ranges, were used to design the process verification exercise at industrial scale.Finally, the control strategy was established using a mix, or hybrid, of the traditional approach plus elements of the quality by design enhanced approach, as illustrated, to more robustly assign material and process controls and in order to securely meet product specifications.The advantages of this quality by design approach were improved process knowledge for industrial design and process validation and a clear justification of the process and product specifications as a basis for control strategy and future comparability exercises. © PDA, Inc. 2018.

Creative Thinking: Processes, Strategies, and Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mumford, Michael D.; Medeiros, Kelsey E.; Partlow, Paul J.

2012-01-01

Creative achievements are the basis for progress in our world. Although creative achievement is influenced by many variables, the basis for creativity is held to lie in the generation of high-quality, original, and elegant solutions to complex, novel, ill-defined problems. In the present effort, we examine the cognitive capacities that make…

Nonlinear spectral imaging of human normal skin, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma based on two-photon excited fluorescence and second-harmonic generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, S. Y.; Yang, J. G.; Zhuang, J.

2011-10-01

In this work, we use nonlinear spectral imaging based on two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) for analyzing the morphology of collagen and elastin and their biochemical variations in basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and normal skin tissue. It was found in this work that there existed apparent differences among BCC, SCC and normal skin in terms of their thickness of the keratin and epithelial layers, their size of elastic fibers, as well as their distribution and spectral characteristics of collagen. These differences can potentially be used to distinguish BCC and SCC from normal skin, and to discriminate between BCC and SCC, as well as to evaluate treatment responses.

Multi-level basis selection of wavelet packet decomposition tree for heart sound classification.

PubMed

Safara, Fatemeh; Doraisamy, Shyamala; Azman, Azreen; Jantan, Azrul; Abdullah Ramaiah, Asri Ranga

2013-10-01

Wavelet packet transform decomposes a signal into a set of orthonormal bases (nodes) and provides opportunities to select an appropriate set of these bases for feature extraction. In this paper, multi-level basis selection (MLBS) is proposed to preserve the most informative bases of a wavelet packet decomposition tree through removing less informative bases by applying three exclusion criteria: frequency range, noise frequency, and energy threshold. MLBS achieved an accuracy of 97.56% for classifying normal heart sound, aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, and aortic regurgitation. MLBS is a promising basis selection to be suggested for signals with a small range of frequencies. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Scoring in genetically modified organism proficiency tests based on log-transformed results.

PubMed

Thompson, Michael; Ellison, Stephen L R; Owen, Linda; Mathieson, Kenneth; Powell, Joanne; Key, Pauline; Wood, Roger; Damant, Andrew P

2006-01-01

The study considers data from 2 UK-based proficiency schemes and includes data from a total of 29 rounds and 43 test materials over a period of 3 years. The results from the 2 schemes are similar and reinforce each other. The amplification process used in quantitative polymerase chain reaction determinations predicts a mixture of normal, binomial, and lognormal distributions dominated by the latter 2. As predicted, the study results consistently follow a positively skewed distribution. Log-transformation prior to calculating z-scores is effective in establishing near-symmetric distributions that are sufficiently close to normal to justify interpretation on the basis of the normal distribution.

CNS development: an overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nowakowski, R. S.; Hayes, N. L.

1999-01-01

The basic principles of the development of the central nervous system (CNS) are reviewed, and their implications for both normal and abnormal development of the brain are discussed. The goals of this review are (a) to provide a set of concepts to aid in understanding the variety of complex processes that occur during CNS development, (b) to illustrate how these concepts contribute to our knowledge of the normal anatomy of the adult brain, and (c) to provide a basis for understanding how modifications of normal developmental processes by traumatic injury, by environmental or experiential influences, or by genetic variations may lead to modifications in the resultant structure and function of the adult CNS.

Integrity of the Cone Photoreceptor Mosaic in Oligocone Trichromacy

PubMed Central

Rha, Jungtae; Dees, Elise W.; Baraas, Rigmor C.; Wagner-Schuman, Melissa L.; Mollon, John D.; Dubis, Adam M.; Andersen, Mette K. G.; Rosenberg, Thomas; Larsen, Michael; Moore, Anthony T.

2011-01-01

Purpose. Oligocone trichromacy (OT) is an unusual cone dysfunction syndrome characterized by reduced visual acuity, mild photophobia, reduced amplitude of the cone electroretinogram with normal rod responses, normal fundus appearance, and normal or near-normal color vision. It has been proposed that these patients have a reduced number of normal functioning cones (oligocone). This paper has sought to evaluate the integrity of the cone photoreceptor mosaic in four patients previously described as having OT. Methods. Retinal images were obtained from two brothers (13 and 15 years) and two unrelated subjects, one male (47 years) and one female (24 years). High-resolution images of the cone mosaic were obtained using high-speed adaptive optics (AO) fundus cameras. Visible structures were analyzed for density using custom software. Additional retinal images were obtained using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and the four layers of the photoreceptor-retinal pigment epithelium complex (ELM, IS/OS, RPE1, RPE2) were evaluated. Cone photoreceptor length and the thickness of intraretinal layers were measured and compared to previously published normative data. Results. The adult male subject had infantile onset nystagmus while the three other patients did not. In the adult male patient, a normal appearing cone mosaic was observed. However, the three other subjects had a sparse mosaic of cones remaining at the fovea, with no structure visible outside the central fovea. On SD-OCT, the adult male subject had a very shallow foveal pit, with all major retinal layers being visible, and both inner segment (IS) and outer segment (OS) length were within normal limits. In the other three patients, while all four layers were visible in the central fovea and IS length was within normal limits, the OS length was significantly decreased. Peripherally the IS/OS layer decreased in intensity, and the RPE1 layer was no longer discernable, in keeping with the lack of cone structure observed on AO imaging outside the central fovea. Conclusions. Findings are consistent with the visual deficits being caused by a reduced number of healthy cones in the two brothers and the adult female. In the unrelated adult subject, no structural basis for the disorder was found. These data suggest two distinct groups on the basis of structural imaging. It is proposed that the former group with evidence of a reduction in cone numbers is more in keeping with typical OT, with the latter group representing an OT-like phenotype. These two groups may be difficult to readily discern on the basis of phenotypic features alone, and high-resolution imaging may be an effective way to distinguish between these phenotypes. PMID:21436275

Normal pregnancy is associated with an increase in thrombin generation from the very early stages of the first trimester.

PubMed

Bagot, C N; Leishman, E; Onyiaodike, C C; Jordan, F; Freeman, D J

2017-09-01

Pregnancy is a hypercoagulable state associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis, which begins during the first trimester, but the exact time of onset is unknown. Thrombin generation, a laboratory marker of thrombosis risk, increases during normal pregnancy but it is unclear exactly how early this increase occurs. We assessed thrombin generation by Calibrated Automated Thrombography in women undergoing natural cycle in vitro fertilization, who subsequently gave birth at term following a normal pregnancy (n=22). Blood samples were taken just prior to conception and repeated five times during very early pregnancy, up to Day 59 estimated gestation. Mean Endogenous Thrombin Potential (ETP), peak thrombin generation and Velocity Index (VI) increased significantly from pre-pregnancy to Day 43 gestation (p=0.024-0.0004). This change persisted to Day 59 gestation. The mean of the percentage change from baseline, accounting for inter-individual variation, in ETP, peak thrombin and VI increased significantly from pre-pregnancy to Day 32 gestation (p=0.0351-<0.0001) with the mean increase from baseline persisting to Day 59 gestation. Thrombin generation increases significantly during the very early stages of normal pregnancy when compared to the pre-pregnancy state. The increased risk of venous thrombosis therefore likely begins very early in a woman's pregnancy, suggesting that women considered clinically to be at high thrombotic risk should start thromboprophylaxis as early as possible after a positive pregnancy test. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

US Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Avoided Emissions and Generation Tool Training (AVERT) (2015 EIC)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

AVERT captures the actual historical behavior of electricity generating units' (EGUs’) operation on an hourly basis to predict how EGUs will operate with additional EE/RE delivered to the electricity grid.

Comparing cancer vs normal gene expression profiles identifies new disease entities and common transcriptional programs in AML patients.

PubMed

Rapin, Nicolas; Bagger, Frederik Otzen; Jendholm, Johan; Mora-Jensen, Helena; Krogh, Anders; Kohlmann, Alexander; Thiede, Christian; Borregaard, Niels; Bullinger, Lars; Winther, Ole; Theilgaard-Mönch, Kim; Porse, Bo T

2014-02-06

Gene expression profiling has been used extensively to characterize cancer, identify novel subtypes, and improve patient stratification. However, it has largely failed to identify transcriptional programs that differ between cancer and corresponding normal cells and has not been efficient in identifying expression changes fundamental to disease etiology. Here we present a method that facilitates the comparison of any cancer sample to its nearest normal cellular counterpart, using acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as a model. We first generated a gene expression-based landscape of the normal hematopoietic hierarchy, using expression profiles from normal stem/progenitor cells, and next mapped the AML patient samples to this landscape. This allowed us to identify the closest normal counterpart of individual AML samples and determine gene expression changes between cancer and normal. We find the cancer vs normal method (CvN method) to be superior to conventional methods in stratifying AML patients with aberrant karyotype and in identifying common aberrant transcriptional programs with potential importance for AML etiology. Moreover, the CvN method uncovered a novel poor-outcome subtype of normal-karyotype AML, which allowed for the generation of a highly prognostic survival signature. Collectively, our CvN method holds great potential as a tool for the analysis of gene expression profiles of cancer patients.

Minimization of Basis Risk in Parametric Earthquake Cat Bonds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franco, G.

2009-12-01

A catastrophe -cat- bond is an instrument used by insurance and reinsurance companies, by governments or by groups of nations to cede catastrophic risk to the financial markets, which are capable of supplying cover for highly destructive events, surpassing the typical capacity of traditional reinsurance contracts. Parametric cat bonds, a specific type of cat bonds, use trigger mechanisms or indices that depend on physical event parameters published by respected third parties in order to determine whether a part or the entire bond principal is to be paid for a certain event. First generation cat bonds, or cat-in-a-box bonds, display a trigger mechanism that consists of a set of geographic zones in which certain conditions need to be met by an earthquake’s magnitude and depth in order to trigger payment of the bond principal. Second generation cat bonds use an index formulation that typically consists of a sum of products of a set of weights by a polynomial function of the ground motion variables reported by a geographically distributed seismic network. These instruments are especially appealing to developing countries with incipient insurance industries wishing to cede catastrophic losses to the financial markets because the payment trigger mechanism is transparent and does not involve the parties ceding or accepting the risk, significantly reducing moral hazard. In order to be successful in the market, however, parametric cat bonds have typically been required to specify relatively simple trigger conditions. The consequence of such simplifications is the increase of basis risk. This risk represents the possibility that the trigger mechanism fails to accurately capture the actual losses of a catastrophic event, namely that it does not trigger for a highly destructive event or vice versa, that a payment of the bond principal is caused by an event that produced insignificant losses. The first case disfavors the sponsor who was seeking cover for its losses while the second disfavors the investor who loses part of the investment without a reasonable cause. A streamlined and fairly automated methodology has been developed to design parametric triggers that minimize the basis risk while still maintaining their level of relative simplicity. Basis risk is minimized in both, first and second generation, parametric cat bonds through an optimization procedure that aims to find the most appropriate magnitude thresholds, geographic zones, and weight index values. Sensitivity analyses to different design assumptions show that first generation cat bonds are typically affected by a large negative basis risk, namely the risk that the bond will not trigger for events within the risk level transferred, unless a sufficiently small geographic resolution is selected to define the trigger zones. Second generation cat bonds in contrast display a bias towards negative or positive basis risk depending on the degree of the polynomial used as well as on other design parameters. Two examples are presented, the construction of a first generation parametric trigger mechanism for Costa Rica and the design of a second generation parametric index for Japan.

Extracting diagnostic stromal organization features based on intrinsic two-photon excited fluorescence and second-harmonic generation signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuo, Shuangmu; Chen, Jianxin; Xie, Shusen; Hong, Zhibin; Jiang, Xingshan

2009-03-01

Intrinsic two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second-harmonic generation (SHG) signals are shown to differentiate between normal and neoplastic human esophageal stroma. It was found that TPEF and SHG signals from normal and neoplastic stroma exhibit different organization features, providing quantitative information about the biomorphology and biochemistry of tissue. By comparing normal with neoplastic stroma, there were significant differences in collagen-related changes, elastin-related changes, and alteration in proportions of matrix molecules, giving insight into the stromal changes associated with cancer progression and providing substantial potential to be applied in vivo to the clinical diagnosis of epithelial precancers and cancers.

Procedure for normalization of cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Bonaldo, M.D.; Soares, M.B.

1997-12-30

This invention provides a method to normalize a cDNA library constructed in a vector capable of being converted to single-stranded circles and capable of producing complementary nucleic acid molecules to the single-stranded circles comprising: (a) converting the cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating complementary nucleic acid molecules to the single-stranded circles; (c) hybridizing the single-stranded circles converted in step (a) with complementary nucleic acid molecules of step (b) to produce partial duplexes to an appropriate Cot; (e) separating the unhybridized single-stranded circles from the hybridized single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. 1 fig.

Using RxNorm for cross-institutional formulary data normalization within a distributed grid-computing environment.

PubMed

Wynden, Rob; Anderson, Nick; Casale, Marco; Lakshminarayanan, Prakash; Anderson, Kent; Prosser, Justin; Errecart, Larry; Livshits, Alice; Thimman, Tim; Weiner, Mark

2011-01-01

Within the CTSA (Clinical Translational Sciences Awards) program, academic medical centers are tasked with the storage of clinical formulary data within an Integrated Data Repository (IDR) and the subsequent exposure of that data over grid computing environments for hypothesis generation and cohort selection. Formulary data collected over long periods of time across multiple institutions requires normalization of terms before those data sets can be aggregated and compared. This paper sets forth a solution to the challenge of generating derived aggregated normalized views from large, distributed data sets of clinical formulary data intended for re-use within clinical translational research.

Characterization of wear debris from metal-on-metal hip implants during normal wear versus edge-loading conditions.

PubMed

Kovochich, Michael; Fung, Ernest S; Donovan, Ellen; Unice, Kenneth M; Paustenbach, Dennis J; Finley, Brent L

2018-04-01

Advantages of second-generation metal-on-metal (MoM) hip implants include low volumetric wear rates and the release of nanosized wear particles that are chemically inert and readily cleared from local tissue. In some patients, edge loading conditions occur, which result in higher volumetric wear. The objective of this study was to characterize the size, morphology, and chemistry of wear particles released from MoM hip implants during normal (40° angle) and edge-loading (65° angle with microseparation) conditions. The mean primary particle size by volume under normal wear was 35 nm (range: 9-152 nm) compared with 95 nm (range: 6-573 nm) under edge-loading conditions. Hydrodynamic diameter analysis by volume showed that particles from normal wear were in the nano- (<100 nm) to submicron (<1000 nm) size range, whereas edge-loading conditions generated particles that ranged from <100 nm up to 3000-6000 nm in size. Particles isolated from normal wear were primarily chromium (98.5%) and round to oval in shape. Edge-loading conditions generated more elongated particles (4.5%) (aspect ratio ≥ 2.5) and more CoCr alloy particles (9.3%) compared with normal wear conditions (1.3% CoCr particles). By total mass, edge-loading particles contained approximately 640-fold more cobalt than normal wear particles. Our findings suggest that high wear conditions are a potential risk factor for adverse local tissue effects in MoM patients who experience edge loading. This study is the first to characterize both the physical and chemical characteristics of MoM wear particles collected under normal and edge-loading conditions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 986-996, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electric Power Quarterly, October-December 1985. [Glossary

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

Not Available

1986-05-05

The Electric Power Quarterly (EPQ) provides information on electric utilities at the plant level. The information concerns the following: cost, quantity, and quality of fossil fuel receipts; net generation; fuel consumption; and fuel stocks. The EPQ contains monthly data and quarterly totals for the reporting quarter. Data collected on Form EIA-759 regarding electric utilities' net generation, fuel consumption, and fuel stocks are presented on a plant-by-plant basis. In addition, quantity, cost, and quality of fossil fuel receipts collected on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Form 423 are presented on a plant-by-plant basis.

Electric Power Quarterly, January-March 1986

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

Not Available

1986-07-21

The ''Electric Power Quarterly (EPQ)'' provides information on electric utilities at the plant level. The information concerns the following: cost, quantity, and quality of fossil fuel receipts; net generation; fuel consumption; and fuel stocks. The ''EPQ'' contains monthly data and quarterly totals for the reporting quarter. In this report, data collected on Form EIA-759 regarding electric utilities' net generation, fuel consumption, and fuel stocks are presented on a plant-by-plant basis. In addition, quantity, cost, and quality of fossil fuel receipts collected on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Form 423 are presented on a plant-by-plant basis.

Shuttle user analysis (study 2.2). Volume 2: User charge analysis. Part 1: Summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Alternative candidate STS flight charge approaches which will provide a basis for NASA's determination of an STS flight charge policy were analyzed. The analysis used STS transportation costs furnished by NASA. The STS User Charge Analysis was accomplished by (1) generating criteria for evaluation of alternative flight charge approaches, (2) defining alternative flight charge approaches, (3) computing flight charges for selected missions, (4) evaluating results using the criteria generated under (1), and (5) recommending flight charge approaches to be used as a basis for the formulation of a STS user flight charge policy.

38 CFR 36.4225 - Authority to close manufactured home loans on the automatic basis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... accounting or business cycle. Current liabilities are defined as obligations that would be paid within a year on a normal accounting or business cycle. The lender's latest financial statements (profit and loss...

Normal modes of the shallow water system on the cubed sphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, H. G.; Cheong, H. B.; Lee, C. H.

2017-12-01

Spherical harmonics expressed as the Rossby-Haurwitz waves are the normal modes of non-divergent barotropic model. Among the normal modes in the numerical models, the most unstable mode will contaminate the numerical results, and therefore the investigation of normal mode for a given grid system and a discretiztaion method is important. The cubed-sphere grid which consists of six identical faces has been widely adopted in many atmospheric models. This grid system is non-orthogonal grid so that calculation of the normal mode is quiet challenge problem. In the present study, the normal modes of the shallow water system on the cubed sphere discretized by the spectral element method employing the Gauss-Lobatto Lagrange interpolating polynomials as orthogonal basis functions is investigated. The algebraic equations for the shallow water equation on the cubed sphere are derived, and the huge global matrix is constructed. The linear system representing the eigenvalue-eigenvector relations is solved by numerical libraries. The normal mode calculated for the several horizontal resolution and lamb parameters will be discussed and compared to the normal mode from the spherical harmonics spectral method.

Multipole moments in the effective fragment potential method

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

Bertoni, Colleen; Slipchenko, Lyudmila V.; Misquitta, Alston J.

In the effective fragment potential (EFP) method the Coulomb potential is represented using a set of multipole moments generated by the distributed multipole analysis (DMA) method. Misquitta, Stone, and Fazeli recently developed a basis space-iterated stockholder atom (BS-ISA) method to generate multipole moments. This study assesses the accuracy of the EFP interaction energies using sets of multipole moments generated from the BS-ISA method, and from several versions of the DMA method (such as analytic and numeric grid-based), with varying basis sets. Both methods lead to reasonable results, although using certain implementations of the DMA method can result in large errors.more » With respect to the CCSD(T)/CBS interaction energies, the mean unsigned error (MUE) of the EFP method for the S22 data set using BS-ISA–generated multipole moments and DMA-generated multipole moments (using a small basis set and the analytic DMA procedure) is 0.78 and 0.72 kcal/mol, respectively. Here, the MUE accuracy is on the same order as MP2 and SCS-MP2. The MUEs are lower than in a previous study benchmarking the EFP method without the EFP charge transfer term, demonstrating that the charge transfer term increases the accuracy of the EFP method. Regardless of the multipole moment method used, it is likely that much of the error is due to an insufficient short-range electrostatic term (i.e., charge penetration term), as shown by comparisons with symmetry-adapted perturbation theory.« less

Multipole moments in the effective fragment potential method

DOE PAGES

Bertoni, Colleen; Slipchenko, Lyudmila V.; Misquitta, Alston J.; ...

2017-02-17

In the effective fragment potential (EFP) method the Coulomb potential is represented using a set of multipole moments generated by the distributed multipole analysis (DMA) method. Misquitta, Stone, and Fazeli recently developed a basis space-iterated stockholder atom (BS-ISA) method to generate multipole moments. This study assesses the accuracy of the EFP interaction energies using sets of multipole moments generated from the BS-ISA method, and from several versions of the DMA method (such as analytic and numeric grid-based), with varying basis sets. Both methods lead to reasonable results, although using certain implementations of the DMA method can result in large errors.more » With respect to the CCSD(T)/CBS interaction energies, the mean unsigned error (MUE) of the EFP method for the S22 data set using BS-ISA–generated multipole moments and DMA-generated multipole moments (using a small basis set and the analytic DMA procedure) is 0.78 and 0.72 kcal/mol, respectively. Here, the MUE accuracy is on the same order as MP2 and SCS-MP2. The MUEs are lower than in a previous study benchmarking the EFP method without the EFP charge transfer term, demonstrating that the charge transfer term increases the accuracy of the EFP method. Regardless of the multipole moment method used, it is likely that much of the error is due to an insufficient short-range electrostatic term (i.e., charge penetration term), as shown by comparisons with symmetry-adapted perturbation theory.« less

Characterization of Disease-Related Covariance Topographies with SSMPCA Toolbox: Effects of Spatial Normalization and PET Scanners

PubMed Central

Peng, Shichun; Ma, Yilong; Spetsieris, Phoebe G; Mattis, Paul; Feigin, Andrew; Dhawan, Vijay; Eidelberg, David

2013-01-01

In order to generate imaging biomarkers from disease-specific brain networks, we have implemented a general toolbox to rapidly perform scaled subprofile modeling (SSM) based on principal component analysis (PCA) on brain images of patients and normals. This SSMPCA toolbox can define spatial covariance patterns whose expression in individual subjects can discriminate patients from controls or predict behavioral measures. The technique may depend on differences in spatial normalization algorithms and brain imaging systems. We have evaluated the reproducibility of characteristic metabolic patterns generated by SSMPCA in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We used [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET scans from PD patients and normal controls. Motor-related (PDRP) and cognition-related (PDCP) metabolic patterns were derived from images spatially normalized using four versions of SPM software (spm99, spm2, spm5 and spm8). Differences between these patterns and subject scores were compared across multiple independent groups of patients and control subjects. These patterns and subject scores were highly reproducible with different normalization programs in terms of disease discrimination and cognitive correlation. Subject scores were also comparable in PD patients imaged across multiple PET scanners. Our findings confirm a very high degree of consistency among brain networks and their clinical correlates in PD using images normalized in four different SPM platforms. SSMPCA toolbox can be used reliably for generating disease-specific imaging biomarkers despite the continued evolution of image preprocessing software in the neuroimaging community. Network expressions can be quantified in individual patients independent of different physical characteristics of PET cameras. PMID:23671030

Characterization of disease-related covariance topographies with SSMPCA toolbox: effects of spatial normalization and PET scanners.

PubMed

Peng, Shichun; Ma, Yilong; Spetsieris, Phoebe G; Mattis, Paul; Feigin, Andrew; Dhawan, Vijay; Eidelberg, David

2014-05-01

To generate imaging biomarkers from disease-specific brain networks, we have implemented a general toolbox to rapidly perform scaled subprofile modeling (SSM) based on principal component analysis (PCA) on brain images of patients and normals. This SSMPCA toolbox can define spatial covariance patterns whose expression in individual subjects can discriminate patients from controls or predict behavioral measures. The technique may depend on differences in spatial normalization algorithms and brain imaging systems. We have evaluated the reproducibility of characteristic metabolic patterns generated by SSMPCA in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We used [(18) F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET scans from patients with PD and normal controls. Motor-related (PDRP) and cognition-related (PDCP) metabolic patterns were derived from images spatially normalized using four versions of SPM software (spm99, spm2, spm5, and spm8). Differences between these patterns and subject scores were compared across multiple independent groups of patients and control subjects. These patterns and subject scores were highly reproducible with different normalization programs in terms of disease discrimination and cognitive correlation. Subject scores were also comparable in patients with PD imaged across multiple PET scanners. Our findings confirm a very high degree of consistency among brain networks and their clinical correlates in PD using images normalized in four different SPM platforms. SSMPCA toolbox can be used reliably for generating disease-specific imaging biomarkers despite the continued evolution of image preprocessing software in the neuroimaging community. Network expressions can be quantified in individual patients independent of different physical characteristics of PET cameras. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

History of hepatic bile formation: old problems, new approaches.

PubMed

Javitt, Norman B

2014-12-01

Studies of hepatic bile formation reported in 1958 established that it was an osmotically generated water flow. Intravenous infusion of sodium taurocholate established a high correlation between hepatic bile flow and bile acid excretion. Secretin, a hormone that stimulates bicarbonate secretion, was also found to increase hepatic bile flow. The sources of the water entering the biliary system with these two stimuli were differentiated by the use of mannitol. An increase in its excretion parallels the increase in bile flow in response to bile acids but not secretin, which led to a quantitative distinction between canalicular and ductular water flow. The finding of aquaglyceroporin-9 in the basolateral surface of the hepatocyte accounted for the rapid entry of mannitol into hepatocytes and its exclusion from water movement in the ductules where aquaporin-1 is present. Electron microscopy demonstrated that bile acids generate the formation of vesicles that contain lecithin and cholesterol after their receptor-mediated canalicular transport. Biophysical studies established that the osmotic effect of bile acids varies with their concentration and also with the proportion of mono-, di-, and trihydroxy bile acids and provides a basis for understanding their physiological effects. Because of the varying osmotic effect of bile acids, it is difficult to quantify bile acid independent flow generated by other solutes, such as glutathione, which enters the biliary system. Monohydroxy bile acids, by markedly increasing aggregation number, severely reduce water flow. Developing biomarkers for the noninvasive assessment of normal hepatic bile flow remains an elusive goal that merits further study. Copyright © 2014 The American Physiological Society.

Production of Zebrafish Offspring from Cultured Female Germline Stem Cells

PubMed Central

Wong, Ten-Tsao; Tesfamichael, Abraham; Collodi, Paul

2013-01-01

Zebrafish female germline stem cell (FGSC) cultures were generated from a transgenic line of fish that expresses Neo and DsRed under the control of the germ cell specific promoter, ziwi [Tg(ziwi:neo);Tg(ziwi:DsRed)]. Homogeneous FGSC cultures were established by G418 selection and continued to express ziwi for more than 6 weeks along with the germ cell markers nanos3, dnd, dazl and vasa. A key component of the cell culture system was the use of a feeder cell line that was initiated from ovaries of a transgenic line of fish [Tg(gsdf:neo)] that expresses Neo controlled by the zebrafish gonadal soma derived factor (gsdf) promoter. The feeder cell line was selected in G418 and engineered to express zebrafish leukemia inhibitory factor (Lif), basic fibroblast growth factor (Fgf2) and glial-cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (Gdnf). These factors were shown to significantly enhance FGSC growth, survival and germline competency in culture. Results from cell transplantation experiments revealed that the cultured FGSCs were able to successfully colonize the gonad of sterile recipient fish and generate functional gametes. Up to 20% of surviving recipient fish that were injected with the cultured FGSCs were fertile and generated multiple batches of normal offspring for at least 6 months. The FGSC cultures will provide an in vitro system for studies of zebrafish germ cell growth and differentiation and their high frequency of germline transmission following transplantation could form the basis of a stem cell-mediated strategy for gene transfer and manipulation of the zebrafish genome. PMID:23671620

75 FR 10823 - Biweekly Notice; Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Involving No...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-09

... for the applicable TS 3.8.1 surveillances governing the Emergency Diesel Generators (EDGs). Basis for... the Emergency Diesel Generators. The maximum EDG output voltage of 4580 volts is not affected by this... (SR) 3.8.1.10 for the Diesel Generator endurance surveillance test. The proposed change will also...

Effectiveness of self-generated cues in early Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Lipinska, B; Bäckman, L; Mäntylä, T; Viitanen, M

1994-12-01

The ability to utilize cognitive support in the form of self-generated cues in mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the factors promoting efficient cue utilization in this group of patients, were examined in two experiments on memory for words. Results from both experiments showed that normal old adults as well as AD patients performed better with self-generated cues than with experimenter-provided cues, although the latter type of cues resulted in gains relative to free recall. The findings indicate no qualitative differences in patterns of performance between the normal old and the AD patients. For both groups of subjects, cue effectiveness was optimized when (a) there was self-generation activity at encoding, and (b) encoding and retrieval conditions were compatible.

75 FR 33855 - Sunshine Federal Register Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-15

.... Entergy Nuclear Generation Co. and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station) Remaining Issues from Pilgrim Watch Petition for Review (Tentative). b. Entergy Nuclear Generation Co. and...-case basis. * * * * * This notice is distributed electronically to subscribers. If you no longer wish...

RAETRAD MODEL OF RADON GAS GENERATION, TRANSPORT, AND INDOOR ENTRY

EPA Science Inventory

The report describes the theoretical basis, implementation, and validation of the Radon Emanation and Transport into Dwellings (RAETRAD) model, a conceptual and mathematical approach for simulating radon (222Rn) gas generation and transport from soils and building foundations to ...

On the reversibility of the Meissner effect and the angular momentum puzzle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, J. E.

2016-10-01

It is generally believed that the laws of thermodynamics govern superconductivity as an equilibrium state of matter, and hence that the normal-superconductor transition in a magnetic field is reversible under ideal conditions. Because eddy currents are generated during the transition as the magnetic flux changes, the transition has to proceed infinitely slowly to generate no entropy. Experiments showed that to a high degree of accuracy no entropy was generated in these transitions. However, in this paper we point out that for the length of times over which these experiments extended, a much higher degree of irreversibility due to decay of eddy currents should have been detected than was actually observed. We also point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no explanation exists for why no Joule heat is generated in the superconductor to normal transition when the supercurrent stops. In addition we point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no mechanism exists for the transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body as a whole, which is necessary to ensure that the transition in the presence of a magnetic field respects momentum conservation. We propose a solution to all these questions based on the alternative theory of hole superconductivity. The theory proposes that in the normal-superconductor transition there is a flow and backflow of charge in direction perpendicular to the phase boundary when the phase boundary moves. We show that this flow and backflow explains the absence of Joule heat generated by Faraday eddy currents, the absence of Joule heat generated in the process of the supercurrent stopping, and the reversible transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body, provided the current carriers in the normal state are holes.

Neuropsychological performance of sexual assaulters and pedophiles.

PubMed

Scott, M L; Cole, J K; McKay, S E; Golden, C J; Liggett, K R

1984-10-01

Persons who had been arrested for sexual assault were administered the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery and the results compared to a group of normal controls. The sexual assaulters performed significantly worse on 7 of the 14 scales of the battery. The data were then broken down into three groups: (1) those who had forcibly assaulted postpubescent victims, (2) those subjects who had sexually molested a prepubescent child, and (3) normal controls. A discriminant analysis correctly classified 68% of the subjects on the basis of their neuropsychological performance alone.

Photometric behavior and general characteristics of the nova HR Delphini

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raikova, D.

The light curve and the B-V color-index curve of HR Del were constructed on the basis of published UBV observations. From the normal color indices, the effective photosphere temperature and radius were determined using calibrations for normal stars. As the brightness reached its peak, the effective photosphere was expanding with a velocity of approximately 23 km/s, which is more than 10 times less than the gas velocity. This phenomenon is explained by decreasing continuous opacity as the ejected gas expands.

Method for protecting an electric generator

DOEpatents

Kuehnle, Barry W.; Roberts, Jeffrey B.; Folkers, Ralph W.

2008-11-18

A method for protecting an electrical generator which includes providing an electrical generator which is normally synchronously operated with an electrical power grid; providing a synchronizing signal from the electrical generator; establishing a reference signal; and electrically isolating the electrical generator from the electrical power grid if the synchronizing signal is not in phase with the reference signal.

Experimental Basis for IED Particle Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng-Johansson, J.

2009-03-01

The internally electrodynamic (IED) particle model is built on three experimental facts: a) electric charges present in all matter particles, b) an accelerated charge generates electromagnetic (EM) waves by Maxwell's equations and Planck energy equation, and c) source motion gives Doppler effect. A set of well-kwon basic particle equations have been predicted based on first-principles solutions for IED particle (e.g. J Phys CS128, 012019, 2008); the equations are long experimentally validated. A critical review of the key experiments suggests that the IED process underlies these equations not just sufficiently but also necessarily. E.g.: 1) A free IED electron solution is a plane wave ψ= Ce^i(kdX-φT) requisite for producing the diffraction fringe in a Davisson-Germer experiment, and of also all basic point-like attributes facilitated by a linear momentum kd and the model structure. It needs not further be a wave packet which produces not a diffraction fringe. 2)The radial partial EM waves, hence the total ψ, of an IED electron will, on both EM theory and experiment basis -not by assumption, enter two slits at the same time, as is requisite for an electron to interfere with itself as shown in double slit experiments. 3) On annihilation, an electron converts (from mass m) to a radiation energy φ without an acceleration which is externally observable and yet requisite by EM theory. So a charge oscillation of frequency φ and its EM waves must regularly present internal of a normal electron, whence the IED model.

Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type IID caused by an SCN9A mutation.

PubMed

Yuan, Junhui; Matsuura, Eiji; Higuchi, Yujiro; Hashiguchi, Akihiro; Nakamura, Tomonori; Nozuma, Satoshi; Sakiyama, Yusuke; Yoshimura, Akiko; Izumo, Shuji; Takashima, Hiroshi

2013-04-30

To identify the clinical features of Japanese patients with suspected hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN) on the basis of genetic diagnoses. On the basis of clinical, in vivo electrophysiologic, and pathologic findings, 9 Japanese patients with sensory and autonomic nervous dysfunctions were selected. Eleven known HSAN disease-causing genes and 5 related genes were screened using a next-generation sequencer. A homozygous mutation, c.3993delGinsTT, was identified in exon 22 of SCN9A from 2 patients/families. The clinical phenotype was characterized by adolescent or congenital onset with loss of pain and temperature sensation, autonomic nervous dysfunctions, hearing loss, and hyposmia. Subsequently, this mutation was discovered in one of patient 1's sisters, who also exhibited sensory and autonomic nervous system dysfunctions, with recurrent fractures being the most predominant feature. Nerve conduction studies revealed definite asymmetric sensory nerve involvement in patient 1. In addition, sural nerve pathologic findings showed loss of large myelinated fibers in patient 1, whereas the younger patient showed normal sural nerve pathology. We identified a novel homozygous mutation in SCN9A from 2 Japanese families with autosomal recessive HSAN. This loss-of-function SCN9A mutation results in disturbances in the sensory, olfactory, and autonomic nervous systems. We propose that SCN9A mutation results in the new entity of HSAN type IID, with additional symptoms including hyposmia, hearing loss, bone dysplasia, and hypogeusia.

[Identification and management of intra-operative suspicious tissues in 20 transsphenoidal surgery cases].

PubMed

Liu, Jun-Feng; Ke, Chang-Shu; Chen, Xi; Xu, Yu; Zhang, Hua-Qiu; Chen, Juan; Gan, Chao; Li, Chao-Xi; Lei, Ting

2013-05-01

To determine appropriate protocols for the identification and management of intra operative suspicious tissues during transsphenoidal surgery. Clinical data and pathological reports of 20 patients with intra-operative suspicious tissues during transsphenoidal surgeries were analyzed retrospectively. The methods for discriminating between adenoma and normal pituitary tissues were reviewed. The postoperative pathological reports revealed that adenoma and normal pituitary tissues coexisted in 9 samples, while 5 samples were identified as normal pituitary tissues, 2 as adenoma tissues, and 4 as other tissues. Adenomas were distinguished from normal pituitary tissues on the basis of intra-operative appearance, texture, blood supply and possible existence of boundary. If decisions are difficult to made during surgeries from the appearance of the suspicious tissues, pathological examinations are advised as a guidance for the next steps.

19 CFR 351.102 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... financing; and close supplier relationships. The Secretary will not find that control exists on the basis of these factors unless the relationship has the potential to impact decisions concerning the production... temporal aspect of a relationship in determining whether control exists; normally, temporary circumstances...

5 CFR 591.214 - How does OPM collect prices?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... by catalog, Internet, or a similar source. Other items, not normally sold within an area, may be... time of survey, OPM may, on a case-by-case basis, use the price of the item in a neighboring survey or...

An Integrated Approach for RNA-seq Data Normalization.

PubMed

Yang, Shengping; Mercante, Donald E; Zhang, Kun; Fang, Zhide

2016-01-01

DNA copy number alteration is common in many cancers. Studies have shown that insertion or deletion of DNA sequences can directly alter gene expression, and significant correlation exists between DNA copy number and gene expression. Data normalization is a critical step in the analysis of gene expression generated by RNA-seq technology. Successful normalization reduces/removes unwanted nonbiological variations in the data, while keeping meaningful information intact. However, as far as we know, no attempt has been made to adjust for the variation due to DNA copy number changes in RNA-seq data normalization. In this article, we propose an integrated approach for RNA-seq data normalization. Comparisons show that the proposed normalization can improve power for downstream differentially expressed gene detection and generate more biologically meaningful results in gene profiling. In addition, our findings show that due to the effects of copy number changes, some housekeeping genes are not always suitable internal controls for studying gene expression. Using information from DNA copy number, integrated approach is successful in reducing noises due to both biological and nonbiological causes in RNA-seq data, thus increasing the accuracy of gene profiling.

7 CFR 1794.25 - Proposals normally requiring an EIS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... (nameplate rating) other than fuel cell, combustion turbine, combined cycle, or diesel generators. All new... water and waste programs. No groups or sets of proposed actions normally require the preparation of an...

7 CFR 1794.25 - Proposals normally requiring an EIS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... (nameplate rating) other than fuel cell, combustion turbine, combined cycle, or diesel generators. All new... water and waste programs. No groups or sets of proposed actions normally require the preparation of an...

On the generation of log-Lévy distributions and extreme randomness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliazar, Iddo; Klafter, Joseph

2011-10-01

The log-normal distribution is prevalent across the sciences, as it emerges from the combination of multiplicative processes and the central limit theorem (CLT). The CLT, beyond yielding the normal distribution, also yields the class of Lévy distributions. The log-Lévy distributions are the Lévy counterparts of the log-normal distribution, they appear in the context of ultraslow diffusion processes, and they are categorized by Mandelbrot as belonging to the class of extreme randomness. In this paper, we present a natural stochastic growth model from which both the log-normal distribution and the log-Lévy distributions emerge universally—the former in the case of deterministic underlying setting, and the latter in the case of stochastic underlying setting. In particular, we establish a stochastic growth model which universally generates Mandelbrot’s extreme randomness.

Alpha image reconstruction (AIR): A new iterative CT image reconstruction approach using voxel-wise alpha blending

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

Hofmann, Christian; Sawall, Stefan; Knaup, Michael

2014-06-15

Purpose: Iterative image reconstruction gains more and more interest in clinical routine, as it promises to reduce image noise (and thereby patient dose), to reduce artifacts, or to improve spatial resolution. Among vendors and researchers, however, there is no consensus of how to best achieve these aims. The general approach is to incorporatea priori knowledge into iterative image reconstruction, for example, by adding additional constraints to the cost function, which penalize variations between neighboring voxels. However, this approach to regularization in general poses a resolution noise trade-off because the stronger the regularization, and thus the noise reduction, the stronger themore » loss of spatial resolution and thus loss of anatomical detail. The authors propose a method which tries to improve this trade-off. The proposed reconstruction algorithm is called alpha image reconstruction (AIR). One starts with generating basis images, which emphasize certain desired image properties, like high resolution or low noise. The AIR algorithm reconstructs voxel-specific weighting coefficients that are applied to combine the basis images. By combining the desired properties of each basis image, one can generate an image with lower noise and maintained high contrast resolution thus improving the resolution noise trade-off. Methods: All simulations and reconstructions are performed in native fan-beam geometry. A water phantom with resolution bar patterns and low contrast disks is simulated. A filtered backprojection (FBP) reconstruction with a Ram-Lak kernel is used as a reference reconstruction. The results of AIR are compared against the FBP results and against a penalized weighted least squares reconstruction which uses total variation as regularization. The simulations are based on the geometry of the Siemens Somatom Definition Flash scanner. To quantitatively assess image quality, the authors analyze line profiles through resolution patterns to define a contrast factor for contrast-resolution plots. Furthermore, the authors calculate the contrast-to-noise ratio with the low contrast disks and the authors compare the agreement of the reconstructions with the ground truth by calculating the normalized cross-correlation and the root-mean-square deviation. To evaluate the clinical performance of the proposed method, the authors reconstruct patient data acquired with a Somatom Definition Flash dual source CT scanner (Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany). Results: The results of the simulation study show that among the compared algorithms AIR achieves the highest resolution and the highest agreement with the ground truth. Compared to the reference FBP reconstruction AIR is able to reduce the relative pixel noise by up to 50% and at the same time achieve a higher resolution by maintaining the edge information from the basis images. These results can be confirmed with the patient data. Conclusions: To evaluate the AIR algorithm simulated and measured patient data of a state-of-the-art clinical CT system were processed. It is shown, that generating CT images through the reconstruction of weighting coefficients has the potential to improve the resolution noise trade-off and thus to improve the dose usage in clinical CT.« less

State Transition Matrix for Perturbed Orbital Motion Using Modified Chebyshev Picard Iteration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Read, Julie L.; Younes, Ahmad Bani; Macomber, Brent; Turner, James; Junkins, John L.

2015-06-01

The Modified Chebyshev Picard Iteration (MCPI) method has recently proven to be highly efficient for a given accuracy compared to several commonly adopted numerical integration methods, as a means to solve for perturbed orbital motion. This method utilizes Picard iteration, which generates a sequence of path approximations, and Chebyshev Polynomials, which are orthogonal and also enable both efficient and accurate function approximation. The nodes consistent with discrete Chebyshev orthogonality are generated using cosine sampling; this strategy also reduces the Runge effect and as a consequence of orthogonality, there is no matrix inversion required to find the basis function coefficients. The MCPI algorithms considered herein are parallel-structured so that they are immediately well-suited for massively parallel implementation with additional speedup. MCPI has a wide range of applications beyond ephemeris propagation, including the propagation of the State Transition Matrix (STM) for perturbed two-body motion. A solution is achieved for a spherical harmonic series representation of earth gravity (EGM2008), although the methodology is suitable for application to any gravity model. Included in this representation the normalized, Associated Legendre Functions are given and verified numerically. Modifications of the classical algorithm techniques, such as rewriting the STM equations in a second-order cascade formulation, gives rise to additional speedup. Timing results for the baseline formulation and this second-order formulation are given.

On the signatures of magnetic islands and multiple X-lines in the solar wind as observed by ARTEMIS and WIND

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eriksson, S.; Newman, D. L.; Lapenta, G.; Angelopoulos, V.

2014-06-01

We report the first observation consistent with a magnetic reconnection generated magnetic island at a solar wind current sheet that was observed on 10 June 2012 by the two ARTEMIS satellites and the upstream WIND satellite. The evidence consists of a core magnetic field within the island which is formed by enhanced Hall magnetic fields across a solar wind reconnection exhaust. The core field at ARTEMIS displays a local dip coincident with a peak plasma density enhancement and a locally slower exhaust speed which differentiates it from a regular solar wind exhaust crossing. Further indirect evidence of magnetic island formation is presented in the form of a tripolar Hall magnetic field, which is supported by an observed electron velocity shear, and plasma density depletion regions which are in general agreement with multiple reconnection X-line signatures at the same current sheet on the basis of predicted signatures of magnetic islands as generated by a kinetic reconnection simulation for solar wind-like conditions. The combined ARTEMIS and WIND observations of tripolar Hall magnetic fields across the same exhaust and Grad-Shrafranov reconstructions of the magnetic field suggest that an elongated magnetic island was encountered which displayed a 4RE normal width and a 43RE extent along the exhaust between two neighboring X-lines.

Rotational biomechanics of the elite golf swing: benchmarks for amateurs.

PubMed

Meister, David W; Ladd, Amy L; Butler, Erin E; Zhao, Betty; Rogers, Andrew P; Ray, Conrad J; Rose, Jessica

2011-08-01

The purpose of this study was to determine biomechanical factors that may influence golf swing power generation. Three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics were examined in 10 professional and 5 amateur male golfers. Upper-torso rotation, pelvic rotation, X-factor (relative hip-shoulder rotation), O-factor (pelvic obliquity), S-factor (shoulder obliquity), and normalized free moment were assessed in relation to clubhead speed at impact (CSI). Among professional golfers, results revealed that peak free moment per kilogram, peak X-factor, and peak S-factor were highly consistent, with coefficients of variation of 6.8%, 7.4%, and 8.4%, respectively. Downswing was initiated by reversal of pelvic rotation, followed by reversal of upper-torso rotation. Peak X-factor preceded peak free moment in all swings for all golfers, and occurred during initial downswing. Peak free moment per kilogram, X-factor at impact, peak X-factor, and peak upper-torso rotation were highly correlated to CSI (median correlation coefficients of 0.943, 0.943, 0.900, and 0.900, respectively). Benchmark curves revealed kinematic and kinetic temporal and spatial differences of amateurs compared with professional golfers. For amateurs, the number of factors that fell outside 1-2 standard deviations of professional means increased with handicap. This study identified biomechanical factors highly correlated to golf swing power generation and may provide a basis for strategic training and injury prevention.

Microarray-Based Gene Expression Analysis for Veterinary Pathologists: A Review.

PubMed

Raddatz, Barbara B; Spitzbarth, Ingo; Matheis, Katja A; Kalkuhl, Arno; Deschl, Ulrich; Baumgärtner, Wolfgang; Ulrich, Reiner

2017-09-01

High-throughput, genome-wide transcriptome analysis is now commonly used in all fields of life science research and is on the cusp of medical and veterinary diagnostic application. Transcriptomic methods such as microarrays and next-generation sequencing generate enormous amounts of data. The pathogenetic expertise acquired from understanding of general pathology provides veterinary pathologists with a profound background, which is essential in translating transcriptomic data into meaningful biological knowledge, thereby leading to a better understanding of underlying disease mechanisms. The scientific literature concerning high-throughput data-mining techniques usually addresses mathematicians or computer scientists as the target audience. In contrast, the present review provides the reader with a clear and systematic basis from a veterinary pathologist's perspective. Therefore, the aims are (1) to introduce the reader to the necessary methodological background; (2) to introduce the sequential steps commonly performed in a microarray analysis including quality control, annotation, normalization, selection of differentially expressed genes, clustering, gene ontology and pathway analysis, analysis of manually selected genes, and biomarker discovery; and (3) to provide references to publically available and user-friendly software suites. In summary, the data analysis methods presented within this review will enable veterinary pathologists to analyze high-throughput transcriptome data obtained from their own experiments, supplemental data that accompany scientific publications, or public repositories in order to obtain a more in-depth insight into underlying disease mechanisms.

A Biological Basis for Generative Learning in Technology-and-Science Part I: A Theory of Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaverien, Lynette; Cosgrove, Mark

1999-01-01

Describes a theory of learning in which the brain is seen as a Darwinian machine. Argues that the generative heuristic underlying Darwinism offers considerable value for technology and science education. Contains 33 references. (Author/WRM)

An efficient algorithm for generating random number pairs drawn from a bivariate normal distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, C. W.

1983-01-01

An efficient algorithm for generating random number pairs from a bivariate normal distribution was developed. Any desired value of the two means, two standard deviations, and correlation coefficient can be selected. Theoretically the technique is exact and in practice its accuracy is limited only by the quality of the uniform distribution random number generator, inaccuracies in computer function evaluation, and arithmetic. A FORTRAN routine was written to check the algorithm and good accuracy was obtained. Some small errors in the correlation coefficient were observed to vary in a surprisingly regular manner. A simple model was developed which explained the qualities aspects of the errors.

University of California San Francisco (UCSF-2): Gene Expression Profiling of Normal Mouse Skin, Hras WT and Hras -/- | Office of Cancer Genomics

Cancer.gov

University of California San Francisco (UCSF-2): Gene Expression Profiling of Normal Mouse Skin, Hras WT and Hras -/- This data set contains the transcriptional profiles of 20 dorsal skin samples from eight-week-old mice. Mice were generated by crossing FVB/N to Mus spretus mice to generate F1 mice, and then crossing F1 mice back to the FVB/N strain. 10  FVB/N mice lacking Hras1 (aka HrasKO, Hras-/-) and 10  FVB/N mice with wild-type Hras1 were generated. Read the abstract.

The Small GTPase Rif Is Dispensable for Platelet Filopodia Generation in Mice

PubMed Central

Goggs, Robert; Savage, Joshua S.; Mellor, Harry; Poole, Alastair W.

2013-01-01

Background Formation of filopodia and other shape change events are vital for platelet hemostatic function. The mechanisms regulating filopodia formation by platelets are incompletely understood however. In particular the small GTPase responsible for initiating filopodia formation by platelets remains elusive. The canonical pathway involving Cdc42 is not essential for filopodia formation in mouse platelets. The small GTPase Rif (RhoF) provides an alternative route to filopodia generation in other cell types and is expressed in both human and mouse platelets. Hypothesis/Objective We hypothesized that Rif might be responsible for generating filopodia by platelets and generated a novel knockout mouse model to investigate the functional role of Rif in platelets. Methodology/Principal Findings Constitutive RhoF−/− mice are viable and have normal platelet, leukocyte and erythrocyte counts and indices. RhoF−/− platelets form filopodia and spread normally on various agonist surfaces in static conditions and under arterial shear. In addition, RhoF−/− platelets have normal actin dynamics, are able to activate and aggregate normally and secrete from alpha and dense granules in response to collagen related peptide and thrombin stimulation. Conclusions The small GTPase Rif does not appear to be critical for platelet function in mice. Functional overlap between Rif and other small GTPases may be responsible for the non-essential role of Rif in platelets. PMID:23359340

Hydrologic Process Parameterization of Electrical Resistivity Imaging of Solute Plumes Using POD McMC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awatey, M. T.; Irving, J.; Oware, E. K.

2016-12-01

Markov chain Monte Carlo (McMC) inversion frameworks are becoming increasingly popular in geophysics due to their ability to recover multiple equally plausible geologic features that honor the limited noisy measurements. Standard McMC methods, however, become computationally intractable with increasing dimensionality of the problem, for example, when working with spatially distributed geophysical parameter fields. We present a McMC approach based on a sparse proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) model parameterization that implicitly incorporates the physics of the underlying process. First, we generate training images (TIs) via Monte Carlo simulations of the target process constrained to a conceptual model. We then apply POD to construct basis vectors from the TIs. A small number of basis vectors can represent most of the variability in the TIs, leading to dimensionality reduction. A projection of the starting model into the reduced basis space generates the starting POD coefficients. At each iteration, only coefficients within a specified sampling window are resimulated assuming a Gaussian prior. The sampling window grows at a specified rate as the number of iteration progresses starting from the coefficients corresponding to the highest ranked basis to those of the least informative basis. We found this gradual increment in the sampling window to be more stable compared to resampling all the coefficients right from the first iteration. We demonstrate the performance of the algorithm with both synthetic and lab-scale electrical resistivity imaging of saline tracer experiments, employing the same set of basis vectors for all inversions. We consider two scenarios of unimodal and bimodal plumes. The unimodal plume is consistent with the hypothesis underlying the generation of the TIs whereas bimodality in plume morphology was not theorized. We show that uncertainty quantification using McMC can proceed in the reduced dimensionality space while accounting for the physics of the underlying process.

A Design Basis for Spacecraft Cabin Trace Contaminant Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, Jay L.

2009-01-01

Successful trace chemical contamination control is one of the components necessary for achieving good cabin atmospheric quality. While employing seemingly simple process technologies, sizing the active contamination control equipment must employ a reliable design basis for the trace chemical load in the cabin atmosphere. A simplified design basis that draws on experience gained from the International Space Station program is presented. The trace chemical contamination control design load refines generation source magnitudes and includes key chemical functional groups representing both engineering and toxicology challenges.

The topological basis expression of four-qubit XXZ spin chain with twist boundary condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Guijiao; Xue, Kang; Zhou, Chengcheng; Sun, Chunfang; Wang, Gangcheng

2013-07-01

We investigate the XXZ model's characteristic with the twisted boundary condition and the topological basis expression. Owing to twist boundary condition, the ground state energy will changing back and forth between E_{13} and E_{15} by modulate the parameter φ . By using TLA generators, the XXZ model's Hamiltonian can be constructed. All the eigenstates can be expressed by topological basis, and the whole of eigenstates' entanglement are maximally entangle states (Q(|φ _i> )=1).

Subjective qualities of memories associated with the picture superiority effect in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Huron, Caroline; Danion, Jean-Marie; Rizzo, Lydia; Killofer, Valérie; Damiens, Annabelle

2003-02-01

Patients with schizophrenia (n = 24) matched with 24 normal subjects were presented with both words and pictures. On a recognition memory task, they were asked to give remember, know, or guess responses to items that were recognized on the basis of conscious recollection, familiarity, or guessing, respectively. Compared with normal subjects, patients exhibited a lower picture superiority effect selectively related to remember responses. Unlike normal subjects, they did not exhibit any word superiority effect in relation to guess responses; this explains why the overall picture superiority effect appeared to be intact. These results emphasize the need to take into account the subjective states of awareness when analyzing memory impairments in schizophrenia.

Infrared radiation of thin plastic films.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tien, C. L.; Chan, C. K.; Cunnington, G. R.

1972-01-01

A combined analytical and experimental study is presented for infrared radiation characteristics of thin plastic films with and without a metal substrate. On the basis of the thin-film analysis, a simple analytical technique is developed for determining band-averaged optical constants of thin plastic films from spectral normal transmittance data for two different film thicknesses. Specifically, the band-averaged optical constants of polyethylene terephthalate and polyimide were obtained from transmittance measurements of films with thicknesses in the range of 0.25 to 3 mil. The spectral normal reflectance and total normal emittance of the film side of singly aluminized films are calculated by use of optical constants; the results compare favorably with measured values.

Transcriptome profiling of the floating-leaved aquatic plant Nymphoides peltata in response to flooding stress.

PubMed

Wu, Jinwei; Zhao, Hua-Bin; Yu, Dan; Xu, Xinwei

2017-01-31

Waterlogging or flooding is one of the most challenging abiotic stresses experienced by plants. Unlike many flooding-tolerant plants, floating-leaved aquatic plants respond actively to flooding stress by fast growth and elongation of its petioles to make leaves re-floating. However, the molecular mechanisms of this plant group responding to flood have not been investigated before. Here, we investigated the genetic basis of this adaptive response by characterizing the petiole transcriptomes of a floating-leaved species Nymphoides peltata under normal and flooding conditions. Clean reads under normal and flooding conditions with pooled sampling strategy were assembled into 124,302 unigenes. A total of 8883 unigenes were revealed to be differentially expressed between normal and flooding conditions. Among them, top ranked differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in antioxidant process, photosynthesis process and carbohydrate metabolism, including the glycolysis and a modified tricarboxylic acid cycle - alanine metabolism. Eight selected unigenes with significantly differentiated expression changes between normal and flooding conditions were validated by qRT-PCR. Among these processes, antioxidant process and glycolysis are commonly induced by waterlogging or flooding environment in plants, whereas photosynthesis and alanine metabolism are rarely occurred in other flooding-tolerant plants, suggesting the significant contributions of the two processes in the active response of N. peltata to flooding stress. Our results provide a valuable genomic resource for future studies on N. peltata and deepen our understanding of the genetic basis underlying the response to flooding stress in aquatic plants.

Stress does not affect ghrelin secretion in obese and normal weight women.

PubMed

Kiessl, Gundula R R; Laessle, Reinhold G

2017-03-01

Stress has been supposed to increase appetite. The biological basis of this phenomenon may be a stress-induced alteration of the secretion of GUT peptides such as ghrelin. Stress-induced changes in ghrelin secretion could be a biological basis of overeating and a factor contributing to the development of obesity. Aim of the study was to analyze the effect of acute psychosocial stress on ghrelin secretion in obese and normal weight women. We compared pre- and postprandial plasma ghrelin secretion of 42 obese and 43 normal weight women in a randomized crossover design. Ghrelin and cortisol concentrations were measured and ratings of stress were also recorded in response to a psychological stressor (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST). Ghrelin samples were collected in the fasting state one time before participating in the TSST and one time before a control session. After the TSST, respectively, control session participants had a standardized ad libitum meal. 30 and 60 min after the TSST, respectively, control session preprandial ghrelin was measured again. Obese women showed lower pre- and postprandial release of ghrelin than normal weight controls. Moreover, obese women showed inhibited postprandial decrease of ghrelin secretion. Stress did not affect postprandial ghrelin secretion, but inhibited food intake in all subjects. The present data provide further evidence of altered ghrelin release in obesity. Acute stress did not affect postprandial ghrelin secretion, but inhibited food intake in all subjects. Results are discussed with regard to biological and psychological regulation of hunger and satiety in obesity.

10 CFR 706.10 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... SECURITY POLICIES AND PRACTICES RELATING TO LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS Security Policies and Procedures in... within the scope of the Labor Management Relations Act at the various DOE installations should be conducted in normal fashion whereever possible, on the basis of open hearings, unclassified records and...

10 CFR 706.10 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... SECURITY POLICIES AND PRACTICES RELATING TO LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS Security Policies and Procedures in... within the scope of the Labor Management Relations Act at the various DOE installations should be conducted in normal fashion whereever possible, on the basis of open hearings, unclassified records and...

Untangling genetic networks of panic, phobia, fear and anxiety

PubMed Central

Villafuerte, Sandra; Burmeister, Margit

2003-01-01

As is the case for normal individual variation in anxiety levels, the conditions panic disorder, agoraphobia and other phobias have a significant genetic basis. Recent reports have started to untangle the genetic relationships between predispositions to anxiety and anxiety disorders. PMID:12914652

Interpretation of IR and Raman spectra of dopamine neurotransmitter and effect of hydrogen bond in HCl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, T.; Mukherjee, V.

2018-05-01

The potential energy scanning with respect to the different dihedral angles were performed to search possible numbers of dopamine (neutral) conformers and further, fifteen conformers of dopamine were identified on the basis of energy minima. Vibrational frequencies were calculated for all the conformers of dopamine. Density functional theory was employed to carry out all the computations. The exchange correlation functional B3LYP and the basis set 6-31++G(d,p) were included in DFT calculation. The FTIR and FT-Raman spectra of dopamine hydrochloride were also recorded in the spectral region 400-4000 cm-1 and 50-4000 cm-1 respectively. The normal coordinate analysis was also performed to scale DFT calculated force constants and to calculate potential energy distributions. The detailed vibrational spectral analysis and the assignments of the bands, done on the best-fit basis comparison of the experimentally obtained and theoretically calculated IR and Raman spectra, match quite well indicating DFT calculations as very accurate source of normal mode assignments. The interaction of the most stable conformer of dopamine with HCl was also studied to know the effect of hydrogen bond on its geometry and dynamics. The stability of the dopamine in isolated and protonated forms arising from hyperconjugative interactions was also analyzed by natural bond orbital analysis.

Universal portfolios generated by weakly stationary processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Choon Peng; Pang, Sook Theng

2014-12-01

Recently, a universal portfolio generated by a set of independent Brownian motions where a finite number of past stock prices are weighted by the moments of the multivariate normal distribution is introduced and studied. The multivariate normal moments as polynomials in time consequently lead to a constant rebalanced portfolio depending on the drift coefficients of the Brownian motions. For a weakly stationary process, a different type of universal portfolio is proposed where the weights on the stock prices depend only on the time differences of the stock prices. An empirical study is conducted on the returns achieved by the universal portfolios generated by the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process on selected stock-price data sets. Promising results are demonstrated for increasing the wealth of the investor by using the weakly-stationary-process-generated universal portfolios.

A novel artificial intelligence method for weekly dietary menu planning.

PubMed

Gaál, B; Vassányi, I; Kozmann, G

2005-01-01

Menu planning is an important part of personalized lifestyle counseling. The paper describes the results of an automated menu generator (MenuGene) of the web-based lifestyle counseling system Cordelia that provides personalized advice to prevent cardiovascular diseases. The menu generator uses genetic algorithms to prepare weekly menus for web users. The objectives are derived from personal medical data collected via forms in Cordelia, combined with general nutritional guidelines. The weekly menu is modeled as a multilevel structure. Results show that the genetic algorithm-based method succeeds in planning dietary menus that satisfy strict numerical constraints on every nutritional level (meal, daily basis, weekly basis). The rule-based assessment proved capable of manipulating the mean occurrence of the nutritional components thus providing a method for adjusting the variety and harmony of the menu plans. By splitting the problem into well determined sub-problems, weekly menu plans that satisfy nutritional constraints and have well assorted components can be generated with the same method that is for daily and meal plan generation.

Gas Generation Testing of Spherical Resorcinol-Formaldehyde (sRF) Resin

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

Colburn, Heather A.; Bryan, Samuel A.; Camaioni, Donald M.

This report describes gas generation testing of the spherical resorcinol-formaldehyde (sRF) resin that was conducted to support the technology maturation of the LAWPS facility. The current safety basis for the LAWPS facility is based primarily on two studies that had limited or inconclusive data sets. The two studies indicated a 40% increase in hydrogen generation rate of water (as predicted by the Hu model) with sRF resin over water alone. However, the previous studies did not test the range of conditions (process fluids and temperatures) that are expected in the LAWPS facility. Additionally, the previous studies did not obtain replicatemore » test results or comparable liquid-only control samples. All of the testing described in this report, conducted with water, 0.45M nitric acid, and waste simulants with and without sRF resin, returned hydrogen generation rates that are within the current safety basis for the facility of 1.4 times the Hu model output for water.« less

Molecular basis of the polydispersity of mucins: implications for the generation of saccharide diversity.

PubMed

Bhavanandan, V P; Gupta, D; Woitach, J; Guo, X; Jiang, W

1999-06-01

Secreted epithelial mucins are large macromolecules which exhibit extreme polydispersity, the molecular basis of which is not fully understood. We have obtained partial sequences of two genes (BSM1 and BSM2) coding for two distinct molecules. This is the first time that such closely-related genes have been identified for any mucin from an animal. We propose that a combination of multiple homologous genes, alternative splicing, differential glycosylation, and additional post-translational processing all contribute to the extreme polydispersity of mucins. The multiple domain structure and non-identical tandem repeats are also very important for the generation of the saccharide diversities of mucins.

On the Possibility of Creating a Point-Like Neutron Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golubev, S. V.; Skalyga, V. A.; Izotov, I. V.; Sidorov, A. V.; Razin, S. V.; Shaposhnikov, R. A.; Lapin, R. L.; Bokhanov, A. F.; Kazakov, M. Yu.

2018-03-01

We consider the possibility of creating a compact high-power neutron generator with a small emitting area (of the order of 100 μm) and a neutron yield of 1010s-1 on the basis of a deuterium-deuterium fusion reaction (or 1012 s-1 on the basis of a deuterium-tritium fusion reaction). The fusion takes place under bombardment of a deuterium- (or tritium-) saturated target by a high-current (about 100 mA) focused deuterium ion beam with an energy of 100 keV. The ion beam with total current at a level of hundreds of milliamperes and small emittance (less than 0.1 π·mm·mrad), which is crucial for sharp focusing, can be generated by a quasi-gas-dynamic ion source of a new generation created on the basis of a discharge in an open magnetic trap sustained by high-power electromagnetic radiation of the millimeter wavelength range under electron cyclotron resonance conditions. Simulations of the focusing system for the experimentally obtained ion beam show the possibility to create a deuterium ion beam with a transverse size of 200 μm on the neutron-forming target. Prospects for using such a neutron source for neutron tomography are discussed.

B-spline algebraic diagrammatic construction: Application to photoionization cross-sections and high-order harmonic generation

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

Ruberti, M.; Averbukh, V.; Decleva, P.

2014-10-28

We present the first implementation of the ab initio many-body Green's function method, algebraic diagrammatic construction (ADC), in the B-spline single-electron basis. B-spline versions of the first order [ADC(1)] and second order [ADC(2)] schemes for the polarization propagator are developed and applied to the ab initio calculation of static (photoionization cross-sections) and dynamic (high-order harmonic generation spectra) quantities. We show that the cross-section features that pose a challenge for the Gaussian basis calculations, such as Cooper minima and high-energy tails, are found to be reproduced by the B-spline ADC in a very good agreement with the experiment. We also presentmore » the first dynamic B-spline ADC results, showing that the effect of the Cooper minimum on the high-order harmonic generation spectrum of Ar is correctly predicted by the time-dependent ADC calculation in the B-spline basis. The present development paves the way for the application of the B-spline ADC to both energy- and time-resolved theoretical studies of many-electron phenomena in atoms, molecules, and clusters.« less

The topological basis realization and the corresponding XXX spin chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, C. F.; Xue, K.; Wang, G. C.; Zhou, C. C.; Du, G. J.

2011-06-01

In this paper, it is shown that the XXX model can be constructed from the Temperley-Lieb algebra (TLA) generator. We find that the topological basis states are the two eigenstaes of a closed four-qubit Heisenberg XXX spin chain. Specifically, the spin single states and the energy single state of the system all fall on the topological basis states. It is worth mentioning that for the closed 2N-qubit (N=2, 3, 4, ...) Heisenberg XXX spin chain, all the topological basis states for 2N particles are the spin single states of the system. And the number of the topological basis states is equal to the number of the spin single states of the system, which is \\frac{(2N)!}{N!(N+1)!} .

On the reversibility of the Meissner effect and the angular momentum puzzle

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

Hirsch, J.E., E-mail: jhirsch@ucsd.edu

It is generally believed that the laws of thermodynamics govern superconductivity as an equilibrium state of matter, and hence that the normal-superconductor transition in a magnetic field is reversible under ideal conditions. Because eddy currents are generated during the transition as the magnetic flux changes, the transition has to proceed infinitely slowly to generate no entropy. Experiments showed that to a high degree of accuracy no entropy was generated in these transitions. However, in this paper we point out that for the length of times over which these experiments extended, a much higher degree of irreversibility due to decay ofmore » eddy currents should have been detected than was actually observed. We also point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no explanation exists for why no Joule heat is generated in the superconductor to normal transition when the supercurrent stops. In addition we point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no mechanism exists for the transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body as a whole, which is necessary to ensure that the transition in the presence of a magnetic field respects momentum conservation. We propose a solution to all these questions based on the alternative theory of hole superconductivity. The theory proposes that in the normal-superconductor transition there is a flow and backflow of charge in direction perpendicular to the phase boundary when the phase boundary moves. We show that this flow and backflow explains the absence of Joule heat generated by Faraday eddy currents, the absence of Joule heat generated in the process of the supercurrent stopping, and the reversible transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body, provided the current carriers in the normal state are holes. - Highlights: • The normal-superconductor phase transition is reversible. • Within the conventional theory, Foucault currents give rise to irreversibility. • To suppress Foucault currents, charge has to flow in direction perpendicular to the phase boundary. • The charge carriers have to be holes. • This solves also the angular momentum puzzle associated with the Meissner effect.« less

Biodosimetric quantification of short-term synchrotron microbeam versus broad-beam radiation damage to mouse skin using a dermatopathological scoring system

PubMed Central

Priyadarshika, R C U; Crosbie, J C; Kumar, B; Rogers, P A W

2011-01-01

Objectives Microbeam radiotherapy (MRT) with wafers of microscopically narrow, synchrotron generated X-rays is being used for pre-clinical cancer trials in animal models. It has been shown that high dose MRT can be effective at destroying tumours in animal models, while causing unexpectedly little damage to normal tissue. The aim of this study was to use a dermatopathological scoring system to quantify and compare the acute biological response of normal mouse skin with microplanar and broad-beam (BB) radiation as a basis for biological dosimetry. Method The skin flaps of three groups of mice were irradiated with high entrance doses (200 Gy, 400 Gy and 800 Gy) of MRT and BB and low dose BB (11 Gy, 22 Gy and 44 Gy). The mice were culled at different time-points post-irradiation. Skin sections were evaluated histologically using the following parameters: epidermal cell death, nuclear enlargement, spongiosis, hair follicle damage and dermal inflammation. The fields of irradiation were identified by γH2AX-positive immunostaining. Results The acute radiation damage in skin from high dose MRT was significantly lower than from high dose BB and, importantly, similar to low dose BB. Conclusion The integrated MRT dose was more relevant than the peak or valley dose when comparing with BB fields. In MRT-treated skin, the apoptotic cells of epidermis and hair follicles were not confined to the microbeam paths. PMID:21849367

Generation, Characterization and Application of Antibodies Directed against HERV-H Gag Protein in Colorectal Samples

PubMed Central

Mullins, Christina S.; Hühns, Maja; Krohn, Mathias; Peters, Sven; Cheynet, Valérie; Oriol, Guy; Guillotte, Michèle; Ducrot, Sandrine; Mallet, François; Linnebacher, Michael

2016-01-01

Introduction A substantial part of the human genome originates from transposable elements, remnants of ancient retroviral infections. Roughly 8% of the human genome consists of about 400,000 LTR elements including human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) sequences. Mainly, the interplay between epigenetic and post-transcriptional mechanisms is thought to silence HERV expression in most physiological contexts. Interestingly, aberrant reactivation of several HERV-H loci appears specific to colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Results The expression of HERV-H Gag proteins (Gag-H) was assessed using novel monoclonal mouse anti Gag-H antibodies. In a flow cytometry screen four antibody clones were tested on a panel of primary CRC cell lines and the most well performing ones were subsequently validated in western blot analysis. Finally, Gag-H protein expression was analyzed by immune histology on cell line cytospins and on clinical samples. There, we found a heterogeneous staining pattern with no background staining of endothelial, stromal and infiltrating immune cells but diffuse staining of the cytoplasm for positive tumor and normal crypt cells of the colonic epithelium. Conclusion Taken together, the Gag-H antibody clone(s) present a valuable tool for staining of cells with colonic origin and thus form the basis for future more detailed investigations. The observed Gag-H protein staining in colonic epithelium crypt cells demands profound analyses of a potential role for Gag-H in the normal physiology of the human gut. PMID:27119520

Big Data Analytics for Prostate Radiotherapy.

PubMed

Coates, James; Souhami, Luis; El Naqa, Issam

2016-01-01

Radiation therapy is a first-line treatment option for localized prostate cancer and radiation-induced normal tissue damage are often the main limiting factor for modern radiotherapy regimens. Conversely, under-dosing of target volumes in an attempt to spare adjacent healthy tissues limits the likelihood of achieving local, long-term control. Thus, the ability to generate personalized data-driven risk profiles for radiotherapy outcomes would provide valuable prognostic information to help guide both clinicians and patients alike. Big data applied to radiation oncology promises to deliver better understanding of outcomes by harvesting and integrating heterogeneous data types, including patient-specific clinical parameters, treatment-related dose-volume metrics, and biological risk factors. When taken together, such variables make up the basis for a multi-dimensional space (the "RadoncSpace") in which the presented modeling techniques search in order to identify significant predictors. Herein, we review outcome modeling and big data-mining techniques for both tumor control and radiotherapy-induced normal tissue effects. We apply many of the presented modeling approaches onto a cohort of hypofractionated prostate cancer patients taking into account different data types and a large heterogeneous mix of physical and biological parameters. Cross-validation techniques are also reviewed for the refinement of the proposed framework architecture and checking individual model performance. We conclude by considering advanced modeling techniques that borrow concepts from big data analytics, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, before discussing the potential future impact of systems radiobiology approaches.

Advances in small animal mesentery models for in vivo flow cytometry, dynamic microscopy, and drug screening

PubMed Central

Galanzha, Ekaterina I; Tuchin, Valery V; Zharov, Vladimir P

2007-01-01

Using animal mesentery with intravital optical microscopy is a well-established experimental model for studying blood and lymph microcirculation in vivo. Recent advances in cell biology and optical techniques provide the basis for extending this model for new applications, which should generate significantly improved experimental data. This review summarizes the achievements in this specific area, including in vivo label-free blood and lymph photothermal flow cytometry, super-sensitive fluorescence image cytometry, light scattering and speckle flow cytometry, microvessel dynamic microscopy, infrared (IR) angiography, and high-speed imaging of individual cells in fast flow. The capabilities of these techniques, using the rat mesentery model, were demonstrated in various studies; e.g., real-time quantitative detection of circulating and migrating individual blood and cancer cells, studies on vascular dynamics with a focus on lymphatics under normal conditions and under different interventions (e.g. lasers, drugs, nicotine), assessment of lymphatic disturbances from experimental lymphedema, monitoring cell traffic between blood and lymph systems, and high-speed imaging of cell transient deformability in flow. In particular, the obtained results demonstrated that individual cell transportation in living organisms depends on cell type (e.g., normal blood or leukemic cells), the cell’s functional state (e.g., live, apoptotic, or necrotic), and the functional status of the organism. Possible future applications, including in vivo early diagnosis and prevention of disease, monitoring immune response and apoptosis, chemo- and radio-sensitivity tests, and drug screening, are also discussed. PMID:17226898

Patterns of Broken Patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Field, R. W.; Park, G. B.; Changala, P. B.; Baraban, J. H.; Stanton, J. F.; Merer, A. J.

2013-06-01

Spectroscopy - it is all about patterns. Some patterns look so indescribably complicated that, unlike pornography, you do not know one when you see one. It is tempting to say that, at high vibrational excitation, interactions among normal mode basis states are so strong and widespread that all patterns are obliterated. But this is not true. When normal mode frequencies are in near integer multiple ratios, polyads emerge. A polyad is a robust pattern often comprising many vibrational eigenstates. Each such pattern might span many hundreds of cm^{-1}, and it is inevitable that several unrelated polyad patterns overlap. When polyads overlap, it might seem impossible to disentangle them. However, the key to disentanglement is that polyads come in families in which successive generations are related by harmonic oscillator matrix element selection and scaling rules. Families of polyads are described by families of scaling-based effective Hamiltonian matrices, {H}^{{eff}}. No matter how complex and overlapped, the polyad {H}^{{eff}} serves as a magic decoder for picking out the polyad pattern. Sometimes the polyad patterns are systematically broken (a meta-pattern), owing to proximity to an isomerization barrier, as occurs in highly excited bending levels of the S_{1} state of HCCH, which encode the trans-cis minimum energy isomerization path. Quantum Chemists often dismiss {H}^{{eff}} models, precisely because they are models that do not express the full dimensionality of the complete Hamiltonian. But an {H}^{{eff}} explains rather than describes. Shunning {H}^{{eff}}s is like throwing out the baby with the bath water. Don't do it!

Molecular analysis of recombination in a family with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and a large pericentric X chromosome inversion.

PubMed Central

Shashi, V.; Golden, W. L.; Allinson, P. S.; Blanton, S. H.; von Kap-Herr, C.; Kelly, T. E.

1996-01-01

It has been demonstrated in animal studies that, in animals heterozygous for pericentric chromosomal inversions, loop formation is greatly reduced during meiosis. This results in absence of recombination within the inverted segment, with recombination seen only outside the inversion. A recent study in yeast has shown that telomeres, rather than centromeres, lead in chromosome movement just prior to meiosis and may be involved in promoting recombination. We studied by cytogenetic analysis and DNA polymorphisms the nature of meiotic recombination in a three-generation family with a large pericentric X chromosome inversion, inv(X)(p21.1q26), in which Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) was cosegregating with the inversion. On DNA analysis there was no evidence of meiotic recombination between the inverted and normal X chromosomes in the inverted segment. Recombination was seen at the telomeric regions, Xp22 and Xq27-28. No deletion or point mutation was found on analysis of the DMD gene. On the basis of the FISH results, we believe that the X inversion is the mutation responsible for DMD in this family. Our results indicate that (1) pericentric X chromosome inversions result in reduction of recombination between the normal and inverted X chromosomes; (2) meiotic X chromosome pairing in these individuals is likely initiated at the telomeres; and (3) in this family DMD is caused by the pericentric inversion. Images Figure 2 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 PMID:8651300

Big Data Analytics for Prostate Radiotherapy

PubMed Central

Coates, James; Souhami, Luis; El Naqa, Issam

2016-01-01

Radiation therapy is a first-line treatment option for localized prostate cancer and radiation-induced normal tissue damage are often the main limiting factor for modern radiotherapy regimens. Conversely, under-dosing of target volumes in an attempt to spare adjacent healthy tissues limits the likelihood of achieving local, long-term control. Thus, the ability to generate personalized data-driven risk profiles for radiotherapy outcomes would provide valuable prognostic information to help guide both clinicians and patients alike. Big data applied to radiation oncology promises to deliver better understanding of outcomes by harvesting and integrating heterogeneous data types, including patient-specific clinical parameters, treatment-related dose–volume metrics, and biological risk factors. When taken together, such variables make up the basis for a multi-dimensional space (the “RadoncSpace”) in which the presented modeling techniques search in order to identify significant predictors. Herein, we review outcome modeling and big data-mining techniques for both tumor control and radiotherapy-induced normal tissue effects. We apply many of the presented modeling approaches onto a cohort of hypofractionated prostate cancer patients taking into account different data types and a large heterogeneous mix of physical and biological parameters. Cross-validation techniques are also reviewed for the refinement of the proposed framework architecture and checking individual model performance. We conclude by considering advanced modeling techniques that borrow concepts from big data analytics, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, before discussing the potential future impact of systems radiobiology approaches. PMID:27379211

Spatial differences of cellular origins and in vivo hypoxia modify contractile properties of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells: lessons for arterial tissue engineering.

PubMed

Hall, S M; Soueid, A; Smith, T; Brown, R A; Haworth, S G; Mudera, V

2007-01-01

Tissue engineering of functional arteries is challenging. Within the pulmonary artery wall, smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) have site-specific developmental and functional phenotypes, reflecting differing contractile roles. The force generated by PASMCs isolated from the inner 25% and outer 50% of the media of intrapulmonary elastic arteries from five normal and eight chronically hypoxic (hypertensive) 14 day-old piglets was quantified in a three-dimensional (3D) collagen construct, using a culture force monitor. Outer medial PASMCs from normal piglets exerted more force (528 +/- 50 dynes) than those of hypoxic piglets (177 +/- 42 dynes; p < 0.01). Force generation by inner medial PASMCs from normal and hypoxic piglets was similar (349 +/- 35 and 239 +/- 60 dynes). In response to agonist (thromboxane) stimulation, all PASMCs from normal and hypoxic piglets contracted, but the increase in force generated by outer and inner hypoxic PASMCs (ranges 13-72 and 14-56 dynes) was less than by normal PASMCs (ranges 27-154 and 34-159 dynes, respectively; p < 0.05 for both). All hypoxic PASMCs were unresponsive to antagonist (sodium nitroprusside) stimulation, all normal PASMCs relaxed (range - 87 to - 494 dynes). Myosin heavy chain expression by both hypoxic PASMC phenotypes was less than normal (p < 0.05 for both), as was the activity of focal adhesion kinase, regulating contraction, in hypoxic inner PASMCs (p < 0.01). Chronic hypoxia resulted in the development of abnormal PASMC phenotypes, which in collagen constructs exhibited a reduction in contractile force and reactivity to agonists. Characterization of the mechanical response of spatially distinct cells and modification of their behaviour by hypoxia is critical for successful tissue engineering of major blood vessels.

The Effect on Non-Normal Distributions on the Integrated Moving Average Model of Time-Series Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doerann-George, Judith

The Integrated Moving Average (IMA) model of time series, and the analysis of intervention effects based on it, assume random shocks which are normally distributed. To determine the robustness of the analysis to violations of this assumption, empirical sampling methods were employed. Samples were generated from three populations; normal,…

Descriptive quantitative analysis of hallux abductovalgus transverse plane radiographic parameters.

PubMed

Meyr, Andrew J; Myers, Adam; Pontious, Jane

2014-01-01

Although the transverse plane radiographic parameters of the first intermetatarsal angle (IMA), hallux abductus angle (HAA), and the metatarsal-sesamoid position (MSP) form the basis of preoperative procedure selection and postoperative surgical evaluation of the hallux abductovalgus deformity, the so-called normal values of these measurements have not been well established. The objectives of the present study were to (1) evaluate the descriptive statistics of the first IMA, HAA, and MSP from a large patient population and (2) to determine an objective basis for defining "normal" versus "abnormal" measurements. Anteroposterior foot radiographs from 373 consecutive patients without a history of previous foot and ankle surgery and/or trauma were evaluated for the measurements of the first IMA, HAA, and MSP. The results revealed a mean measurement of 9.93°, 17.59°, and position 3.63 for the first IMA, HAA, and MSP, respectively. An advanced descriptive analysis demonstrated data characteristics of both parametric and nonparametric distributions. Furthermore, clear differentiations in deformity progression were appreciated when the variables were graphically depicted against each other. This could represent a quantitative basis for defining "normal" versus "abnormal" values. From the results of the present study, we have concluded that these radiographic parameters can be more conservatively reported and analyzed using nonparametric descriptive and comparative statistics within medical studies and that the combination of a first IMA, HAA, and MSP at or greater than approximately 10°, 18°, and position 4, respectively, appears to be an objective "tipping point" in terms of deformity progression and might represent an upper limit of acceptable in terms of surgical deformity correction. Copyright © 2014 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Entropy generation and momentum transfer in the superconductor-normal and normal-superconductor phase transformations and the consistency of the conventional theory of superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, J. E.

2018-05-01

Since the discovery of the Meissner effect, the superconductor to normal (S-N) phase transition in the presence of a magnetic field is understood to be a first-order phase transformation that is reversible under ideal conditions and obeys the laws of thermodynamics. The reverse (N-S) transition is the Meissner effect. This implies in particular that the kinetic energy of the supercurrent is not dissipated as Joule heat in the process where the superconductor becomes normal and the supercurrent stops. In this paper, we analyze the entropy generation and the momentum transfer between the supercurrent and the body in the S-N transition and the N-S transition as described by the conventional theory of superconductivity. We find that it is not possible to explain the transition in a way that is consistent with the laws of thermodynamics unless the momentum transfer between the supercurrent and the body occurs with zero entropy generation, for which the conventional theory of superconductivity provides no mechanism. Instead, we point out that the alternative theory of hole superconductivity does not encounter such difficulties.

Identities of almost Stable Group Representations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vovsi, S. M.; Khung Shon, Nguen

1988-02-01

It is proved that almost stable group representations over a field have a finite basis of identities. Moreover, a variety generated by an arbitrary almost stable representation is Specht and all of its subvarieties have a finite uniformly bounded basis rank. In particular, the identities of an arbitrary representation of a finite group are finitely based.Bibliography: 17 titles.

Measurement of health system performance at district level: A study protocol

PubMed Central

Sharma, Atul; Prinja, Shankar; Aggarwal, Arun Kumar

2018-01-01

Background Limited efforts have been observed in low and middle income countries to undertake health system performance assessment at district level. Absence of a comprehensive data collection tool and lack of a standardised single summary measure defining overall performance are some of the main problems. Present study has been undertaken to develop a summary composite health system performance index at district level. Methods A broad range of indicators covering all six domains as per building block framework were finalized by an expert panel. The domains were classified into twenty sub-domains, with 70 input and process indicators to measure performance. Seven sub-domains for assessing health system outputs and outcomes were identified, with a total of 28 indicators. Districts in Haryana state from north India were selected for the study. Primary and secondary data will be collected from 378 health facilities, district and state health directorate headquarters. Indicators will be normalized, aggregated to generate composite performance index at district level. Domain specific scores will present the quality of individual building block domains in the public health system. Robustness of the results will be checked using sensitivity analysis. Expected impact for public health: The study presents a methodology for comprehensive assessment of all health system domains on basis of input, process, output and outcome indicators which has never been reported from India. Generation of this index will help identify policy and implementation areas of concern and point towards potential solutions. Results may also help understand relationships between individual building blocks and their sub-components. Significance for public health Measuring performance of health system is important to understand progress and challenges, and create systems that are efficient, equitable and patient-focused. However, very few assessments of such nature have been observed in low and middle income countries, especially at district level, mainly because of methodological challenges. This study presents a methodology for comprehensive assessment of all domains of health system and generation of a composite Health System Performance Index on the basis of input, process, output and outcome indicators. It will help identify policy and implementation problems worthy of attention and point towards potential solutions to health system bottlenecks resulting in poor performance. The results may also help better understand the relationships between individual building blocks and their sub-components and the overall performance of the health system. PMID:29441330

Indentation stiffness does not discriminate between normal and degraded articular cartilage.

PubMed

Brown, Cameron P; Crawford, Ross W; Oloyede, Adekunle

2007-08-01

Relative indentation characteristics are commonly used for distinguishing between normal healthy and degraded cartilage. The application of this parameter in surgical decision making and an appreciation of articular cartilage biomechanics has prompted us to hypothesise that it is difficult to define a reference stiffness to characterise normal articular cartilage. This hypothesis is tested for validity by carrying out biomechanical indentation of articular cartilage samples that are characterised as visually normal and degraded relative to proteoglycan depletion and collagen disruption. Compressive loading was applied at known strain rates to visually normal, artificially degraded and naturally osteoarthritic articular cartilage and observing the trends of their stress-strain and stiffness characteristics. While our results demonstrated a 25% depreciation in the stiffness of individual samples after proteoglycan depletion, they also showed that when compared to the stiffness of normal samples only 17% lie outside the range of the stress-strain behaviour of normal samples. We conclude that the extent of the variability in the properties of normal samples, and the degree of overlap (81%) of the biomechanical properties of normal and degraded matrices demonstrate that indentation data cannot form an accurate basis for distinguishing normal from abnormal articular cartilage samples with consequences for the application of this mechanical process in the clinical environment.

A single sample study of dissociation between expressed and experienced pleasure by gender in mild depression.

PubMed

Brown, S L

Thirty male and thirty female adult subjects were divided equally into three groups on the basis of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale; mildly depressed (50-63), normal (40-49), and "low normal" (20-39). Observer ratings of positive affect were made during a one and one-half hour laboratory experiment, and self-ratings of pleasurable experience were collected at the end of the experiment. Results showed no significant differences between groups for self-report of experienced pleasure. However, a significant difference between groups was found for observer ratings of positive affect, with the mildly depressed and "low normal" subjects showing a shorter duration and a lower degree of positive affect than the normals. These results partially replicate and extended previous work. Implications for theory, research, and psychotherapy are discussed.

Generation of 3.6  μm radiation and telecom-band amplification by four-wave mixing in a silicon waveguide with normal group velocity dispersion.

PubMed

Kuyken, B; Verheyen, P; Tannouri, P; Liu, X; Van Campenhout, J; Baets, R; Green, W M J; Roelkens, G

2014-03-15

Mid-infrared light generation through four-wave mixing-based frequency down-conversion in a normal group velocity dispersion silicon waveguide is demonstrated. A telecom-wavelength signal is down-converted across more than 1.2 octaves using a pump at 2190 nm in a 1 cm-long waveguide. At the same time, a 13 dB on-chip parametric gain of the telecom signal is obtained.

Daytime Mud Detection for Unmanned Ground Vehicle Autonomous Navigation

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

disambiguate shadows from wet soil than shadows from dry soil. (a) Red band (b) NIR band (c) NDVI image (d) Brightness image wet soil Red...spectral bands to segment wet soil. Red and NIR bands (Figures 5a and 5b) can be used to generate a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ( NDVI ...along the soil line image (Figure 5f) can be generated. The NDVI and normal distance to the soil line images can be used to segment soil from

Normalized lift: an energy interpretation of the lift coefficient simplifies comparisons of the lifting ability of rotating and flapping surfaces.

PubMed

Burgers, Phillip; Alexander, David E

2012-01-01

For a century, researchers have used the standard lift coefficient C(L) to evaluate the lift, L, generated by fixed wings over an area S against dynamic pressure, ½ρv(2), where v is the effective velocity of the wing. Because the lift coefficient was developed initially for fixed wings in steady flow, its application to other lifting systems requires either simplifying assumptions or complex adjustments as is the case for flapping wings and rotating cylinders.This paper interprets the standard lift coefficient of a fixed wing slightly differently, as the work exerted by the wing on the surrounding flow field (L/ρ·S), compared against the total kinetic energy required for generating said lift, ½v(2). This reinterpreted coefficient, the normalized lift, is derived from the work-energy theorem and compares the lifting capabilities of dissimilar lift systems on a similar energy footing. The normalized lift is the same as the standard lift coefficient for fixed wings, but differs for wings with more complex motions; it also accounts for such complex motions explicitly and without complex modifications or adjustments. We compare the normalized lift with the previously-reported values of lift coefficient for a rotating cylinder in Magnus effect, a bat during hovering and forward flight, and a hovering dipteran.The maximum standard lift coefficient for a fixed wing without flaps in steady flow is around 1.5, yet for a rotating cylinder it may exceed 9.0, a value that implies that a rotating cylinder generates nearly 6 times the maximum lift of a wing. The maximum normalized lift for a rotating cylinder is 1.5. We suggest that the normalized lift can be used to evaluate propellers, rotors, flapping wings of animals and micro air vehicles, and underwater thrust-generating fins in the same way the lift coefficient is currently used to evaluate fixed wings.

Normalized Lift: An Energy Interpretation of the Lift Coefficient Simplifies Comparisons of the Lifting Ability of Rotating and Flapping Surfaces

PubMed Central

Burgers, Phillip; Alexander, David E.

2012-01-01

For a century, researchers have used the standard lift coefficient CL to evaluate the lift, L, generated by fixed wings over an area S against dynamic pressure, ½ρv 2, where v is the effective velocity of the wing. Because the lift coefficient was developed initially for fixed wings in steady flow, its application to other lifting systems requires either simplifying assumptions or complex adjustments as is the case for flapping wings and rotating cylinders. This paper interprets the standard lift coefficient of a fixed wing slightly differently, as the work exerted by the wing on the surrounding flow field (L/ρ·S), compared against the total kinetic energy required for generating said lift, ½v2. This reinterpreted coefficient, the normalized lift, is derived from the work-energy theorem and compares the lifting capabilities of dissimilar lift systems on a similar energy footing. The normalized lift is the same as the standard lift coefficient for fixed wings, but differs for wings with more complex motions; it also accounts for such complex motions explicitly and without complex modifications or adjustments. We compare the normalized lift with the previously-reported values of lift coefficient for a rotating cylinder in Magnus effect, a bat during hovering and forward flight, and a hovering dipteran. The maximum standard lift coefficient for a fixed wing without flaps in steady flow is around 1.5, yet for a rotating cylinder it may exceed 9.0, a value that implies that a rotating cylinder generates nearly 6 times the maximum lift of a wing. The maximum normalized lift for a rotating cylinder is 1.5. We suggest that the normalized lift can be used to evaluate propellers, rotors, flapping wings of animals and micro air vehicles, and underwater thrust-generating fins in the same way the lift coefficient is currently used to evaluate fixed wings. PMID:22629326

38 CFR 52.140 - Dietary services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... meals. (1) At regular times comparable to normal mealtimes in the community, each participant may... management must provide each participant with a nourishing, palatable, well-balanced meal that proportionally... program management must employ a qualified dietitian either part-time or on a contract consultant basis to...

The Nature of Paradigmatic Shifts and the Goals of Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Paul A.

1983-01-01

Explains cognitive basis for change in science paradigms using Watson-Crick DNA model to illustrate concepts of "normal" versus "revolutionary" science. Examines these concepts in light of teacher preception of science, and discusses implications for the practice of science education. (JM)

Neuropsychological Differences Among Subtypes of Schizophrenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Gerald; Halperin, Keith M.

1977-01-01

A common pool of schizophrenic subjects was subdivided and analyzed three separate times on the basis of three sets of criteria: paranoid versus nonparanoid, neurologically normal versus neurologically abnormal, and long-term institutionalization versus short-term institutionalization. Differences in ability levels and patterns were determined for…

Hamstring Injuries--An Examination of Possible Causes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liemohn, Wendell

On the basis of research, the following characteristics appear to be important factors relative to precluding hamstring strains in sprinters: bilaterality relative to hamstring and quadricep strength development, optimum strength ratios between ipsilateral antagonists throughout the range of movement, and above-normal hip-joint flexibility. (JD)

Pathogenic Escherichia coli

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Escherichia coli, a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family, is a part of the normal flora of the intestinal tract of humans and a variety of animals. E. coli strains are classified on the basis of antigenic differences in two surface components (serotyping), the somatic antigen (O) of the lipopoly...

Regional frontal gray matter volume associated with executive function capacity as a risk factor for vehicle crashes in normal aging adults.

PubMed

Sakai, Hiroyuki; Takahara, Miwa; Honjo, Naomi F; Doi, Shun'ichi; Sadato, Norihiro; Uchiyama, Yuji

2012-01-01

Although low executive functioning is a risk factor for vehicle crashes among elderly drivers, the neural basis of individual differences in this cognitive ability remains largely unknown. Here we aimed to examine regional frontal gray matter volume associated with executive functioning in normal aging individuals, using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). To this end, 39 community-dwelling elderly volunteers who drove a car on a daily basis participated in structural magnetic resonance imaging, and completed two questionnaires concerning executive functioning and risky driving tendencies in daily living. Consequently, we found that participants with low executive function capacity were prone to risky driving. Furthermore, VBM analysis revealed that lower executive function capacity was associated with smaller gray matter volume in the supplementary motor area (SMA). Thus, the current data suggest that SMA volume is a reliable predictor of individual differences in executive function capacity as a risk factor for vehicle crashes among elderly persons. The implication of our results is that regional frontal gray matter volume might underlie the variation in driving tendencies among elderly drivers. Therefore, detailed driving behavior assessments might be able to detect early neurodegenerative changes in the frontal lobe in normal aging adults.

A differential neural response to threatening and non-threatening negative facial expressions in paranoid and non-paranoid schizophrenics.

PubMed

Phillips, M L; Williams, L; Senior, C; Bullmore, E T; Brammer, M J; Andrew, C; Williams, S C; David, A S

1999-11-08

Several studies have demonstrated impaired facial expression recognition in schizophrenia. Few have examined the neural basis for this; none have compared the neural correlates of facial expression perception in different schizophrenic patient subgroups. We compared neural responses to facial expressions in 10 right-handed schizophrenic patients (five paranoid and five non-paranoid) and five normal volunteers using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). In three 5-min experiments, subjects viewed alternating 30-s blocks of black-and-white facial expressions of either fear, anger or disgust contrasted with expressions of mild happiness. After scanning, subjects categorised each expression. All patients were less accurate in identifying expressions, and showed less activation to these stimuli than normals. Non-paranoids performed poorly in the identification task and failed to activate neural regions that are normally linked with perception of these stimuli. They categorised disgust as either anger or fear more frequently than paranoids, and demonstrated in response to disgust expressions activation in the amygdala, a region associated with perception of fearful faces. Paranoids were more accurate in recognising expressions, and demonstrated greater activation than non-paranoids to most stimuli. We provide the first evidence for a distinction between two schizophrenic patient subgroups on the basis of recognition of and neural response to different negative facial expressions.

Neuropharmacology of the essential oil of bergamot.

PubMed

Bagetta, Giacinto; Morrone, Luigi Antonio; Rombolà, Laura; Amantea, Diana; Russo, Rossella; Berliocchi, Laura; Sakurada, Shinobu; Sakurada, Tsukasa; Rotiroti, Domenicantonio; Corasaniti, Maria Tiziana

2010-09-01

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia, Risso) is a fruit most knowledgeable for its essential oil (BEO) used in aromatherapy to minimize symptoms of stress-induced anxiety and mild mood disorders and cancer pain though the rational basis for such applications awaits to be discovered. The behavioural and EEG spectrum power effects of BEO correlate well with its exocytotic and carrier-mediated release of discrete amino acids endowed with neurotransmitter function in the mammalian hippocampus supporting the deduction that BEO is able to interfere with normal and pathological synaptic plasticity. The observed neuroprotection in the course of experimental brain ischemia and pain does support this view. In conclusion, the data yielded so far contribute to our understanding of the mode of action of this phytocomplex on nerve tissue under normal and pathological experimental conditions and provide a rational basis for the practical use of BEO in complementary medicine. The opening of a wide venue for future research and translation into clinical settings is also envisaged. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Energy levels of a hydrogenic impurity in a parabolic quantum well with a magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, J. X.; Rustgi, M. L.

1993-07-01

In this paper, we present a calculation of the energy levels of a hydrogenic impurity (or a hydrogenic atom) at the bottom of a one-dimensional parabolic quantum well with a magnetic field normal to the plane of the well. The finite-basis-set variational method is used to calculate the ground state and the excited states with major quantum number less than or equal to 3. The limit of small radial distance and the limit of great radial distance are considered to choose a set of proper basis functions. The results in the limit that the parabolic parameter α=0 are compared with the data of Rösner et al. [J. Phys. B 17, 29 (1984)]. The comparison shows that the present calculation is quite accurate. It is found that the energy levels increase with increasing parabolic parameter α and increase with increasing normalized magnetic-field strength γ except those levels with magnetic quantum number m<0 at small γ.

Application of fuzzy AHP method to IOCG prospectivity mapping: A case study in Taherabad prospecting area, eastern Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najafi, Ali; Karimpour, Mohammad Hassan; Ghaderi, Majid

2014-12-01

Using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique, we propose a method for mineral prospectivity mapping (MPM) which is commonly used for exploration of mineral deposits. The fuzzy AHP is a popular technique which has been applied for multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems. In this paper we used fuzzy AHP and geospatial information system (GIS) to generate prospectivity model for Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) mineralization on the basis of its conceptual model and geo-evidence layers derived from geological, geochemical, and geophysical data in Taherabad area, eastern Iran. The FuzzyAHP was used to determine the weights belonging to each criterion. Three geoscientists knowledge on exploration of IOCG-type mineralization have been applied to assign weights to evidence layers in fuzzy AHP MPM approach. After assigning normalized weights to all evidential layers, fuzzy operator was applied to integrate weighted evidence layers. Finally for evaluating the ability of the applied approach to delineate reliable target areas, locations of known mineral deposits in the study area were used. The results demonstrate the acceptable outcomes for IOCG exploration.

Percutaneous absorption of selenium sulfide

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

Farley, J.; Skelly, E.M.; Weber, C.B.

1986-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine selenium levels in the urine of Tinea patients before and after overnight application of a 2.5% selenium sulfide lotion. Selenium was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Hydride generation and carbon rod atomization were studied. It was concluded from this study that selenium is absorbed through intact skin. Selenium is then excreted, at least partially, in urine, for at least a week following treatment. The data show that absorption and excretion of selenium vary on an individual basis. Selenium levels in urine following a single application of selenium sulfide lotion do notmore » indicate that toxic amounts of selenium are being absorbed. Repeated treatments with SeS/sub 2/ result in selenium concentrations in urine which are significantly higher than normal. Significant matrix effects are observed in the carbon rod atomization of urine samples for selenium determinations, even in the presence of a matrix modifier such as nickel. The method of standard additions is required to obtain accurate results in the direct determination of selenium in urine by carbon rod AAS.« less

Expedient preparative isolation and tandem mass spectrometric characterization of C-seco triterpenoids from Neem oil.

PubMed

Haldar, Saikat; Mulani, Fayaj A; Aarthy, Thiagarayaselvam; Dandekar, Devdutta S; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V

2014-10-31

C-seco triterpenoids are widely bioactive class of natural products with high structural complexity and diversity. The preparative isolation of these molecules with high purity is greatly desirable, although restricted due to the complexity of natural extracts. In this article we have demonstrated a Medium Pressure Liquid Chromatography (MPLC) based protocol for the isolation of eight major C-seco triterpenoids of salannin skeleton from Neem (Azadirachta indica) oil. Successive application of normal phase pre-packed silica-gel columns for the fractionation followed by reverse phase in automated MPLC system expedited the process and furnished highly pure metabolites. Furthermore, eight isolated triterpenoids along with five semi-synthesized derivatives were characterized using ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole/orbitrap-MS/MS spectrometry as a rapid and sensitive identification technique. The structure-fragment relationships were established on the basis of plausible mechanistic pathway for the generation of daughter ions. The MS/MS spectral information of the triterpenoids was further utilized for the identification of studied molecules in the complex extract of stem and bark tissues from Neem. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A double-regulated oncolytic adenovirus with improved safety for adenocarcinoma therapy

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

Wei, Na; Fan, Jun Kai; Gu, Jin Fa

2009-10-16

Safety and efficiency are equally important to be considered in developing oncolytic adenovirus. Previously, we have reported that ZD55, an oncolytic adenovirus with the deletion of E1B-55K gene, exhibited potent antitumor activity. In this study, to improve the safety of ZD55, we utilized MUC1 promoter to replace the native promoter of E1A on the basis of ZD55, and generated a double-regulated adenovirus, named MUD55. Our data demonstrated that the expression of early and late genes of MUD55 was both reduced in MUC1-negative cells, resulting in its stricter glandular-tumor selective progeny production. The cytopathic effect of MUD55 was about 10-fold lowermore » than mono-regulated adenovirus ZD55 or Ad.MUC1 in normal cells and not obviously attenuated in glandular tumor cells. Moreover, MUD55 showed the least liver toxicity when administrated by intravenous injection in nude mice. These results indicate that MUD55 could be a promising candidate for the treatment of adenocarcinoma.« less

Tissue- and cell-type–specific manifestations of heteroplasmic mtDNA 3243A>G mutation in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived disease model

PubMed Central

Hämäläinen, Riikka H.; Manninen, Tuula; Koivumäki, Hanna; Kislin, Mikhail; Otonkoski, Timo; Suomalainen, Anu

2013-01-01

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations manifest with vast clinical heterogeneity. The molecular basis of this variability is mostly unknown because the lack of model systems has hampered mechanistic studies. We generated induced pluripotent stem cells from patients carrying the most common human disease mutation in mtDNA, m.3243A>G, underlying mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome. During reprogramming, heteroplasmic mtDNA showed bimodal segregation toward homoplasmy, with concomitant changes in mtDNA organization, mimicking mtDNA bottleneck during epiblast specification. Induced pluripotent stem cell–derived neurons and various tissues derived from teratomas manifested cell-type specific respiratory chain (RC) deficiency patterns. Similar to MELAS patient tissues, complex I defect predominated. Upon neuronal differentiation, complex I specifically was sequestered in perinuclear PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) and Parkin-positive autophagosomes, suggesting active degradation through mitophagy. Other RC enzymes showed normal mitochondrial network distribution. Our data show that cellular context actively modifies RC deficiency manifestation in MELAS and that autophagy is a significant component of neuronal MELAS pathogenesis. PMID:24003133

Proteomic patterns for classification of ovarian cancer and CTCL serum samples utilizing peak pairs indicative of post-translational modifications.

PubMed

Liu, Chenwei; Shea, Nancy; Rucker, Sally; Harvey, Linda; Russo, Paul; Saul, Richard; Lopez, Mary F; Mikulskis, Alvydas; Kuzdzal, Scott; Golenko, Eva; Fishman, David; Vonderheid, Eric; Booher, Susan; Cowen, Edward W; Hwang, Sam T; Whiteley, Gordon R

2007-11-01

Proteomic patterns as a potential diagnostic technology has been well established for several cancer conditions and other diseases. The use of machine learning techniques such as decision trees, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and other methods has been the basis for pattern determination. Cancer is known to involve signaling pathways that are regulated through PTM of proteins. These modifications are also detectable with high confidence using high-resolution MS. We generated data using a prOTOF mass spectrometer on two sets of patient samples: ovarian cancer and cutaneous t-cell lymphoma (CTCL) with matched normal samples for each disease. Using the knowledge of mass shifts caused by common modifications, we built models using peak pairs and compared this to a conventional technique using individual peaks. The results for each disease showed that a small number of peak pairs gave classification equal to or better than the conventional technique that used multiple individual peaks. This simple peak picking technique could be used to guide identification of important peak pairs involved in the disease process.

Generation of Arbas Cashmere Goat Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Through Fibroblast Reprogramming.

PubMed

Tai, Dapeng; Liu, Pengxia; Gao, Jing; Jin, Muzi; Xu, Teng; Zuo, Yongchun; Liang, Hao; Liu, Dongjun

2015-08-01

Various factors affect the process of obtaining stable Arbas cashmere goat embryonic stem cells (ESCs), for example, the difficulty in isolating cells at the appropriate stage of embryonic development, the in vitro culture environment, and passage methods. With the emergence of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, it has become possible to use specific genes to induce somatic cell differentiation in PSCs. We transferred OCT4, SOX2, c-MYC, and KLF4 into Arbas cashmere goat fetal fibroblasts, then induced and cultured them using a drug-inducible system to obtain Arbas goat iPSCs that morphologically resembled mouse iPSCs. After identification, the obtained goat iPSCs expressed ESC markers, had a normal karyotype, could differentiate into embryoid bodies in vitro, and could differentiate into three germ layer cell types and form teratomas in vivo. We used microarray gene expression profile analysis to elucidate the reprogramming process. Our results provide the experimental basis for establishing cashmere goat iPSC lines and for future in-depth studies on molecular mechanism of cashmere goat somatic cell reprogramming.

Functional impacts of exoskeleton-based rehabilitation in chronic stroke: multi-joint versus single-joint robotic training

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Stroke is a major cause of disability in the world. The activities of upper limb segments are often compromised following a stroke, impairing most daily tasks. Robotic training is now considered amongst the rehabilitation methods applied to promote functional recovery. However, the implementation of robotic devices remains a major challenge for the bioengineering and clinical community. Latest exoskeletons with multiple degrees of freedom (DOF) may become particularly attractive, because of their low apparent inertia, the multiple actuators generating large torques, and the fact that patients can move the arm in the normal wide workspace. A recent study published in JNER by Milot and colleagues underlines that training with a 6-DOF exoskeleton impacts positively on motor function in patients being in stable phase of recovery after a stroke. Also, multi-joint robotic training was not found to be superior to single-joint robotic training. Although it is often considered that rehabilitation should start from simple movements to complex functional movements as the recovery evolves, this study challenges this widespread notion whose scientific basis has remained uncertain. PMID:24354518

Sensitive imaging of magnetization structure and dynamics using picosecond laser heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartell, Jason; Jermain, Colin; Aradhya, Sriharsha; Brangham, Jack; Yang, Fengyuan; Ralph, Daniel; Fuchs, Gregory

We demonstrate the time-resolved longitudinal spin Seebeck effect (TRLSSE) as the basis for an ultrafast, high-resolution, and sensitive microscope for imaging ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal spintronic devices. By focusing a picosecond laser to 0.7 μm, we generate a sub-100 ps electrical signal from the combination of the TRLSSE and the inverse spin Hall effect in yittrium iron garnet (YIG)/platinum (Pt) bilayers. This signal is a spatiotemporal measurement of the local, in-plane magnetic orientation of YIG with outstanding sensitivity better than 0.3° /√{ Hz } in samples with 20 nm of YIG. Static imaging of YIG/Pt devices reveals variations in the local magnetic anisotropy on a few micron scale. Phase-sensitive ferromagnetic resonance imaging reveals corresponding variations in the resonance field, amplitude, phase, and linewidth. These results show the TRLSSE is a powerful tool for static and dynamic studies of spintronic devices made with ferromagnetic insulators. This research was supported by the AFOSR (FA9550-14-1-0243) and by NSF (DMR-1406333, DMR-1507274, and DMR-1120296).

Heat Load Sharing in a Capillary Pumped Loop with Multiple Evaporators and Multiple Condensers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ku, Jentung

2005-01-01

This paper describes the heat load sharing function among multiple parallel evaporators in a capillary pumped loop (CPL). In the normal mode of operation, the evaporators cool the instruments by absorbing the waste heat. When an instruments is turned off, the attached evaporator can keep it warm by receiving heat from other evaporators serving the operating instruments. This is referred to as heat load sharing. A theoretical basis of heat load sharing is given first. The fact that the wicks in the powered evaporators will develop capillary pressure to force the generated vapor to flow to cold locations where the pressure is lower leads to the conclusion that heat load sharing is an inherent function of a CPL with multiple evaporators. Heat load sharing has been verified with many CPLs in ground tests. Experimental results of the Capillary Pumped Loop 3 (CAPL 3) Flight Experiment are presented in this paper. Factors that affect the amount of heat being shared are discussed. Some constraints of heat load sharing are also addressed.

The Physiological Basis and Clinical Use of the Binaural Interaction Component of the Auditory Brainstem Response

PubMed Central

Klump, Georg M.; Tollin, Daniel J.

2016-01-01

The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a sound-evoked non-invasively measured electrical potential representing the sum of neuronal activity in the auditory brainstem and midbrain. ABR peak amplitudes and latencies are widely used in human and animal auditory research and for clinical screening. The binaural interaction component (BIC) of the ABR stands for the difference between the sum of the monaural ABRs and the ABR obtained with binaural stimulation. The BIC comprises a series of distinct waves, the largest of which (DN1) has been used for evaluating binaural hearing in both normal hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. Based on data from animal and human studies, we discuss the possible anatomical and physiological bases of the BIC (DN1 in particular). The effects of electrode placement and stimulus characteristics on the binaurally evoked ABR are evaluated. We review how inter-aural time and intensity differences affect the BIC and, analyzing these dependencies, draw conclusion about the mechanism underlying the generation of the BIC. Finally, the utility of the BIC for clinical diagnoses are summarized. PMID:27232077

Binding Leverage as a Molecular Basis for Allosteric Regulation

PubMed Central

Mitternacht, Simon; Berezovsky, Igor N.

2011-01-01

Allosteric regulation involves conformational transitions or fluctuations between a few closely related states, caused by the binding of effector molecules. We introduce a quantity called binding leverage that measures the ability of a binding site to couple to the intrinsic motions of a protein. We use Monte Carlo simulations to generate potential binding sites and either normal modes or pairs of crystal structures to describe relevant motions. We analyze single catalytic domains and multimeric allosteric enzymes with complex regulation. For the majority of the analyzed proteins, we find that both catalytic and allosteric sites have high binding leverage. Furthermore, our analysis of the catabolite activator protein, which is allosteric without conformational change, shows that its regulation involves other types of motion than those modulated at sites with high binding leverage. Our results point to the importance of incorporating dynamic information when predicting functional sites. Because it is possible to calculate binding leverage from a single crystal structure it can be used for characterizing proteins of unknown function and predicting latent allosteric sites in any protein, with implications for drug design. PMID:21935347

Thymic selection threshold defined by compartmentalization of Ras/MAPK signalling.

PubMed

Daniels, Mark A; Teixeiro, Emma; Gill, Jason; Hausmann, Barbara; Roubaty, Dominique; Holmberg, Kaisa; Werlen, Guy; Holländer, Georg A; Gascoigne, Nicholas R J; Palmer, Ed

2006-12-07

A healthy individual can mount an immune response to exogenous pathogens while avoiding an autoimmune attack on normal tissues. The ability to distinguish between self and non-self is called 'immunological tolerance' and, for T lymphocytes, involves the generation of a diverse pool of functional T cells through positive selection and the removal of overtly self-reactive thymocytes by negative selection during T-cell ontogeny. To elucidate how thymocytes arrive at these cell fate decisions, here we have identified ligands that define an extremely narrow gap spanning the threshold that distinguishes positive from negative selection. We show that, at the selection threshold, a small increase in ligand affinity for the T-cell antigen receptor leads to a marked change in the activation and subcellular localization of Ras and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling intermediates and the induction of negative selection. The ability to compartmentalize signalling molecules differentially in the cell endows the thymocyte with the ability to convert a small change in analogue input (affinity) into a digital output (positive versus negative selection) and provides the basis for establishing central tolerance.

Viruslike particles in the tissues of normal and gamma-irradiated Drosophila melanogaster.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miquel, J.; Bensch, K. G.; Philpott, D. E.

1972-01-01

A new finding of viruslike particles in the salivary and accessory glands, muscles, and nerves of normal and gamma-irradiated Drosophila melanogaster is discussed. In morphology and size, the particles seemed identical to those described in earlier reports. On the basis of the available results, it cannot be affirmed that these particles infect only dividing cells, since they are found in all the Drosophila tissues so far examined. Their relation to the aging process is felt to be an interesting subject for further study.

Supercontinuum generation in quadratic nonlinear waveguides without quasi-phase matching.

PubMed

Guo, Hairun; Zhou, Binbin; Steinert, Michael; Setzpfandt, Frank; Pertsch, Thomas; Chung, Hung-ping; Chen, Yen-Hung; Bache, Morten

2015-02-15

Supercontinuum generation (SCG) is most efficient when the solitons can be excited directly at the pump laser wavelength. Quadratic nonlinear waveguides may induce an effective negative Kerr nonlinearity, so temporal solitons can be directly generated in the normal (positive) dispersion regime overlapping with common ultrafast laser wavelengths. There is no need for waveguide dispersion engineering. Here, we experimentally demonstrate SCG in standard lithium niobate (LN) waveguides without quasi-phase matching (QPM), pumped with femtosecond pulses in the normal dispersion regime. The observed large bandwidths (even octave spanning), together with other experimental data, indicate that negative nonlinearity solitons are indeed excited, which is backed up by numerical simulations. The QPM-free design reduces production complexity, extends the maximum waveguide length, and limits undesired spectral resonances. Finally, nonlinear crystals can be used where QPM is inefficient or impossible, which is important for mid-IR SCG. QPM-free waveguides in mid-IR nonlinear crystals can support negative nonlinearity solitons, as these waveguides have a normal dispersion at the emission wavelengths of mid-IR ultrafast lasers.

White light for the fast lane: supercontinuum generation in all-normal dispersion fibers for ultrafast photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidt, Alexander M.

2014-03-01

This talk will give an overview of the unique properties of supercontinuum generation (SCG) in all-normal dispersion (ANDi) fibers pumped by ultrashort pulses and the possibilities they offer for ultrafast photonics applications. In contrast to their anomalously pumped counterparts, the SCG process in ANDi fibers conserves a single ultrashort pulse in the time domain, completely suppresses soliton formation and decay, and avoids noise-amplifying nonlinear dynamics. The resulting spectra combine the best of both worlds - the broad, more than octave-spanning bandwidths usually associated with anomalous dispersion pumping with the high temporal coherence, pulse-to-pulse stability and well-defined temporal pulse characteristics known from the normal dispersion regime. These characteristics are ideally suited for ultrafast photonics, and I will present application examples including the generation of high quality single-cycle pulses and their amplification, as well as ultrafast spectroscopy. This talk will also explore the exciting new possibilities enabled by extending this approach into the mid-IR spectral region using novel soft glass fiber designs.

A combination of HARMONIE short time direct normal irradiance forecasts and machine learning: The #hashtdim procedure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gastón, Martín; Fernández-Peruchena, Carlos; Körnich, Heiner; Landelius, Tomas

2017-06-01

The present work describes the first approach of a new procedure to forecast Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI): the #hashtdim that treats to combine ground information and Numerical Weather Predictions. The system is centered in generate predictions for the very short time. It combines the outputs from the Numerical Weather Prediction Model HARMONIE with an adaptive methodology based on Machine Learning. The DNI predictions are generated with 15-minute and hourly temporal resolutions and presents 3-hourly updates. Each update offers forecasts to the next 12 hours, the first nine hours are generated with 15-minute temporal resolution meanwhile the last three hours present hourly temporal resolution. The system is proved over a Spanish emplacement with BSRN operative station in south of Spain (PSA station). The #hashtdim has been implemented in the framework of the Direct Normal Irradiance Nowcasting methods for optimized operation of concentrating solar technologies (DNICast) project, under the European Union's Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration framework.

Black phosphorus as a saturable absorber for generating mode-locked fiber laser in normal dispersion regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latiff, A. A.; Rusdi, M. F. M.; Hisyam, M. B.; Ahmad, H.; Harun, S. W.

2016-11-01

This paper reports a few-layer black phosphorus (BP) as a saturable absorber (SA) or phase-locker in generating modelocked pulses from a double-clad ytterbium-doped fiber laser (YDFL). We mechanically exfoliated the BP flakes from BP crystal through a scotch tape, and repeatedly press until the flakes thin and spread homogenously. Then, a piece of BP tape was inserted in the cavity between two fiber connectors end facet. Under 810 mW to 1320 mW pump power, stable mode-locked operation at 1085 nm with a repetition rate of 13.4 MHz is successfully achieved in normal dispersion regime. Before mode-locked operation disappears above maximum pump, the output power and pulse energy is about 80 mW and 6 nJ, respectively. This mode-locked laser produces peak power of 0.74 kW. Our work may validates BP SA as a phase-locker related to two-dimensional nanomaterials and pulsed generation in normal dispersion regime.

Theoretical study of the generation of terahertz radiation by the interaction of two laser beams with graphite nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sepehri Javan, N.; Rouhi Erdi, F.

2017-12-01

In this theoretical study, we investigate the generation of terahertz radiation by considering the beating of two similar Gaussian laser beams with different frequencies of ω1 and ω2 in a spatially modulated medium of graphite nanoparticles. The medium is assumed to contain spherical graphite nanoparticles of two different configurations: in the first configuration, the electric fields of the laser beams are parallel to the normal vector of the basal plane of the graphite structure, whereas in the second configuration, the electric fields are perpendicular to the normal vector of the basal plane. The interaction of the electric fields of lasers with the electronic clouds of the nanoparticles generates a ponderomotive force that in turn leads to the creation of a macroscopic electron current in the direction of laser polarizations and at the beat frequency ω1-ω2 , which can generate terahertz radiation. We show that, when the beat frequency lies near the effective plasmon frequency of the nanoparticles and the electric fields are parallel to the basal-plane normal, a resonant interaction of the laser beams causes intense terahertz radiation.

Simulation techniques for estimating error in the classification of normal patterns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitsitt, S. J.; Landgrebe, D. A.

1974-01-01

Methods of efficiently generating and classifying samples with specified multivariate normal distributions were discussed. Conservative confidence tables for sample sizes are given for selective sampling. Simulation results are compared with classified training data. Techniques for comparing error and separability measure for two normal patterns are investigated and used to display the relationship between the error and the Chernoff bound.

Dissipative vector soliton in a dispersion-managed fiber laser with normal dispersion.

PubMed

Wang, Siming; Fan, Xuliang; Zhao, Luming; Wang, Yong; Tang, Dingyuan; Shen, Deyuan

2014-12-10

We numerically study the vector dynamics of dissipative solitons (DSs) in a 2 μm dispersion-managed fiber laser mode locked by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror and operated in the normal dispersion regime. It is shown that the effective gain bandwidth is crucial for the DS generation. The steep spectral edges of DSs are the consequence of the interaction among the normal dispersion, fiber nonlinearity, gain and loss, and gain dispersion effect, etc. We numerically duplicate the experimental results and further explore the vector features of the generated DSs. Two DSs formed along the two orthogonal polarization directions which, incoherently coupled with each other, could propagate in the birefringent cavity with the same group velocity.

Elaborative Retrieval: Do Semantic Mediators Improve Memory?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehman, Melissa; Karpicke, Jeffrey D.

2016-01-01

The elaborative retrieval account of retrieval-based learning proposes that retrieval enhances retention because the retrieval process produces the generation of semantic mediators that link cues to target information. We tested 2 assumptions that form the basis of this account: that semantic mediators are more likely to be generated during…

Emotional Intelligence (EI): A Therapy for Higher Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Machera, Robert P.; Machera, Precious C.

2017-01-01

This study investigates the need to design and develop emotional intelligence curriculum for students in higher education. Emotional intelligence curriculum may be used as a therapy that provides skills to manage high emotions faced by generation "Y", on a day-to-day basis. Generation "Y" is emotionally challenged with: drug…

78 FR 62616 - Integrated System Power Rates

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-22

... sudden loss of generation or load. 1.1.5. Supplemental Operating Reserve Service provides an additional... experienced due to a sudden loss of generation or load. 1.1.5. Supplemental Operating Reserve Service provides... Deputy Secretary has approved and placed into effect on an interim basis Rate Order No. SWPA-66, which...

Experimental investigation of powerful pulse current generators based on capacitive storage and explosive magnetic generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shurupov, A. V.; Zavalova, V. E.; Kozlov, A. V.; Shurupov, M. A.; Povareshkin, M. N.; Kozlov, A. A.; Shurupova, N. P.

2018-01-01

Experimental models of microsecond duration powerful generators of current pulses on the basis of explosive magnetic generators and voltage impulse generator have been developed for the electromagnetic pulse effects on energy facilities to verify their stability. Exacerbation of voltage pulse carried out through the use of electro explosive current interrupter made of copper wires with diameters of 80 and 120 μm. Experimental results of these models investigation are represented. Voltage fronts about 100 ns and the electric field strength of 800 kV/m are registered.

Absence of deficits in social behaviors and ultrasonic vocalizations in later generations of mice lacking neuroligin4.

PubMed

Ey, E; Yang, M; Katz, A M; Woldeyohannes, L; Silverman, J L; Leblond, C S; Faure, P; Torquet, N; Le Sourd, A-M; Bourgeron, T; Crawley, J N

2012-11-01

Mutations in NLGN4X have been identified in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders. A previous study reported that adult male mice lacking neuroligin4 (Nlgn4) displayed social approach deficits in the three-chambered test, altered aggressive behaviors and reduced ultrasonic vocalizations. To replicate and extend these findings, independent comprehensive analyses of autism-relevant behavioral phenotypes were conducted in later generations of the same line of Nlgn4 mutant mice at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD, USA and at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France. Adult social approach was normal in all three genotypes of Nlgn4 mice tested at both sites. Reciprocal social interactions in juveniles were similarly normal across genotypes. No genotype differences were detected in ultrasonic vocalizations in pups separated from the nest or in adults during reciprocal social interactions. Anxiety-like behaviors, self-grooming, rotarod and open field exploration did not differ across genotypes, and measures of developmental milestones and general health were normal. Our findings indicate an absence of autism-relevant behavioral phenotypes in subsequent generations of Nlgn4 mice tested at two locations. Testing environment and methods differed from the original study in some aspects, although the presence of normal sociability was seen in all genotypes when methods taken from Jamain et al. (2008) were used. The divergent results obtained from this study indicate that phenotypes may not be replicable across breeding generations, and highlight the significant roles of environmental, generational and/or procedural factors on behavioral phenotypes. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Ferrographic analysis of wear debris generated in a sliding elastohydrodynamic contact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, W. R., Jr.; Nagaraj, H. S.; Winer, W. O.

1977-01-01

The ferrograph was used to analyze wear debris generated in a sliding elastohydrodynamic contact. The amount of wear debris correlates well with the ratio of film thickness to composite surface roughness. Essentially all of the generated wear particles were of the normal rubbing wear type.

The Topological Basis Realization for Six Qubits and the Corresponding Heisenberg Spin -{1/2} Chain Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Qi; Cao, Yue; Chen, Shiyin; Teng, Yue; Meng, Yanli; Wang, Gangcheng; Sun, Chunfang; Xue, Kang

2018-03-01

In this paper, we construct a new set of orthonormal topological basis states for six qubits with the topological single loop d = 2. By acting on the subspace, we get a new five-dimensional (5D) reduced matrix. In addition, it is shown that the Heisenberg XXX spin-1/2 chain of six qubits can be constructed from the Temperley-Lieb algebra (TLA) generator, both the energy ground state and the spin singlet states of the system can be described by the set of topological basis states.

The Topological Basis Realization for Six Qubits and the Corresponding Heisenberg Spin-1/2 Chain Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Qi; Cao, Yue; Chen, Shiyin; Teng, Yue; Meng, Yanli; Wang, Gangcheng; Sun, Chunfang; Xue, Kang

2018-06-01

In this paper, we construct a new set of orthonormal topological basis states for six qubits with the topological single loop d = 2. By acting on the subspace, we get a new five-dimensional (5 D) reduced matrix. In addition, it is shown that the Heisenberg XXX spin-1/2 chain of six qubits can be constructed from the Temperley-Lieb algebra (TLA) generator, both the energy ground state and the spin singlet states of the system can be described by the set of topological basis states.

Parallel Douglas-Kroll Energy and Gradients in NWChem. Estimating Scalar Relativistic Effects Using Douglas-Kroll Contracted Basis Sets.

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

De Jong, Wibe A.; Harrison, Robert J.; Dixon, David A.

A parallel implementation of the spin-free one-electron Douglas-Kroll(-Hess) Hamiltonian (DKH) in NWChem is discussed. An efficient and accurate method to calculate DKH gradients is introduced. It is shown that the use of standard (non-relativistic) contracted basis set can produce erroneous results for elements beyond the first row elements. The generation of DKH contracted cc-pVXZ (X = D, T, Q, 5) basis sets for H, He, B - Ne, Al - Ar, and Ga - Br will be discussed.

Dissecting and Targeting Latent Metastasis

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

particular. Developing and using experimental models of LMBC to elucidate these survival mechanisms will provide a basis for therapeutically targeting...stochastic, low frequency generation of lethal macrometastatic lesion. Progress Item 1.1. Using this approach, we have successfully isolated latent...cells lines are being used to illuminate the molecular basis for the latent metastasis state. Progress Item 1.2. In parallel with the isolation of

22 CFR 228.01 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Warehouse is a special customs area with favorable customs regulations (or no customs duties and controls... trucks), boats, and other vehicles that are not designed for travel at normal road speeds (40 kilometers... permanent residence (or equivalent immigration status to live and work on a continuing basis) of suppliers...

42 CFR 412.116 - Method of payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) Recovery of payment. Recovery of the accelerated payment is made by recoupment as hospital bills are... made on an interim basis. (f) Accelerated payments—(1) General rule. Upon request, an accelerated... intermediary beyond its normal billing cycle. (2) Approval of payment. A hospital's request for an accelerated...

42 CFR 412.116 - Method of payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) Recovery of payment. Recovery of the accelerated payment is made by recoupment as hospital bills are... made on an interim basis. (f) Accelerated payments—(1) General rule. Upon request, an accelerated... intermediary beyond its normal billing cycle. (2) Approval of payment. A hospital's request for an accelerated...

42 CFR 412.116 - Method of payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) Recovery of payment. Recovery of the accelerated payment is made by recoupment as hospital bills are... made on an interim basis. (f) Accelerated payments—(1) General rule. Upon request, an accelerated... intermediary beyond its normal billing cycle. (2) Approval of payment. A hospital's request for an accelerated...

42 CFR 412.116 - Method of payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) Recovery of payment. Recovery of the accelerated payment is made by recoupment as hospital bills are... made on an interim basis. (f) Accelerated payments—(1) General rule. Upon request, an accelerated... intermediary beyond its normal billing cycle. (2) Approval of payment. A hospital's request for an accelerated...

Classification of lymphoid neoplasms: the microscope as a tool for disease discovery

PubMed Central

Harris, Nancy Lee; Stein, Harald; Isaacson, Peter G.

2008-01-01

In the past 50 years, we have witnessed explosive growth in the understanding of normal and neoplastic lymphoid cells. B-cell, T-cell, and natural killer (NK)–cell neoplasms in many respects recapitulate normal stages of lymphoid cell differentiation and function, so that they can be to some extent classified according to the corresponding normal stage. Likewise, the molecular mechanisms involved the pathogenesis of lymphomas and lymphoid leukemias are often based on the physiology of the lymphoid cells, capitalizing on deregulated normal physiology by harnessing the promoters of genes essential for lymphocyte function. The clinical manifestations of lymphomas likewise reflect the normal function of lymphoid cells in vivo. The multiparameter approach to classification adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) classification has been validated in international studies as being highly reproducible, and enhancing the interpretation of clinical and translational studies. In addition, accurate and precise classification of disease entities facilitates the discovery of the molecular basis of lymphoid neoplasms in the basic science laboratory. PMID:19029456

LinkImputeR: user-guided genotype calling and imputation for non-model organisms.

PubMed

Money, Daniel; Migicovsky, Zoë; Gardner, Kyle; Myles, Sean

2017-07-10

Genomic studies such as genome-wide association and genomic selection require genome-wide genotype data. All existing technologies used to create these data result in missing genotypes, which are often then inferred using genotype imputation software. However, existing imputation methods most often make use only of genotypes that are successfully inferred after having passed a certain read depth threshold. Because of this, any read information for genotypes that did not pass the threshold, and were thus set to missing, is ignored. Most genomic studies also choose read depth thresholds and quality filters without investigating their effects on the size and quality of the resulting genotype data. Moreover, almost all genotype imputation methods require ordered markers and are therefore of limited utility in non-model organisms. Here we introduce LinkImputeR, a software program that exploits the read count information that is normally ignored, and makes use of all available DNA sequence information for the purposes of genotype calling and imputation. It is specifically designed for non-model organisms since it requires neither ordered markers nor a reference panel of genotypes. Using next-generation DNA sequence (NGS) data from apple, cannabis and grape, we quantify the effect of varying read count and missingness thresholds on the quantity and quality of genotypes generated from LinkImputeR. We demonstrate that LinkImputeR can increase the number of genotype calls by more than an order of magnitude, can improve genotyping accuracy by several percent and can thus improve the power of downstream analyses. Moreover, we show that the effects of quality and read depth filters can differ substantially between data sets and should therefore be investigated on a per-study basis. By exploiting DNA sequence data that is normally ignored during genotype calling and imputation, LinkImputeR can significantly improve both the quantity and quality of genotype data generated from NGS technologies. It enables the user to quickly and easily examine the effects of varying thresholds and filters on the number and quality of the resulting genotype calls. In this manner, users can decide on thresholds that are most suitable for their purposes. We show that LinkImputeR can significantly augment the value and utility of NGS data sets, especially in non-model organisms with poor genomic resources.

Prediction of kharif rice yield at Kharagpur using disaggregated extended range rainfall forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhekale, B. S.; Nageswararao, M. M.; Nair, Archana; Mohanty, U. C.; Swain, D. K.; Singh, K. K.; Arunbabu, T.

2017-08-01

The Extended Range Forecasts System (ERFS) has been generating monthly and seasonal forecasts on real-time basis throughout the year over India since 2009. India is one of the major rice producer and consumer in South Asia; more than 50% of the Indian population depends on rice as staple food. Rice is mainly grown in kharif season, which contributed 84% of the total annual rice production of the country. Rice cultivation in India is rainfed, which depends largely on rains, so reliability of the rainfall forecast plays a crucial role for planning the kharif rice crop. In the present study, an attempt has been made to test the reliability of seasonal and sub-seasonal ERFS summer monsoon rainfall forecasts for kharif rice yield predictions at Kharagpur, West Bengal by using CERES-Rice (DSSATv4.5) model. These ERFS forecasts are produced as monthly and seasonal mean values and are converted into daily sequences with stochastic weather generators for use with crop growth models. The daily sequences are generated from ERFS seasonal (June-September) and sub-seasonal (July-September, August-September, and September) summer monsoon (June to September) rainfall forecasts which are considered as input in CERES-rice crop simulation model for the crop yield prediction for hindcast (1985-2008) and real-time mode (2009-2015). The yield simulated using India Meteorological Department (IMD) observed daily rainfall data is considered as baseline yield for evaluating the performance of predicted yields using the ERFS forecasts. The findings revealed that the stochastic disaggregation can be used to disaggregate the monthly/seasonal ERFS forecasts into daily sequences. The year to year variability in rice yield at Kharagpur is efficiently predicted by using the ERFS forecast products in hindcast as well as real time, and significant enhancement in the prediction skill is noticed with advancement in the season due to incorporation of observed weather data which reduces uncertainty of yield prediction. The findings also recommend that the normal and above normal yields are predicted well in advance using the ERFS forecasts. The outcomes of this study are useful to farmers for taking appropriate decisions well in advance for climate risk management in rice production during different stages of the crop growing season at Kharagpur.

Recovering Intrinsic Fragmental Vibrations Using the Generalized Subsystem Vibrational Analysis.

PubMed

Tao, Yunwen; Tian, Chuan; Verma, Niraj; Zou, Wenli; Wang, Chao; Cremer, Dieter; Kraka, Elfi

2018-05-08

Normal vibrational modes are generally delocalized over the molecular system, which makes it difficult to assign certain vibrations to specific fragments or functional groups. We introduce a new approach, the Generalized Subsystem Vibrational Analysis (GSVA), to extract the intrinsic fragmental vibrations of any fragment/subsystem from the whole system via the evaluation of the corresponding effective Hessian matrix. The retention of the curvature information with regard to the potential energy surface for the effective Hessian matrix endows our approach with a concrete physical basis and enables the normal vibrational modes of different molecular systems to be legitimately comparable. Furthermore, the intrinsic fragmental vibrations act as a new link between the Konkoli-Cremer local vibrational modes and the normal vibrational modes.

Millennial medical anthropology: from there to here and beyond, or the problem of global health.

PubMed

Gaines, Atwood D

2011-03-01

While much of Medical Anthropology was and is what we can call "Normal" (following Kuhn) Medical Anthropology, I coined the term Millennial Medical Anthropology for that branch of the discipline that, in the 1990s, was departing from the Normal research paradigms and was deserving of a distinct sobriquet. This paper considers the Strong Program in Medical Anthropology's Millennial Medical Anthropology and its key subdivisions, the Cultural Studies of Science and Cultural Bioethics. Specifically it considers Medical Anthropology's movement from the past into an ethical future wherein Normal Biomedicine, Bioethics and Global Health are problematized. This provides the basis for the construction of a truly anthropological global health (i.e., Global, Global Health or Global Health 2.0).

Fluorescence spectroscopy using excitation and emission matrix for quantification of tissue native fluorophores and cancer diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Binlin; Gayen, S. K.; Xu, M.

2014-03-01

Native fluorescence spectrum of normal and cancerous human prostate tissues is studied to distinguish between normal and cancerous tissues, and cancerous tissues at different cancer grade. The tissue samples were obtained from Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) and National Disease Research Interchange(NDRI). An excitation and emission matrix (EEM) was generated for each tissue sample by acquiring native fluorescence spectrum of the sample using multiple excitation wavelengths. The non-negative matrix factorization algorithm was used to generate fluorescence EEMs that correspond to the fluorophores in biological tissues, including tryptophan, collagen, elastin, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and the background paraffin. We hypothesize that, as a consequence of metabolic changes associated with the development of cancer, the concentrations of NADH and FAD are different in normal and cancerous tissues, and also different for different cancer grades. We used the ratio of the abundances of FAD and NADH to distinguish between normal and cancerous tissues, and the tissue cancer grade. The FAD-to-NADH ratio was found to be the highest for normal tissue and decreased as the cancer grade increased.

A non-JKL density matrix functional for intergeminal correlation between closed-shell geminals from analysis of natural orbital configuration interaction expansions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Meer, R.; Gritsenko, O. V.; Baerends, E. J.

2018-03-01

Almost all functionals that are currently used in density matrix functional theory have been created by some a priori ansatz that generates approximations to the second-order reduced density matrix (2RDM). In this paper, a more consistent approach is used: we analyze the 2RDMs (in the natural orbital basis) of rather accurate multi-reference configuration interaction expansions for several small molecules (CH4, NH3, H2O, FH, and N2) and use the knowledge gained to generate new functionals. The analysis shows that a geminal-like structure is present in the 2RDMs, even though no geminal theory has been applied from the onset. It is also shown that the leading non-geminal dynamical correlation contributions are generated by a specific set of double excitations. The corresponding determinants give rise to non-JKL (non Coulomb/Exchange like) multipole-multipole dispersive attractive terms between geminals. Due to the proximity of the geminals, these dispersion terms are large and cannot be omitted, proving pure JKL functionals to be essentially deficient. A second correction emerges from the observation that the "normal" geminal-like exchange between geminals breaks down when one breaks multiple bonds. This problem can be fixed by doubling the exchange between bond broken geminals, effectively restoring the often physically correct high-spin configurations on the bond broken fragments. Both of these corrections have been added to the commonly used antisymmetrized product of strongly orthogonal geminals functional. The resulting non-JKL functional Extended Löwdin-Shull Dynamical-Multibond is capable of reproducing complete active space self-consistent field curves, in which one active orbital is used for each valence electron.

Long period pseudo random number sequence generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Charles C. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

A circuit for generating a sequence of pseudo random numbers, (A sub K). There is an exponentiator in GF(2 sup m) for the normal basis representation of elements in a finite field GF(2 sup m) each represented by m binary digits and having two inputs and an output from which the sequence (A sub K). Of pseudo random numbers is taken. One of the two inputs is connected to receive the outputs (E sub K) of maximal length shift register of n stages. There is a switch having a pair of inputs and an output. The switch outputs is connected to the other of the two inputs of the exponentiator. One of the switch inputs is connected for initially receiving a primitive element (A sub O) in GF(2 sup m). Finally, there is a delay circuit having an input and an output. The delay circuit output is connected to the other of the switch inputs and the delay circuit input is connected to the output of the exponentiator. Whereby after the exponentiator initially receives the primitive element (A sub O) in GF(2 sup m) through the switch, the switch can be switched to cause the exponentiator to receive as its input a delayed output A(K-1) from the exponentiator thereby generating (A sub K) continuously at the output of the exponentiator. The exponentiator in GF(2 sup m) is novel and comprises a cyclic-shift circuit; a Massey-Omura multiplier; and, a control logic circuit all operably connected together to perform the function U(sub i) = 92(sup i) (for n(sub i) = 1 or 1 (for n(subi) = 0).

Performance of a system of reservoirs on futuristic front

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Satabdi; Roy, Debasri; Mazumdar, Asis

2017-10-01

Application of simulation model HEC-5 to analyze the performance of the DVC Reservoir System (a multipurpose system with a network of five reservoirs and one barrage) on the river Damodar in Eastern India in meeting projected future demand as well as controlling flood for synthetically generated future scenario is addressed here with a view to develop an appropriate strategy for its operation. Thomas-Fiering model (based on Markov autoregressive model) has been adopted for generation of synthetic scenario (monthly streamflow series) and subsequently downscaling of modeled monthly streamflow to daily values was carried out. The performance of the system (analysed on seasonal basis) in terms of `Performance Indices' (viz., both quantity based reliability and time based reliability, mean daily deficit, average failure period, resilience and maximum vulnerability indices) for the projected scenario with enhanced demand turned out to be poor compared to that for historical scenario. However, judicious adoption of resource enhancement (marginal reallocation of reservoir storage capacity) and demand management strategy (curtailment of projected high water requirements and trading off between demands) was found to be a viable option for improvement of the performance of the reservoir system appreciably [improvement being (1-51 %), (2-35 %), (16-96 %), (25-50 %), (8-36 %) and (12-30 %) for the indices viz., quantity based reliability, time based reliability, mean daily deficit, average failure period, resilience and maximum vulnerability, respectively] compared to that with normal storage and projected demand. Again, 100 % reliability for flood control for current as well as future synthetically generated scenarios was noted. The results from the study would assist concerned authority in successful operation of reservoirs in the context of growing demand and dwindling resource.

Development of an inhalation system of high melting point metal fumes and its use for exposure of rats to chromium and nickel fumes.

PubMed

Serita, F; Homma, K; Fukuda, K; Sawatari, K; Suzuki, Y; Toya, T

1990-01-01

An experimental inhalation system was developed for fumes generated from powders of high melting point metals such as chromium, nickel, manganese and iron. The system consisted of a plasma flame metal sprayer as a fume generator, a granular bed type fume collector, a fluidized bed aerosol generator, an exposure and a control chamber of a horizontal-flow type and inhalant monitoring and controlling units. Performance of the chambers was ensured by a distribution test using flyash as a test aerosol. Using this system, rats were exposed to chromium fumes for one week or to nickel fumes for two months. The exposure concentrations of the chromium and nickel fumes were 1.85 +/- 0.55 mg/m3 and 0.51 +/- 0.15 mg/m3 (mean +/- SD), near the target levels of 2 mg/m3 and 0.5 mg/m3, respectively. The mass median aerodynamic diameter and the geometric standard deviation of the chromium fumes were 2.1 microns and 2.00, respectively. Those of the nickel fumes were 3.7 microns and 1.74, respectively. Species analysis of these fume particles revealed that 26.4% of the total chromium was hexavalent and the residue was trivalent and that 1-3% of the total nickel was nickel(III) and the residue was nickel(II). Inhaled-metal concentrations in the lungs showed steady increases with the exposure periods and were within the normal range of variation. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that this system is useful for long-term inhalation experiments using high melting point metal fumes.

Mechanism of high glucose induced angiotensin II production in rat vascular smooth muscle cells.

PubMed

Lavrentyev, Eduard N; Estes, Anne M; Malik, Kafait U

2007-08-31

Angiotensin II (Ang II), a circulating hormone that can be synthesized locally in the vasculature, has been implicated in diabetes-associated vascular complications. This study was conducted to determine whether high glucose (HG) (approximately 23.1 mmol/L), a diabetic-like condition, stimulates Ang II generation and the underlying mechanism of its production in rat vascular smooth muscle cells. The contribution of various enzymes involved in Ang II generation was investigated by silencing their expression with small interfering RNA in cells exposed to normal glucose (approximately 4.1 mmol/L) and HG. Angiotensin I (Ang I) was generated from angiotensinogen by cathepsin D in the presence of normal glucose or HG. Although HG did not affect the rate of angiotensinogen conversion, it decreased expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), downregulated ACE-dependent Ang II generation, and upregulated rat vascular chymase-dependent Ang II generation. The ACE inhibitor captopril reduced Ang II levels in the media by 90% in the presence of normal glucose and 19% in HG, whereas rat vascular chymase silencing reduced Ang II production in cells exposed to HG but not normal glucose. The glucose transporter inhibitor cytochalasin B, the aldose reductase inhibitor alrestatin, and the advanced glycation end product formation inhibitor aminoguanidine attenuated HG-induced Ang II generation. HG caused a transient increase in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 phosphorylation, and ERK1/2 inhibitors reduced Ang II accumulation by HG. These data suggest that polyol pathway metabolites and AGE can stimulate rat vascular chymase activity via ERK1/2 activation and increase Ang II production. In addition, decreased Ang II degradation, which, in part, could be attributable to a decrease in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression observed in HG, contributes to increased accumulation of Ang II in vascular smooth muscle cells by HG.

A Theoretical Basis for the Scaling Law of Broadband Shock Noise Intensity in Supersonic Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kandula, Max

2011-01-01

A theoretical basis for the scaling of broadband shock noise intensity In supersonic jets was formulated considering linear shock-shear wave interaction. Modeling of broadband shock noise with the aid of shock-turbulence interaction with special reference to linear theories is briefly reviewed. An hypothesis has been postulated that the peak angle of incidence (closer to the critical angle) for the shear wave primarily governs the generation of sound in the interaction process with the noise generation contribution from off-peak incident angles being relatively unimportant. The proposed hypothesis satisfactorily explains the well-known scaling law for the broadband shock-associated noise in supersonic jets.

CUILESS2016: a clinical corpus applying compositional normalization of text mentions.

PubMed

Osborne, John D; Neu, Matthew B; Danila, Maria I; Solorio, Thamar; Bethard, Steven J

2018-01-10

Traditionally text mention normalization corpora have normalized concepts to single ontology identifiers ("pre-coordinated concepts"). Less frequently, normalization corpora have used concepts with multiple identifiers ("post-coordinated concepts") but the additional identifiers have been restricted to a defined set of relationships to the core concept. This approach limits the ability of the normalization process to express semantic meaning. We generated a freely available corpus using post-coordinated concepts without a defined set of relationships that we term "compositional concepts" to evaluate their use in clinical text. We annotated 5397 disorder mentions from the ShARe corpus to SNOMED CT that were previously normalized as "CUI-less" in the "SemEval-2015 Task 14" shared task because they lacked a pre-coordinated mapping. Unlike the previous normalization method, we do not restrict concept mappings to a particular set of the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) semantic types and allow normalization to occur to multiple UMLS Concept Unique Identifiers (CUIs). We computed annotator agreement and assessed semantic coverage with this method. We generated the largest clinical text normalization corpus to date with mappings to multiple identifiers and made it freely available. All but 8 of the 5397 disorder mentions were normalized using this methodology. Annotator agreement ranged from 52.4% using the strictest metric (exact matching) to 78.2% using a hierarchical agreement that measures the overlap of shared ancestral nodes. Our results provide evidence that compositional concepts can increase semantic coverage in clinical text. To our knowledge we provide the first freely available corpus of compositional concept annotation in clinical text.

Large-scale terrestrial solar cell power generation cost: A preliminary assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spakowski, A. E.; Shure, L. I.

1972-01-01

A cost study was made to assess the potential of the large-scale use of solar cell power for terrestrial applications. The incentive is the attraction of a zero-pollution source of power for wide-scale use. Unlike many other concepts for low-pollution power generation, even thermal pollution is avoided since only the incident solar flux is utilized. To provide a basis for comparison and a perspective for evaluation, the pertinent technology was treated in two categories: current and optimistic. Factors considered were solar cells, array assembly, power conditioning, site preparation, buildings, maintenance, and operation. The capital investment was assumed to be amortized over 30 years. The useful life of the solar cell array was assumed to be 10 years, and the cases of zero and 50-percent performance deg-radation were considered. Land costs, taxes, and profits were not included in this study because it was found too difficult to provide good generalized estimates of these items. On the basis of the factors considered, it is shown that even for optimistic projections of technology, electric power from large-sclae terrestrial use of solar cells is approximately two to three orders of magnitude more costly than current electric power generation from either fossil or nuclear fuel powerplants. For solar cell power generation to be a viable competitor on a cost basis, technological breakthroughs would be required in both solar cell and array fabrication and in site preparation.

Generation of Highly Oblique Lower Band Chorus Via Nonlinear Three-Wave Resonance

DOE PAGES

Fu, Xiangrong; Gary, Stephen Peter; Reeves, Geoffrey D.; ...

2017-09-05

Chorus in the inner magnetosphere has been observed frequently at geomagnetically active times, typically exhibiting a two-band structure with a quasi-parallel lower band and an upper band with a broad range of wave normal angles. But recent observations by Van Allen Probes confirm another type of lower band chorus, which has a large wave normal angle close to the resonance cone angle. It has been proposed that these waves could be generated by a low-energy beam-like electron component or by temperature anisotropy of keV electrons in the presence of a low-energy plateau-like electron component. This paper, however, presents an alternativemore » mechanism for generation of this highly oblique lower band chorus. Through a nonlinear three-wave resonance, a quasi-parallel lower band chorus wave can interact with a mildly oblique upper band chorus wave, producing a highly oblique quasi-electrostatic lower band chorus wave. This theoretical analysis is confirmed by 2-D electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations. Furthermore, as the newly generated waves propagate away from the equator, their wave normal angle can further increase and they are able to scatter low-energy electrons to form a plateau-like structure in the parallel velocity distribution. As a result, the three-wave resonance mechanism may also explain the generation of quasi-parallel upper band chorus which has also been observed in the magnetosphere.« less

The derivative-free Fourier shell identity for photoacoustics.

PubMed

Baddour, Natalie

2016-01-01

In X-ray tomography, the Fourier slice theorem provides a relationship between the Fourier components of the object being imaged and the measured projection data. The Fourier slice theorem is the basis for X-ray Fourier-based tomographic inversion techniques. A similar relationship, referred to as the 'Fourier shell identity' has been previously derived for photoacoustic applications. However, this identity relates the pressure wavefield data function and its normal derivative measured on an arbitrary enclosing aperture to the three-dimensional Fourier transform of the enclosed object evaluated on a sphere. Since the normal derivative of pressure is not normally measured, the applicability of the formulation is limited in this form. In this paper, alternative derivations of the Fourier shell identity in 1D, 2D polar and 3D spherical polar coordinates are presented. The presented formulations do not require the normal derivative of pressure, thereby lending the formulas directly adaptable for Fourier based absorber reconstructions.

CDC6600 subroutine for normal random variables. [RVNORM (RMU, SIG)

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

Amos, D.E.

1977-04-01

A value y for a uniform variable on (0,1) is generated and a table of 96-percent points for the (0,1) normal distribution is interpolated for a value of the normal variable x(0,1) on 0.02 less than or equal to y less than or equal to 0.98. For the tails, the inverse normal is computed by a rational Chebyshev approximation in an appropriate variable. Then X = x sigma + ..mu.. gives the X(..mu..,sigma) variable.

Next-generation transcriptome sequencing of the premenopausal breast epithelium using specimens from a normal human breast tissue bank.

PubMed

Pardo, Ivanesa; Lillemoe, Heather A; Blosser, Rachel J; Choi, MiRan; Sauder, Candice A M; Doxey, Diane K; Mathieson, Theresa; Hancock, Bradley A; Baptiste, Dadrie; Atale, Rutuja; Hickenbotham, Matthew; Zhu, Jin; Glasscock, Jarret; Storniolo, Anna Maria V; Zheng, Faye; Doerge, R W; Liu, Yunlong; Badve, Sunil; Radovich, Milan; Clare, Susan E

2014-03-17

Our efforts to prevent and treat breast cancer are significantly impeded by a lack of knowledge of the biology and developmental genetics of the normal mammary gland. In order to provide the specimens that will facilitate such an understanding, The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center (KTB) was established. The KTB is, to our knowledge, the only biorepository in the world prospectively established to collect normal, healthy breast tissue from volunteer donors. As a first initiative toward a molecular understanding of the biology and developmental genetics of the normal mammary gland, the effect of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptives on DNA expression in the normal breast epithelium was examined. Using normal breast tissue from 20 premenopausal donors to KTB, the changes in the mRNA of the normal breast epithelium as a function of phase of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraception were assayed using next-generation whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq). In total, 255 genes representing 1.4% of all genes were deemed to have statistically significant differential expression between the two phases of the menstrual cycle. The overwhelming majority (221; 87%) of the genes have higher expression during the luteal phase. These data provide important insights into the processes occurring during each phase of the menstrual cycle. There was only a single gene significantly differentially expressed when comparing the epithelium of women using hormonal contraception to those in the luteal phase. We have taken advantage of a unique research resource, the KTB, to complete the first-ever next-generation transcriptome sequencing of the epithelial compartment of 20 normal human breast specimens. This work has produced a comprehensive catalog of the differences in the expression of protein-coding genes as a function of the phase of the menstrual cycle. These data constitute the beginning of a reference data set of the normal mammary gland, which can be consulted for comparison with data developed from malignant specimens, or to mine the effects of the hormonal flux that occurs during the menstrual cycle.