Strategic tree planting as an EPA encouraged pollutant reduction strategy: how urban trees can obtain credit in state implementation plans

Treesearch

Dr. David J. Nowak

2005-01-01

As tree programs are new to the SIP process, "to facilitate Federal approval of an emerging or voluntary measure States are encouraged to work with their EPA regional ofice during the development process". Programs to increase canopy cover in urban areas can achieve many benefits. They can help improve air and water quality, as well as other factors related...

48 CFR 245.7302-5 - Mailing lists.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Mailing lists. (a) The plant clearance officer will ensure the contractor solicits a sufficient number of bidders to obtain adequate competition. (b) When large quantities of property, special commodities, or unusual geographic locations are involved, the plant clearance officer is encouraged to obtain additional...

A Method for the Instantaneous Determination of the Velocity and Direction of the Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huguenard, E; Magnan, A; Planiol, A

1924-01-01

The laboratory instruments, which we often constructed with makeshift means, gave encouraging results and showed that they could satisfactorily meet the required conditions. By limiting ourselves to the employment of hot wires of 0.05 mm (0.002 in.) diameter, we obtained instruments which faithfully followed all the wind fluctuations of over 0.1 second and even much more rapid variations without any very great error.

High Resolution Frequency Swept Imaging.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-30

Appendix XI). Preliminary ex- perimental results obtained using ultrasound are extremely encouraging. These -12- ’!" , ,a, -’ ’- : "--’ .,"U...of broad-band nature. They are either In the form of relatively long chirps ( whistles ), impulse like pings or clicks of less than lmsec duration and...Bottlenose Porpoise: A Study of Whistles and Clicks", Zoologica, Vol. 47, 1962, pp. 121-128. L 2 I ._ 4! i APPENDIX II " HBOLOCRAPHY, WAVE-ILE GTH DIVERSITY

A VLBI experiment using a remote atomic clock via a coherent fibre link

PubMed Central

Clivati, Cecilia; Ambrosini, Roberto; Artz, Thomas; Bertarini, Alessandra; Bortolotti, Claudio; Frittelli, Matteo; Levi, Filippo; Mura, Alberto; Maccaferri, Giuseppe; Nanni, Mauro; Negusini, Monia; Perini, Federico; Roma, Mauro; Stagni, Matteo; Zucco, Massimo; Calonico, Davide

2017-01-01

We describe a VLBI experiment in which, for the first time, the clock reference is delivered from a National Metrology Institute to a radio telescope using a coherent fibre link 550 km long. The experiment consisted of a 24-hours long geodetic campaign, performed by a network of European telescopes; in one of those (Medicina, Italy) the local clock was alternated with a signal generated from an optical comb slaved to a fibre-disseminated optical signal. The quality of the results obtained with this facility and with the local clock is similar: interferometric fringes were detected throughout the whole 24-hours period and it was possible to obtain a solution whose residuals are comparable to those obtained with the local clock. These results encourage further investigation of the ultimate VLBI performances achievable using fibre dissemination at the highest precision of state-of-the-art atomic clocks. PMID:28145451

Use of social information in the problem solving of orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) and human children (Homo sapiens).

PubMed

Call, J; Tomasello, M

1995-09-01

Fourteen juvenile and adult orangutans and 24 3- and 4-year-old children participated in 4 studies on imitative learning in a problem-solving situation. In all studies a simple to operate apparatus was used, but its internal mechanism was hidden from subjects to prevent individual learning. In the 1st study, orangutans observed a human demonstrator perform 1 of 4 actions on the apparatus and obtain a reward; they subsequently showed no signs of imitative learning. Similar results were obtained in a 2nd study in which orangutan demonstrators were used. Similar results were also obtained in a 3rd study in which a human encouraged imitation from an orangutan that had previously been taught to mimic arbitrary human actions. In a 4th study, human 3- and 4-year-old children learned the task by means of imitation.

A VLBI experiment using a remote atomic clock via a coherent fibre link.

PubMed

Clivati, Cecilia; Ambrosini, Roberto; Artz, Thomas; Bertarini, Alessandra; Bortolotti, Claudio; Frittelli, Matteo; Levi, Filippo; Mura, Alberto; Maccaferri, Giuseppe; Nanni, Mauro; Negusini, Monia; Perini, Federico; Roma, Mauro; Stagni, Matteo; Zucco, Massimo; Calonico, Davide

2017-02-01

We describe a VLBI experiment in which, for the first time, the clock reference is delivered from a National Metrology Institute to a radio telescope using a coherent fibre link 550 km long. The experiment consisted of a 24-hours long geodetic campaign, performed by a network of European telescopes; in one of those (Medicina, Italy) the local clock was alternated with a signal generated from an optical comb slaved to a fibre-disseminated optical signal. The quality of the results obtained with this facility and with the local clock is similar: interferometric fringes were detected throughout the whole 24-hours period and it was possible to obtain a solution whose residuals are comparable to those obtained with the local clock. These results encourage further investigation of the ultimate VLBI performances achievable using fibre dissemination at the highest precision of state-of-the-art atomic clocks.

A VLBI experiment using a remote atomic clock via a coherent fibre link

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clivati, Cecilia; Ambrosini, Roberto; Artz, Thomas; Bertarini, Alessandra; Bortolotti, Claudio; Frittelli, Matteo; Levi, Filippo; Mura, Alberto; Maccaferri, Giuseppe; Nanni, Mauro; Negusini, Monia; Perini, Federico; Roma, Mauro; Stagni, Matteo; Zucco, Massimo; Calonico, Davide

2017-02-01

We describe a VLBI experiment in which, for the first time, the clock reference is delivered from a National Metrology Institute to a radio telescope using a coherent fibre link 550 km long. The experiment consisted of a 24-hours long geodetic campaign, performed by a network of European telescopes; in one of those (Medicina, Italy) the local clock was alternated with a signal generated from an optical comb slaved to a fibre-disseminated optical signal. The quality of the results obtained with this facility and with the local clock is similar: interferometric fringes were detected throughout the whole 24-hours period and it was possible to obtain a solution whose residuals are comparable to those obtained with the local clock. These results encourage further investigation of the ultimate VLBI performances achievable using fibre dissemination at the highest precision of state-of-the-art atomic clocks.

[Final voluntary assessment for Traumatology and Orthopaedic Surgery medical residents: a report on the results and a look at the future].

PubMed

Urda, A; Ezquerra, L; Albareda, J; Baeza-Noci, J; Blanco, A; Cáceres, E; Martínez-Grande, M; Nardi, J; Yunta, A; Marco, F

2012-01-01

The idea of establishing an examination that accredits the training of the specialists in orthopaedic surgery at the end of their educational period as residents is subject to controversy. With the aim of encouraging the development of this examination, the present members of the National Commission of the Specialty of Orthopaedics (CNE) have reviewed the results obtained in previous examination. The results of the voluntary final exam for Orthopaedics residents, and of the surveys of participant opinions for the years 2006 to 2011 are presented. The total number of participants was 231, growing from 19 in 2005, to 71 in 2011. The overall mean score in the period reviewed (2006-2011) was 6.72 out of 10 points. In these 6 years, 9 participants failed (4.25%). The mean score for the test was 7.57. The overall mean score of the oral exam was 6.57. The worst results were obtained in the general knowledge section of the oral examination. Nobody has ever failed the section on reconstruction of the lower extremity. The upper extremity section in the oral examination achieves the best average results. The examination has established its place in the structure of orthopaedic resident training in our country, even without making it official by the Administration. We must positively acknowledge those candidates who chose to take the examination and be evaluated by their peers in order to prove their qualification and distinction. This recognition will be the best encouragement for future generations. Copyright © 2011 SECOT. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Neutron therapy for salivary and thyroid gland cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gribova, O. V.; Musabaeva, L. I.; Choynzonov, E. L.; Lisin, V. A.; Novikov, V. A.

2016-08-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the results of the combined modality treatment and radiation therapy using 6.3 MeV fast neutrons for salivary gland cancer and prognostically unfavorable thyroid gland cancer. The study group comprised 127 patients with salivary gland cancer and 46 patients with thyroid gland cancer, who received neutron therapy alone and in combination with surgery. The results obtained demonstrated that the combined modality treatment including fast neutron therapy led to encouraging local control in patients with salivary and thyroid gland cancers.

Neutron therapy for salivary and thyroid gland cancer

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

Gribova, O. V., E-mail: gribova79@mail.ru; Choynzonov, E. L., E-mail: nii@oncology.tomsk.ru; National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenina Avenue 30, Tomsk, 634050

The purpose of this study was to analyze the results of the combined modality treatment and radiation therapy using 6.3 MeV fast neutrons for salivary gland cancer and prognostically unfavorable thyroid gland cancer. The study group comprised 127 patients with salivary gland cancer and 46 patients with thyroid gland cancer, who received neutron therapy alone and in combination with surgery. The results obtained demonstrated that the combined modality treatment including fast neutron therapy led to encouraging local control in patients with salivary and thyroid gland cancers.

Offroad vehicle riders in Big Cypress National Preserve: Results from a survey of permit holders

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farrell, T.; Kendra, A.; Roggenbuck, J.; Hall, T.; Marion, J.L.

1999-01-01

A survey of 800 offroad vehicle (ORV) owners at Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida, was conducted to obtain information on visitor characteristics and management preferences. This report characterizes survey results for riders of all-terrain vehicles, swamp buggies, standard 4-wheeled street vehicles, and airboats. Riders tended to feel satisfied with their ORV experiences and Preserve conditions. Riders were strongly opposed to management approaches that would restrict use or require certain behaviors. More favored were management actions to encourage low impact use practices

Breastfeeding Education: Where Are We Going? A Systematic Review Article

PubMed Central

BURGIO, Maria Adriana; LAGANÀ, Antonio Simone; SICILIA, Angela; PROSPERI PORTA, Romana; PORPORA, Maria Grazia; BAN FRANGEŽ, Helena; DI VENTI, Giovanni; TRIOLO, Onofrio

2016-01-01

Background: UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) and WHO estimate that if all babies were breastfed for at least the first six months of their lives, the rate of morbidity and malnutrition would significantly decrease all over the world. In this view, these two organizations promoted a worldwide campaign for breastfeeding, creating the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) that encourages good practices for the promotion of breastfeeding in hospitals. The aim of our study was to review the available evidence regarding the positive effects of breastfeeding, in order to suggest to most appropriate strategy to support it. Methods: The main databases including Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, Google scholar and Science Direct were researched to obtain the original papers related to breastfeeding education. The main terms used to literature search were “Breastfeeding education”, Breastfeeding support”, and “Breastfeeding healthcare policy”. The timeframe included the obtained articles was from 1980 to 2015. Results: Our analysis confirms that healthcare providers play a pivotal role in education and encouraging mothers to begin and continue breastfeeding. In this view, the adequate training of healthcare providers seems to be mandatory in order to support this practice. Moreover, adequate facilities are needed in order to promote and support breastfeeding. Conclusion: Considering the available evidence, breastfeeding should be supported among all the mothers. Based on the positive data emerging from the public awareness campaign in different Countries of the world, we strongly encourage an accurate training for doctors and midwives and the implementation of adequate facilities in order to support breastfeeding. PMID:27928522

Ex vivo validation of photo-magnetic imaging.

PubMed

Luk, Alex; Nouizi, Farouk; Erkol, Hakan; Unlu, Mehmet B; Gulsen, Gultekin

2017-10-15

We recently introduced a new high-resolution diffuse optical imaging technique termed photo-magnetic imaging (PMI), which utilizes magnetic resonance thermometry (MRT) to monitor the 3D temperature distribution induced in a medium illuminated with a near-infrared light. The spatiotemporal temperature distribution due to light absorption can be accurately estimated using a combined photon propagation and heat diffusion model. High-resolution optical absorption images are then obtained by iteratively minimizing the error between the measured and modeled temperature distributions. We have previously demonstrated the feasibility of PMI with experimental studies using tissue simulating agarose phantoms. In this Letter, we present the preliminary ex vivo PMI results obtained with a chicken breast sample. Similarly to the results obtained on phantoms, the reconstructed images reveal that PMI can quantitatively resolve an inclusion with a 3 mm diameter embedded deep in a biological tissue sample with only 10% error. These encouraging results demonstrate the high performance of PMI in ex vivo biological tissue and its potential for in vivo imaging.

Learning through "huddles" for health care leaders: why do some work teams learn as a result of huddles and others do not?

PubMed

Little, Johanna

2014-01-01

The health care industry embraces the concept that collective learning occurs through group social interactions and has been initiating huddles as an avenue for collaborative learning. During change of shift or prior to beginning daily tasks, a huddle is initiated and facilitated by the manager or frontline supervisor. Given that "shared knowledge is obtained through group-based learning," why are some teams learning and others are not? The phenomenon is perplexing, given that the same resources are provided to all teams. Based on the findings in the literature review on learning in groups, teams learn from huddles and others do not because of the following: communication style and dialogue among the group members, communication style and dialogue facilitated by the leader, team and member perceptions, and team membership. Teams that learn from huddles do so because of the elements within the dialogue between team members (reflexive questioning, redundancy of information, metaphors, analogies, dramatic dialogue, strategic meaning) and because the huddle team exhibits higher levels of collegiality, tenure, heterogeneity, team identification, and collective efficacy. Facilitators must encourage a conversation in order to encourage reframing of cognitive maps that encourage learning by huddle members.

29 CFR 1.3 - Obtaining and compiling wage rate information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) The Administrator will encourage the voluntary submission of wage rate data by contractors... rates paid to laborers and mechanics on various types of construction in the area. The Administrator may also obtain data from agencies on wage rates paid on construction projects under their jurisdiction...

29 CFR 1.3 - Obtaining and compiling wage rate information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) The Administrator will encourage the voluntary submission of wage rate data by contractors... rates paid to laborers and mechanics on various types of construction in the area. The Administrator may also obtain data from agencies on wage rates paid on construction projects under their jurisdiction...

29 CFR 1.3 - Obtaining and compiling wage rate information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) The Administrator will encourage the voluntary submission of wage rate data by contractors... rates paid to laborers and mechanics on various types of construction in the area. The Administrator may also obtain data from agencies on wage rates paid on construction projects under their jurisdiction...

Development of a Benchmark Example for Delamination Fatigue Growth Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, Ronald

2010-01-01

The development of a benchmark example for cyclic delamination growth prediction is presented and demonstrated for a commercial code. The example is based on a finite element model of a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) specimen, which is independent of the analysis software used and allows the assessment of the delamination growth prediction capabilities in commercial finite element codes. First, the benchmark result was created for the specimen. Second, starting from an initially straight front, the delamination was allowed to grow under cyclic loading in a finite element model of a commercial code. The number of cycles to delamination onset and the number of cycles during stable delamination growth for each growth increment were obtained from the analysis. In general, good agreement between the results obtained from the growth analysis and the benchmark results could be achieved by selecting the appropriate input parameters. Overall, the results are encouraging but further assessment for mixed-mode delamination is required

Novel Transition Metal Compounds with Promising Thermoelectric Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caillat, T.; Borshchevsky, A.; Fleurial, J. -P.

1993-01-01

Progress in the search for new high temperature thermoelectric materials at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is reviewed. Novel transition metal compounds were selected as potential new high performance thermoelectric materials and criteria of selection are presented and discussed. Samples of these new compounds were prepared at JPL by a variety of techniques. Encouraging experimental results obtained on several of these compounds are reported and show that they have the potential to be the next generation of thermoelectric materials.

Structural and Synthetic Organosilicon Chemistry.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-07-23

yields of benzanilide and acetanilide , 58ab, respectively. Curiously, the 0 Ph me SitI R OH PhNH R 57a R = Ph 75% 58a R = Ph 57b R = Me 55% 58b R...CO Bond of Amides: We obtained some encouraging preliminary results in this area. Formation of the t-butyldimethylsilyl imino ether from acetanilide ...followed by mild acidic hydrolysis produced aniline in 40% yield. Control studies have shown that the hydrolysis conditions do not cleave acetanilide

Chemical vapor deposition growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruth, R. P.; Manasevit, H. M.; Kenty, J. L.; Moudy, L. A.; Simpson, W. I.; Yang, J. J.

1976-01-01

A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor system with a vertical deposition chamber was used for the growth of Si films on glass, glass-ceramic, and polycrystalline ceramic substrates. Silicon vapor was produced by pyrolysis of SiH4 in a H2 or He carrier gas. Preliminary deposition experiments with two of the available glasses were not encouraging. Moderately encouraging results, however, were obtained with fired polycrystalline alumina substrates, which were used for Si deposition at temperatures above 1,000 C. The surfaces of both the substrates and the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, reflection electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy optical microscopy, and surface profilometric techniques. Several experiments were conducted to establish baseline performance data for the reactor system, including temperature distributions on the sample pedestal, effects of carrier gas flow rate on temperature and film thickness, and Si film growth rate as a function of temperature.

U.S. Air Force Spent Billions on F117 Engine Sustainment Without Knowing What a Fair Price Was

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-11

repair, or overhaul, as compared to the PW2000 commercial-derivative engine sustainment price for these services in the private sector.17 The House ... sustainment costs. The House committee was also concerned that the Air Force could not determine whether it is paying a fair and reasonable price for...administration. The House committee encouraged the Air Force to seek a competitive strategy to obtain F117 engine sustainment services and also encouraged it to

Fast infrared response of YBCO thin films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballentine, P. H.; Kadin, A. M.; Donaldson, W. R.; Scofield, J. H.; Bajuk, L.

1990-01-01

The response to short infrared pulses of some epitaxial YBCO films prepared by sputter deposition and by electron-beam evaporation is reported. The response is found to be essentially bolometric on the ns timescale, with some indirect hints of nonequilibrium electron transport on the ps scale. Fast switching could be obtained either by biasing the switch close to the critical current or by cooling the film below about 20 K. These results are encouraging for potential application to a high-current optically-triggered opening switch.

Thirty-ninth annual report of the Director of the United States Geological Survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, George Otis

1918-01-01

The appropriations for the work of the United States Geological Survey for the fiscal year 1917-18 comprised items amounting to $1,750,520. The plan of operations as approved by the Secretary of the Interior contemplated surveys and investigations in the United States and Alaska designed mainly to obtain information or to encourage activities essential to the rapid and successful prosecution of the war. The results of the work are reported in detail in the following pages.

Computer Simulation Studies of the Tearing Mode Instability in a Field-Reversed Ion Layer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-15

CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE (when Date Entered) 20. (Abstract continued) .those of the linear theory. In addition, it has been demonstrated that when...However, all the results obtained so far are very encouraging. Using the energy prin- ciple Sudan and Rosenbluth5 have shown with a hybrid model that a...found that finite length layers are stable to tearing modes as a consequence of axial kinetic pressure. Using a hybrid model , in which the ion layer is

Cooperative parallel adaptive neighbourhood search for the disjunctively constrained knapsack problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quan, Zhe; Wu, Lei

2017-09-01

This article investigates the use of parallel computing for solving the disjunctively constrained knapsack problem. The proposed parallel computing model can be viewed as a cooperative algorithm based on a multi-neighbourhood search. The cooperation system is composed of a team manager and a crowd of team members. The team members aim at applying their own search strategies to explore the solution space. The team manager collects the solutions from the members and shares the best one with them. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on a group of benchmark data sets. The results obtained are compared to those reached by the best methods from the literature. The results show that the proposed method is able to provide the best solutions in most cases. In order to highlight the robustness of the proposed parallel computing model, a new set of large-scale instances is introduced. Encouraging results have been obtained.

Balancing quality and cost for Adult Tobacco Telephone Surveys.

PubMed

Fernandez, Barbara M; Hannah, Kristie M; Wallack, Randal S Zu; Hicks, Jennifer K D; Gorrigan, Anne M; Mariolis, Peter

2007-01-01

To demonstrate the ability to cost-effectively coordinate Adult Tobacco Survey stakeholder interests while reducing the risk of potential bias. Key smoking indicators were compared across 2 surveys and analyzed based on modifications to calling protocols. Mixed results were found when comparing smoking rates across 2 surveys, by early, mid, and late respondents, and by the number of rufusals. Significant cost sayings can be obtained by reducing the number of telephone call attempts. Few significant differences may encourage reductions in protocol, but this must be weighed against the possibility of cost-saving measures resulting in biased estimates.

[Epoxide acrylate maleic resin and hydroxyapatite composite material as a bone graft substitute in surgical correction of orbital reconstruction].

PubMed

Mu, X; Dong, J; Wang, W

1995-11-01

This paper illustrates the results of surgical correction in 11 cases with orbital deformities such as periorbital deficiency after orbitotomy for retinoblastoma and orbital malposition after facial trauma. EH composite material, mixture of hydroxyapatite and epoxide acrylate maleic resin in constant proportion, was used as a good bone graft substitute in all 11 cases. This material was easier to be molded during surgery, safe to human body, had no toxic effects, no irritation and no implant-related complications. The early results obtained in these patients are encouraging.

[Conservative anal fistula treatment with collagenic plug and human fibrin sealant. Preliminary results].

PubMed

Gubitosi, A; Moccia, G; Malinconico, F A; Docimo, G; Ruggiero, R; Iside, G; Avenia, N; Docimo, L; Foroni, F; Gilio, F; Sparavigna, L; Agresti, M

2009-01-01

The authors, on the basis of a long clinical experience with human fibrin glue in general surgery, compared two different extracellular matrix (collagen), Surgisis and TissueDura, with human fibrin glue, applied during the operation, and sometimes in postoperative, to obtain the healing of perianal fistulas. The collagenic extracellular matrix provides, according to the rationale suggested, an optimal three-dimensional structure for the fibroblastic implant and neoangiogenesis, hence for the fistula "fibrotizzation" and closure. The encouraging results for transphincteric fistulas and a simple and easy technique push to researchers on samples statistically significant.

Travel associated legionnaires' disease in Europe: 2003.

PubMed

Ricketts, K; Joseph, C

2004-10-01

Six hundred and thirty two cases of travel-associated legionnaires' disease with onset in 2003 were reported to the EWGLINET surveillance scheme by 24 countries. Eighty nine clusters were detected, 35 (39%) of which would not have been detected without the EWGLINET scheme. One hundred and seven accommodation sites were investigated and 22 sites were published on the EWGLI website. The proportion of cases diagnosed primarily by the urinary antigen test was 81.2%, and 48 positive cultures were obtained. Thirty eight deaths were reported to the EWGLINET scheme, giving a crude fatality rate of 6%. Countries are encouraged to inform the coordinating centre of cases that fall ill after travelling within their own country of residence ('internal travel'), and are also encouraged to obtain patient isolates for culture where at all possible.

Evaluating physical capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: comparing the shuttle walk test with the encouraged 6-minute walk test.

PubMed

Rosa, Fernanda Warken; Camelier, Aquiles; Mayer, Anamaria; Jardim, José Roberto

2006-01-01

To evaluate the applicability of the incremental (shuttle) walk test in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and compare the performance of those patients on the shuttle walk test to that of the same patients on the encouraged 6-minute walk test. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which 24 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were selected. In random order, patients were, after an initial practice period, submitted to a shuttle walk test and an encouraged 6-minute walk test. The patients obtained a higher heart rate (expressed as a percentage of that predicted based on gender and age) on the encouraged 6-minute walk test (84.1 +/- 11.4%) than on the shuttle walk test (76.4 +/- 9.7%) (p = 0.003). The post-test sensation of dyspnea (Borg scale) was also higher on the encouraged 6-minute walk test. On average, the patients walked 307.0 +/- 89.3 meters on the shuttle walk test and 515.5 +/- 102.3 meters on the encouraged 6-minute walk test (p < 0.001). There was a good correlation between the two tests in terms of the distance walked (r = 0.80, p < 0.001). The shuttle walk test is simple and easy to implement in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The encouraged 6-minute walk test produced higher post-test heart rate and greater post-test sensation of dyspnea than did the shuttle walk test.

Global Trends in Chlorophyll Concentration Observed with the Satellite Ocean Colour Data Record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melin, F.; Vantrepotte, V.; Chuprin, A.; Grant, M.; Jackson, T.; Sathyendranath, S.

2016-08-01

To detect climate change signals in the data records derived from remote sensing of ocean colour, combining data from multiple missions is required, which implies that the existence of inter-mission differences be adequately addressed prior to undertaking trend studies. Trend distributions associated with merged products are compared with those obtained from single-mission data sets in order to evaluate their suitability for climate studies. Merged products originally developed for operational applications such as near-real time distribution (GlobColour) do not appear to be proper climate data records, showing large parts of the ocean with trends significantly different from trends obtained with SeaWiFS, MODIS or MERIS. On the other hand, results obtained from the Climate Change Initiative (CCI) data are encouraging, showing a good consistency with single-mission products.

Graduated Driver Licensing

PubMed Central

Bates, Lyndel J.; Allen, Siobhan; Armstrong, Kerry; Watson, Barry; King, Mark J.; Davey, Jeremy

2014-01-01

Graduated driver licensing (GDL) aims to gradually increase the exposure of new drivers to more complex driving situations and typically consists of learner, provisional and open licence phases. The first phase, the learner licence, is designed to allow novice drivers to obtain practical driving experience in lower risk situations. The learner licence can delay licensure, encourage novice drivers to learn under supervision, mandate the number of hours of practice required to progress to the next phase and encourage parental involvement. The second phase, the provisional licence, establishes various driving restrictions and thereby reduces exposure to situations of higher risk, such as driving at night, with passengers or after drinking alcohol. Parental involvement with a GDL system appears essential in helping novices obtain sufficient practice and in enforcing compliance with restrictions once the new driver obtains a provisional licence. Given the significant number of young drivers involved in crashes within Oman, GDL is one countermeasure that may be beneficial in reducing crash risk and involvement for this group. PMID:25364543

Improving Labels to Reduce Pesticide Drift

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

We encourage pesticide manufacturers to state on their product labels that applicators should use DRT-rated technologies in applying pesticide products. The page includes information on how to obtain approval to add these instructions.

Long-term Career Goals for Professional Women in Agriculture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klepper, Betty

1986-01-01

Encourages the formation of long-term career goals for women in agronomy. Offers perspectives and practical suggestions for obtaining positions, maintaining professional credentials, and managing personal and career related obligations. (ML)

Determinants of judgment and decision making quality: the interplay between information processing style and situational factors

PubMed Central

Ayal, Shahar; Rusou, Zohar; Zakay, Dan; Hochman, Guy

2015-01-01

A framework is presented to better characterize the role of individual differences in information processing style and their interplay with contextual factors in determining decision making quality. In Experiment 1, we show that individual differences in information processing style are flexible and can be modified by situational factors. Specifically, a situational manipulation that induced an analytical mode of thought improved decision quality. In Experiment 2, we show that this improvement in decision quality is highly contingent on the compatibility between the dominant thinking mode and the nature of the task. That is, encouraging an intuitive mode of thought led to better performance on an intuitive task but hampered performance on an analytical task. The reverse pattern was obtained when an analytical mode of thought was encouraged. We discuss the implications of these results for the assessment of decision making competence, and suggest practical directions to help individuals better adjust their information processing style to the situation at hand and make optimal decisions. PMID:26284011

Determinants of judgment and decision making quality: the interplay between information processing style and situational factors.

PubMed

Ayal, Shahar; Rusou, Zohar; Zakay, Dan; Hochman, Guy

2015-01-01

A framework is presented to better characterize the role of individual differences in information processing style and their interplay with contextual factors in determining decision making quality. In Experiment 1, we show that individual differences in information processing style are flexible and can be modified by situational factors. Specifically, a situational manipulation that induced an analytical mode of thought improved decision quality. In Experiment 2, we show that this improvement in decision quality is highly contingent on the compatibility between the dominant thinking mode and the nature of the task. That is, encouraging an intuitive mode of thought led to better performance on an intuitive task but hampered performance on an analytical task. The reverse pattern was obtained when an analytical mode of thought was encouraged. We discuss the implications of these results for the assessment of decision making competence, and suggest practical directions to help individuals better adjust their information processing style to the situation at hand and make optimal decisions.

Simulations of fill tube effects on the implosion of high-foot NIF ignition capsules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dittrich, T. R.; Hurricane, O. A.; Berzak-Hopkins, L. F.; Callahan, D. A.; Casey, D. T.; Clark, D.; Dewald, E. L.; Doeppner, T.; Haan, S. W.; Hammel, B. A.; Harte, J. A.; Hinkel, D. E.; Kozioziemski, B. J.; Kritcher, A. L.; Ma, T.; Nikroo, A.; Pak, A. E.; Parham, T. G.; Park, H.-S.; Patel, P. K.; Remington, B. A.; Salmonson, J. D.; Springer, P. T.; Weber, C. R.; Zimmerman, G. B.; Kline, J. L.

2016-05-01

Encouraging results have been obtained using a strong first shock during the implosion of carbon-based ablator ignition capsules. These “high-foot” implosion results show that capsule performance deviates from 1D expectations as laser power and energy are increased. A possible cause of this deviation is the disruption of the hot spot by jets originating in the capsule fill tube. Nominally, a 10 μm outside diameter glass (SiO2) fill tube is used in these implosions. Simulations indicate that a thin coating of Au on this glass tube may lessen the hotspot disruption. These results and other mitigation strategies will be presented.

Towards a computer-aided diagnosis system for vocal cord diseases.

PubMed

Verikas, A; Gelzinis, A; Bacauskiene, M; Uloza, V

2006-01-01

The objective of this work is to investigate a possibility of creating a computer-aided decision support system for an automated analysis of vocal cord images aiming to categorize diseases of vocal cords. The problem is treated as a pattern recognition task. To obtain a concise and informative representation of a vocal cord image, colour, texture, and geometrical features are used. The representation is further analyzed by a pattern classifier categorizing the image into healthy, diffuse, and nodular classes. The approach developed was tested on 785 vocal cord images collected at the Department of Otolaryngology, Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania. A correct classification rate of over 87% was obtained when categorizing a set of unseen images into the aforementioned three classes. Bearing in mind the high similarity of the decision classes, the results obtained are rather encouraging and the developed tools could be very helpful for assuring objective analysis of the images of laryngeal diseases.

Stochastic locality and master-field simulations of very large lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lüscher, Martin

2018-03-01

In lattice QCD and other field theories with a mass gap, the field variables in distant regions of a physically large lattice are only weakly correlated. Accurate stochastic estimates of the expectation values of local observables may therefore be obtained from a single representative field. Such master-field simulations potentially allow very large lattices to be simulated, but require various conceptual and technical issues to be addressed. In this talk, an introduction to the subject is provided and some encouraging results of master-field simulations of the SU(3) gauge theory are reported.

Measurement of surface shear stress vector beneath high-speed jet flow using liquid crystal coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Cheng-Peng; Zhao, Ji-Song; Jiao, Yun; Cheng, Ke-Ming

2018-05-01

The shear-sensitive liquid crystal coating (SSLCC) technique is investigated in the high-speed jet flow of a micro-wind-tunnel. An approach to measure surface shear stress vector distribution using the SSLCC technique is established, where six synchronous cameras are used to record the coating color at different circumferential view angles. Spatial wall shear stress vector distributions on the test surface are obtained at different velocities. The results are encouraging and demonstrate the great potential of the SSLCC technique in high-speed wind-tunnel measurement.

Infravestibular horizontal partial laryngectomy. A new surgical method.

PubMed

Bartual, J; Roquette, J

1978-06-27

We have developed a new functional surgical technique for cancers of the larynx specially those situated glottically and subglottically which are considered remedial to a total laryngectomy. Specifically an infravestibular horizontal partial laryngectomy can be performed to remove neoplasms together with the glottis and subglottis. The larynx then may be reconstructed by suturing the bands to the ascended trachea and the conserved upper half of the tyroid cartilage. The results have been encouraging. Swallowing, phonation and respiration by the natural vias has been obtained in 8 of the 12 patients so operated.

Preliminary test data using the MOS DRO with Si:In detector material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fowler, A. M.; Britt, J. P.; Joyce, R. R.; Probst, R. G.; Gates, J. L.

1986-01-01

The initial testing performed on the Hughes Metal Oxide Semiconductor Direct Readout (MOS DRO) with a Si:In extrinsic infrared array is described. The testing to date was of a screening nature and the results are primarily qualitative rather than quantitative. At a later date the performance optimization phase will be initiated. An encouraging result is that this response is strongly dependent on the detector temperature, to the extent that thermal transients introduced during the chip readout will affect the performance. A responsivity of 1 A/W at 2.2 microns with a bias of 15 volts, which is well below what is optimum bias, was obtained.

Priming Intelligent Behavior: An Elusive Phenomenon

PubMed Central

Shanks, David R.; Newell, Ben R.; Lee, Eun Hee; Balakrishnan, Divya; Ekelund, Lisa; Cenac, Zarus; Kavvadia, Fragkiski; Moore, Christopher

2013-01-01

Can behavior be unconsciously primed via the activation of attitudes, stereotypes, or other concepts? A number of studies have suggested that such priming effects can occur, and a prominent illustration is the claim that individuals' accuracy in answering general knowledge questions can be influenced by activating intelligence-related concepts such as professor or soccer hooligan. In 9 experiments with 475 participants we employed the procedures used in these studies, as well as a number of variants of those procedures, in an attempt to obtain this intelligence priming effect. None of the experiments obtained the effect, although financial incentives did boost performance. A Bayesian analysis reveals considerable evidential support for the null hypothesis. The results conform to the pattern typically obtained in word priming experiments in which priming is very narrow in its generalization and unconscious (subliminal) influences, if they occur at all, are extremely short-lived. We encourage others to explore the circumstances in which this phenomenon might be obtained. PMID:23637732

IUCN action.

PubMed

1984-01-01

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), cooperates with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and other agencies to: actively promote policies designed to attain a balance between population and resources, within national conservation strategies and through field activities to preserve nature and natural resources; take into account the fundamental issues of population and resources in its policies, programs, resolutions, and public statements, where appropriate; keep trends in population and resources under review, reporting back to each IUCN General Assembly; encourage nongovernment organizations, including local conservation groups and family planning associations, to work together to spread awareness of the links between population, resources, and the environment; encourage governments to undertake periodic assessments of population trends, natural resources, and likely economic conditions, their interrelationships and the implications for the achievement of national goals; encourage governments to establish a population policy and to consider the special environmental problems of the urban and rural poor and to promote sustainable rural development; encourage nations to take effective action to obtain the basic right of all couples to have access to safe and effective family planning methods, as established in the World Population Plan of Action; and generally encourage national and international development policies which help create the conditions in which human population can successfully be brought into balance with carefully conserved natural resources.

Careers in child health nursing: the influence of course experiences.

PubMed

Cox, Susanne; Murrells, Trevor; Robinson, Sarah

2003-12-01

Findings presented in this paper are drawn from a longitudinal study of nurses' careers (Robinson et al 1998, 1999). As part of this study, a large cohort of child branch diplomates were asked about their clinical experience while on the course and its effects on their initial work plans. For 12 of the 23 specialties listed, more than half of the 634 respondents felt that they did not have sufficient experience to comment. Findings indicate that there were five specialties which more than half of those who had experience during the course felt encouraged to work in: general paediatrics (73 per cent), community (63 per cent), oncology (60 per cent), PICU (59 per cent), and cardiac (53 per cent). Overall, course experiences were more likely to encourage than discourage diplomates from wanting to work in a particular specialty; this was the case for 19 of the 23 specialties. Course experiences were significantly more likely to have discouraged than encouraged diplomates from considering working in theatres and psychiatry. Seventy-seven per cent of respondents (417) had obtained a first job in their preferred clinical specialty. Findings from this study indicate that course experiences influence the initial career plans of child branch diplomates. Data obtained from further phases of this longitudinal study will indicate to what extent course experiences influence later career decisions.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

PubMed Central

Marmont du Haut Champ, Alberto M.

2012-01-01

Two streams of research are at the origin of the utilization of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for severe autoimmune diseases (SADs). The allogeneic approach came from experimental studies on lupus mice, besides clinical results in coincidental diseases. The autologous procedure was encouraged by researches on experimental neurological and rheumatic disorders. At present the number of allogeneic HSCT performed for human SADs can be estimated to not over 100 patients, and the results are not greatly encouraging, considering the significant transplant-related mortality (TRM) and the occasional development of a new autoimmune disorder and/or relapses notwithstanding full donor chimerism. Autologous HSCT for refractory SLE has become a major target. Severe cases have been salvaged, TRM is low and diminishing, and prolonged clinical remissions are obtainable. Two types of immune resetting have been established, “re-education” and regulatory T cell (Tregs) normalization. Allogeneic HSCT for SLE seems best indicated for patients with disease complicated by an oncohematologic malignancy. Autologous HSCT is a powerful salvage therapy for otherwise intractable SLE. The duration of remission in uncertain, but a favorable response to previously inactive treatments is a generally constant feature. The comparison with new biological agents, or the combination of both, are to be ascertained. PMID:22969816

Synthesis of Some New Quinazolinone Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial Activities

PubMed Central

Khodarahmi, Ghadamali; Jafari, Elham; Hakimelahi, Gholamhossein; Abedi, Daryoush; Rahmani Khajouei, Marzieh; Hassanzadeh, Farshid

2012-01-01

Wide range of quinazolinone biological properties including: antibacterial, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities encouraged us to synthesis some fused quinazolinone derivatives. Anthranilic acid was condensed with chloro acylchloride followed by dehydration to form the benzoxazinone intermediate; subsequent addition of an amine provided the fused quinazolinones. Deoxyvasicinone which was previously synthesized by a multi step complex reactions was prepared in three steps using the following procedure: Log P values of the compounds were measured using the shake flask method in octanol/water solvent system. The synthesized compounds were evaluated against six strains of bacteria (three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative) and three strains of fungi. Overall results of antimicrobial tests showed that the compounds had better bacteriostatic activity against Gram-negative bacteria. The obtained results of MBC revealed that these compounds had more significant bacteriostatic than bactericidal activities. Almost all of the screened compounds showed good activity against C. albicans and A. niger. The obtained results of MFC indicated that these compounds had more significant fungistatic than fungicidal activities. PMID:24250506

Smartphone-based photoplethysmographic imaging for heart rate monitoring.

PubMed

Alafeef, Maha

2017-07-01

The purpose of this study is to make use of visible light reflected mode photoplethysmographic (PPG) imaging for heart rate (HR) monitoring via smartphones. The system uses the built-in camera feature in mobile phones to capture video from the subject's index fingertip. The video is processed, and then the PPG signal resulting from the video stream processing is used to calculate the subject's heart rate. Records from 19 subjects were used to evaluate the system's performance. The HR values obtained by the proposed method were compared with the actual HR. The obtained results show an accuracy of 99.7% and a maximum absolute error of 0.4 beats/min where most of the absolute errors lay in the range of 0.04-0.3 beats/min. Given the encouraging results, this type of HR measurement can be adopted with great benefit, especially in the conditions of personal use or home-based care. The proposed method represents an efficient portable solution for HR accurate detection and recording.

Simultaneous chemometric determination of pyridoxine hydrochloride and isoniazid in tablets by multivariate regression methods.

PubMed

Dinç, Erdal; Ustündağ, Ozgür; Baleanu, Dumitru

2010-08-01

The sole use of pyridoxine hydrochloride during treatment of tuberculosis gives rise to pyridoxine deficiency. Therefore, a combination of pyridoxine hydrochloride and isoniazid is used in pharmaceutical dosage form in tuberculosis treatment to reduce this side effect. In this study, two chemometric methods, partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression (PCR), were applied to the simultaneous determination of pyridoxine (PYR) and isoniazid (ISO) in their tablets. A concentration training set comprising binary mixtures of PYR and ISO consisting of 20 different combinations were randomly prepared in 0.1 M HCl. Both multivariate calibration models were constructed using the relationships between the concentration data set (concentration data matrix) and absorbance data matrix in the spectral region 200-330 nm. The accuracy and the precision of the proposed chemometric methods were validated by analyzing synthetic mixtures containing the investigated drugs. The recovery results obtained by applying PCR and PLS calibrations to the artificial mixtures were found between 100.0 and 100.7%. Satisfactory results obtained by applying the PLS and PCR methods to both artificial and commercial samples were obtained. The results obtained in this manuscript strongly encourage us to use them for the quality control and the routine analysis of the marketing tablets containing PYR and ISO drugs. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

22 CFR 706.21 - What types of OPIC records are publicly available, and how do I obtain access to or copies of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

.... If you do not have access to the Internet, you may obtain many of the same materials by contacting... encouraged to visit OPIC's Internet site at: www.opic.gov. (2) Records relating to OPIC's FOIA program, including records required by the FOIA to be made available electronically, records which have been the...

22 CFR 706.21 - What types of OPIC records are publicly available, and how do I obtain access to or copies of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

.... If you do not have access to the Internet, you may obtain many of the same materials by contacting... encouraged to visit OPIC's Internet site at: www.opic.gov. (2) Records relating to OPIC's FOIA program, including records required by the FOIA to be made available electronically, records which have been the...

Cell Division and Evolution of Biological Tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivier, Nicolas; Arcenegui-Siemens, Xavier; Schliecker, Gudrun

A tissue is a geometrical, space-filling, random cellular network; it remains in this steady state while individual cells divide. Cell division (fragmentation) is a local, elementary topological transformation which establishes statistical equilibrium of the structure. Statistical equilibrium is characterized by observable relations (Lewis, Aboav) between cell shapes, sizes and those of their neighbours, obtained through maximum entropy and topological correlation extending to nearest neighbours only, i.e. maximal randomness. For a two-dimensional tissue (epithelium), the distribution of cell shapes and that of mother and daughter cells can be obtained from elementary geometrical and physical arguments, except for an exponential factor favouring division of larger cells, and exponential and combinatorial factors encouraging a most symmetric division. The resulting distributions are very narrow, and stationarity severely restricts the range of an adjustable structural parameter

48 CFR 27.102 - General guidance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... to its needs. (e) Generally, the Government requires that contractors obtain permission from... REQUIREMENTS PATENTS, DATA, AND COPYRIGHTS General 27.102 General guidance. (a) The Government encourages the maximum practical commercial use of inventions made under Government contracts. (b) Generally, the...

21 CFR 1403.21 - Payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... generally geared to the grantee's disbursing cycle. Thereafter, the awarding agency shall reimburse the... opportunities for minority business enterprises, grantees and subgrantees are encouraged to use minority banks... can be obtained from the Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC...

28 CFR 66.21 - Payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... period generally geared to the grantee's disbursing cycle. Thereafter, the awarding agency shall... opportunities for minority business enterprises, grantees and subgrantees are encouraged to use minority banks... can be obtained from the Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC...

14 CFR 1273.21 - Payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... period generally geared to the grantee's disbursing cycle. Thereafter, the awarding agency shall... opportunities for minority business enterprises, grantees and subgrantees are encouraged to use minority banks... can be obtained from the Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC...

Hierarchic models for laminated plates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szabo, Barna A.; Actis, Ricardo L.

1991-01-01

The research conducted in the formulation of hierarchic models for laminated plates is described. The work is an extension of the work done for laminated strips. The use of a single parameter, beta, is investigated that represents the degree to which the equilibrium equations of three dimensional elasticity are satisfied. The powers of beta identify members in the hierarchic sequence. Numerical examples that were analyzed with the proposed sequence of models are included. The results obtained for square plates with uniform loading and homogeneous boundary conditions are very encouraging. Several cross-ply and angle-ply laminates were evaluated and the results compared with those of the fully three dimensional model, computed using MSC/PROBE, and with previously reported work on laminated strips.

TRAFIC: fiber tract classification using deep learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngattai Lam, Prince D.; Belhomme, Gaetan; Ferrall, Jessica; Patterson, Billie; Styner, Martin; Prieto, Juan C.

2018-03-01

We present TRAFIC, a fully automated tool for the labeling and classification of brain fiber tracts. TRAFIC classifies new fibers using a neural network trained using shape features computed from previously traced and manually corrected fiber tracts. It is independent from a DTI Atlas as it is applied to already traced fibers. This work is motivated by medical applications where the process of extracting fibers from a DTI atlas, or classifying fibers manually is time consuming and requires knowledge about brain anatomy. With this new approach we were able to classify traced fiber tracts obtaining encouraging results. In this report we will present in detail the methods used and the results achieved with our approach.

Infrared heterodyne spectroscopy of atmospheric ozone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frerking, M. A.; Muehlner, D. J.

1977-01-01

The absorption spectrum of atmospheric ozone is measured within a 1/cm region at 1100/cm, using an IR heterodyne detector (spectrometer with CO2 local oscillator) developed for astronomical work. Absorption spectra obtained by passing radiation from the tunable diode laser through an absorption cell, heterodyne spectra of atmospheric ozone, and a predicted atmospheric spectrum are compared. Water vapor absorbing in the region of interest (1100/cm) is also considered. Preliminary results encourage the use of diode laser local oscillators in tunable heterodyne detector systems for spectroscopy of atmospheric ozone and remote high-resolution spectroscopy of atmospheric constituents and pollutants.

Nondestructive evaluation tools and experimental studies for monitoring the health of space propulsion systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Generazio, Edward R.

1991-01-01

An overview is given of background and information on space propulsion systems on both the programmatic and technical levels. Feasibility experimental studies indicate that nondestructive evaluation tools such as ultrasonic, eddy current and x-ray may be successfully used to monitor the life limiting failure mechanisms of space propulsion systems. Encouraging results were obtained for monitoring the life limiting failure mechanisms for three space propulsion systems; the degradation of tungsten arcjet and magnetoplasmadynamic electrodes; presence and thickness of spallable electrically conducting molybdenum films in ion thrusters; and the degradation of the catalyst in hydrazine thrusters.

A route to oligosaccharide-appended salicylaldehydes: useful building blocks for the synthesis of metal-salophen complexes.

PubMed

Bedini, Emiliano; Forte, Gianpiero; De Castro, Cristina; Parrilli, Michelangelo; Dalla Cort, Antonella

2013-08-16

A simple and general synthetic protocol to obtain oligosaccharide-appended salicylaldehydes, key intermediates for the synthesis of water-soluble metal-salophen complexes, is here reported. Six new aldehydes have been prepared and fully characterized as well as the corresponding zinc- and uranyl-salophen complexes. These new derivatives show very good solubility in water. Preliminary studies on the association of compound 19-U, that is, the uranyl maltotetraose derivative, with hydrogen phosphate and fluoride provide very encouraging results and open up the possibility of using such compounds for the efficient recognition of anions in pure water.

Extraterrestrial consumables production and utilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, A. P.

1972-01-01

Potential oxygen requirements for lunar-surface, lunar-orbit, and planetary missions are presented with emphasis on: (1) emergency survival of the crew, (2) provision of energy consumables for vehicles, and (3) nondependency on an earth supply of oxygen. Although many extraterrestrial resource processes are analytically feasible, this study has considered hydrogen and fluorine processing concepts to obtain oxygen or water (or both). The results are quite encouraging and are extrapolatable to other processes. Preliminary mission planning and sequencing analysis has enabled the programmatic evaluation of using lunar-derived oxygen relative to transportation cost as a function of vehicle delivery and operational capability.

The use of a panel code on high lift configurations of a swept forward wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scheib, J. S.; Sandlin, D. R.

1985-01-01

A study was done on high lift configurations of a generic swept forward wing using a panel code prediction method. A survey was done of existing codes available at Ames, frow which the program VSAERO was chosen. The results of VSAERO were compared with data obtained from the Ames 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel. The results of the comparison in lift were good (within 3.5%). The comparison of the pressure coefficients was also good. The pitching moment coefficients obtained by VSAERO were not in good agreement with experiment. VSAERO's ability to predict drag is questionable and cannot be counted on for accurate trends. Further studies were done on the effects of a leading edge glove, canards, leading edge sweeps and various wing twists on spanwise loading and trim lift with encouraging results. An unsuccessful attempt was made to model spanwise blowing and boundary layer control on the trailing edge flap. The potential results of VSAERO were compared with experimental data of flap deflections with boundary layer control to check the first order effects.

Responsive and Responsible: Faculty Encouragement of Civic Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Eddie R.; Howe, Elijah C.; Laird, Thomas F. Nelson

2016-01-01

This study explores how often faculty members encourage students to engage with campus, local, state, national, and global issues. Using data from the 2013 administration of the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), the results show that faculty members are more likely to encourage students to engage in state, national, or global issues…

Interdisciplinary Intellect: HASTAC and the Commitment to Encourage Collective Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singletary, Kimberly Alecia

2012-01-01

This article explores the role of the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) in facilitating and encouraging a collaborative community of junior and senior scholars on issues of technology and humanistic learning. As a result of its emphasis on collaboration and discussion, HASTAC encourages a form of collective…

10 CFR 600.331 - Requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.... Recipients are encouraged to buy commercial items, if practicable. (b) Pre-award review of certain... for such a review, then the recipient must obtain the contracting officer's approval prior to awarding... than the simplified acquisition threshold, awarded by recipients and their contractors must contain the...

10 CFR 600.331 - Requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... Recipients are encouraged to buy commercial items, if practicable. (b) Pre-award review of certain... for such a review, then the recipient must obtain the contracting officer's approval prior to awarding... than the simplified acquisition threshold, awarded by recipients and their contractors must contain the...

10 CFR 600.331 - Requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

.... Recipients are encouraged to buy commercial items, if practicable. (b) Pre-award review of certain... for such a review, then the recipient must obtain the contracting officer's approval prior to awarding... than the simplified acquisition threshold, awarded by recipients and their contractors must contain the...

10 CFR 600.331 - Requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... Recipients are encouraged to buy commercial items, if practicable. (b) Pre-award review of certain... for such a review, then the recipient must obtain the contracting officer's approval prior to awarding... than the simplified acquisition threshold, awarded by recipients and their contractors must contain the...

Transnational Tobacco Company Influence on Tax Policy During Privatization of a State Monopoly: British American Tobacco and Uzbekistan

PubMed Central

Gilmore, Anna; Collin, Jeff; Townsend, Joy

2007-01-01

Objectives. The International Monetary Fund encourages privatization of state-owned tobacco industries. Privatization tends to lower cigarette prices, which encourages consumption. This could be countered with effective tax policies. We explored how investment by British American Tobacco (BAT) influenced tax policy in Uzbekistan during privatization there. Methods. We obtained internal documents from BAT and analyzed them using a hermeneutic process to create a chronology of events. Results. BAT thoroughly redesigned the tobacco taxation system in Uzbekistan. It secured (1) a reduction of approximately 50% in the excise tax on cigarettes, (2) an excise system to benefit its brands and disadvantage those of its competitors (particularly Philip Morris), and (3) a tax stamp system from which it hoped to be exempted, because this would likely facilitate its established practice of cigarette smuggling and further its competitive advantage.. Conclusions. Privatization can endanger effective tobacco excise policies. The International Monetary Fund should review its approach to privatization and differentiate the privatization of an industry whose product kills from privatization of other industries. PMID:17138915

Dynamic stabilization of Rayleigh-Taylor instability: Experiments with Newtonian fluids as surrogates for ablation fronts

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

Rodriguez Prieto, G.; Piriz, A. R.; Lopez Cela, J. J.

2013-01-15

A previous theory on dynamic stabilization of Rayleigh-Taylor instability at interfaces between Newtonian fluids is reformulated in order to make evident the analogy of this problem with the related one on dynamic stabilization of ablation fronts in the framework of inertial confinement fusion. Explicit analytical expressions are obtained for the boundaries of the dynamically stable region which turns out to be completely analogue to the stability charts obtained for the case of ablation fronts. These results allow proposing experiments with Newtonian fluids as surrogates for studying the case of ablation fronts. Experiments with Newtonian fluids are presented which demonstrate themore » validity of the theoretical approach and encourage to pursue experimental research on ablation fronts to settle the feasibility of dynamic stabilization in the inertial confinement fusion scenario.« less

THE PARAMETERS OF INFORMED CONSENT

PubMed Central

Raab, Edward L

2004-01-01

ABSTRACT Purpose To describe the components of a proper informed consent; which risks must be disclosed and which need not; additional safeguards for incapacitated persons, minors, and research subjects; and where the law will imply consent that is not otherwise obtained. Methods Summarization of current law obtained from legal treatises, reports of recent cases, and personal experience as a reviewer and expert. Results Lack of informed consent can reinforce a claim of medical malpractice or serve as an alternative point of attack when the case is otherwise weak. Special requirements must be met when patients are the subjects of clinical research. Conclusion Demonstration of a well-conducted process, not merely of a paper, not only protects the physician from exposure to liability, but increases the patient’s autonomy in decisions concerning health and encourages compliance with treatment. PMID:15747761

Contingency contracting with school problems

PubMed Central

Cantrell, Robert P.; Cantrell, Mary Lynn; Huddleston, Clifton M.; Wooldridge, Ralph L.

1969-01-01

Contingency contracting procedures used in managing problems with school-age children involved analyzing teacher and/or parental reports of behavior problem situations, isolating the most probable contingencies then in effect, the range of reinforcers presently available, and the ways in which they were obtained. The authors prepared written contracts delineating remediative changes in reinforcement contingencies. These contracts specified ways in which the child could obtain existing individualized reinforcers contingent upon approximations to desired appropriate behaviors chosen as incompatible with the referral problem behaviors. Contract procedures were administered by the natural contingency managers, parents and/or teachers, who kept daily records of contracted behaviors and reinforcers. These records were sent to the authors and provided feedback on the progress of the case. Initial results of this procedure have been sufficiently encouraging to warrant recommending an experimental analysis of contingency contracting as a clinical method. PMID:16795222

Energetic Phenomena on the Sun: The Solar Maximum Mission Flare Workshop. Proceedings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kundu, Mukul (Editor); Woodgate, Bruce (Editor)

1986-01-01

The general objectives of the conference were as follows: (1) Synthesize flare studies after three years of Solar Maximum Mission (SSM) data analysis. Encourage a broader participation in the SMM data analysis and combine this more fully with theory and other data sources-data obtained with other spacecraft such as the HINOTORI, p78-1, and ISEE-3 spacecrafts, and with the Very Large Array (VLA) and many other ground-based instruments. Many coordinated data sets, unprecedented in their breadth of coverage and multiplicity of sources, had been obtained within the structure of the Solar Maximum Year (SMY). (2) Stimulate joint studies, and publication in the general scientific literature. The intended primary benefit was for informal collaborations to be started or broadened at the Workshops with subsequent publications. (3) Provide a special publication resulting from the Workshop.

Nonphysician Care Providers Can Help to Increase Detection of Cognitive Impairment and Encourage Diagnostic Evaluation for Dementia in Community and Residential Care Settings.

PubMed

Maslow, Katie; Fortinsky, Richard H

2018-01-18

In the United States, at least half of older adults living with dementia do not have a diagnosis. Their cognitive impairment may not have been detected, and some older adults whose physician recommends that they obtain a diagnostic evaluation do not follow through on the recommendation. Initiatives to increase detection of cognitive impairment and diagnosis of dementia have focused primarily on physician practices and public information programs to raise awareness about the importance of detection and diagnosis. Nonphysician care providers who work with older adults in community and residential care settings, such as aging network agencies, public health agencies, senior housing, assisted living, and nursing homes, interact frequently with older adults who have cognitive impairment but have not had a diagnostic evaluation. These care providers may be aware of signs of cognitive impairment and older adults' concerns about their cognition that have not been expressed to their physician. Within their scope of practice and training, nonphysician care providers can help to increase detection of cognitive impairment and encourage older adults with cognitive impairment to obtain a diagnostic evaluation to determine the cause of the condition. This article provides seven practice recommendations intended to increase involvement of nonphysician care providers in detecting cognitive impairment and encouraging older adults to obtain a diagnostic evaluation. The Kickstart-Assess-Evaluate-Refer (KAER) framework for physician practice in detection and diagnosis of dementia is used to identify ways to coordinate physician and nonphysician efforts and thereby increase the proportion of older adults living with dementia who have a diagnosis. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Aircraft and ground vehicle friction measurements obtained under winter runway conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, Thomas J.

1989-01-01

Tests with specially instrumented NASA B-737 and B-727 aircraft together with several different ground friction measuring devices have been conducted for a variety of runway surface types and wetness conditions. This effort is part of the Joint FAA/NASA Aircraft/Ground Vehicle Runway Friction Program aimed at obtaining a better understanding of aircraft ground handling performance under adverse weather conditions, and defining relationships between aircraft and ground vehicle tire friction measurements. Aircraft braking performance on dry, wet, snow-, and ice-covered runway conditions is discussed together with ground vehicle friction data obtained under similar runway conditions. For the wet, compacted snow- and ice-covered runway conditions, the relationship between ground vehicles and aircraft friction data is identified. The influence of major test parameters on friction measurements such as speed, test tire characteristics, and surface contaminant-type are discussed. The test results indicate that use of properly maintained and calibrated ground vehicles for monitoring runway friction conditions should be encouraged particularly under adverse weather conditions.

Design Study of Modular Nuclear Power Plant with Small Long Life Gas Cooled Fast Reactors Utilizing MOX Fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilham, Muhammad; Su'ud, Zaki

2017-01-01

Growing energy needed due to increasing of the world’s population encourages development of technology and science of nuclear power plant in its safety and security. In this research, it will be explained about design study of modular fast reactor with helium gas cooling (GCFR) small long life reactor, which can be operated over 20 years. It had been conducted about neutronic design GCFR with Mixed Oxide (UO2-PuO2) fuel in range of 100-200 MWth NPPs of power and 50-60% of fuel fraction variation with cylindrical pin cell and cylindrical balance of reactor core geometry. Calculation method used SRAC-CITATION code. The obtained results are the effective multiplication factor and density value of core reactor power (with geometry optimalization) to obtain optimum design core reactor power, whereas the obtained of optimum core reactor power is 200 MWth with 55% of fuel fraction and 9-13% of percentages.

Binding free energy prediction in strongly hydrophobic biomolecular systems.

PubMed

Charlier, Landry; Nespoulous, Claude; Fiorucci, Sébastien; Antonczak, Serge; Golebiowski, Jérome

2007-11-21

We present a comparison of various computational approaches aiming at predicting the binding free energy in ligand-protein systems where the ligand is located within a highly hydrophobic cavity. The relative binding free energy between similar ligands is obtained by means of the thermodynamic integration (TI) method and compared to experimental data obtained through isothermal titration calorimetry measurements. The absolute free energy of binding prediction was obtained on a similar system (a pyrazine derivative bound to a lipocalin) by TI, potential of mean force (PMF) and also by means of the MMPBSA protocols. Although the TI protocol performs poorly either with an explicit or an implicit solvation scheme, the PMF calculation using an implicit solvation scheme leads to encouraging results, with a prediction of the binding affinity being 2 kcal mol(-1) lower than the experimental value. The use of an implicit solvation scheme appears to be well suited for the study of such hydrophobic systems, due to the lack of water molecules within the binding site.

Application of remote sensing for prediction and detection of thermal pollution, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veziroglu, T. N.; Lee, S. S.

1975-01-01

The development of a predictive mathematical model for thermal pollution in connection with remote sensing measurements was continued. A rigid-lid model has been developed and its application to far-field study has been completed. The velocity and temperature fields have been computed for different atmospheric conditions and for different boundary currents produced by tidal effects. In connection with the theoretical work, six experimental studies of the two sites in question (Biscayne Bay site and Hutchinson Island site) have been carried out. The temperature fields obtained during the tests at the Biscayne Bay site have been compared with the predictions of the rigid-lid model and these results are encouraging. The rigid-lid model is also being applied to near-field study. Preliminary results for a simple case have been obtained and execution of more realistic cases has been initiated. The development of a free-surface model also been initiated. The governing equations have been formulated and the computer programs have been written.

48 CFR 833.214 - Alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... resolution (ADR). 833.214 Section 833.214 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS... Alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Contracting officers and contractors are encouraged to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures. CBCA guidance on ADR may be obtained at http://www.cbca.gsa.gov. ...

48 CFR 833.214 - Alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... resolution (ADR). 833.214 Section 833.214 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS... Alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Contracting officers and contractors are encouraged to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures. CBCA guidance on ADR may be obtained at http://www.cbca.gsa.gov. ...

43 CFR 36.3 - Preapplication.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... obtaining approval of a TUS is encouraged to establish early contact with each appropriate Federal agency so... processing of an application may be tentatively scheduled. (b) Reasonable preapplication activities in areas... permanent damage to the values for which the area was established or unreasonably interfere with other...

International Multidisciplinary Research and Education: A Mountain Geography Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, Michael P.

2009-01-01

Collaborative international research projects represent excellent opportunities for students to obtain unique and life-altering educational experiences. Dynamic interactions with people from a variety of countries, institutions, and departments, in diverse situations, provides students with new perspectives, encourages them to operate in a…

Classification of Coffee Beans by GC-C-IRMS, GC-MS, and (1)H-NMR.

PubMed

Arana, Victoria Andrea; Medina, Jessica; Esseiva, Pierre; Pazos, Diego; Wist, Julien

2016-01-01

In a previous work using (1)H-NMR we reported encouraging steps towards the construction of a robust expert system for the discrimination of coffees from Colombia versus nearby countries (Brazil and Peru), to assist the recent protected geographical indication granted to Colombian coffee in 2007. This system relies on fingerprints acquired on a 400 MHz magnet and is thus well suited for small scale random screening of samples obtained at resellers or coffee shops. However, this approach cannot easily be implemented at harbour's installations, due to the elevated operational costs of cryogenic magnets. This limitation implies shipping the samples to the NMR laboratory, making the overall approach slower and thereby more expensive and less attractive for large scale screening at harbours. In this work, we report on our attempt to obtain comparable classification results using alternative techniques that have been reported promising as an alternative to NMR: GC-MS and GC-C-IRMS. Although statistically significant information could be obtained by all three methods, the results show that the quality of the classifiers depends mainly on the number of variables included in the analysis; hence NMR provides an advantage since more molecules are detected to obtain a model with better predictions.

Classification of Coffee Beans by GC-C-IRMS, GC-MS, and 1H-NMR

PubMed Central

Arana, Victoria Andrea; Esseiva, Pierre; Pazos, Diego

2016-01-01

In a previous work using 1H-NMR we reported encouraging steps towards the construction of a robust expert system for the discrimination of coffees from Colombia versus nearby countries (Brazil and Peru), to assist the recent protected geographical indication granted to Colombian coffee in 2007. This system relies on fingerprints acquired on a 400 MHz magnet and is thus well suited for small scale random screening of samples obtained at resellers or coffee shops. However, this approach cannot easily be implemented at harbour's installations, due to the elevated operational costs of cryogenic magnets. This limitation implies shipping the samples to the NMR laboratory, making the overall approach slower and thereby more expensive and less attractive for large scale screening at harbours. In this work, we report on our attempt to obtain comparable classification results using alternative techniques that have been reported promising as an alternative to NMR: GC-MS and GC-C-IRMS. Although statistically significant information could be obtained by all three methods, the results show that the quality of the classifiers depends mainly on the number of variables included in the analysis; hence NMR provides an advantage since more molecules are detected to obtain a model with better predictions. PMID:27516919

New Bond Coat Materials for Thermal Barrier Coating Systems Processed Via Different Routes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soare, A.; Csaki, I.; Sohaciu, M.; Oprea, C.; Soare, S.; Costina, I.; Petrescu, M. I.

2017-06-01

This paper aims at describing the development of new Ru-based Bond Coats (BC) as part of Thermal Barrier Coatings. The challenge of this research was to obtain an adherent and uniform layer of alumina protective layer after high temperature exposure. We have prepared a RuAl 50/50 at% alloy in an induction furnace which was subsequently subjected to oxidation in an electric furnace, in air, at 1100C, for 10h and 100h. Mechanical alloying of Ru and Al powders was another processing route used in an attempt to obtain a stoichiometric RuAl. The alloy was sintered by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) and then oxidized at 1100C for 1 and10h. The alloys obtained as such were analysed before and after oxidation using advanced microscopy techniques (SEM and TEM). The encouraging results in case of RuAl alloys prepared by induction melting reveal that we obtained an adherent and uniform layer of alumina, free of delta-Ru. The results for the samples processed by powder metallurgy were positive but need to be further investigated. We should note here the novelty of this method for this particular type of application - as a BC part of a TBC system.

Behavioral responses of three lemur species to different food enrichment devices.

PubMed

Shapiro, Morgan E; Shapiro, Hannah G; Ehmke, Erin E

2018-05-01

Environmental enrichment is a tool used to promote the welfare and well-being of captive animals by encouraging the display of species-specific behaviors and reducing the stress or boredom induced by captive environments. Lemurs are highly endangered, yet few studies have analyzed the behavioral impacts of enrichment on captive populations. We studied the impacts of two novel enrichment devices on three lemur species (ring-tailed lemurs [Lemur catta], red-ruffed lemurs [Varecia rubra], and Coquerel's sifaka [Propithecus coquereli]) to determine both the overall and species-specific impacts of enrichment on lemur behavior. We recorded lemur behavior using the continuous sampling method to obtain behavior duration and analyzed our results using ANOVA Repeated Measures. Results showed enrichment effectiveness differed for each species and that different enrichment devices had varying impacts on lemur behavior across all species. We attributed the differences in species-specific responses to the unique locomotor patterns and methods of diet acquisition of each species, and the variances in behavioral responses across all species to the characteristics of each device. Our study highlights the importance of species-specific enrichment and encourages further research in this field in order to maximize the positive effects of enrichment, which in turn has the potential to affect the overall well-being of captive populations. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

RTD fluxgate performance for application in magnetic label-based bioassay: preliminary results.

PubMed

Ando, B; Ascia, A; Baglio, S; Bulsara, A R; Trigona, C; In, V

2006-01-01

Magnetic bioassay is becoming of great interest in several application including magnetic separation, drug delivery, hyperthermia treatments, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic labelling. The latter can be used to localize bio-entities (e.g. cancer tissues) by using magnetic markers and high sensitive detectors. To this aim SQUIDs can be adopted, however this result in a quite sophisticated and complex method involving high cost and complex set-up. In this paper, the possibility to adopt RTD fluxgate magnetometers as alternative low cost solution to perform magnetic bio-sensing is investigated. Some experimental results are shown that encourage to pursue this approach in order to obtain simple devices that can detect a certain number of magnetic particles accumulated onto a small surface such to be useful for diagnosis purposes.

31 CFR 30.4 - Q-4: What actions are necessary for a TARP recipient to comply with the standards established...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... risk officers the SEO compensation plans to ensure that the SEO compensation plans do not encourage... fiscal year, provide a narrative description of how the SEO compensation plans do not encourage the SEOs... these SEO compensation plans do not encourage behavior focused on short-term results rather than long...

Do It Yourself: Examination of Self-Injury First Aid Tips on YouTube.

PubMed

Lewis, Stephen P; Knoll, Amanda K I

2015-05-01

Individuals who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) may prefer the Internet as a medium to communicate about NSSI experiences and obtain NSSI information. Recent research suggests that NSSI first aid information is shared. Yet, no research has examined the context in which this information occurs. This study examined the nature and scope of NSSI first aid tips on YouTube using a content analysis to examine 40 NSSI first aid videos. Findings indicated that videos were viewed 157,571 total times; they were typically favorably viewed. Most had a neutral purpose and neither encouraged nor discouraged NSSI. Messages encouraging NSSI help seeking were scant. Similarly, medical help seeking was not commonly encouraged, with several videos providing "safe" NSSI instructions. Overall, videos with NSSI first aid information may contribute to NSSI reinforcement and the belief that professional and medical help may not be needed for NSSI. Findings have implications for research, clinical work, and e-outreach, which are discussed.

32 CFR 105.12 - SAFE Kit collection and preservation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... response, to include mental healthcare. The SAFE of a sexual assault victim should be conducted by a healthcare provider who has specialized education and clinical experience in the collection of forensic... under this reporting option. The healthcare provider shall encourage the victim to obtain referrals for...

Using intraindividual variability to detect malingering in cognitive performance.

PubMed

Strauss, E; Hultsch, D F; Hunter, M; Slick, D J; Patry, B; Levy-Bencheton, J

1999-11-01

The utility of measures for detecting malingering was evaluated using a simulation design in which half the participants were encouraged to do their best and half were asked to feign head injury. Particular attention was focused on the utility of repeated assessment (intraindividual variability) in discriminating the groups. Participants were tested on three occasions on measures commonly used to detect malingering including a specific symptom validity test (SVT). The results indicated that multiple measures of malingering obtained in single assessment (occasion one) discriminated the groups effectively. In addition, however, intraindividual variability in performance, particularly of indicators from the SVT, provided unique information beyond level of performance. The results suggest that response inconsistency across testing sessions may be a clinically useful measure for the detection of malingering.

Towards Luminescence Dating Of Mosaic Glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galli, A.; Martini, M.; Sibila, E.; Villa, I.

The possibility of dating archaeological glass by means of luminescent techniques has been investigated in recent years, despite the difficulties of this application, mainly linked to the amorphous structure of the material. We focused in particular on mosaic glass, after the encouraging results obtained on byzantine and medieval samples. Further studies were devoted to the comprehension of the luminescent mechanisms in silica glasses, and to the investigation of the relationships between luminescence, colouring or opacifier ions and crystalline phase of the vitreous matrix. The results of a study on the dosimetric characteristics of thermoluminescence (TL) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) of a few medieval blue-green mosaic glasses from the San Lorenzo church (Milan) are presented, and the experimental protocols established to identify their suitability for dating are discussed.

Dieting and encouragement to diet by significant others: associations with disordered eating in young adults

PubMed Central

Eisenberg, Marla E.; Berge, Jerica M.; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne

2013-01-01

Purpose Examine the role of perceived significant other's modeling or encouragement of dieting in young adults' disordered eating behaviors. Design Online survey data were collected (2008–2009) as part of an ongoing study examining weight and related issues in young people. Setting Participants were originally recruited as students at middle and high schools in Minnesota (1998–1999). Subjects 1,030 young adults (mean age 25.3, 55% female, 50% white) with significant others. Measures Participants were asked if their significant other diets or encourages them to diet. Behaviors included unhealthy weight control, extreme weight control, and binge eating. Analysis General linear models estimated the predicted probability of using each behavior across levels of significant other's dieting or encouraging dieting, stratifying by gender and adjusting for demographics and BMI. Results Perceived dieting and encouragement to diet by significant others were common. Disordered eating behaviors were positively associated with significant other's dieting and encouragement to diet, particularly for females. In models including both perceived dieting and encouragement, encouragement remained significantly associated with disordered eating. For example, women's binge eating was almost doubled if their significant other encouraged dieting “very much” (25.5%) compared to “not at all” (13.6%, p=.015). Conclusion There is a strong association between disordered eating behaviors and perceived modeling and encouragement to diet by significant others in young adulthood. PMID:23398133

Emergency Dosimetry Using Ceramic Components in Personal Electronic Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kouroukla, E. C.; Bailiff, I. K.; Terry, I.

2014-02-01

The rapid assessment of radiation dose to members of the public exposed to significant levels of ionizing radiation during a radiological incident presents a significant difficulty in the absence of planned radiation monitoring. However, within most personal electronic devices components such as resistors with alumina substrates can be found that have potentially suitable properties as solid state dosimeters using luminescence measurement techniques. The suitability of several types of ceramic-based components (e.g., resonators, inductors and resistors) has been previously examined using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) techniques to establish their basic characteristics for the retrospective determination of absorbed dose. In this paper, we present results obtained with aluminum oxide surface mount resistors extracted from mobile phones that further extend this work. Very encouraging results have been obtained related to the measurement of luminescence sensitivity, dose response, reusability, limit of detection, signal reproducibility and known-dose recovery. However, the alumina exhibits a rapid loss of the latent luminescence signal with time following irradiation attributed to athermal (or anomalous) fading. The issues related to obtaining a reliable correction protocol for this loss and the detailed examinations required of the fading behavior are discussed.

Angiogenesis: from plants to blood vessels.

PubMed

Fan, Tai-Ping; Yeh, Ju-Ching; Leung, Kar Wah; Yue, Patrick Y K; Wong, Ricky N S

2006-06-01

Angiogenesis is a major pathological component of diseases such as cancer and coronary heart disease. Although major advances have been made and encouraging clinical results obtained, safer and more effective approaches are required. The identification of new drugs from plants has a long and successful history, and certain proangiogenic and antiangiogenic plant components have been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. Similar to Western combination therapy, TCM uses mixtures of plant extracts, termed fufang, to maximize efficacy and minimize adverse effects or toxicity. More evidence-based research and chemical optimization of these compounds could further enhance the effectiveness of these plant-based medicines in angiotherapy.

Flow cytometry as a rapid test for detection of penicillin resistance directly in bacterial cells in Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus.

PubMed

Jarzembowski, T; Wiśniewska, K; Józwik, A; Bryl, E; Witkowski, J

2008-08-01

We studied the usefulness of flow cytometry for detection of penicillin resistance in E. faecalis and S. aureus by direct binding of commercially available fluorescent penicillin, Bocillin FL, to cells obtained from culture. There were significantly lower percentages of fluorescent cells and median and mean fluorescence values per particle in penicillin-resistant than in penicillin-sensitive strains of both species observed. The method allows rapid detection of penicillin resistance in S. aureus and E. faecalis. The results encourage further investigations on the detection of antibiotic resistance in bacteria using flow cytometry.

A packet data compressor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grunes, Mitchell R.; Choi, Junho

1995-01-01

We are in the preliminary stages of creating an operational system for losslessly compressing packet data streams. The end goal is to reduce costs. Real world constraints include transmission in the presence of error, tradeoffs between the costs of compression and the costs of transmission and storage, and imperfect knowledge of the data streams to be transmitted. The overall method is to bring together packets of similar type, split the data into bit fields, and test a large number of compression algorithms. Preliminary results are very encouraging, typically offering compression factors substantially higher than those obtained with simpler generic byte stream compressors, such as Unix Compress and HA 0.98.

A New Adaptive Structural Signature for Symbol Recognition by Using a Galois Lattice as a Classifier.

PubMed

Coustaty, M; Bertet, K; Visani, M; Ogier, J

2011-08-01

In this paper, we propose a new approach for symbol recognition using structural signatures and a Galois lattice as a classifier. The structural signatures are based on topological graphs computed from segments which are extracted from the symbol images by using an adapted Hough transform. These structural signatures-that can be seen as dynamic paths which carry high-level information-are robust toward various transformations. They are classified by using a Galois lattice as a classifier. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated based on the GREC'03 symbol database, and the experimental results we obtain are encouraging.

Protein Aggregation Measurement through Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Affanni, A.; Corazza, A.; Esposito, G.; Fogolari, F.; Polano, M.

2013-09-01

The paper presents a novel methodology to measure the fibril formation in protein solutions. We designed a bench consisting of a sensor having interdigitated electrodes, a PDMS hermetic reservoir and an impedance meter automatically driven by calculator. The impedance data are interpolated with a lumped elements model and their change over time can provide information on the aggregation process. Encouraging results have been obtained by testing the methodology on K-casein, a protein of milk, with and without the addition of a drug inhibiting the aggregation. The amount of sample needed to perform this measurement is by far lower than the amount needed by fluorescence analysis.

Meteorological and operational aspects of 46 clear air turbulence sampling missions with an instrument B-57B aircraft. Volume 1: Program summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, R. E.; Champine, R. A.; Ehernberger, L. J.

1979-01-01

The results of 46 clear air turbulence (CAT) probing missions conducted with an extensively instrumented B-57B aircraft are summarized. Turbulence samples were obtained under diverse conditions including mountain waves, jet streams, upper level fronts and troughs, and low altitude mechanical and thermal turbulence. CAT was encouraged on 20 flights comprising 77 data runs. In all, approximately 4335 km were flown in light turbulence, 1415 km in moderate turbulence, and 255 km in severe turbulence during the program. The flight planning, operations, and turbulence forecasting aspects conducted with the B-57B aircraft are presented.

Cyclists' attitudes toward policies encouraging bicycle travel: findings from the Taupo Bicycle Study in New Zealand.

PubMed

Tin Tin, Sandar; Woodward, Alistair; Thornley, Simon; Langley, John; Rodgers, Anthony; Ameratunga, Shanthi

2010-03-01

Utility cycling provides substantial health, environmental and economic benefits. Despite a favourable trend in leisure-time cycling, cycling is infrequently used for everyday travel needs in New Zealand. This study investigated cyclists' attitudes toward environmental and policy measures that would encourage them to cycle more, particularly for a trip to work. A cross-sectional analysis was undertaken using baseline data obtained from the Taupo Bicycle Study, a web-based longitudinal study. The study population comprised 2469 cyclists, aged 16 years or over, who had enrolled in the 2006 Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge. The majority (88%) reported the provision of bicycle lanes as an important factor that would encourage them to cycle more often, followed by bicycle paths (76%), better bicycle security (64%), reduced motor vehicle speed (55%) and bike friendly public transport (38%). Of those who reported travelling to work at least once a week (N = 2223), varying proportions reported shower facilities at work (61%), fewer difficult intersections (43%), rising fuel costs (41%), fewer car parks (27%), bike designed to commute (26%) and rising cost of car parking (25%) as important factors that would encourage them to cycle to work more often. There were important differences in these perceived influences defined by the participants' socio-demographic characteristics and current cycling habits.

40 CFR 79.57 - Emission generation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... possible, the initial test vehicle/engine. If more than one replacement vehicle/engine is necessary, all... vehicle/engine. (ii) Manufacturers are encouraged to obtain, at the start of a test program, more than one... resuming testing to ensure that the post-maintenance emissions shall be within 20 percent of pre...

40 CFR 79.57 - Emission generation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... possible, the initial test vehicle/engine. If more than one replacement vehicle/engine is necessary, all... vehicle/engine. (ii) Manufacturers are encouraged to obtain, at the start of a test program, more than one... resuming testing to ensure that the post-maintenance emissions shall be within 20 percent of pre...

40 CFR 79.57 - Emission generation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... possible, the initial test vehicle/engine. If more than one replacement vehicle/engine is necessary, all... vehicle/engine. (ii) Manufacturers are encouraged to obtain, at the start of a test program, more than one... resuming testing to ensure that the post-maintenance emissions shall be within 20 percent of pre...

40 CFR 79.57 - Emission generation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... possible, the initial test vehicle/engine. If more than one replacement vehicle/engine is necessary, all... vehicle/engine. (ii) Manufacturers are encouraged to obtain, at the start of a test program, more than one... resuming testing to ensure that the post-maintenance emissions shall be within 20 percent of pre...

15 CFR 290.8 - Reviews of centers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... the purpose of evaluation and program shaping. Centers are encouraged to try new approaches, must... at least annually, and at the end of its third year of operation according to the procedures and... ability to obtain suitable match, as well as on the budgetary requirements of its proposed program...

15 CFR 290.8 - Reviews of centers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... the purpose of evaluation and program shaping. Centers are encouraged to try new approaches, must... at least annually, and at the end of its third year of operation according to the procedures and... ability to obtain suitable match, as well as on the budgetary requirements of its proposed program...

48 CFR 27.402 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... and disclosure. The protection of such data is also necessary to encourage qualified contractors to... REQUIREMENTS PATENTS, DATA, AND COPYRIGHTS Rights in Data and Copyrights 27.402 Policy. (a) To carry out their missions and programs, agencies acquire or obtain access to many kinds of data produced during or used in...

48 CFR 27.402 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... and disclosure. The protection of such data is also necessary to encourage qualified contractors to... REQUIREMENTS PATENTS, DATA, AND COPYRIGHTS Rights in Data and Copyrights 27.402 Policy. (a) To carry out their missions and programs, agencies acquire or obtain access to many kinds of data produced during or used in...

Summer research training provides effective tools for underrepresented minorities to obtain doctoral level degrees

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity of the USA is not reflected in its healthcare and biomedical workforce. Undergraduate research programs are used to encourage underrepresented minorities to pursue training for biomedical careers, but there is limited published data on doctoral degree compl...

75 FR 55333 - Request for Nominations for AHRQ Study Section Members

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-10

... and evenhandedness in judgment and review; ability to work effectively in a group context; and commitment to complete work assignments. A diversity of perspectives is valuable to AHRQ's work. To help obtain a diversity of perspectives among nominees, AHRQ encourages nominations of women and members of...

78 FR 64000 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Father's Day

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-25

... hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay... Information Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained...., permitting electronic submission of responses. HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in...

77 FR 24182 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-23

... proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995... obtained by contacting the agency contact listed below. DATES: Written comments are encouraged and must be..., identified by OMB number 3170-0016, by any of the following methods: Agency Contact: Consumer Financial...

10 CFR 470.16 - Cost sharing and funds from other sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cost sharing and funds from other sources. 470.16 Section... § 470.16 Cost sharing and funds from other sources. Proposers are encouraged to offer to share in the... other entities to obtain supplemental funding. ...

Establishing even-age northern hardwood regeneration by the shelterwood method--a preliminary guide.

Treesearch

Richard M. Godman; Carl H. Tubbs

1973-01-01

The shelterwood system of regeneration with northern hardwoods is a reliable method of obtaining even-age stands of both tolerant and moderately tolerant species. Details of applying the two-cut system are described along with the necessary modifications for encouraging moderately tolerant species.

Comparison Between Predicted and Experimentally Measured Flow Fields at the Exit of the SSME HPFTP Impeller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bache, George

1993-01-01

Validation of CFD codes is a critical first step in the process of developing CFD design capability. The MSFC Pump Technology Team has recognized the importance of validation and has thus funded several experimental programs designed to obtain CFD quality validation data. The first data set to become available is for the SSME High Pressure Fuel Turbopump Impeller. LDV Data was taken at the impeller inlet (to obtain a reliable inlet boundary condition) and three radial positions at the impeller discharge. Our CFD code, TASCflow, is used within the Propulsion and Commercial Pump industry as a tool for pump design. The objective of this work, therefore, is to further validate TASCflow for application in pump design. TASCflow was used to predict flow at the impeller discharge for flowrates of 80, 100 and 115 percent of design flow. Comparison to data has been made with encouraging results.

Resection followed by vascularized bone autograft in patients with possible recurrence of malignant bone tumors after conservative treatment

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

Metaizeau, J.P.; Olive, D.; Bey, P.

1984-04-01

In conservative treatment of malignant bone tumors, assessment of the local condition is difficult. The radiological changes seen in the irradiated tumor and the frequent occurrence of pathological fractures at this site may give rise to the fear that the tumor has relapsed. Resection of the whole of the involved bone is the best way to assure adequate local control but the extent of the bone defect and the bad local conditions secondary to irradiation make reconstruction hazardous. In two patients (one with Ewing's sarcoma of the femur and one with osteogenic sarcoma of the humerus) the authors used amore » free, vascularized fibular graft for the reconstruction having obtained consolidation of the limb after resection of the irradiated tumor, with preservation of its function. The encouraging results obtained have suggested a conservative attitude as primary treatment of specific malignant bone tumors.« less

A sparse equivalent source method for near-field acoustic holography.

PubMed

Fernandez-Grande, Efren; Xenaki, Angeliki; Gerstoft, Peter

2017-01-01

This study examines a near-field acoustic holography method consisting of a sparse formulation of the equivalent source method, based on the compressive sensing (CS) framework. The method, denoted Compressive-Equivalent Source Method (C-ESM), encourages spatially sparse solutions (based on the superposition of few waves) that are accurate when the acoustic sources are spatially localized. The importance of obtaining a non-redundant representation, i.e., a sensing matrix with low column coherence, and the inherent ill-conditioning of near-field reconstruction problems is addressed. Numerical and experimental results on a classical guitar and on a highly reactive dipole-like source are presented. C-ESM is valid beyond the conventional sampling limits, making wide-band reconstruction possible. Spatially extended sources can also be addressed with C-ESM, although in this case the obtained solution does not recover the spatial extent of the source.

Operation of a single-channel, sequential Navstar GPS receiver in a helicopter mission environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, F. G.; Hamlin, J. R.

1984-01-01

It is pointed out that the future utilization of the Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) by civil helicopters will provide an enhanced performance not obtainable with current navigations systems. GPS will supply properly equipped users with extremely accurate three-dimensional position and velocity information anywhere in the world. Preliminary studies have been conducted to investigate differential GPS concept mechanizations and cost, and to theoretically predict navigation performance and the impact of degradation of the GPS C/A code for national security considerations. The obtained results are encouraging, but certain improvements are needed. As a second step in the program, a single-channel sequential GPS navigator was installed and operated in the NASA SH-3G helicopter. A series of flight tests were conducted. It is found that performance of the Navstar GPS Z-set is quite acceptable to support area navigation and nonprecision approach operations.

Breastfeeding Education: Where Are We Going? A Systematic Review Article.

PubMed

Burgio, Maria Adriana; Laganà, Antonio Simone; Sicilia, Angela; Prosperi Porta, Romana; Porpora, Maria Grazia; Ban Frangež, Helena; DI Venti, Giovanni; Triolo, Onofrio

2016-08-01

UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) and WHO estimate that if all babies were breastfed for at least the first six months of their lives, the rate of morbidity and malnutrition would significantly decrease all over the world. In this view, these two organizations promoted a worldwide campaign for breastfeeding, creating the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) that encourages good practices for the promotion of breastfeeding in hospitals. The aim of our study was to review the available evidence regarding the positive effects of breastfeeding, in order to suggest to most appropriate strategy to support it. The main databases including Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, Google scholar and Science Direct were researched to obtain the original papers related to breastfeeding education. The main terms used to literature search were "Breastfeeding education", Breastfeeding support", and "Breastfeeding healthcare policy". The timeframe included the obtained articles was from 1980 to 2015. Our analysis confirms that healthcare providers play a pivotal role in education and encouraging mothers to begin and continue breastfeeding. In this view, the adequate training of healthcare providers seems to be mandatory in order to support this practice. Moreover, adequate facilities are needed in order to promote and support breastfeeding. Considering the available evidence, breastfeeding should be supported among all the mothers. Based on the positive data emerging from the public awareness campaign in different Countries of the world, we strongly encourage an accurate training for doctors and midwives and the implementation of adequate facilities in order to support breastfeeding.

Derivation of a chemical-specific adjustment factor (CSAF) for use in the assessment of risk from chronic exposure to ethylene glycol: Application of international programme for chemical safety guidelines

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

Palmer, Robert B.; Brent, Jeffrey

2005-09-01

The International Programme for Chemical Safety (IPCS) has developed a set of guidelines ('the Guidance') for the establishment of Chemical-Specific Adjustment Factors (CSAFs) for in the assessment of toxicity risk to the human population as a result of chemical exposure. The development of case studies is encouraged in the Guidance document and comments on them have been encouraged by the IPCS. One provision in the Guidance is for the determination of CSAFs based on human data. We present a case study of the use of the Guidance for the determination of the CSAF for ethylene glycol (EG) primarily utilizing clinicallymore » obtained data. The most relevant endpoint for this analysis was deemed to be acute renal injury. These data were applied based on an assessment of the known pharmaco/toxico-kinetic properties of EG. Because of the lack of both bioaccumulation of EG and reports of chronic or progressive renal injury from EG, it was concluded that the most appropriate model of chronic exposure is one of repeated acute episodes. The most relevant exposure metric was determined to be plasma glycolate concentration. Based on a prospective human study of EG-poisoned patients, the NOAEL for glycolate was found to be 10.1 mM. This value is similar to that obtained from animal data. The application of the Guidelines to this data resulted in a CSAF of 10.24, corresponding to a daily EG dose of 43.7 mg/kg/day. In 2000, Health Canada (HC) produced an animal data-based analysis of the maximum tolerated dose of EG. The results of our analysis are compared with those of HC, and the strengths and weaknesses of these two data types related to EG are discussed.« less

Vitrification as an alternative means of cryopreserving ovarian tissue.

PubMed

Amorim, Christiani A; Curaba, Mara; Van Langendonckt, Anne; Dolmans, Marie-Madeleine; Donnez, Jacques

2011-08-01

Because of the simplicity of vitrification, many authors have investigated it as an alternative to slow freezing for cryopreserving ovarian tissue. In the last decade, numerous studies have evaluated vitrification of ovarian tissue from both humans and animals.Different vitrification solutions and protocols, mostly adapted from embryo and oocyte vitrification, have been applied. The results have been discrepant from species to species and even within the same species, but lately they appear to indicate that vitrification can achieve similar or even superior results to conventional freezing. Despite the encouraging results obtained with vitrification of ovarian tissue from humans and different animal species, it is necessary to understand how vitrification solutions and protocols can affect ovarian tissue, notably preantral follicles. In addition, it is important to bear in mind that the utilization of different approaches to assess tissue functionality and oocyte quality is essential in order to validate the promising results already obtained with vitrification procedures. This review summarizes the principles of vitrification, discusses the advantages of vitrification protocols for ovarian tissue cryopreservation and describes different studies conducted on the vitrification of ovarian tissue in humans and animal species. Copyright © 2011 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rapid insights from remote sensing in the geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plaza, Antonio

2015-03-01

The growing availability of capacity computing for atomistic materials modeling has encouraged the use of high-accuracy computationally intensive interatomic potentials, such as SNAP. These potentials also happen to scale well on petascale computing platforms. SNAP has a very general form and uses machine-learning techniques to reproduce the energies, forces, and stress tensors of a large set of small configurations of atoms, which are obtained using high-accuracy quantum electronic structure (QM) calculations. The local environment of each atom is characterized by a set of bispectrum components of the local neighbor density projected on to a basis of hyperspherical harmonics in four dimensions. The computational cost per atom is much greater than that of simpler potentials such as Lennard-Jones or EAM, while the communication cost remains modest. We discuss a variety of strategies for implementing SNAP in the LAMMPS molecular dynamics package. We present scaling results obtained running SNAP on three different classes of machine: a conventional Intel Xeon CPU cluster; the Titan GPU-based system; and the combined Sequoia and Vulcan BlueGene/Q. The growing availability of capacity computing for atomistic materials modeling has encouraged the use of high-accuracy computationally intensive interatomic potentials, such as SNAP. These potentials also happen to scale well on petascale computing platforms. SNAP has a very general form and uses machine-learning techniques to reproduce the energies, forces, and stress tensors of a large set of small configurations of atoms, which are obtained using high-accuracy quantum electronic structure (QM) calculations. The local environment of each atom is characterized by a set of bispectrum components of the local neighbor density projected on to a basis of hyperspherical harmonics in four dimensions. The computational cost per atom is much greater than that of simpler potentials such as Lennard-Jones or EAM, while the communication cost remains modest. We discuss a variety of strategies for implementing SNAP in the LAMMPS molecular dynamics package. We present scaling results obtained running SNAP on three different classes of machine: a conventional Intel Xeon CPU cluster; the Titan GPU-based system; and the combined Sequoia and Vulcan BlueGene/Q. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp., for the U.S. Dept. of Energy's National Nuclear Security Admin. under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Appalachian and Non-Appalachian Pediatricians’ Encouragement of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: Implications for Health Disparities

PubMed Central

Krieger, Janice L.; Katz, Mira L.; Kam, Jennifer A.; Roberto, Anthony

2013-01-01

Background In medically underserved regions such as Appalachia, cervical cancer incidence and mortality are higher than the general U.S. population; therefore, it is important for pediatricians to encourage parents to have their daughters vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Unfortunately, little is known about the predictors of pediatricians’ encouragement of the HPV vaccine among medically underserved populations. The current study compared attitudes and behaviors of pediatricians with practices in Appalachia with those in non-Appalachia to identify potential strategies for reducing health disparities. Methods A survey was conducted with 334 pediatricians located in Appalachia and non-Appalachia counties to examine how prior behavior, perceived susceptibility, severity, self-efficacy, response-efficacy, and behavioral intentions are related to self-reported vaccine encouragement. Results Pediatricians in Appalachia perceived their patients to be less susceptible to HPV and reported lower rates of HPV encouragement than pediatricians in non-Appalachia. In addition, self-efficacy had a significant indirect association with vaccine encouragement for pediatricians in non-Appalachia. Conclusion This study’s findings emphasize the importance of increasing Appalachian pediatricians’ awareness of their patients’ susceptibility to HPV. Broader efforts to increase encouragement of the HPV vaccine among pediatricians should focus on promoting self-efficacy to encourage the HPV vaccine to parents of young females. PMID:21907591

Newsletter: Council on Physics in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Howard

1972-01-01

Explains the need to encourage minority students to choose physics as the field for advanced work. Institutes were organized during summer, enrolling minority students to enrich their backgrounds. Results have been encouraging and more extensive planning is underway. (PS)

Lessons from the Introduction of Fees for Overseas Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Ian

1993-01-01

Australia's new policy of encouraging higher education to market its services to foreign students and introduce fees is examined. It is suggested that higher education needs to give more attention to long-term implications of the policy, including pricing, marketing, obtaining feedback, and clarity of communication with other cultural groups. (MSE)

Case Studies of Five Teacher Supervision/Evaluation Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, Edward M.; Dawson, Judith A.

In the 1984-85 school year, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) began to actively encourage Pennsylvania school districts to reform their teacher supervision/evaluation (TS/E) procedures. To obtain data necessary for developing TS/E models, the PDE commissioned Research for Better Schools (RBS) to conduct a study of five school…

Are 150-Hour Accounting Programs Meeting Their Intended Objectives?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shafer, William E.; Kunkel, J. Gregory

2001-01-01

A survey of 114 business schools found that, in response to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' membership requirement of 150 semester hours and a bachelor's degree, most schools encourage students to obtain master's degrees. Accounting education has increased in cost, but has not become broader and more liberal, as was…

From Exclusion to Discrimination: Gender Inequality in the Senior Management of Nigerian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eboiyehi, Christiana O.; Fayomi, Ike; Eboiyehi, Friday A.

2016-01-01

The study examined factors encouraging gender inequality in university management in three selected universities in Southwestern Nigeria. This was with a view to assessing women's participation in the senior management positions in the region. Data were obtained from primary and secondary sources. A questionnaire was administered to senior…

The Effect on Economic Development of an Entrepreneurship Program at a North Carolina Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Joseph L.; Pennington, Kevin

2009-01-01

This article presents the findings from a review of a community college's entrepreneurship course designed to encourage business start-ups. The study utilized a survey to obtain information from 142 Haywood Community College students who completed the Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning (REAL) course. Qualitative interviews were…

78 FR 31540 - Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to the Office of Management and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-24

.... Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory authority for this information... through the FCC cost-sharing plan administered by the clearinghouses will be required to retain records.... These proposed rules were designed to provide for flexible use of this spectrum, to encourage innovation...

Coursework for Promoting Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kandamby, G. W. T. C.

2017-01-01

Teaching is to be amalgamated with learning environment where students attend work with interest. Coursework was designed and conducted for Quantity Surveying module from 2014 as a study and found that it has supported for promoting teaching and learning. It was revealed that encouragement made only for attendance is not sufficient to obtain high…

Heroes, Teams, and Teachers: A Study of Leadership for Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Marjorie F.; Firestone, William A.

Research on leadership for change should focus more on what leaders do and less on who the key leaders are. This study identifies a set of change leadership functions, including providing and selling a vision of change, obtaining resources, providing encouragement and recognition, adapting standard operating procedures, monitoring the improvement…

44 CFR 66.5 - Responsibilities for consultation and coordination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... study or restudy. Such information to the community will include the data set forth in paragraph (e) of... investigation shall be encouraged so that interested parties will have an opportunity to bring relevant data to... data obtained. The community shall be informed in writing if any of the six preceding items are or will...

44 CFR 66.5 - Responsibilities for consultation and coordination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... study or restudy. Such information to the community will include the data set forth in paragraph (e) of... investigation shall be encouraged so that interested parties will have an opportunity to bring relevant data to... data obtained. The community shall be informed in writing if any of the six preceding items are or will...

44 CFR 66.5 - Responsibilities for consultation and coordination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... study or restudy. Such information to the community will include the data set forth in paragraph (e) of... investigation shall be encouraged so that interested parties will have an opportunity to bring relevant data to... data obtained. The community shall be informed in writing if any of the six preceding items are or will...

44 CFR 66.5 - Responsibilities for consultation and coordination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... study or restudy. Such information to the community will include the data set forth in paragraph (e) of... investigation shall be encouraged so that interested parties will have an opportunity to bring relevant data to... data obtained. The community shall be informed in writing if any of the six preceding items are or will...

44 CFR 66.5 - Responsibilities for consultation and coordination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... study or restudy. Such information to the community will include the data set forth in paragraph (e) of... investigation shall be encouraged so that interested parties will have an opportunity to bring relevant data to... data obtained. The community shall be informed in writing if any of the six preceding items are or will...

Due Diligence, Higher Education Funding and CMI Ltd

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, G. R.

2004-01-01

Recent Government policy has been strongly in favour of encouraging entrepreneurship and partnerships with industry. A flagship project backed by 68 million British Pounds was launched by Gordon Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1999. Due diligence exercises by the DTI failed to ensure that value for money was obtained. What had been planned…

75 FR 58383 - Science Advisory Board Staff Office Request for Nominations of Experts for the Review of Great...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-24

... Action Plan identifies outcome-oriented performance goals, objectives, measurable ecological targets, and.... In an effort to obtain nominations of diverse candidates, EPA encourages nominations of women and men...) skills working in committees, subcommittees and advisory panels; and, for the Panel as a whole, (f...

Cross sections for electron impact excitation of the b 3Sigma(+)u state of H2 - An application of the Schwinger multichannel variational method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lima, M. A. P.; Gibson, T. L.; Mckoy, V.; Huo, W. M.

1985-01-01

In this and the two accompanying letters, the results of calculations of the cross sections for electron impact excitation of the b 3Sigma(+)u state of H2, for collision energies from near threshold to 30 eV, are presented. These results are obtained using a multichannel extension of the Schwinger variational principle at the two-state level. The quantitative agreement between the integral cross sections of these three studies is very good. Inclusion of correlation terms in the scattering wavefunctions, which relax the orthogonality between bound and continuum orbitals, is seen to affect the cross sections substantially. Although a comparison of these calculated cross sections with available experimental data is encouraging, some seious discrepancies exist.

Industrial technology for the economic and viable encapsulation for large-scale solar panels (technologie industrielle d'encapsulation economique et fiable pour panneaux solaires de grandes dimensions). Final report

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

Anguet, J.; Salles, Y.

The aim of the work is to apply the laminated glass technology used in buildings and car windscreens to the encapsulation of solar panels so as to form a glass-polyvinylbutyral-glass 'sandwich'. Based on small-scale experimental panels, the following studies were made: (1) adhesion techniques; (2) structure studies to find the most suitable means for maintaining the mechanical stability of the cells; (3) types of connections for the solar panels and (4) climatic tests and humidity resistance. Mechanical and climatic tests with the minimodules gave encouraging results, whereupon larger scale models were designed. The results obtained with these confirmed those obtainedmore » with the mini-modules.« less

The Role Of Moral Awareness In Computer Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stawinski, Arthur

1984-08-01

Maintaining security of databases and other computer systems requires constraining the behavior of those persons who are able to access these systems so that they do not obtain, alter, or abuse the information contained in these systems. Three types of constraints are available: Physical contraints are obstructions designed to prevent (or at least make difficult) access to data by unauthorized persons; external constraints restrict behavior through threat of detection and punishment; internal constraints are self-imposed limitations on behavior which are derived from a person's moral standards. This paper argues that an effective computer security program will require attention to internal constraints as well as physical and external ones. Recent developments in moral philosophy and the psychology of moral development have given us new understanding of how individuals grow in moral awareness and how this growth can be encouraged. These insights are the foundation for some practical proposals for encouraging morally responsible behavior by computer professionals and others with access to confidential data. The aim of this paper is to encourage computer security professionals to discuss, refine and incorporate systems of internal constraints in developing methods of maintaining security.

Preliminary evidence for linkage to chromosome 1q31-32, 10q23.3, and 16p13.3 in a South African cohort with bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Savitz, Jonathan; Cupido, Cinda-Lee; Ramesar, Raj Kumar

2007-04-05

Although the genetic variants predisposing to the development of bipolar disorder (BPD) have yet to be conclusively identified, replicated reports of linkage to particular chromosomal regions have been encouraging. Here we carried out a non-parametric linkage analysis of nine of these candidate loci in a unique South African sample of 47 BPD pedigrees (N = 350). Three polymorphic markers per region of interest (3 x 9) were typed in a Caucasian cohort of Afrikaner and British origin. Statistically significant evidence for linkage was obtained at 1q31-32, 10q23.3, and 16p13.3 with maximum NPL scores of 2.52, 2.01, and 1.84, respectively. Our results add to the growing evidence that these chromosomal regions harbor genetic variants that play a role in the development of bipolar spectrum illness. Negative results were obtained for the remaining six candidate loci, possibly due to limited statistical power. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Development and Testing of a Single Frequency Terahertz Imaging System for Breast Cancer Detection

PubMed Central

St. Peter, Benjamin; Yngvesson, Sigfrid; Siqueira, Paul; Kelly, Patrick; Khan, Ashraf; Glick, Stephen; Karellas, Andrew

2013-01-01

The ability to discern malignant from benign tissue in excised human breast specimens in Breast Conservation Surgery (BCS) was evaluated using single frequency terahertz radiation. Terahertz (THz) images of the specimens in reflection mode were obtained by employing a gas laser source and mechanical scanning. The images were correlated with optical histological micrographs of the same specimens, and a mean discrimination of 73% was found for five out of six samples using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. The system design and characterization is discussed in detail. The initial results are encouraging but further development of the technology and clinical evaluation is needed to evaluate its feasibility in the clinical environment. PMID:25055306

Exploring the Common Dynamics of Homologous Proteins. Application to the Globin Family

PubMed Central

Maguid, Sandra; Fernandez-Alberti, Sebastian; Ferrelli, Leticia; Echave, Julian

2005-01-01

We present a procedure to explore the global dynamics shared between members of the same protein family. The method allows the comparison of patterns of vibrational motion obtained by Gaussian network model analysis. After the identification of collective coordinates that were conserved during evolution, we quantify the common dynamics within a family. Representative vectors that describe these dynamics are defined using a singular value decomposition approach. As a test case, the globin heme-binding family is considered. The two lowest normal modes are shown to be conserved within this family. Our results encourage the development of models for protein evolution that take into account the conservation of dynamical features. PMID:15749782

Effect of Pt Nanoparticles on the Photocatalytic Activity of ZnO Nanofibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Mauro, Alessandro; Zimbone, Massimo; Scuderi, Mario; Nicotra, Giuseppe; Fragalà, Maria Elena; Impellizzeri, Giuliana

2015-12-01

For this study, we originally realized ZnO nanofibers (˜50 nm in mean radius) mixed with Pt nanoparticles (˜30 nm in mean radius), prepared by pulsed laser ablation in liquid, and investigated their photocatalytic performance. The material was synthesized by the simple electrospinning method coupled with subsequent thermal treatments. Methylene blue was employed as a representative dye pollutant to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the nanofibers. It was found that the Pt-ZnO fibers exhibit a photodegradation reaction rate that is ˜40 % higher than the one obtained for reference ZnO fibers. These encouraging results demonstrate that Pt-ZnO nanofibers can be fruitfully applied for environmental applications.

Recognition of surface lithologic and topographic patterns in southwest Colorado with ADP techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melhorn, W. N.; Sinnock, S.

1973-01-01

Analysis of ERTS-1 multispectral data by automatic pattern recognition procedures is applicable toward grappling with current and future resource stresses by providing a means for refining existing geologic maps. The procedures used in the current analysis already yield encouraging results toward the eventual machine recognition of extensive surface lithologic and topographic patterns. Automatic mapping of a series of hogbacks, strike valleys, and alluvial surfaces along the northwest flank of the San Juan Basin in Colorado can be obtained by minimal man-machine interaction. The determination of causes for separable spectral signatures is dependent upon extensive correlation of micro- and macro field based ground truth observations and aircraft underflight data with the satellite data.

Overview of thermal barrier coatings in diesel engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yonushonis, T. M.

1995-01-01

An understanding of delamination mechanisms in thermal barrier coatings has been developed for diesel applications through nondestructive evaluation, structural analysis modeling and engine evaluation of various thermal barrier coatings. This knowledge has resulted in improved thermal barrier coatings which survive abusive cyclic fatigue tests in high output diesel engines. Significant efforts are still required to improve the plasma spray processing capability and the economics for complex geometry diesel engine components. Data obtained from advanced diesel engines on the effect of thermal barrier coatings on engine fuel economy and emission has not been encouraging. Although the underlying metal component temperatures have been reduced through the use of thermal barrier coating, engine efficiency and emission trends have not been promising.

Investigational drugs for coagulation disorders.

PubMed

Mannucci, Pier Mannuccio; Mancuso, Maria Elisa

2013-08-01

The current standard treatment in persons with hemophilia (PWH) is prophylaxis, given intravenously twice or thrice weekly, which is associated with a non negligible burden on patients' quality of life. Therefore the main attempts aiming to improve the management of PWH are targeted towards the development of a new generation of coagulation factors endowed with properties facilitating prophylaxis and/or a better control of bleeding. This article summarizes the main results obtained so far in the development of new antihemophilic products, and emphasizes the formidable requirements imposed upon by regulatory agencies to get marketing authorization for new drugs, which make progress in this field difficult. Published literature on new molecules for replacement treatment in hemophilia A and B has been retrieved by using PubMed search and all ongoing clinical trials have been looked for online. New molecules are usually engineered to have a longer plasma half-life but also in some instances a higher potency. The prolongation of half-life may be obtained by using sustained release delivery vehicles, by chemical modification or by creating fusion proteins. Factors VIII, IX and VII have been variably modified in order to obtain improved coagulation products and results from Phase I/II studies are encouraging, particularly for factor IX. However, Phase III studies that should provide evidence on efficacy and effectiveness more cogent for clinical use are still ongoing and results are not yet available.

Field evidence for the potential of Rhodobacter capsulatus as Biofertilizer for flooded rice.

PubMed

Gamal-Eldin, Hosny; Elbanna, Khaled

2011-02-01

In a previous study, we evaluated the effects of inoculating rice plants with the phototrophic purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus (Rc) on growth and yield of rice in pots and lysimeter experiments and the results obtained have been highly encouraging. In this study, we carried out two field experiments: one in the experimental farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, and the second in a farmer's field in Kafr El-sheikh, to assess the effects of Rc on growth and yield of rice in comparison and in combination with chemical nitrogen fertilizer (CNF) and farmyard manure. The results indicated that both biological and grain yields in all the Rc inoculated treatments were significantly higher than those in the uninoculated corresponding treatments in both fields. With regard to grain yield, the major factor for determining the effectiveness of any agricultural treatment, inoculation with Rc in combination with 50% of the recommended CNF rate gave a grain yield that was statistically equivalent to that obtained with 100% of the recommended CNF rate. These results provide a clear evidence for the potential of Rc as biofertilizer for flooded rice under field conditions.

Multi-Perspective Indexing of Diverse Spatial Characteristics of an Outdoor Field toward Redesigning of Real-World Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okada, Masaya; Tada, Masahiro

2014-01-01

Real-world learning is important because it encourages learners to obtain knowledge through various experiences. To design effective real-world learning, it is necessary to analyze the diverse learning activities that occur in real-world learning and to develop effective strategies for learning support. By inventing the technologies of multimodal…

48 CFR 752.219-70 - USAID Mentor-Protégé Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... DEVELOPMENT CLAUSES AND FORMS SOLICITATION PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Texts of Provisions and Clauses 752...: USAID Mentor-Protégé Program (July 13, 2007) (a) Large and small business are encouraged to participate... Protégés with developmental assistance to enhance their business capabilities and ability to obtain Federal...

Making Politics Personal: Leadership Programs as a Tool for Developing Political Interest and Efficacy in Young Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stock, Dayna M.

2012-01-01

Encouraging young women to pursue careers in electoral politics is seen as one strategy for ameliorating the gender disparity that has characterized American political institutions for decades. This multi-method project focuses on outcomes obtained by participants in four "NEW Leadership(TM)" Training Institutes that claim to…

48 CFR 752.219-70 - USAID Mentor-Protégé Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... DEVELOPMENT CLAUSES AND FORMS SOLICITATION PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Texts of Provisions and Clauses 752...: USAID Mentor-Protégé Program (July 13, 2007) (a) Large and small business are encouraged to participate... Protégés with developmental assistance to enhance their business capabilities and ability to obtain Federal...

Participation through Maieutic Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agger, Simona Ganassi

City planners should take on a "maieutic" role, which is to say that they should encourage wide participation in a process that elicits and enlists the latent knowledge and desires of all citizens in a city-building effort. Planners must try to obtain a sense of (1) what the everyday life of people living in and using cities is like, and (2) the…

Counseling and Testing: What Counselors Need to Know about State Laws on Assessment and Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naugle, Kim A.

2009-01-01

This article discusses testing in counseling, the history of psychology's attempts to restrict access to testing, and the potential impact on the public. Counselors are encouraged to obtain appropriate training in assessment and to understand that testing is not only consistent with fair testing policies but also essential for ethical practice.…

How Can We Improve through Pupil Participation? An Infants School Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceballos López, Noelia; Susinos Rada, Teresa; Saiz Linares, Ángela

2016-01-01

This paper is part of a research project and forms part of a doctoral thesis in development whose aim was to promote and encourage improvement in schools based on the student voice. We believe that student participation is essential in order to progress towards inclusive educational communities. We present the main conclusions obtained in two…

Using Mobile Phones to Prepare for University Lectures: Student's Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rismark, Marit; Solvberg, Astrid M.; Stromme, Alex; Hokstad, Leif Martin

2007-01-01

In this paper we present findings from a study of students' use of mobile phones in a biology course at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Using a qualitative research approach we focus on how mobile phones can complement and add value to the educational challenge of encouraging university students to obtain some topic…

Arnica Tincture Cures Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Golden Hamsters.

PubMed

Robledo, Sara M; Vélez, Ivan D; Schmidt, Thomas J

2018-01-12

In search for potential therapeutic alternatives to existing treatments for cutaneous Leishmaniasis, we have investigated the effect of Arnica tincture Ph. Eur. (a 70% hydroethanolic tincture prepared from flowerheads of Arnica montana L.) on the lesions caused by infection with Leishmania braziliensis in a model with golden hamsters. The animals were treated topically with a daily single dose of the preparation for 28 days. Subsequently, the healing process was monitored by recording the lesion size in intervals of 15 days up to day 90. As a result, Arnica tincture fully cured three out of five hamsters while one animal showed an improvement and another one suffered from a relapse. This result was slightly better than that obtained with the positive control, meglumine antimonate, which cured two of five hamsters while the other three showed a relapse after 90 days. This result encourages us to further investigate the potential of Arnica tincture in the treatment of cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

Novel posterior fixation keratoprosthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacombe, Emmanuel

1992-08-01

The keratoprosthesis is the last solution for corneally blind patients that cannot benefit from corneal transplants. Keratoprostheses that have been designed to be affixed anteriorly usually necessitate multi-step surgical procedures and are continuously subjected to the extrusion forces generated by the positive intraocular pressure; therefore, clinical results in patients prove inconsistent. We proposed a novel keratoprosthesis concept that utilizes posterior corneal fixation which `a priori' minimizes the risk of aqueous leakage and expulsion. This prosthesis is implanted in a single procedure thereby reducing the number of surgical complications normally associated with anterior fixation devices. In addition, its novel design makes this keratoprosthesis implantable in phakic eyes. With an average follow-up of 13 months (range 3 to 25 months), our results on 21 cases are encouraging. Half of the keratoprostheses were implanted in severe burn cases, with the remainder in cases of pseudo- pemphigus. Good visual results and cosmetic appearance were obtained in 14 of 21 eyes.

Mission Possible

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philbrick, Jane Hass; Leseane, Reginald; Bart, Barbara D.; Dowling, William

2009-01-01

The authors examine the impact of a program designed to encourage students to read popular business magazines. The results suggest that a reading program can improve student knowledge of current events, but that more work is needed to encourage students to attain timely knowledge of the current environment of business.

Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals’ pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers. PMID:28178270

Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers.

PubMed

Roach, Michael

2017-01-01

This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals' pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers.

Improvements of Storm Surge Modelling in the Gulf of Venice with Satellite Data: The ESA Due Esurge-Venice Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Biasio, F.; Bajo, M.; Vignudelli, S.; Papa, A.; della Valle, A.; Umgiesser, G.; Donlon, C.; Zecchetto, S.

2016-08-01

Among the most detrimental natural phenomena, storm surges heavily endanger the environment, the economy and the everyday life of sea-side countries and coastal zones. Considering that 120.000.000 people live in the Mediterranean area, with additional 200.000.000 presences in Summer for tourism purposes, the correct prediction of storm surges is crucial to avoid fatalities and economic losses. Earth Observation (EO) can play an important role in operational storm surge forecasting, yet it is not widely diffused in the storm surge community. In 2011 the European Space Agency (ESA), through its Data User Element (DUE) programme, financed two projects aimed at encouraging the uptake of EO data in this sector: eSurge and eSurge-Venice (eSV). The former was intended to address the issues of a wider users' community, while the latter was focused on a restricted geographical area: the northern Adriatic Sea and the Gulf of Venice. Among the objectives of the two projects there were a number of storm surge hindcast experiments using satellite data, to demonstrate the improvements on the surge forecast brought by EO. We report here the results of the hindcast experiments of the eSV project. They were aimed to test the sensitivity of a storm surge model to a forcing wind field modified with scatterometer data in order to reduce the bias between simulated and observed winds. Hindcast experiments were also performed to test the response of the storm surge model to the assimilation, with a dual 4D-Var system, of satellite altimetry observations as model errors of the initial state of the sea surface level. Remarkable improvements on the storm surge forecast have been obtained for what concerns the modified model wind forcing. Encouraging results have been obtained also in the assimilation experiments.

Composite Robust $$H_\\infty$$ Control for Uncertain Stochastic Nonlinear Systems with State Delay via Disturbance Observer

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

Liu, Yunlong; Wang, Hong; Guo, Lei

Here in this note, the robust stochastic stabilization and robust H_infinity control problems are investigated for uncertain stochastic time-delay systems with nonlinearity and multiple disturbances. By estimating the disturbance, which can be described by an exogenous model, a composite hierarchical control scheme is proposed that integrates the output of the disturbance observer with state feedback control law. Sufficient conditions for the existence of the disturbance observer and composite hierarchical controller are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities, which ensure the mean-square asymptotic stability of the resulting closed-loop system and the disturbance attenuation. It has been shown that the disturbancemore » rejection performance can also be achieved. A numerical example is provided to show the potential of the proposed techniques and encouraging results have been obtained.« less

Preliminary Results on New Prototypes of Precision Rh-0.5at%Fe Resistance Thermometers of Chinese Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavese, F.; Szmyrka-Grzebyk, A.; Lipinski, L.; Manuszkiewicz, H.; Qiu, Ping; Zhang, Jin Tao; Lin, Peng; Li, Xing Wei

2008-02-01

Given the practical impossibility of obtaining new precision Rh-0.5at%Fe resistance thermometers in recent years, the possible re-starting of the production of such thermometers in Yunnan (China) was explored by Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM). Ten prototypes of the new production were made available in early 2006. The paper reports the preliminary data from the testing performed to date on these prototypes at National Institute of Metrology (NIM) and Instytut Niskich Temperatur i Badan Strukturalnych (INTiBS). Although a problem with the alloy composition was detected, the reproducibility results on thermal cycling are very encouraging. Resistance-temperature ( R- T) characteristics below 30 K, though not identical with those of similar thermometers formerly available from Tinsley and VNIIFTRI, are still suitable for accurate metrology.

Progress towards large gain-length products on the Li-like recombination scheme

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

Zeitoun, P.; Jamelot, G.; Carillon, A.

1995-05-01

Investigating possibilities of attaining large gain-length products on the recombination scheme using lithium-like ions, we have examined two approaches aimed at overcoming the problem of plasma non-uniformity susceptible to destroy gain by a number of processes. In the first approach we studied amplification on the transitions 5f-3d and 4f-3d in Li-like Al{sup 10+} plasma column produced by smoothing optics using lens arrays. Employing this device resulted in the gain holding up significantly longer than when no smoothing optics was used. Second, we have investigated numerically and experimentally the 5g-4f transition in Li-like S{sup 13+}, as the gain should be barelymore » affected by the plasma nonuniformities. Encouraging results were obtained and their various aspects are discussed.« less

Composite Robust $$H_\\infty$$ Control for Uncertain Stochastic Nonlinear Systems with State Delay via Disturbance Observer

DOE PAGES

Liu, Yunlong; Wang, Hong; Guo, Lei

2018-03-26

Here in this note, the robust stochastic stabilization and robust H_infinity control problems are investigated for uncertain stochastic time-delay systems with nonlinearity and multiple disturbances. By estimating the disturbance, which can be described by an exogenous model, a composite hierarchical control scheme is proposed that integrates the output of the disturbance observer with state feedback control law. Sufficient conditions for the existence of the disturbance observer and composite hierarchical controller are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities, which ensure the mean-square asymptotic stability of the resulting closed-loop system and the disturbance attenuation. It has been shown that the disturbancemore » rejection performance can also be achieved. A numerical example is provided to show the potential of the proposed techniques and encouraging results have been obtained.« less

Osteointegration of soft tissue grafts within the bone tunnels in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction can be enhanced.

PubMed

Kuang, Guan-Ming; Yau, W P; Lu, William W; Chiu, K Y

2010-08-01

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a soft tissue autograft (hamstring autograft) has grown in popularity in the last 10 years. However, the issues of a relatively long healing time and an inferior histological healing result in terms of Sharpey-like fibers connection in soft tissue grafts are still unsolved. To obtain a promising outcome in the long run, prompt osteointegration of the tendon graft within the bone tunnel is essential. In recent decades, numerous methods have been reported to enhance osteointegration of soft tissue graft in the bone tunnel. In this article, we review the current literature in this research area, mainly focusing on strategies applied to the local bone tunnel environment. Biological strategies such as stem cell and gene transfer technology, as well as the local application of specific growth factors have been reported to yield exciting results. The use of biological bone substitute and physical stimulation also obtained promising results. Artificially engineered tissue has promise as a solution to the problem of donor site morbidity. Despite these encouraging results, the current available evidence is still experimental. Further clinical studies in terms of randomized control trial in the future should be conducted to extrapolate these basic science study findings into clinical practice.

Access to linked administrative healthcare utilization data for pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics research in Canada: anti-viral drugs as an example.

PubMed

Rawson, Nigel S B

2009-11-01

Administrative healthcare utilization data from Canadian provinces have been used for pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics research, but limited transparency exists about opportunities for data access, who can access them, and processes to obtain data. An attempt was made to obtain data from all 10 provinces to evaluate access and its complexity. An initial enquiry about the process and requirements to obtain data on individual, anonymized patients dispensed any of four anti-viral drugs in the ambulatory setting, linked with data from hospital and physician service claims, was sent to each province. Where a response was encouraging, a technical description of the data of interest was submitted. Data were unavailable from the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, and inaccessible from British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario due to policies that prohibit collaborative work with pharmaceutical industry researchers. In Nova Scotia, patient-level data were available but only on site. Data were accessible in Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan, although variation exists in the currency of the data, time to obtain data, approval requirements and insurance coverage eligibility. As Canada moves towards a life-cycle management approach to drug regulation, more post-marketing studies will be required, potentially using administrative data. Linked patient-level drug and healthcare data are presently accessible to pharmaceutical industry researchers in four provinces, although only logistically realistic in three and limited to seniors and low-income individuals in two. Collaborative endeavours to improve access to provincial data and to create other data resources should be encouraged. (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Wearable Monitoring Devices for Assistive Technology: Case Studies in Post-Polio Syndrome

PubMed Central

Andreoni, Giuseppe; Mazzola, Marco; Perego, Paolo; Standoli, Carlo Emilio; Manzoni, Simone; Piccini, Luca; Molteni, Franco

2014-01-01

The correct choice and customization of an orthosis are crucial to obtain the best comfort and efficiency. This study explored the feasibility of a multivariate quantitative assessment of the functional efficiency of lower limb orthosis through a novel wearable system. Gait basographic parameters and energetic indexes were analysed during a Six-Minute Walking Test (6-MWT) through a cost-effective, non-invasive polygraph device, with a multichannel wireless transmission, that carried out electro-cardiograph (ECG); impedance-cardiograph (ICG); and lower-limb accelerations detection. Four subjects affected by Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS) were recruited. The wearable device and the semi-automatic post-processing software provided a novel set of objective data to assess the overall efficiency of the patient-orthosis system. Despite the small number of examined subjects, the results obtained with this new approach encourage the application of the method thus enlarging the dataset to validate this promising protocol and measuring system in supporting clinical decisions and out of a laboratory environment. PMID:24469354

Effect of time and of precursor molecule on the deposition of hydrophobic nanolayers on ethyelene tetrafluoroethylene-silicon oxide substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Gabriella; Castellano, Piera; Incarnato, Loredana

2016-10-01

A method was developed for generating transparent and hydrophobic nanolayers chemisorbed onto flexible substrates of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene-silicon oxide (ETFE-SiOx). In particular, the effect of the deposition time and of the precursor molecule on the nanocoating process was analyzed with the aim of pursuing an optimization of the above method in an industrial application perspective. It was found that precursor molecule of triethoxysilane allowed to obtain better hydrophobic properties on the SiOx surface in shorter times compared to trichlorosilane, reaching the 92 % of final contact angle (CA) value of 106° after only 1 h of deposition. The optical properties and surface morphology were also assessed in function of time, revealing that an initial transparency reduction is followed by a subsequent transmittance increase during the self assembly of fluoroalkylsilanes on the SiOx surface, coherently with the surface roughness analysis data. Encouraging results were also obtained in terms of oleophobic properties improvement of the nanocoated surfaces.

The uses and gratifications of online care pages: a study of CaringBridge.

PubMed

Anderson, Isolde K

2011-09-01

This study investigated how online care pages help people connect with others and gain social support during a health care event. It reports the results of a survey of 1035 CaringBridge authors who set up personalized web pages because of hospitalization, serious illness, or other reasons, regarding the uses and gratifications obtained from their sites. Four primary benefits were found to be important to all authors of CaringBridge sites: providing information, receiving encouragement from messages, convenience, and psychological support. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed significant effects for six demographic and health-related variables: gender, age, religiosity, Internet usage, the purpose for which the site was set up, and sufficiency of information received from health care providers. Support was obtained for the perspective that online care pages provide new media gratifications for authors, and that health-related antecedents of media use may affect media selection and gratifications. The implications of this study for communication researchers and support services like CaringBridge are also discussed.

Face detection in color images using skin color, Laplacian of Gaussian, and Euler number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saligrama Sundara Raman, Shylaja; Kannanedhi Narasimha Sastry, Balasubramanya Murthy; Subramanyam, Natarajan; Senkutuvan, Ramya; Srikanth, Radhika; John, Nikita; Rao, Prateek

2010-02-01

In this a paper, a feature based approach to face detection has been proposed using an ensemble of algorithms. The method uses chrominance values and edge features to classify the image as skin and nonskin regions. The edge detector used for this purpose is Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) which is found to be appropriate when images having multiple faces with noise in them. Eight connectivity analysis of these regions will segregate them as probable face or nonface. The procedure is made more robust by identifying local features within these skin regions which include number of holes, percentage of skin and the golden ratio. The method proposed has been tested on color face images of various races obtained from different sources and its performance is found to be encouraging as the color segmentation cleans up almost all the complex facial features. The result obtained has a calculated accuracy of 86.5% on a test set of 230 images.

Synthesis and characterization of InN nanocrystals on glass substrate by plasma assisted reactive evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesh, V.; Alizadeh, M.; Shuhaimi, A.; Sundaram, S.; Hakim, K. M.; Goh, B. T.; Rahman, S. A.

2017-07-01

InN nanocrystals were grown on glass substrate by plasma assisted reactive evaporation technique and the quality was compared with InN on Si (111) substrate. Single phase InN was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and micro Raman analysis on both the substrates. Agglomerated and Hexagonal faceting nanocrystals observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis shows InN nanocrystals are nearly stochiometric. Photoluminescence reveals a broad emission near bandedge at 2 .04 eV and defect band at 1.07 eV. The Hall measurement on both the substrates reveals high electron carrier concentration. These encouraging results obtained suggested that high quality single crystalline InN can be obtained on glass substrate further optimizing the growth parameters. This novel growth of InN nanocrystals on glass substrate is an important step towards the development of monolithic, high efficiency low-cost InGaN-based renewable energy sources.

Multiconfiguration Molecular Mechanics Based on Combined Quantum Mechanical and Molecular Mechanical Calculations.

PubMed

Lin, Hai; Zhao, Yan; Tishchenko, Oksana; Truhlar, Donald G

2006-09-01

The multiconfiguration molecular mechanics (MCMM) method is a general algorithm for generating potential energy surfaces for chemical reactions by fitting high-level electronic structure data with the help of molecular mechanical (MM) potentials. It was previously developed as an extension of standard MM to reactive systems by inclusion of multidimensional resonance interactions between MM configurations corresponding to specific valence bonding patterns, with the resonance matrix element obtained from quantum mechanical (QM) electronic structure calculations. In particular, the resonance matrix element is obtained by multidimensional interpolation employing a finite number of geometries at which electronic-structure calculations of the energy, gradient, and Hessian are carried out. In this paper, we present a strategy for combining MCMM with hybrid quantum mechanical molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods. In the new scheme, electronic-structure information for obtaining the resonance integral is obtained by means of hybrid QM/MM calculations instead of fully QM calculations. As such, the new strategy can be applied to the studies of very large reactive systems. The new MCMM scheme is tested for two hydrogen-transfer reactions. Very encouraging convergence is obtained for rate constants including tunneling, suggesting that the new MCMM method, called QM/MM-MCMM, is a very general, stable, and efficient procedure for generating potential energy surfaces for large reactive systems. The results are found to converge well with respect to the number of Hessians. The results are also compared to calculations in which the resonance integral data are obtained by pure QM, and this illustrates the sensitivity of reaction rate calculations to the treatment of the QM-MM border. For the smaller of the two systems, comparison is also made to direct dynamics calculations in which the potential energies are computed quantum mechanically on the fly.

Influence of the Rewards and Recognition Scheme on Higher Vocational Education Curriculum Reform in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hao; Tyler, Mark; Bagnall, Richard G.

2018-01-01

This paper reviews the impact of the rewards and recognition scheme on curriculum reform in higher vocational education (HVE) in China. In this scheme, teachers and students can win rewards and obtain recognition through curriculum competitions and student skill competitions conducted by the government. It has been used to encourage and to support…

Raw and Central Moments of Binomial Random Variables via Stirling Numbers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffiths, Martin

2013-01-01

We consider here the problem of calculating the moments of binomial random variables. It is shown how formulae for both the raw and the central moments of such random variables may be obtained in a recursive manner utilizing Stirling numbers of the first kind. Suggestions are also provided as to how students might be encouraged to explore this…

Tyler sands play entices operators

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

Stremel, K.

Encouraging seismic data and recent discoveries are causing a renewed interest in an intensive exploration effort in central Montana's Tyler play. With new subsurface information obtained from recent seismic surveys, geologists are reviewing the elusive Tyler sands from a different perspective. Several operators are competing for lease positions through farmouts and joint ventures and increased drilling activity is expected to begin within the next year.

Preventing the tragedy of the commons through punishment of over-consumers and encouragement of under-consumers.

PubMed

Kareva, Irina; Morin, Benjamin; Karev, Georgy

2013-04-01

The conditions that can lead to the exploitative depletion of a shared resource, i.e., the tragedy of the commons, can be reformulated as a game of prisoner's dilemma: while preserving the common resource is in the best interest of the group, over-consumption is in the interest of each particular individual at any given point in time. One way to try and prevent the tragedy of the commons is through infliction of punishment for over-consumption and/or encouraging under-consumption, thus selecting against over-consumers. Here, the effectiveness of various punishment functions in an evolving consumer-resource system is evaluated within a framework of a parametrically heterogeneous system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Conditions leading to the possibility of sustainable coexistence with the common resource for a subset of cases are identified analytically using adaptive dynamics; the effects of punishment on heterogeneous populations with different initial composition are evaluated using the reduction theorem for replicator equations. Obtained results suggest that one cannot prevent the tragedy of the commons through rewarding of under-consumers alone--there must also be an implementation of some degree of punishment that increases in a nonlinear fashion with respect to over-consumption and which may vary depending on the initial distribution of clones in the population.

Using Continuing Professional Development with Portfolio in a Pharmaceutics Course.

PubMed

Schneider, Jennifer; O'Hara, Kate; Munro, Irene

2016-11-07

The introduction of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to encourage individual life-long learning as a way of maintaining professional competency in pharmacy has faced resistance. To investigate ways to address this barrier we included CPD with portfolio in a university Pharmaceutics course. Underpinning knowledge for the course was delivered using a flipped classroom approach and students used the CPD model to address clinical scenarios presented in a simulated pharmacy setting. Students produced portfolio items for the different case scenarios and submitted these for assessment. This provided the opportunity for students to carry out repeated application of the CPD cycle and, in so doing, develop skills in critical thinking for self-reflection and self-evaluation. This course was designed to encourage the development of higher level learning skills for future self-directed learning. Thirty six students submitted a completed portfolio. Twenty nine students achieved a result of >70%, five students scored between 57%-69%, one student obtained a mark of 50% and one student failed. The end of course survey revealed that while students found portfolio development challenging (40%), they also reported that it was effective for self-learning (54%). Differentiating between the concepts "reflection" and "evaluation" in CPD was problematic for some students and the use of clearer, simpler language should be used to explain these processes in future CPD work.

Encouraging post-stroke patients to be active seems possible: results of an intervention study with knowledge brokers.

PubMed

Willems, Mia; Schröder, Carin; van der Weijden, Trudy; Post, Marcel W; Visser-Meily, Anne M

2016-08-01

Although physical activity and exercise for stroke patients is highly recommended for fast recovery, patients in hospitals and rehabilitation centres are insufficiently encouraged to be physically active. In this study, we investigated the impact of knowledge brokers (KBs), enterprising nurses and therapists, on health professionals' (HP) performance to encourage stroke inpatients to be physically active. This multicenter intervention study used a pre-post test design. Two or three KBs were trained in each stroke unit of 12 hospitals and 10 rehabilitation centres in The Netherlands. Questionnaires were completed by patients and HPs before and after the KB-intervention. The primary outcome was encouragement given by HPs to their patients to be physically active, as reported by patients and HPs. After the KB-intervention, many more patients (48%; N=217) reported at least some encouragement by HPs to be physically active than before (26%; N=243, p<0.000). HPs (N=288) on an average reported encouraging patients more often after the intervention, but this difference was significant only for occupational therapists and KBs. Based on patient's reports of HP behaviour, the KB-intervention appears effective since more patients felt encouraged to be physically active after the intervention compared to before. Replication of this study in an experimental design is needed to allow causal inferences. Implications for rehabilitation We advise rehabilitation teams to make use of knowledge brokers (KBs), since the KB-intervention was shown to increase the encouragement felt by stroke patients to be physically active. It seems worthwhile to involve physicians, nurses and patients' families more frequently in efforts to encourage stroke patients to be physically active.

Parental encouragement of healthy behaviors: adolescent weight status and health-related quality of life

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Obesity is a major health concern for adolescents, with one in four being overweight or obese in Australia. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderation effect of parental encouragement of healthy behaviors on the relationship between adolescent weight status and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Methods Baseline data were collected from 3,040 adolescents participating in the It’s Your Move project, conducted in the Barwon South-West region of Victoria, in 2005. The Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory was used to measure HRQoL, and parental encouragement was derived from purposely designed self-report items. Weight status was calculated according to World Health Organization growth standards from measured weight and height. Linear regression analyses modeled direct relationships and interaction terms. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, physical activity level, nutrition and school attended. Results Higher levels of parental encouragement, as compared to low encouragement, were positively associated with higher global HRQoL scores, particularly in the physical functioning domain. To a lesser degree, high parental encouragement was also associated with higher scores on the psychosocial domain. Obese weight status showed a significant association with lower HRQoL on all scales. Parental encouragement significantly moderated the inverse relationship between overweight status and physical wellbeing. Conclusions Findings suggest that parental encouragement of healthy behavior is associated with increased HRQoL scores for adolescents. Whilst more research is needed to validate the significant interaction effect, main effects suggest that parental encouragement of healthy behavior is an important factor in adolescent wellbeing and should be considered when developing prevention and clinical interventions for obesity. PMID:24735656

Internationalizing Business Education: Factors Affecting Student Participation in Overseas Study Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kashlak, Roger J.; Jones, Raymond M.

1996-01-01

A study investigated factors encouraging and inhibiting business administration students' participation in study abroad. Subjects were 128 undergraduate and graduate students at a large urban state university. Results indicated personal factors were the strongest encouraging variables, while financial considerations were the most limiting, and a…

Biological basis of suicide and suicidal behavior

PubMed Central

Pandey, Ghanshyam N

2013-01-01

Objective Suicide is a major public health concern as each year 30,000 people die by suicide in the US alone. In the teenage population, it is the second leading cause of death. There have been extensive studies of psychosocial factors associated with suicide and suicidal behavior. However, very little is known about the neurobiology of suicide. Recent research has provided some understanding of the neurobiology of suicide, which is the topic of this review. Methods Neurobiology of suicide has been studied using peripheral tissues, such as platelets, lymphocytes, and cerebral spinal fluid obtained from suicidal patients or from the postmortem brains of suicide victims. Results These studies have provided encouraging information with regard to the neurobiology of suicide. They show an abnormality of serotonergic mechanism, such as increased serotonin receptor subtypes and decreased serotonin metabolites, such as 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. These studies also suggest abnormalities of receptor-linked signaling mechanisms, such as phosphoinositide and adenylyl cyclase signaling mechanisms. Other biological systems that appear to be dysregulated in suicide are the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and abnormalities of neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors. More recently, several studies also indicate abnormalities of neuroimmune functions in suicide. Conclusions These studies have been discussed in detail in the following review. Some encouraging information has emerged, primarily related to some of these neurobiological mechanisms. It is hoped that neurobiological studies may eventually result in identifying appropriate biomarkers for suicidal behavior as well as appropriate therapeutic targets for its treatment. PMID:23773657

Enhanced Performance Controller Design for Stochastic Systems by Adding Extra State Estimation onto the Existing Closed Loop Control

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

Zhou, Yuyang; Zhang, Qichun; Wang, Hong

To enhance the performance of the tracking property , this paper presents a novel control algorithm for a class of linear dynamic stochastic systems with unmeasurable states, where the performance enhancement loop is established based on Kalman filter. Without changing the existing closed loop with the PI controller, the compensative controller is designed to minimize the variances of the tracking errors using the estimated states and the propagation of state variances. Moreover, the stability of the closed-loop systems has been analyzed in the mean-square sense. A simulated example is included to show the effectiveness of the presented control algorithm, wheremore » encouraging results have been obtained.« less

Mott physics beyond the Brinkman-Rice scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wysokiński, Marcin M.; Fabrizio, Michele

2017-04-01

The main flaw of the well-known Brinkman-Rice description, obtained through the Gutzwiller approximation, of the paramagnetic Mott transition in the Hubbard model is in neglecting high-energy virtual processes that generate, for instance, the antiferromagnetic exchange J ˜t2/U . Here, we propose a way to capture those processes by combining the Brinkman-Rice approach with a variational Schrieffer-Wolff transformation, and apply this method to study the single-band metal-to-insulator transition in a Bethe lattice with infinite coordination number, where the Gutzwiller approximation becomes exact. We indeed find for the Mott transition a description very close to the real one provided by the dynamical mean-field theory, an encouraging result in view of possible applications to more involved models.

In vitro osteosarcoma biosensing using THz time domain spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferguson, Bradley S.; Liu, Haibo; Hay, Shelley; Findlay, David; Zhang, Xi-Cheng; Abbott, Derek

2004-03-01

Terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) has a wide range of applications from semiconductor diagnostics to biosensing. Recent attention has focused on bio-applications and several groups have noted the ability of THz-TDS to differentiate basal cell carcinoma tissue from healthy dermal tissue ex vivo. The contrast mechanism is unclear but has been attributed to increased interstitial water in cancerous tissue. In this work we investigate the THz response of human osteosarcoma cells and normal human bone cells grown in culture to isolate the cells' responses from other effects. A classification algorithms based on a frequency selection by genetic algorithm is used to attempt to differentiate between the cell types based on the THz spectra. Encouraging preliminary results have been obtained.

Study on gold concentrate leaching by iodine-iodide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hai-xia; Sun, Chun-bao; Li, Shao-ying; Fu, Ping-feng; Song, Yu-guo; Li, Liang; Xie, Wen-qing

2013-04-01

Gold extraction by iodine-iodide solution is an effective and environment-friendly method. In this study, the method using iodine-iodide for gold leaching is proved feasible through thermodynamic calculation. At the same time, experiments on flotation gold concentrates were carried out and encouraging results were obtained. Through optimizing the technological conditions, the attained high gold leaching rate is more than 85%. The optimum process conditions at 25°C are shown as follows: the initial iodine concentration is 1.0%, the iodine-to-iodide mole ratio is 1:8, the solution pH value is 7, the liquid-to-solid mass ratio is 4:1, the leaching time is 4 h, the stirring intensity is 200 r/mim, and the hydrogen peroxide consumption is 1%.

Indirubin and Indirubin Derivatives for Counteracting Proliferative Diseases

PubMed Central

Blažević, Tina; Heiss, Elke H.; Atanasov, Atanas G.; Breuss, Johannes M.; Dirsch, Verena M.; Uhrin, Pavel

2015-01-01

Indirubin is the active component of Danggui Longhui Wan, a traditional Chinese medicine formulation. The encouraging clinical results from the 1980s obtained in chronic myelocytic leukemia patients treated with indirubin stimulated numerous studies on this compound. These investigations explored the use of indirubin in different types of cancer and reported the synthesis of novel derivatives with improved chemical and pharmacokinetic properties. In this paper, we review the impressive progress that has been made in elucidating the mechanistic understanding of how indirubin and its derivatives affect physiological and pathophysiological processes, mainly by inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of cell death. Furthermore, we survey the therapeutic use of these compounds in combating proliferative diseases such as cancer, restenosis, and psoriasis. PMID:26457112

Antispasmodic activity of fractions and cynaropicrin from Cynara scolymus on guinea-pig ileum.

PubMed

Emendörfer, Fernanda; Emendörfer, Fabiane; Bellato, Fernanda; Noldin, Vânia Floriani; Cechinel-Filho, Valdir; Yunes, Rosendo Augusto; Delle Monache, Franco; Cardozo, Alcíbia Maia

2005-05-01

This study describes the antispasmodic activity of some fractions and cynaropicrin, a sesquiterpene lactone from Cynara scolymus, cultivated in Brazil, against guinea-pig ileum contracted by acetylcholine. The dichloromethane fraction showed the most promising biological effects, with an IC(50) of 0.93 (0.49-1.77) mg/ml. Its main active component, the sesquiterpene lactone cynaropicrin, exhibited potent activity, with IC(50) of 0.065 (0.049-0.086) mg/ml, being about 14-fold more active than dichloromethane fraction and having similar potency to that of papaverine, a well-known antispasmodic agent. The results confirm the popular use of artichoke for the treatment of gastrointestinal disturbances, and encourage new studies on this compound, in order to obtain new antispasmodic agents.

Early experiences building a software quality prediction model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agresti, W. W.; Evanco, W. M.; Smith, M. C.

1990-01-01

Early experiences building a software quality prediction model are discussed. The overall research objective is to establish a capability to project a software system's quality from an analysis of its design. The technical approach is to build multivariate models for estimating reliability and maintainability. Data from 21 Ada subsystems were analyzed to test hypotheses about various design structures leading to failure-prone or unmaintainable systems. Current design variables highlight the interconnectivity and visibility of compilation units. Other model variables provide for the effects of reusability and software changes. Reported results are preliminary because additional project data is being obtained and new hypotheses are being developed and tested. Current multivariate regression models are encouraging, explaining 60 to 80 percent of the variation in error density of the subsystems.

Fair Trade Metaphor as a Control Privacy Method for Pervasive Environments: Concepts and Evaluation

PubMed Central

Esquivel, Abraham; Haya, Pablo; Alamán, Xavier

2015-01-01

This paper presents a proof of concept from which the metaphor of “fair trade” is validated as an alternative to manage the private information of users. Our privacy solution deals with user's privacy as a tradable good for obtaining environmental services. Thus, users gain access to more valuable services as they share more personal information. This strategy, combined with optimistic access control and transaction registry mechanisms, enhances users' confidence in the system while encouraging them to share their information, with the consequent benefit for the community. The study results are promising considering the user responses regarding the usefulness, ease of use, information classification and perception of control with the mechanisms proposed by the metaphor. PMID:26087373

First Light for USNO 1.3-meter Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monet, A. K. B.; Harris, F. H.; Harris, H. C.; Monet, D. G.; Stone, R. C.

2001-11-01

The US Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station has recently achieved first light with its newest telescope -- a 1.3--meter, f/4 modified Ritchey-Chretien,located on the grounds of the station. The instrument was designed to produce a well-corrected field 1.7--degrees in diameter, and is expected to provide wide-field imaging with excellent astrometric properties. A number of test images have been obtained, using a temporary CCD camera in both drift and stare mode, and the results have been quite encouraging. Several astrometric projects are planned for this instrument, which will be operated in fully automated fashion. This paper will describe the telescope and its planned large-format mosaic CCD camera, and will preview some of the research for which it will be employed.

Fair Trade Metaphor as a Control Privacy Method for Pervasive Environments: Concepts and Evaluation.

PubMed

Esquivel, Abraham; Haya, Pablo; Alamán, Xavier

2015-06-16

This paper presents a proof of concept from which the metaphor of "fair trade" is validated as an alternative to manage the private information of users. Our privacy solution deals with user's privacy as a tradable good for obtaining environmental services. Thus, users gain access to more valuable services as they share more personal information. This strategy, combined with optimistic access control and transaction registry mechanisms, enhances users' confidence in the system while encouraging them to share their information, with the consequent benefit for the community. The study results are promising considering the user responses regarding the usefulness, ease of use, information classification and perception of control with the mechanisms proposed by the metaphor.

Cancer Risk Information Sharing: The Experience of Individuals Receiving Genetic Counseling for BRCA1/2 Mutations

PubMed Central

Chopra, Ishveen; Kelly, Kimberly M.

2017-01-01

Genetic counseling and testing for familial cancer is a unique context for the communication of risk information in the family. This study utilized a theoretical framework based on the family systems perspective to understand intra-familial cancer risk communication patterns in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. Individuals (n=120) at an elevated risk for BRCA1/2 mutations were included. Change in communication patterns over time was assessed using McNemar tests. Associations with communication patterns were assessed with multivariable logistic regression. Overall, the proportion of participants encouraged by others significantly (P<0.001) increased from pre- to post-genetic counseling. A higher proportion of participants were encouraged by female family members compared to male family members. Participants who were older, had no personal history of cancer, and had a higher cancer risk perception were more likely to be encouraged by others for genetic testing. Participant’s intent to encourage family members for genetic testing from pre-counseling to post-receipt of genetic test results decreased by 16.7%. Participants who had no personal history of cancer and had informative test results for a BRCA1/2 mutation were more likely to encourage other family members for genetic testing. In addition, qualitative findings suggested that closeness among family members, concern for family, especially future generations, and cognizance about cancer risk facilitates information sharing and encouragement for genetic testing. Our findings indicate that intra-familial cancer risk communication varies with structure of family relationships, where genetic counseling played an important role in improving intra-familial cancer risk communication. PMID:28112991

Video-based Mobile Mapping System Using Smartphones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Hamad, A.; Moussa, A.; El-Sheimy, N.

2014-11-01

The last two decades have witnessed a huge growth in the demand for geo-spatial data. This demand has encouraged researchers around the world to develop new algorithms and design new mapping systems in order to obtain reliable sources for geo-spatial data. Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS) are one of the main sources for mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data. MMS integrate various remote sensing sensors, such as cameras and LiDAR, along with navigation sensors to provide the 3D coordinates of points of interest from moving platform (e.g. cars, air planes, etc.). Although MMS can provide accurate mapping solution for different GIS applications, the cost of these systems is not affordable for many users and only large scale companies and institutions can benefits from MMS systems. The main objective of this paper is to propose a new low cost MMS with reasonable accuracy using the available sensors in smartphones and its video camera. Using the smartphone video camera, instead of capturing individual images, makes the system easier to be used by non-professional users since the system will automatically extract the highly overlapping frames out of the video without the user intervention. Results of the proposed system are presented which demonstrate the effect of the number of the used images in mapping solution. In addition, the accuracy of the mapping results obtained from capturing a video is compared to the same results obtained from using separate captured images instead of video.

Does Pneumatic Tube System Transport Contribute to Hemolysis in ED Blood Samples?

PubMed Central

Phelan, Michael P.; Reineks, Edmunds Z.; Hustey, Fredric M.; Berriochoa, Jacob P.; Podolsky, Seth R.; Meldon, Stephen; Schold, Jesse D.; Chamberlin, Janelle; Procop, Gary W.

2016-01-01

Introduction Our goal was to determine if the hemolysis among blood samples obtained in an emergency department and then sent to the laboratory in a pneumatic tube system was different from those in samples that were hand-carried. Methods The hemolysis index is measured on all samples submitted for potassium analysis. We queried our hospital laboratory database system (SunQuest®) for potassium results for specimens obtained between January 2014 and July 2014. From facility maintenance records, we identified periods of system downtime, during which specimens were hand-carried to the laboratory. Results During the study period, 15,851 blood specimens were transported via our pneumatic tube system and 92 samples were hand delivered. The proportions of hemolyzed specimens in the two groups were not significantly different (13.6% vs. 13.1% [p=0.90]). Results were consistent when the criterion was limited to gross (3.3% vs 3.3% [p=0.99]) or mild (10.3% vs 9.8% [p=0.88]) hemolysis. The hemolysis rate showed minimal variation during the study period (12.6%–14.6%). Conclusion We found no statistical difference in the percentages of hemolyzed specimens transported by a pneumatic tube system or hand delivered to the laboratory. Certain features of pneumatic tube systems might contribute to hemolysis (e.g., speed, distance, packing material). Since each system is unique in design, we encourage medical facilities to consider whether their method of transport might contribute to hemolysis in samples obtained in the emergency department. PMID:27625719

Extraction of food consumption systems by nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) for the assessment of food choices.

PubMed

Zetlaoui, Mélanie; Feinberg, Max; Verger, Philippe; Clémençon, Stephan

2011-12-01

In Western countries where food supply is satisfactory, consumers organize their diets around a large combination of foods. It is the purpose of this article to examine how recent nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) techniques can be applied to food consumption data to understand these combinations. Such data are nonnegative by nature and of high dimension. The NMF model provides a representation of consumption data through latent vectors with nonnegative coefficients, that we call consumption systems (CS), in a small number. As the NMF approach may encourage sparsity of the data representation produced, the resulting CS are easily interpretable. Beyond the illustration of its properties we provide through a simple simulation result, the NMF method is applied to data issued from a French consumption survey. The numerical results thus obtained are displayed and thoroughly discussed. A clustering based on the k-means method is also achieved in the resulting latent consumption space, to recover food consumption patterns easily usable for nutritionists. © 2011, The International Biometric Society.

Further Examination of the Vibratory Loads Reduction Results from the NASA/ARMY/MIT Active Twist Rotor Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilbur, Matthew L.; Yeager, William T., Jr.; Sekula, Martin K.

2002-01-01

The vibration reduction capabilities of a model rotor system utilizing controlled, strain-induced blade twisting are examined. The model rotor blades, which utilize piezoelectric active fiber composite actuators, were tested in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel using open-loop control to determine the effect of active-twist on rotor vibratory loads. The results of this testing have been encouraging, and have demonstrated that active-twist rotor designs offer the potential for significant load reductions in future helicopter rotor systems. Active twist control was found to use less than 1% of the power necessary to operate the rotor system and had a pronounced effect on both rotating- and fixed-system loads, offering reductions in individual harmonic loads of up to 100%. A review of the vibration reduction results obtained is presented, which includes a limited set of comparisons with results generated using the second-generation version of the Comprehensive Analytical Model of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics (CAMRAD II) rotorcraft comprehensive analysis.

Starting School--Why Girls Are Already Ahead of Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehead, Joan M.

2006-01-01

Drawing on a number of fields of educational research this article argues that girls come to school better prepared to meet its demands than boys. Parents encourage different skills in their children, as a result girls have more sophisticated communication skills, and are more likely to have been encouraged to participate in intellectual tasks…

76 FR 67786 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Order Granting Approval of Proposed Rule...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-02

... result in more active market making. In addition, Phlx states that excluding transactions where the contra-side is another ROT should encourage more regular and active market making. III. Discussion The... applicable to ROTs should encourage more active market making and thereby promote the provision of liquidity...

Microstructure control of SOFC cathode material: The role of dispersing agent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, Ismariza; Jani, Abdul Mutalib Md; Osman, Nafisah

2017-09-01

In the present works, La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) cathode powders were synthesized by a sol-gel method with the aid of ethylene glycol which served as the dispersing agent. The phase formation and morphology of the powders were examined by X-Ray diffractometer (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively. The electrochemical properties of the synthesized cathode were obtained using an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The characteristic peaks for LSCF phase appears in the X-ray diffractogram after calcined at 500 °C and complete formation of LSCF single phase was attained at 700 °C. FESEM micrographs showed the presence of spherical particles of the powders with approximate particle size between 10 to 60 nm along with agglomerate morphologies. Well dispersed particles and fewer aggregates were observed for samples prepared with addition of ethylene glycol as the synthesizing aid. The surface area obtained for powder sample prepared with the aid of dispersing agent is 12.0 m2g-1. The EIS measurement results depicts a lower area specific resistance (ASR) obtained for sample prepared with addition of the ethylene glycol as compared to the pristine sample. The present results encourage the optimization of the cathode particle design in order to further improve the cathode performance.

Multiphysics superensemble forecast applied to Mediterranean heavy precipitation situations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vich, M.; Romero, R.

2010-11-01

The high-impact precipitation events that regularly affect the western Mediterranean coastal regions are still difficult to predict with the current prediction systems. Bearing this in mind, this paper focuses on the superensemble technique applied to the precipitation field. Encouraged by the skill shown by a previous multiphysics ensemble prediction system applied to western Mediterranean precipitation events, the superensemble is fed with this ensemble. The training phase of the superensemble contributes to the actual forecast with weights obtained by comparing the past performance of the ensemble members and the corresponding observed states. The non-hydrostatic MM5 mesoscale model is used to run the multiphysics ensemble. Simulations are performed with a 22.5 km resolution domain (Domain 1 in http://mm5forecasts.uib.es) nested in the ECMWF forecast fields. The period between September and December 2001 is used to train the superensemble and a collection of 19~MEDEX cyclones is used to test it. The verification procedure involves testing the superensemble performance and comparing it with that of the poor-man and bias-corrected ensemble mean and the multiphysic EPS control member. The results emphasize the need of a well-behaved training phase to obtain good results with the superensemble technique. A strategy to obtain this improved training phase is already outlined.

Multilayer perceptron neural network-based approach for modeling phycocyanin pigment concentrations: case study from lower Charles River buoy, USA.

PubMed

Heddam, Salim

2016-09-01

This paper proposes multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) to predict phycocyanin (PC) pigment using water quality variables as predictor. In the proposed model, four water quality variables that are water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance were selected as the inputs for the MLPNN model, and the PC as the output. To demonstrate the capability and the usefulness of the MLPNN model, a total of 15,849 data measured at 15-min (15 min) intervals of time are used for the development of the model. The data are collected at the lower Charles River buoy, and available from the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). For comparison purposes, a multiple linear regression (MLR) model that was frequently used for predicting water quality variables in previous studies is also built. The performances of the models are evaluated using a set of widely used statistical indices. The performance of the MLPNN and MLR models is compared with the measured data. The obtained results show that (i) the all proposed MLPNN models are more accurate than the MLR models and (ii) the results obtained are very promising and encouraging for the development of phycocyanin-predictive models.

Process Control Strategies for Dual-Phase Steel Manufacturing Using ANN and ANFIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vafaeenezhad, H.; Ghanei, S.; Seyedein, S. H.; Beygi, H.; Mazinani, M.

2014-11-01

In this research, a comprehensive soft computational approach is presented for the analysis of the influencing parameters on manufacturing of dual-phase steels. A set of experimental data have been gathered to obtain the initial database used for the training and testing of both artificial neural networks (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The parameters used in the strategy were intercritical annealing temperature, carbon content, and holding time which gives off martensite percentage as an output. A fraction of the data set was chosen to train both ANN and ANFIS, and the rest was put into practice to authenticate the act of the trained networks while seeing unseen data. To compare the obtained results, coefficient of determination and root mean squared error indexes were chosen. Using artificial intelligence methods, it is not necessary to consider and establish a preliminary mathematical model and formulate its affecting parameters on its definition. In conclusion, the martensite percentages corresponding to the manufacturing parameters can be determined prior to a production using these controlling algorithms. Although the results acquired from both ANN and ANFIS are very encouraging, the proposed ANFIS has enhanced performance over the ANN and takes better effect on cost-reduction profit.

High resolution 3D confocal microscope imaging of volcanic ash particles.

PubMed

Wertheim, David; Gillmore, Gavin; Gill, Ian; Petford, Nick

2017-07-15

We present initial results from a novel high resolution confocal microscopy study of the 3D surface structure of volcanic ash particles from two recent explosive basaltic eruptions, Eyjafjallajökull (2010) and Grimsvötn (2011), in Iceland. The majority of particles imaged are less than 100μm in size and include PM 10 s, known to be harmful to humans if inhaled. Previous studies have mainly used 2D microscopy to examine volcanic particles. The aim of this study was to test the potential of 3D laser scanning confocal microscopy as a reliable analysis tool for these materials and if so to what degree high resolution surface and volume data could be obtained that would further aid in their classification. First results obtained using an Olympus LEXT scanning confocal microscope with a ×50 and ×100 objective lens are highly encouraging. They reveal a range of discrete particle types characterised by sharp or concave edges consistent with explosive formation and sudden rupture of magma. Initial surface area/volume ratios are given that may prove useful in subsequent modelling of damage to aircraft engines and human tissue where inhalation has occurred. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Examining the Relationship between Free Recall and Immediate Serial Recall: The Role of List Length, Strategy Use, and Test Expectancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grenfell-Essam, Rachel; Ward, Geoff

2012-01-01

Recent findings suggest that the immediate free recall (IFR) of short lists is similar to immediate serial recall (ISR). These findings were obtained using a methodology in which participants did not know the list length in advance of each list, and this uncertainty may have encouraged participants to adopt atypical recall strategies. Therefore,…

Creating a Culture of Wellness: A Baseline Multidimensional Analysis of Wellness at a Small Private Historically Black College and University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romano, Victor Owen

2013-01-01

Wellness is something that needs to be taught, encouraged, and valued within a community for it to be obtainable. Preventable health disparities attributed to lack of physical activity continue to be a burden in predominantly African-American communities. Preventative wellness programming has been shown to be successful for students, as well as…

A Fast Solution of the Lindley Equations for the M-Group Regression Problem. Technical Report 78-3, October 1977 through May 1978.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molenaar, Ivo W.

The technical problems involved in obtaining Bayesian model estimates for the regression parameters in m similar groups are studied. The available computer programs, BPREP (BASIC), and BAYREG, both written in FORTRAN, require an amount of computer processing that does not encourage regular use. These programs are analyzed so that the performance…

Guidelines for School and Community Programs To Promote Lifelong Physical Activity among Young People. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Recommendations and Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MMWR, 1997

1997-01-01

This report summarizes recommendations for encouraging physical activity among young people so they will continue to engage in physical activity in adulthood and obtain the benefits of physical activity throughout life. The guidelines are based on an in-depth review of research, theory, and current practice in physical education, exercise science,…

Polarisation of auroral emission lines in the Earth's upper atmosphere : first results and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamy, H.; Barthelemy, M.; Simon Wedlund, C.; Lilensten, J.; Bommier, V.

2011-12-01

Polarisation of light is a key observable to provide information about asymmetry or anisotropy within a radiative source. Following the pioneering and controversial work of Duncan in 1959, the polarisation of auroral emission lines in the Earth's upper atmosphere has been overlooked for a long time, even though the red intense auroral line (6300Å) produced by collisional impacts with electrons precipitating along magnetic field lines is a good candidate to search for polarisation. This problem was investigated again by Lilensten et al (2006) and observations were obtained by Lilensten et al (2008) confirming that the red auroral emission line is polarised. More recent measurements obtained by Barthélemy et al (2011) are presented and discussed. The results are compared to predictions of the theoretical work of Bommier et al (2011) and are in good agreement. Following these encouraging results, a new dedicated spectropolarimeter is currently under construction between BIRA-IASB and IPAG to provide simultaneously the polarisation of the red line and of other interesting auroral emission lines such as N2+ 1NG (4278Å), other N2 bands, etc... Perspectives regarding the theoretical polarisation of some of these lines will be presented. The importance of these polarisation measurements in the framework of atmospheric modeling and geomagnetic activity will be discussed.

Advanced engineering tools for design and fabrication of a custom nasal prosthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, Inês; Leal, Nuno; Silva, Pedro; da Costa Ferreira, A.; Neto, Rui J.; Lino, F. Jorge; Reis, Ana

2012-09-01

Unexpected external defects resulting from neoplasms, burns, congenital malformations, trauma or other diseases, particularly when involving partial or total loss of an external organ, can be emotionally devastating. These defects can be restored with prosthesis, obtained by different techniques, materials and methods. The increase of patient numbers and cost constraints lead to the need of exploring new techniques that can increase efficiency. The main goal of this project was to develop a full engineering-based manufacturing process to obtain soft-tissue prosthesis that could provide faster and less expensive options in the manufacturing of customized prosthesis, and at the same time being able to reproduce the highest degree of details, with the maximum comfort for the patient. Design/methodology/approach - This case report describes treatment using silicone prosthesis with an anatomic retention for an 80-years-old woman with a rhinectomy. The proposed methodology integrates non-contact structured light scanning, CT and reverse engineering with CAD/CAM and additive manufacturing technology. Findings - The proposed protocol showed encouraging results since reveals being a better solution for fabricating custom-made facial prostheses for asymmetrical organs than conventional approaches. The process allows the attainment of prosthesis with the minimum contact and discomfort for the patient, disclosing excellent results in terms of aesthetic, prosthesis retention and in terms of time and resources consumed.

How "ought" exceeds but implies "can": Description and encouragement in moral judgment.

PubMed

Turri, John

2017-11-01

This paper tests a theory about the relationship between two important topics in moral philosophy and psychology. One topic is the function of normative language, specifically claims that one "ought" to do something. Do these claims function to describe moral responsibilities, encourage specific behavior, or both? The other topic is the relationship between saying that one "ought" to do something and one's ability to do it. In what respect, if any, does what one "ought" to do exceed what one "can" do? The theory tested here has two parts: (1) "ought" claims function to both describe responsibilities and encourage people to fulfill them (the dual-function hypothesis); (2) the two functions relate differently to ability, because the encouragement function is limited by the person's ability, but the descriptive function is not (the interaction hypothesis). If this theory is correct, then in one respect "ought implies can" is false because people have responsibilities that exceed their abilities. But in another respect "ought implies can" is legitimate because it is not worthwhile to encourage people to do things that exceed their ability. Results from two behavioral experiments support the theory that "ought" exceeds but implies "can." Results from a third experiment provide further evidence regarding an "ought" claim's primary function and how contextual features can affect the interpretation of its functions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization and quantification of grape variety by means of shikimic acid concentration and protein fingerprint in still white wines.

PubMed

Chabreyrie, David; Chauvet, Serge; Guyon, François; Salagoïty, Marie-Hélène; Antinelli, Jean-François; Medina, Bernard

2008-08-27

Protein profiles, obtained by high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) on white wines previously dialyzed, combined with shikimic acid concentration and multivariate analysis, were used for the determination of grape variety composition of a still white wine. Six varieties were studied through monovarietal wines elaborated in the laboratory: Chardonnay (24 samples), Chenin (24), Petit Manseng (7), Sauvignon (37), Semillon (24), and Ugni Blanc (9). Homemade mixtures were elaborated from authentic monovarietal wines according to a Plackett-Burman sampling plan. After protein peak area normalization, a matrix was elaborated containing protein results of wines (mixtures and monovarietal). Partial least-squares processing was applied to this matrix allowing the elaboration of a model that provided a varietal quantification precision of around 20% for most of the grape varieties studied. The model was applied to commercial samples from various geographical origins, providing encouraging results for control purposes.

Preliminary Investigation on the Effects of Shockwaves on Water Samples Using a Portable Semi-Automatic Shocktube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wessley, G. Jims John

2017-10-01

The propagation of shock waves through any media results in an instantaneous increase in pressure and temperature behind the shockwave. The scope of utilizing this sudden rise in pressure and temperature in new industrial, biological and commercial areas has been explored and the opportunities are tremendous. This paper presents the design and testing of a portable semi-automatic shock tube on water samples mixed with salt. The preliminary analysis shows encouraging results as the salinity of water samples were reduced up to 5% when bombarded with 250 shocks generated using a pressure ratio of 2. 5. Paper used for normal printing is used as the diaphragm to generate the shocks. The impact of shocks of much higher intensity obtained using different diaphragms will lead to more reduction in the salinity of the sea water, thus leading to production of potable water from saline water, which is the need of the hour.

Effects of halving pesticide use on wheat production

PubMed Central

Hossard, L.; Philibert, A.; Bertrand, M.; Colnenne-David, C.; Debaeke, P.; Munier-Jolain, N.; Jeuffroy, M. H.; Richard, G.; Makowski, D.

2014-01-01

Pesticides pose serious threats to both human health and the environment. In Europe, farmers are encouraged to reduce their use, and in France a recent environmental policy fixed a target of halving the pesticide use by 2018. Organic and integrated cropping systems have been proposed as possible solutions for reducing pesticide use, but the effect of reducing pesticide use on crop yield remains unclear. Here we use a set of cropping system experiments to quantify the yield losses resulting from a reduction of pesticide use for winter wheat in France. Our estimated yield losses resulting from a 50% reduction in pesticide use ranged from 5 to 13% of the yield obtained with the current pesticide use. At the scale of the whole country, these losses would decrease the French wheat production by about 2 to 3 millions of tons, which represent about 15% of the French wheat export. PMID:24651597

Is immunosuppressive therapy the anchor treatment to achieve remission in systemic sclerosis?

PubMed

Cappelli, Susanna; Bellando-Randone, Silvia; Guiducci, Serena; Matucci-Cerinic, Marco

2014-06-01

Since activation of the immune system and a perivascular infiltrate of inflammatory cells are key features of SSc, immunosuppression has long been considered to be an anchor treatment. Non-selective immunosuppression remains central to the treatment of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and skin involvement, with CYC most widely used to obtain remission. The use of MTX as a first-line agent may be considered in the presence of skin involvement without ILD. More recently, MMF has shown encouraging results in observational studies, but still needs more formal evaluation to verify if it can be considered an alternative drug to CYC or a maintenance agent such as AZA. Rituximab has provided promising results in small open-label studies and other novel therapies targeting specific molecular and cellular targets are under evaluation. Patients with rapidly progressing diffuse cutaneous SSc should be evaluated for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Effects of halving pesticide use on wheat production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossard, L.; Philibert, A.; Bertrand, M.; Colnenne-David, C.; Debaeke, P.; Munier-Jolain, N.; Jeuffroy, M. H.; Richard, G.; Makowski, D.

2014-03-01

Pesticides pose serious threats to both human health and the environment. In Europe, farmers are encouraged to reduce their use, and in France a recent environmental policy fixed a target of halving the pesticide use by 2018. Organic and integrated cropping systems have been proposed as possible solutions for reducing pesticide use, but the effect of reducing pesticide use on crop yield remains unclear. Here we use a set of cropping system experiments to quantify the yield losses resulting from a reduction of pesticide use for winter wheat in France. Our estimated yield losses resulting from a 50% reduction in pesticide use ranged from 5 to 13% of the yield obtained with the current pesticide use. At the scale of the whole country, these losses would decrease the French wheat production by about 2 to 3 millions of tons, which represent about 15% of the French wheat export.

Toward anthropomimetic robotics: development, simulation, and control of a musculoskeletal torso.

PubMed

Wittmeier, Steffen; Alessandro, Cristiano; Bascarevic, Nenad; Dalamagkidis, Konstantinos; Devereux, David; Diamond, Alan; Jäntsch, Michael; Jovanovic, Kosta; Knight, Rob; Marques, Hugo Gravato; Milosavljevic, Predrag; Mitra, Bhargav; Svetozarevic, Bratislav; Potkonjak, Veljko; Pfeifer, Rolf; Knoll, Alois; Holland, Owen

2013-01-01

Anthropomimetic robotics differs from conventional approaches by capitalizing on the replication of the inner structures of the human body, such as muscles, tendons, bones, and joints. Here we present our results of more than three years of research in constructing, simulating, and, most importantly, controlling anthropomimetic robots. We manufactured four physical torsos, each more complex than its predecessor, and developed the tools required to simulate their behavior. Furthermore, six different control approaches, inspired by classical control theory, machine learning, and neuroscience, were developed and evaluated via these simulations or in small-scale setups. While the obtained results are encouraging, we are aware that we have barely exploited the potential of the anthropomimetic design so far. But, with the tools developed, we are confident that this novel approach will contribute to our understanding of morphological computation and human motor control in the future.

Unsupervised real-time speaker identification for daily movies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ying; Kuo, C.-C. Jay

2002-07-01

The problem of identifying speakers for movie content analysis is addressed in this paper. While most previous work on speaker identification was carried out in a supervised mode using pure audio data, more robust results can be obtained in real-time by integrating knowledge from multiple media sources in an unsupervised mode. In this work, both audio and visual cues will be employed and subsequently combined in a probabilistic framework to identify speakers. Particularly, audio information is used to identify speakers with a maximum likelihood (ML)-based approach while visual information is adopted to distinguish speakers by detecting and recognizing their talking faces based on face detection/recognition and mouth tracking techniques. Moreover, to accommodate for speakers' acoustic variations along time, we update their models on the fly by adapting to their newly contributed speech data. Encouraging results have been achieved through extensive experiments, which shows a promising future of the proposed audiovisual-based unsupervised speaker identification system.

Comparative Application of PLS and PCR Methods to Simultaneous Quantitative Estimation and Simultaneous Dissolution Test of Zidovudine - Lamivudine Tablets.

PubMed

Üstündağ, Özgür; Dinç, Erdal; Özdemir, Nurten; Tilkan, M Günseli

2015-01-01

In the development strategies of new drug products and generic drug products, the simultaneous in-vitro dissolution behavior of oral dosage formulations is the most important indication for the quantitative estimation of efficiency and biopharmaceutical characteristics of drug substances. This is to force the related field's scientists to improve very powerful analytical methods to get more reliable, precise and accurate results in the quantitative analysis and dissolution testing of drug formulations. In this context, two new chemometric tools, partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression (PCR) were improved for the simultaneous quantitative estimation and dissolution testing of zidovudine (ZID) and lamivudine (LAM) in a tablet dosage form. The results obtained in this study strongly encourage us to use them for the quality control, the routine analysis and the dissolution test of the marketing tablets containing ZID and LAM drugs.

Effects of halving pesticide use on wheat production.

PubMed

Hossard, L; Philibert, A; Bertrand, M; Colnenne-David, C; Debaeke, P; Munier-Jolain, N; Jeuffroy, M H; Richard, G; Makowski, D

2014-03-20

Pesticides pose serious threats to both human health and the environment. In Europe, farmers are encouraged to reduce their use, and in France a recent environmental policy fixed a target of halving the pesticide use by 2018. Organic and integrated cropping systems have been proposed as possible solutions for reducing pesticide use, but the effect of reducing pesticide use on crop yield remains unclear. Here we use a set of cropping system experiments to quantify the yield losses resulting from a reduction of pesticide use for winter wheat in France. Our estimated yield losses resulting from a 50% reduction in pesticide use ranged from 5 to 13% of the yield obtained with the current pesticide use. At the scale of the whole country, these losses would decrease the French wheat production by about 2 to 3 millions of tons, which represent about 15% of the French wheat export.

Failure to replicate depletion of self-control.

PubMed

Xu, Xiaomeng; Demos, Kathryn E; Leahey, Tricia M; Hart, Chantelle N; Trautvetter, Jennifer; Coward, Pamela; Middleton, Kathryn R; Wing, Rena R

2014-01-01

The limited resource or strength model of self-control posits that the use of self-regulatory resources leads to depletion and poorer performance on subsequent self-control tasks. We conducted four studies (two with community samples, two with young adult samples) utilizing a frequently used depletion procedure (crossing out letters protocol) and the two most frequently used dependent measures of self-control (handgrip perseverance and modified Stroop). In each study, participants completed a baseline self-control measure, a depletion or control task (randomized), and then the same measure of self-control a second time. There was no evidence for significant depletion effects in any of these four studies. The null results obtained in four attempts to replicate using strong methodological approaches may indicate that depletion has more limited effects than implied by prior publications. We encourage further efforts to replicate depletion (particularly among community samples) with full disclosure of positive and negative results.

New approach for logo recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jingying; Leung, Maylor K. H.; Gao, Yongsheng

2000-03-01

The problem of logo recognition is of great interest in the document domain, especially for document database. By recognizing the logo we obtain semantic information about the document which may be useful in deciding whether or not to analyze the textual components. In order to develop a logo recognition method that is efficient to compute and product intuitively reasonable results, we investigate the Line Segment Hausdorff Distance on logo recognition. Researchers apply Hausdorff Distance to measure the dissimilarity of two point sets. It has been extended to match two sets of line segments. The new approach has the advantage to incorporate structural and spatial information to compute the dissimilarity. The added information can conceptually provide more and better distinctive capability for recognition. The proposed technique has been applied on line segments of logos with encouraging results that support the concept experimentally. This might imply a new way for logo recognition.

[Acidity and microbial flora contaminating Senegalese reconstituted curdled milk produced on small scale].

PubMed

Seydi, M; Ndiaye, M

1993-01-01

The present study is carried out to appreciate the acidity, and survey the microbiological quality of reconstituted curdled milk (R.C.M.) obtained on small scale. For his, a total of 100 samples collected from Dakar's sellers were examined. The results show that: pH of R.C.M. is low and very variable: 4.17 +/- 0.30, titrable acidity is high: 152.6 +/- 26.5 degrees D, 5% of samples are contaminated by fecal coliforms and yielded counts of 20 germs/g, 19% of samples are polluted by Staphylococcus aureus to level equal to 10(2) germs/g or higher, yeasts and moulds are present in all samples, salmonella were absent. Saphylococcus aureus survival in curdled milk despite a dysgenesic acidity may be the result of very unhygienic conditions of preparation. Sellers and consumers must be encouraged to respect hygienic rules of preparation. It is the only way to prevent food poisoning.

Peroxidase-mediated Biodegradation of Carbon Nanotubes in vitro and in vivo

PubMed Central

Kotchey, Gregg P.; Zhao, Yong; Kagan, Valerian E.; Star, Alexander

2013-01-01

As a result of their unique electronic, optical, and mechanical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been implemented in therapeutic and imaging applications. In an idealized situation, CNTs would be disposed of after they transport their theranostic payloads. Biodegradation represents an attractive pathway for the eliminating of CNT carriers post-delivery and may be integral in catalyzing the release of the cargo from the delivery vehicle. Accordingly, recent research efforts have focused on peroxidase-driven biodegradation of CNTs. In this review, we not only summarize recent efforts to biodegrade CNTs in the test tube, in vitro, and in vivo, but also attempt to explore the fundamental parameters underlying degradation. Encouraged by the in vivo results obtained to date, we envision a future, where carbon-based nano-containers, which are specifically designed to target organs/cells, deliver their cargo, and biodegrade via peroxidase-driven mechanism, will represent an attractive therapeutic delivery option in nanomedicine. PMID:23856412

Liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and dried blood spot sampling applied to pharmacokinetics studies in animals: Correlation of classic and block design.

PubMed

Baldo, Matías N; Angeli, Emmanuel; Gareis, Natalia C; Hunzicker, Gabriel A; Murguía, Marcelo C; Ortega, Hugo H; Hein, Gustavo J

2018-04-01

A relative bioavailability study (RBA) of two phenytoin (PHT) formulations was conducted in rabbits, in order to compare the results obtained from different matrices (plasma and blood from dried blood spot (DBS) sampling) and different experimental designs (classic and block). The method was developed by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in plasma and blood samples. The different sample preparation techniques, plasma protein precipitation and DBS, were validated according to international requirements. The analytical method was validated with ranges 0.20-50.80 and 0.12-20.32 µg ml -1 , r > 0.999 for plasma and blood, respectively. Accuracy and precision were within acceptance criteria for bioanalytical assay validation (< 15 for bias and CV% and < 20 for limit of quantification (LOQ)). PHT showed long-term stability, both for plasma and blood, and under refrigerated and room temperature conditions. Haematocrit values were measured during the validation process and RBA study. Finally, the pharmacokinetic parameters (C max , T max and AUC 0-t ) obtained from the RBA study were tested. Results were highly comparable for matrices and experimental designs. A matrix correlation higher than 0.975 and a ratio of (PHT blood) = 1.158 (PHT plasma) were obtained. The results obtained herein show that the use of classic experimental design and DBS sampling for animal pharmacokinetic studies should be encouraged as they could help to prevent the use of a large number of animals and also animal euthanasia. Finally, the combination of DBS sampling with LC-MS/MS technology showed to be an excellent tool not only for therapeutic drug monitoring but also for RBA studies.

Decoding Humor Experiences from Brain Activity of People Viewing Comedy Movies

PubMed Central

Sawahata, Yasuhito; Komine, Kazuteru; Morita, Toshiya; Hiruma, Nobuyuki

2013-01-01

Humans naturally have a sense of humor. Experiencing humor not only encourages social interactions, but also produces positive physiological effects on the human body, such as lowering blood pressure. Recent neuro-imaging studies have shown evidence for distinct mental state changes at work in people experiencing humor. However, the temporal characteristics of these changes remain elusive. In this paper, we objectively measured humor-related mental states from single-trial functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data obtained while subjects viewed comedy TV programs. Measured fMRI data were labeled on the basis of the lag before or after the viewer’s perception of humor (humor onset) determined by the viewer-reported humor experiences during the fMRI scans. We trained multiple binary classifiers, or decoders, to distinguish between fMRI data obtained at each lag from ones obtained during a neutral state in which subjects were not experiencing humor. As a result, in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the right temporal area, the decoders showed significant classification accuracies even at two seconds ahead of the humor onsets. Furthermore, given a time series of fMRI data obtained during movie viewing, we found that the decoders with significant performance were also able to predict the upcoming humor events on a volume-by-volume basis. Taking into account the hemodynamic delay, our results suggest that the upcoming humor events are encoded in specific brain areas up to about five seconds before the awareness of experiencing humor. Our results provide evidence that there exists a mental state lasting for a few seconds before actual humor perception, as if a viewer is expecting the future humorous events. PMID:24324656

THE ROLE OF EMPLOYERS IN FACILITATING SMOKING CESSATION AMONG STAFF: PERSPECTIVE OF DRIVERS IN A NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY.

PubMed

Olumide, A O; Owoaje, Eme T

2017-12-01

Several interventions have been instituted to encourage smoking cessation among smokers. Many adults are currently working and spend several hours a day at work. Employers thus have a role to play in encouraging staff who smoke to quit. This study investigated the perception of drivers employed in the University of Ibadan, Nigeria on the role of their employers in facilitating smoking cessation among staff who smoke. All 176 drivers employed by the University and who were available on the days of the interviews were interviewed. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on drivers' opinion on the role of employers in facilitating smoking cessation among staff. All the drivers were male and had a mean age of 51.2 ± 5.8 years. Five (2.8%) drivers were current smokers. One hundred and thirty-six (77.3%) drivers were of the opinion that their employers had a role to play in encouraging smoking cessation among staff who smoke. They felt this could be done by organizing workshops to sensitize staff on the dangers of smoking 73 (53.7%), educating staff about the health effects of smoking 26 (19.1%) and arresting staff caught smoking during official hours 20 (14.7%). Many of the drivers felt that their employers had a role to play in encouraging smoking cessation among staff. The University authorities should build on this and take specific steps to institute a comprehensive workplace antitobacco policy which includes smoking cessation interventions to assist staff who smoke to quit.

Gravity, God and Ghosts? Parents' Beliefs in Science, Religion, and the Paranormal and the Encouragement of Beliefs in Their Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braswell, Gregory S.; Rosengren, Karl S.; Berenbaum, Howard

2012-01-01

Using a questionnaire, the present study examined parents' beliefs regarding the development of children's beliefs about science, religion, and the paranormal. The study also investigated parental encouragement of children's beliefs, as well as parents' own beliefs within these domains. Results revealed that parents make distinctions between…

In It Together: Mother Talk of Weight Concerns Moderates Negative Outcomes of Encouragement to Lose Weight on Daughter Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating

PubMed Central

Hillard, Erin E.; Gondoli, Dawn M.; Corning, Alexandra F.; Morrissey, Rebecca A.

2015-01-01

Mothers’ influence on their daughters is important for understanding girls’ disordered eating and body dissatisfaction. Direct maternal encouragement of daughters to lose weight is linked to daughters’ development of bulimic symptoms, and additional findings indicate that daughters whose mothers merely talk about dieting and body dissatisfaction are more likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder. The current study extends such research by examining the interactive contributions of maternal encouragement to lose weight and maternal dieting discussions to the prediction of early adolescent daughters’ body dissatisfaction and disordered eating over the middle school period. Participants were 89 adolescent girls who were in the 6th grade at Time 1. Regression analyses were conducted to examine interactive effects of mother encouragement to diet and talk of weight concerns on daughter body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and dieting behavior. Results suggest an interactive effect in which mothers’ dieting talk may act as a buffer against the negative effects of direct encouragement to lose weight. PMID:26551484

Targeting carbonic anhydrase to treat diabetic retinopathy: Emerging evidences and encouraging results

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

Weiwei, Zhang; Hu, Renming, E-mail: taylorzww@gmail.com

2009-12-18

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of vision loss among working-age populations in developed countries. Current treatment options are limited to tight glycemic, blood pressure control and destructive laser surgery. Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are a group of enzymes involving in the rapid conversion of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and protons. Emerging evidences reveal CA inhibitors hold the promise for the treatment of DR. This article summarizes encouraging results from clinical and animal studies, and reviews the possible mechanisms.

Understanding and encouraging volunteerism and community involvement.

PubMed

Stukas, Arthur A; Snyder, Mark; Clary, E Gil

2016-01-01

Volunteerism and community involvement have been demonstrated to offer benefits both to communities and to volunteers themselves. However, not every method to encourage these behaviors is equally effective in producing committed volunteers. Drawing on relevant theoretical and empirical literatures, we identify features of efforts that are likely to produce intrinsically motivated other-oriented volunteers and those that may produce extrinsically motivated self-oriented volunteers. In particular, we explore ways to socialize young people to help and ways to build a sense of community focused on particular issues. We also examine requirements for community service and other approaches that highlight self-oriented benefits that volunteers may obtain. Finally, we return to a focus on the importance of intrinsic motivation for promoting sustained involvement in volunteers, even as we acknowledge that volunteers who come with extrinsic or self-oriented reasons can still offer much to communities and can be satisfied when their activities match their motivations.

Activities and interim outcomes of a multi-site development project to promote cognitive support technology use and employment success among postsecondary students with traumatic brain injuries.

PubMed

Hendricks, Deborah J; Sampson, Elaine; Rumrill, Phillip; Leopold, Anne; Elias, Eileen; Jacobs, Karen; Nardone, Amanda; Scherer, Marcia; Stauffer, Callista

2015-01-01

This article describes the activities and interim outcomes of a multi-site development project called Project Career, designed to promote cognitive support technology (CST) use and employment success for college and university students with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). To obtain early intervention results from participants in Project Career's first 18 months of operation. Fifty-six students with TBI have participated to date across three implementation sites in Massachusetts, Ohio, and West Virginia, with 25 of these participants being military veterans. Descriptive analyses provide information regarding the participants, the barriers they face due to their TBI in obtaining a post-secondary education, and the impact services provided by Project Career have had to date in ameliorating those difficulties. Inferential statistical analyses provide preliminary results regarding program effectiveness. Preliminary results indicate the program is encouraging students to use CST strategies in the form of iPads and cognitive enhancement applications (also known as 'apps'). Significant results indicate participants are more positive, independent, and social; participants have a more positive attitude toward technology after six months in the program; and participants reported significantly improved experiences with technology during their first six months in the program. Participating students are actively preparing for their careers after graduation through a wide range of intensive vocational supports provided by project staff members.

Core needle biopsy of soft tissue tumors, CEUS vs US guided: a pilot study.

PubMed

Coran, Alessandro; Di Maggio, Antonio; Rastrelli, Marco; Alberioli, Enrico; Attar, Shady; Ortolan, Paolo; Bortolanza, Carlo; Tosi, Annalisa; Montesco, Maria Cristina; Bezzon, Elisabetta; Rossi, Carlo Riccardo; Stramare, Roberto

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the bioptic sampling of soft tissue tumors (STT) compared with unenhanced ultrasonography alone. This is a prospective longitudinal study of 40 patients subjected to ultrasonography (US)-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) to characterize a suspected STT. Three series of bioptic samplings were carried out on each patient, respectively using unenhanced US alone and CEUS in both the areas of the tumor enhanced or not by the contrast medium. All bioptic samples underwent a histological evaluation and the results were analyzed by comparing the histology of the biopsy with the definitive diagnosis in 15 surgically excised samples. 27 (67.5 %) of the 40 patients completed the entire study procedure; in 19 cases (70.3 %) the three bioptic samplings gave unanimous results, also when compared to the surgical specimen; in seven cases (25.9 %) use of CEUS allowed to obtain additional or more accurate information about the mass in question, compared to simple US guidance without contrast; in one patient (3.7 %) sampling obtained using unenhanced ultrasonography guidance and in the areas enhanced by the contrast agent had precisely the same results of the surgical specimen. CEUS, due to its ability to evaluate microvascular areas, has proven to be a promising method in guiding bioptic sampling of soft tissue tumor, directing the needle to the most significant areas of the tumor. Given the small number of patients evaluated in our study, to achieve statistically significant results, it would be appropriate to obtain a larger sample size, since the very first results seem to be encouraging and to justify the increase of the population.

Cancer-related internet information communication between oncologists and patients with breast cancer: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Shen, Megan Johnson; Dyson, Robert C.; D’Agostino, Thomas A.; Ostroff, Jamie S.; Dickler, Maura N.; Heerdt, Alexandra S.; Bylund, Carma L.

2015-01-01

Objective Many patients with cancer search out information about their cancer on the internet, thus affecting their relationship with their oncologists. An in-depth analysis of patient–physician communication about information obtained from the internet is currently lacking. Methods We audio-recorded visits of patients with breast cancer and their oncologists where internet information was expected to be discussed. Inductive thematic text analysis was used to identify qualitative themes from these conversations. Results Twenty-one patients self-reported discussing cancer-related internet information (CRII) with their oncologists; 16 audio recordings contained detectable discussions of CRII and were analyzed. Results indicated that oncologists and patients initiated CRII discussions implicitly and explicitly. Oncologists responded positively to patient-initiated CRII discussions by (1) acknowledging their limited expertise/knowledge, (2) encouraging/approving using the internet as an information resource, (3) providing information/guidance on the proper use of internet searches, (4) discussing the pros and cons of relevant treatment options, or (5) giving information. Finally, patients reacted to the CRII discussions by (1) indicating that they only used reputable sources/websites, (2) asking for further explanation of information, (3) expressing continued concern, or (4) asking for the oncologist’s opinion or recommendation. Conclusions These results indicate that the majority of patients introduce internet information implicitly, in order to guard against any threat to their self-esteem. Physicians, in turn, seem to respond in a supportive fashion to reduce any threat experienced. Future interventions may consider providing prescription-based guidance on how to navigate the internet as a health information resource and to encourage patients to bring these topics up with their oncologist. PMID:25631285

Accounting for ecosystem services in Life Cycle Assessment, Part II: toward an ecologically based LCA.

PubMed

Zhang, Yi; Baral, Anil; Bakshi, Bhavik R

2010-04-01

Despite the essential role of ecosystem goods and services in sustaining all human activities, they are often ignored in engineering decision making, even in methods that are meant to encourage sustainability. For example, conventional Life Cycle Assessment focuses on the impact of emissions and consumption of some resources. While aggregation and interpretation methods are quite advanced for emissions, similar methods for resources have been lagging, and most ignore the role of nature. Such oversight may even result in perverse decisions that encourage reliance on deteriorating ecosystem services. This article presents a step toward including the direct and indirect role of ecosystems in LCA, and a hierarchical scheme to interpret their contribution. The resulting Ecologically Based LCA (Eco-LCA) includes a large number of provisioning, regulating, and supporting ecosystem services as inputs to a life cycle model at the process or economy scale. These resources are represented in diverse physical units and may be compared via their mass, fuel value, industrial cumulative exergy consumption, or ecological cumulative exergy consumption or by normalization with total consumption of each resource or their availability. Such results at a fine scale provide insight about relative resource use and the risk and vulnerability to the loss of specific resources. Aggregate indicators are also defined to obtain indices such as renewability, efficiency, and return on investment. An Eco-LCA model of the 1997 economy is developed and made available via the web (www.resilience.osu.edu/ecolca). An illustrative example comparing paper and plastic cups provides insight into the features of the proposed approach. The need for further work in bridging the gap between knowledge about ecosystem services and their direct and indirect role in supporting human activities is discussed as an important area for future work.

Long-term disease-free survival in advanced melanomas treated with nitrosoureas: mechanisms and new perspectives.

PubMed

Durando, Xavier; Thivat, Emilie; D'Incan, Michel; Sinsard, Anne; Madelmont, Jean-Claude; Chollet, Philippe

2005-11-15

Median survival of metastatic malignant melanoma is 6.0 to 7.5 months, with a 5-year survival of approximately 6.0%. Although long-term complete remissions are rare, few reports describe cases after chemotherapy. Fifty-three patients with metastatic melanoma were treated with Cystemustine, a chloroethyl nitrosourea (CENU) (60 or 90 mg/m2). We describe 5 cases, presenting with complete response with long-term disease-free survival of long-term remission of 14, 12, 9, 7 and 6 years after Cystemustine therapy alone. Long-term survival has already been described in literature, but in all cases they have been obtained after chemotherapy associated with or followed by surgery. But despite these noteworthy and encouraging but also rare results, it appears essential to increase Cystemustine efficiency.

High temperature thermocouple and heat flux gauge using a unique thin film-hardware hot juncture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liebert, C. H.; Holanda, R.; Hippensteele, S. A.; Andracchio, C. A.

1984-01-01

A special thin film-hardware material thermocouple (TC) and heat flux gauge concept for a reasonably high temperature and high flux flat plate heat transfer experiment was fabricated and tested to gauge temperatures of 911 K. This concept was developed for minimal disturbance of boundary layer temperature and flow over the plates and minimal disturbance of heat flux through the plates. Comparison of special heat flux gauge Stanton number output at steady-state conditions with benchmark literature data was good and agreement was within a calculated uncertainty of the measurement system. Also, good agreement of special TC and standard TC outputs was obtained and the results are encouraging. Oxidation of thin film thermoelements was a primary failure mode after about 5 of operation.

Person-Organization Commitment: Bonds of Internal Consumer in the Context of Non-profit Organizations.

PubMed

Juaneda-Ayensa, Emma; Clavel San Emeterio, Mónica; González-Menorca, Carlos

2017-01-01

From an Organizational Behavior perspective, it is important to recognize the links generated between individuals and the organization that encourage a desire for permanence. After more than a half century of research, Organizational Commitment remains one of the open questions in the Psychology of Organizations. It is considered an essential factor for explaining individual behavior in the organization such as satisfaction, turnover intention, or loyalty. In this paper, we analyze different contributions regarding the nature of the bond between the individual and the organization. Taking into account the peculiarities of Non-profit Organizations, we present different interpretation for later validation, comparing results from the Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the four models obtained using exploratory factor analysis, both conducted on a sample of 235 members of Non-profit Organizations.

High-temperature thermocouple and heat flux gauge using a unique thin film-hardware hot junction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liebert, C. H.; Holanda, R.; Hippensteele, S. A.; Andracchio, C. A.

1985-01-01

A special thin film-hardware material thermocouple (TC) and heat flux gauge concept for a reasonably high temperature and high flux flat plate heat transfer experiment was fabricated and tested to gauge temperatures of 911 K. This concept was developed for minimal disturbance of boundary layer temperature and flow over the plates and minimal disturbance of heat flux through the plates. Comparison of special heat flux gauge Stanton number output at steady-state conditions with benchmark literature data was good and agreement was within a calculated uncertainty of the measurement system. Also, good agreement of special TC and standard TC outputs was obtained and the results are encouraging. Oxidation of thin film thermoelements was a primary failure mode after about 5 of operation.

Higgs boson decay h0→mVZ in the MSSM with gauged baryon and lepton number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Shu-Min; Feng, Tai-Fu; Chen, Jian-Bin; Feng, Jing-Jing; Ning, Guo-Zhu; Zhang, Hai-Bin

2018-05-01

In the framework of BLMSSM, the Higgs decays h0→Z γ and h0→mVZ are studied where mV represents a vector meson (ρ ,ω ,ϕ ,J /ψ ,ϒ , etc.). Corrections to the C P -even and C P -odd h0γ Z couplings occur via loop diagrams where new particles are involved. Actually both of them obviously influence the decay rates of h0→Z γ and h0→mVZ . Concretely, our obtained numerical result shows that the decay width of h0→Z γ can be 1.3 times larger than the prediction of the Standard Model (SM). For the light mesons (ρ , ω ), the corrections to h0→mVZ are within 15%-20%, still consistent with the SM results. The results of this work would encourage a detection on h0→Z γ at LHC for exploring new physics beyond SM.

Low-energy positron scattering by pyrimidine

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

Barbosa, Alessandra Souza; Pastega, Diego F.; Bettega, Márcio H. F., E-mail: bettega@fisica.ufpr.br

2015-12-28

This work reports elastic integral and differential cross sections for positron collisions with pyrimidine, for energies up to 20 eV. The cross sections were computed with the Schwinger multichannel method in the static plus polarization approximation. We also employed the Born closure procedure to account for the long range potential due to the permanent dipole moment of the molecule. Our results are compared with the experimental total cross section of Zecca et al. [J. Phys. B 43, 215204 (2010)], the experimental grand-total, quasi-elastic integral and differential cross section of Palihawadana et al. [Phys. Rev. A 88, 12717 (2013)]. We alsomore » compare our results with theoretical integral and differential cross sections obtained by Sanz et al. [Phys. Rev. A 88, 62704 (2013)] with the R-matrix and the independent atom model with screening-corrected additivity rule methods, and with the results computed by Franz and Gianturco [Phys. Rev. A 88, 042711 (2013)] using model correlation-polarization potentials. The agreement between the theory and the experiment is encouraging.« less

Design of wearable cardiac telemedicine system.

PubMed

Thulasi Bai, V; Srivatsa, S K

2007-01-01

Cardiovascular disease is the world's leading killer disease, accounting for 16.7 million deaths annually. About 22 million people all over the world run the risk of sudden heart failure. However, deaths from cardiovascular diseases have decreased substantially over the past two decades, largely as a result of advances in acute care and cardiac surgery. These developments have resulted in a growing population of patients who have survived myocardial infarction. These patients need to be continuously monitored so that the initiation of treatment can be taken up within the crucial golden hour. The available conventional methods of monitoring restrict the mobility of these patients within a hospital or room. The primary aim of this paper is to design a Wearable Cardiac Telemedicine System that can help the mobility of patients, so as to regain their independence and return to an active social or work schedule, thereby improving their psychological well-being. The whole system has been implemented and tested. The results obtained are encouraging.

In vitro and ex vivo evaluation of biomaterials' distinctive properties as a result of thiolation.

PubMed

Laffleur, Flavia; Wagner, Julian; Mahmood, Arshad

2015-01-01

Polysaccharide hyaluronic acid (HA) was chemically modified with cysteine ethyl ester (CYS). By immobilization of the thiol-bearing ligand on the polymeric backbone the thiolated bioconjugate HA-CYS was obtained. METHODOLOGY & RESULTS: Mucoadhesion, permeation enhancement effect and stability was tested. Furthermore mechanical, physicochemical properties as well as mucoadhesive strength, swelling index and residence time on the mucosa were investigated. The developed thiolated bioconjugate displayed 1.5-fold improved mucoadhesiveness on buccal mucosa as well as an enhanced permeation behavior and 2.5-fold higher polymer stability. The near neutral pH and 2.49±0.49% cytotoxicity over 12-h studies indicated their non-irritability and biocompatible nature with biological tissues. Further, the model drug sulforhodamine 101 was incorporated to determine its drug release profiles, which revealed a 2.8-fold controlled release of HA-CYS in comparison to unmodified HA. Thus, the promising results encourage further investigations and exploitation of this versatile polysaccharide.

A Methodology for the Hybridization Based in Active Components: The Case of cGA and Scatter Search.

PubMed

Villagra, Andrea; Alba, Enrique; Leguizamón, Guillermo

2016-01-01

This work presents the results of a new methodology for hybridizing metaheuristics. By first locating the active components (parts) of one algorithm and then inserting them into second one, we can build efficient and accurate optimization, search, and learning algorithms. This gives a concrete way of constructing new techniques that contrasts the spread ad hoc way of hybridizing. In this paper, the enhanced algorithm is a Cellular Genetic Algorithm (cGA) which has been successfully used in the past to find solutions to such hard optimization problems. In order to extend and corroborate the use of active components as an emerging hybridization methodology, we propose here the use of active components taken from Scatter Search (SS) to improve cGA. The results obtained over a varied set of benchmarks are highly satisfactory in efficacy and efficiency when compared with a standard cGA. Moreover, the proposed hybrid approach (i.e., cGA+SS) has shown encouraging results with regard to earlier applications of our methodology.

Elimination sequence optimization for SPAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogan, Harry A.

1986-01-01

SPAR is a large-scale computer program for finite element structural analysis. The program allows user specification of the order in which the joints of a structure are to be eliminated since this order can have significant influence over solution performance, in terms of both storage requirements and computer time. An efficient elimination sequence can improve performance by over 50% for some problems. Obtaining such sequences, however, requires the expertise of an experienced user and can take hours of tedious effort to affect. Thus, an automatic elimination sequence optimizer would enhance productivity by reducing the analysts' problem definition time and by lowering computer costs. Two possible methods for automating the elimination sequence specifications were examined. Several algorithms based on the graph theory representations of sparse matrices were studied with mixed results. Significant improvement in the program performance was achieved, but sequencing by an experienced user still yields substantially better results. The initial results provide encouraging evidence that the potential benefits of such an automatic sequencer would be well worth the effort.

Distance Metric Tracking

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-02

some close- ness constant and dissimilar pairs be more distant than some larger constant. Online and non -linear extensions to the ITML methodology are...is obtained, instead of solving an objective function formed from the entire dataset. Many online learning methods have regret guarantees, that is... function Metric learning seeks to learn a metric that encourages data points marked as similar to be close and data points marked as different to be far

Pills on the World Wide Web: reducing barriers through technology.

PubMed

Gawron, Lori M; Turok, David K

2015-10-01

Oral contraceptive pills are safe, effective, and available without a prescription in most countries. Despite support from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to provide oral contraceptives as an over-the-counter medication, US women are still required to have a prescription to obtain them. Use of online applications and the Internet has made most things easier to obtain in our society and this includes contraceptive methods. Several online ventures are now underway to enable US women to obtain oral contraceptives without visiting a medical provider's office. Women's health care professionals should encourage these novel approaches, as they will improve contraceptive access. As US women experiment with innovative health care models, providers will need to lead, follow, or be left behind. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An appreciation of Alfred Bauder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merkt, Frédéric; Quack, Martin

2001-12-01

Alfred Bauder (or Fredi as his friends and family call him) was born on 10 May 1934 in Zurich, where he went to school. After obtaining his high school diploma in 1953, he studied chemistry and physics at the ETH Zurich department of natural sciences, which encouraged such interdisciplinary studies. He received his diploma in natural sciences with the highest distinction in 1957. Under the tutelage of Professor Hans H. Günthard at the laboratory of Physical Chemistry at ETH Zürich, he obtained his doctoral degree in 1961 with a thesis on the microwave spectrum, dipole moment and structure of cyclobutanone. This work was to set the tone for his future scientific career. After his habilitation in the field of microwave spectroscopy at ETH in 1966, he obtained the venia legendi as Private Docent for Physical Chemistry.

Forgone but not forgotten: the effects of partial and full feedback in "harsh" and "kind" environments.

PubMed

Rakow, Tim; Newell, Ben R; Wright, Louise

2015-12-01

In a perfect world, the choice of any course of action would lead to a satisfactory outcome, and we would obtain feedback about both our chosen course and those we have chosen to forgo. In reality, however, we often face harsh environments in which we can only minimize losses, and we receive impoverished feedback. In these studies, we examined how decision makers dealt with these challenges in a simple task in which we manipulated three features of the decision: The outcomes from the available options were either mostly positive or mostly negative (kind or harsh environment); feedback was either full or partial (outcomes revealed for all options or only for the chosen option); and for the final 20 trials in a sequence, participants either chose on each trial or set an "advance-directive" policy. The propensity to choose the better option was explained by several factors: Full feedback was more beneficial in harsh than in kind environments; policy decisions encouraged better decisions and ameliorated the adverse impact of a harsh environment; and beliefs about the value of strategy diversification predicted switch rates and choice quality. The results suggest a subtle interplay between bottom-up and top-down processes: Although harsh environments encourage poor choices, and some decision makers choose less well than others, this need not imply that the decision maker has failed to identify the better option.

Techno-ecological synergy: a framework for sustainable engineering.

PubMed

Bakshi, Bhavik R; Ziv, Guy; Lepech, Michael D

2015-02-03

Even though the importance of ecosystems in sustaining all human activities is well-known, methods for sustainable engineering fail to fully account for this role of nature. Most methods account for the demand for ecosystem services, but almost none account for the supply. Incomplete accounting of the very foundation of human well-being can result in perverse outcomes from decisions meant to enhance sustainability and lost opportunities for benefiting from the ability of nature to satisfy human needs in an economically and environmentally superior manner. This paper develops a framework for understanding and designing synergies between technological and ecological systems to encourage greater harmony between human activities and nature. This framework considers technological systems ranging from individual processes to supply chains and life cycles, along with corresponding ecological systems at multiple spatial scales ranging from local to global. The demand for specific ecosystem services is determined from information about emissions and resource use, while the supply is obtained from information about the capacity of relevant ecosystems. Metrics calculate the sustainability of individual ecosystem services at multiple spatial scales and help define necessary but not sufficient conditions for local and global sustainability. Efforts to reduce ecological overshoot encourage enhancement of life cycle efficiency, development of industrial symbiosis, innovative designs and policies, and ecological restoration, thus combining the best features of many existing methods. Opportunities for theoretical and applied research to make this framework practical are also discussed.

Navigating the AIDS industry: being poor and positive in Tanzania.

PubMed

Boesten, Jelke

2011-01-01

This article shows how poor people living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania navigate a myriad of actors, agencies and organizations to obtain the aid they need to survive. It focuses on community-based organizations which establish networks of care through which people obtain care, treatment and financial support. A case study of a roadside town in Tanzania illustrates that these community-based networks of care — essential to the survival of many — are partly the product of the AIDS industry, which encourages the establishment of community-based organizations and voluntary service delivery rather than more formalized systems of care. Community-based organizations, however, are so poorly supported that they often deploy self-destructive strategies. The need to strategically navigate the AIDS industry creates tension and even conflict among HIV-positive activists, the people they represent and the wider community, which undermines rather than strengthens community-based interventions. Whilst the AIDS industry promises inclusion of HIV-positive people in the response to HIV/AIDS, it succeeds only partially, with the result that it may potentially do more harm than good.

Microstructural investigation of hardfacing weld deposit obtained from CrB paste

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

Kr. Ray, S.; Sarker, B.; Kr. Bhattacharya, S.

Hardfacing weld deposits are used as a protective layer on engineering components and tools subjected to different modes of wear. Cheaper iron-based alloys with chromium and carbon or relatively expensive alloys with some niobium or titanium have long been used as standard hardfacing materials. In recent years boron has substituted the costlier alloying elements and the newly developed Fe-B-C alloys have shown encouraging results. The microstructure of the welded hardfacing deposit is one of the most important factors that determine its performance. The amount, size, distribution and hardness of the individual constituents play important roles in imparting the desired properties.more » Recently Colomonoy sweat on paste containing fine CrB particles (of about 12 {mu}m average size) suspended in an organic binder has been marketed as the new generation hardfacing material. A thin coating of the paste is applied on the component surface, allowed to dry and welded. The welded deposit has been found to offer good wear resistance in many industrial applications. This paper reports the microstructural investigation of the welded deposit obtained from this paste.« less

A comparison of semiglobal and local dense matching algorithms for surface reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dall'Asta, E.; Roncella, R.

2014-06-01

Encouraged by the growing interest in automatic 3D image-based reconstruction, the development and improvement of robust stereo matching techniques is one of the most investigated research topic of the last years in photogrammetry and computer vision. The paper is focused on the comparison of some stereo matching algorithms (local and global) which are very popular both in photogrammetry and computer vision. In particular, the Semi-Global Matching (SGM), which realizes a pixel-wise matching and relies on the application of consistency constraints during the matching cost aggregation, will be discussed. The results of some tests performed on real and simulated stereo image datasets, evaluating in particular the accuracy of the obtained digital surface models, will be presented. Several algorithms and different implementation are considered in the comparison, using freeware software codes like MICMAC and OpenCV, commercial software (e.g. Agisoft PhotoScan) and proprietary codes implementing Least Square e Semi-Global Matching algorithms. The comparisons will also consider the completeness and the level of detail within fine structures, and the reliability and repeatability of the obtainable data.

Prediction of olive oil sensory descriptors using instrumental data fusion and partial least squares (PLS) regression.

PubMed

Borràs, Eva; Ferré, Joan; Boqué, Ricard; Mestres, Montserrat; Aceña, Laura; Calvo, Angels; Busto, Olga

2016-08-01

Headspace-Mass Spectrometry (HS-MS), Fourier Transform Mid-Infrared spectroscopy (FT-MIR) and UV-Visible spectrophotometry (UV-vis) instrumental responses have been combined to predict virgin olive oil sensory descriptors. 343 olive oil samples analyzed during four consecutive harvests (2010-2014) were used to build multivariate calibration models using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The reference values of the sensory attributes were provided by expert assessors from an official taste panel. The instrumental data were modeled individually and also using data fusion approaches. The use of fused data with both low- and mid-level of abstraction improved PLS predictions for all the olive oil descriptors. The best PLS models were obtained for two positive attributes (fruity and bitter) and two defective descriptors (fusty and musty), all of them using data fusion of MS and MIR spectral fingerprints. Although good predictions were not obtained for some sensory descriptors, the results are encouraging, specially considering that the legal categorization of virgin olive oils only requires the determination of fruity and defective descriptors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fully probabilistic control for stochastic nonlinear control systems with input dependent noise.

PubMed

Herzallah, Randa

2015-03-01

Robust controllers for nonlinear stochastic systems with functional uncertainties can be consistently designed using probabilistic control methods. In this paper a generalised probabilistic controller design for the minimisation of the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the actual joint probability density function (pdf) of the closed loop control system, and an ideal joint pdf is presented emphasising how the uncertainty can be systematically incorporated in the absence of reliable systems models. To achieve this objective all probabilistic models of the system are estimated from process data using mixture density networks (MDNs) where all the parameters of the estimated pdfs are taken to be state and control input dependent. Based on this dependency of the density parameters on the input values, explicit formulations to the construction of optimal generalised probabilistic controllers are obtained through the techniques of dynamic programming and adaptive critic methods. Using the proposed generalised probabilistic controller, the conditional joint pdfs can be made to follow the ideal ones. A simulation example is used to demonstrate the implementation of the algorithm and encouraging results are obtained. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Statistical mentoring at early training and career stages

DOE PAGES

Anderson-Cook, Christine M.; Hamada, Michael S.; Moore, Leslie M.; ...

2016-06-27

At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), statistical scientists develop solutions for a variety of national security challenges through scientific excellence, typically as members of interdisciplinary teams. At LANL, mentoring is actively encouraged and practiced to develop statistical skills and positive career-building behaviors. Mentoring activities targeted at different career phases from student to junior staff are an important catalyst for both short and long term career development. This article discusses mentoring strategies for undergraduate and graduate students through internships as well as for postdoctoral research associates and junior staff. Topics addressed include project selection, progress, and outcome; intellectual and social activitiesmore » that complement the student internship experience; key skills/knowledge not typically obtained in academic training; and the impact of such internships on students’ careers. Experiences and strategies from a number of successful mentorships are presented. Feedback from former mentees obtained via a questionnaire is incorporated. As a result, these responses address some of the benefits the respondents received from mentoring, helpful contributions and advice from their mentors, key skills learned, and how mentoring impacted their later careers.« less

Statistical mentoring at early training and career stages

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

Anderson-Cook, Christine M.; Hamada, Michael S.; Moore, Leslie M.

At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), statistical scientists develop solutions for a variety of national security challenges through scientific excellence, typically as members of interdisciplinary teams. At LANL, mentoring is actively encouraged and practiced to develop statistical skills and positive career-building behaviors. Mentoring activities targeted at different career phases from student to junior staff are an important catalyst for both short and long term career development. This article discusses mentoring strategies for undergraduate and graduate students through internships as well as for postdoctoral research associates and junior staff. Topics addressed include project selection, progress, and outcome; intellectual and social activitiesmore » that complement the student internship experience; key skills/knowledge not typically obtained in academic training; and the impact of such internships on students’ careers. Experiences and strategies from a number of successful mentorships are presented. Feedback from former mentees obtained via a questionnaire is incorporated. As a result, these responses address some of the benefits the respondents received from mentoring, helpful contributions and advice from their mentors, key skills learned, and how mentoring impacted their later careers.« less

A Passive Cavity Concept for Improving the Off-Design Performance of Fixed-Geometry Exhaust Nozzles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asbury, Scott C.; Gunther, Christopher L.; Hunter, Craig A.

1996-01-01

An investigation was conducted in the model preparation area of the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel to study a passive cavity concept for improving the off-design performance of fixed-geometry exhaust nozzles. Passive cavity ventilation (through a porous surface) was applied to divergent flap surfaces and tested at static conditions in a sub-scale, nonaxisymmetric, convergent-divergent nozzle. As part of a comprehensive investigation, force, moment and pressure measurements were taken and focusing schlieren flow visualization was obtained for a baseline configuration and D passive cavity configurations. All tests were conducted with no external flow and high-pressure air was used to simulate jet-exhaust flow at nozzle pressure ratios from 1.25 to approximately 9.50. Results indicate that baseline nozzle performance was dominated by unstable shock-induced boundary-layer separation at off-design conditions, which came about through the natural tendency of overexpanded exhaust flow to satisfy conservation requirements by detaching from the nozzle divergent flaps. Passive cavity ventilation added the ability to control off-design separation in the nozzle by either alleviating separation or encouraging stable separation of the exhaust flow. Separation alleviation offers potential for installed nozzle performance benefits by reducing drag at forward flight speeds, even though it may reduce off-design static thrust efficiency as much as 3.2 percent. Encouraging stable separation of the exhaust flow offers significant performance improvements at static, low NPR and low Mach number flight conditions by improving off-design static thrust efficiency as much as 2.8 percent. By designing a fixed-geometry nozzle with fully porous divergent flaps, where both cavity location and percent open porosity of the flaps could be varied, passive flow control would make it possible to improve off-design nozzle performance across a wide operating range. In addition, the ability to encourage separation on one flap while alleviating it on the other makes it possible to generate thrust vectoring in the nozzle through passive flow control.

Encouraging translation and assessing impact of the Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement: rationale and protocol for a research impact assessment

PubMed Central

Ramanathan, Shanthi; Reeves, Penny; Deeming, Simon; Bailie, Ross Stewart; Bailie, Jodie; Bainbridge, Roxanne; Cunningham, Frances; Doran, Christopher; McPhail Bell, Karen; Searles, Andrew

2017-01-01

Introduction There is growing recognition among health researchers and funders that the wider benefits of research such as economic, social and health impacts ought to be assessed and valued alongside academic outputs such as peer-reviewed papers. Research translation needs to increase and the pathways to impact ought to be more transparent. These processes are particularly pertinent to the Indigenous health sector given continued concerns that Indigenous communities are over-researched with little corresponding improvement in health outcomes. This paper describes the research protocol of a mixed methods study to apply FAIT (Framework to Assess the Impact from Translational health research) to the Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement (CRE-IQI). FAIT will be applied to five selected CRE-IQI Flagship projects to encourage research translation and assess the wider impact of that research. Methods and analysis Phase I will develop a modified programme logic model for each Flagship project including identifying process, output and impact metrics so progress can be monitored. A scoping review will inform potential benefits. In phase II, programme logic models will be updated to account for changes in the research pathways over time. Audit and feedback will be used to encourage research translation and collect evidence of achievement of any process, output and interim impacts. In phase III, three proven methodologies for measuring research impact—Payback, economic assessment and narratives—will be applied. Data on the application of FAIT will be collected and analysed to inform and improve FAIT’s performance. Ethics and dissemination This study is funded by a nationally competitive grant (ID 1078927) from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Ethics approval was obtained from the University of Newcastle’s Human Research Ethics Committee (ID: H-2017–0026). The results from the study will be presented in several peer-reviewed publications, through conference presentations and via social media. PMID:29208619

Extraction of edge-based and region-based features for object recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coutts, Benjamin; Ravi, Srinivas; Hu, Gongzhu; Shrikhande, Neelima

1993-08-01

One of the central problems of computer vision is object recognition. A catalogue of model objects is described as a set of features such as edges and surfaces. The same features are extracted from the scene and matched against the models for object recognition. Edges and surfaces extracted from the scenes are often noisy and imperfect. In this paper algorithms are described for improving low level edge and surface features. Existing edge extraction algorithms are applied to the intensity image to obtain edge features. Initial edges are traced by following directions of the current contour. These are improved by using corresponding depth and intensity information for decision making at branch points. Surface fitting routines are applied to the range image to obtain planar surface patches. An algorithm of region growing is developed that starts with a coarse segmentation and uses quadric surface fitting to iteratively merge adjacent regions into quadric surfaces based on approximate orthogonal distance regression. Surface information obtained is returned to the edge extraction routine to detect and remove fake edges. This process repeats until no more merging or edge improvement can take place. Both synthetic (with Gaussian noise) and real images containing multiple object scenes have been tested using the merging criteria. Results appeared quite encouraging.

Development of Benchmark Examples for Quasi-Static Delamination Propagation and Fatigue Growth Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, Ronald

2012-01-01

The development of benchmark examples for quasi-static delamination propagation and cyclic delamination onset and growth prediction is presented and demonstrated for Abaqus/Standard. The example is based on a finite element model of a Double-Cantilever Beam specimen. The example is independent of the analysis software used and allows the assessment of the automated delamination propagation, onset and growth prediction capabilities in commercial finite element codes based on the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT). First, a quasi-static benchmark example was created for the specimen. Second, based on the static results, benchmark examples for cyclic delamination growth were created. Third, the load-displacement relationship from a propagation analysis and the benchmark results were compared, and good agreement could be achieved by selecting the appropriate input parameters. Fourth, starting from an initially straight front, the delamination was allowed to grow under cyclic loading. The number of cycles to delamination onset and the number of cycles during delamination growth for each growth increment were obtained from the automated analysis and compared to the benchmark examples. Again, good agreement between the results obtained from the growth analysis and the benchmark results could be achieved by selecting the appropriate input parameters. The benchmarking procedure proved valuable by highlighting the issues associated with choosing the input parameters of the particular implementation. Selecting the appropriate input parameters, however, was not straightforward and often required an iterative procedure. Overall the results are encouraging, but further assessment for mixed-mode delamination is required.

Development of Benchmark Examples for Static Delamination Propagation and Fatigue Growth Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kruger, Ronald

2011-01-01

The development of benchmark examples for static delamination propagation and cyclic delamination onset and growth prediction is presented and demonstrated for a commercial code. The example is based on a finite element model of an End-Notched Flexure (ENF) specimen. The example is independent of the analysis software used and allows the assessment of the automated delamination propagation, onset and growth prediction capabilities in commercial finite element codes based on the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT). First, static benchmark examples were created for the specimen. Second, based on the static results, benchmark examples for cyclic delamination growth were created. Third, the load-displacement relationship from a propagation analysis and the benchmark results were compared, and good agreement could be achieved by selecting the appropriate input parameters. Fourth, starting from an initially straight front, the delamination was allowed to grow under cyclic loading. The number of cycles to delamination onset and the number of cycles during stable delamination growth for each growth increment were obtained from the automated analysis and compared to the benchmark examples. Again, good agreement between the results obtained from the growth analysis and the benchmark results could be achieved by selecting the appropriate input parameters. The benchmarking procedure proved valuable by highlighting the issues associated with the input parameters of the particular implementation. Selecting the appropriate input parameters, however, was not straightforward and often required an iterative procedure. Overall, the results are encouraging but further assessment for mixed-mode delamination is required.

Comparison of urine analysis using manual and sedimentation methods.

PubMed

Kurup, R; Leich, M

2012-06-01

Microscopic examination of urine sediment is an essential part in the evaluation of renal and urinary tract diseases. Traditionally, urine sediments are assessed by microscopic examination of centrifuged urine. However the current method used by the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Medical Laboratory involves uncentrifuged urine. To encourage high level of care, the results provided to the physician must be accurate and reliable for proper diagnosis. The aim of this study is to determine whether the centrifuge method is more clinically significant than the uncentrifuged method. In this study, a comparison between the results obtained from centrifuged and uncentrifuged methods were performed. A total of 167 urine samples were randomly collected and analysed during the period April-May 2010 at the Medical Laboratory, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. The urine samples were first analysed microscopically by the uncentrifuged, and then by the centrifuged method. The results obtained from both methods were recorded in a log book. These results were then entered into a database created in Microsoft Excel, and analysed for differences and similarities using this application. Analysis was further done in SPSS software to compare the results using Pearson ' correlation. When compared using Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, both methods showed a good correlation between urinary sediments with the exception of white bloods cells. The centrifuged method had a slightly higher identification rate for all of the parameters. There is substantial agreement between the centrifuged and uncentrifuged methods. However the uncentrifuged method provides for a rapid turnaround time.

Development and Application of Benchmark Examples for Mode II Static Delamination Propagation and Fatigue Growth Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, Ronald

2011-01-01

The development of benchmark examples for static delamination propagation and cyclic delamination onset and growth prediction is presented and demonstrated for a commercial code. The example is based on a finite element model of an End-Notched Flexure (ENF) specimen. The example is independent of the analysis software used and allows the assessment of the automated delamination propagation, onset and growth prediction capabilities in commercial finite element codes based on the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT). First, static benchmark examples were created for the specimen. Second, based on the static results, benchmark examples for cyclic delamination growth were created. Third, the load-displacement relationship from a propagation analysis and the benchmark results were compared, and good agreement could be achieved by selecting the appropriate input parameters. Fourth, starting from an initially straight front, the delamination was allowed to grow under cyclic loading. The number of cycles to delamination onset and the number of cycles during delamination growth for each growth increment were obtained from the automated analysis and compared to the benchmark examples. Again, good agreement between the results obtained from the growth analysis and the benchmark results could be achieved by selecting the appropriate input parameters. The benchmarking procedure proved valuable by highlighting the issues associated with choosing the input parameters of the particular implementation. Selecting the appropriate input parameters, however, was not straightforward and often required an iterative procedure. Overall the results are encouraging, but further assessment for mixed-mode delamination is required.

New Soft Magnetic Composites for electromagnetic applications with improved mechanical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferraris, Luca; Pošković, Emir; Franchini, Fausto

2016-05-01

The chance to move from 2D to 3D approach in the design of the electrical machines is made possible by the availability of Soft Magnetic Composites (SMC), iron based powders, insulated and pressed to realize shapes otherwise impossible with the traditional lamination sheets technology. Some commercial products are available on the market as "ready to press" powders, which presents good magnetic and energetic properties but are sometimes weak under the mechanical point of view; other products aim at improving this aspect but with considerable process complications and relative cost. The experience of the Authors in the realization of bonded magnets with the adoption of selected organic resins has been partly transferred in the research field of the SMC in order to investigate the possibility to obtain good mechanical properties maintaining the magnetic characteristics of the Insulated Iron Powder Compounds (I.I.P.C.) taken as reference. The paper presents the activity that has been carried out in the realization of SMC mixing iron powders and phenolic resin, in different weight percentages and mold pressures. The obtained results are considered satisfactory under the point of view of the compromise between magnetic and mechanical properties, considering also that the required productive process is simpler. The comparison of the obtained results with those related to commercial products encourages to carry on the research, also because of the reduced cost of the proposed SMC at parity (or better) performance.

Does Pneumatic Tube System Transport Contribute to Hemolysis in ED Blood Samples?

PubMed

Phelan, Michael P; Reineks, Edmunds Z; Hustey, Fredric M; Berriochoa, Jacob P; Podolsky, Seth R; Meldon, Stephen; Schold, Jesse D; Chamberlin, Janelle; Procop, Gary W

2016-09-01

Our goal was to determine if the hemolysis among blood samples obtained in an emergency department and then sent to the laboratory in a pneumatic tube system was different from those in samples that were hand-carried. The hemolysis index is measured on all samples submitted for potassium analysis. We queried our hospital laboratory database system (SunQuest(®)) for potassium results for specimens obtained between January 2014 and July 2014. From facility maintenance records, we identified periods of system downtime, during which specimens were hand-carried to the laboratory. During the study period, 15,851 blood specimens were transported via our pneumatic tube system and 92 samples were hand delivered. The proportions of hemolyzed specimens in the two groups were not significantly different (13.6% vs. 13.1% [p=0.90]). Results were consistent when the criterion was limited to gross (3.3% vs 3.3% [p=0.99]) or mild (10.3% vs 9.8% [p=0.88]) hemolysis. The hemolysis rate showed minimal variation during the study period (12.6%-14.6%). We found no statistical difference in the percentages of hemolyzed specimens transported by a pneumatic tube system or hand delivered to the laboratory. Certain features of pneumatic tube systems might contribute to hemolysis (e.g., speed, distance, packing material). Since each system is unique in design, we encourage medical facilities to consider whether their method of transport might contribute to hemolysis in samples obtained in the emergency department.

Girls in the UK Have Similar Reasons to Boys for Intending to Study Mathematics Post-16 Thanks to the Support and Encouragement They Receive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mujtaba, Tamjid; Reiss, Michael

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on the aspirations of 13- and 15-year-olds to continue with mathematics after the age of 16 and the association with perceptions of their mathematics education during the academic year 2008/9. A quantitative analysis was undertaken on the views of 12,176 UK students, obtained through surveys, with qualitative case studies on two…

Determination of Cosmological Parameters from GRB Correlation between E_iso (gamma) and Afterglow Flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannachi, Zitouni; Guessoum, Nidhal; Azzam, Walid

2016-07-01

Context: We use the correlation relations between the energy emitted by the GRBs in their prompt phases and the X-ray afterglow fluxes, in an effort to constrain cosmological parameters and construct a Hubble diagram at high redshifts, i.e. beyond those found in Type Ia supernovae. Methods: We use a sample of 128 Swift GRBs, which we have selected among more than 800 ones observed until July 2015. The selection is based on a few observational constraints: GRB flux higher than 0.4 photons/cm^2/s in the band 15-150 keV; spectrum fitted with simple power law; redshift accurately known and given; and X-ray afterglow observed and flux measured. The statistical method of maximum likelihood is then used to determine the best cosmological parameters (Ω_M, Ω_L) that give the best correlation between the isotropic gamma energies E_{iso} and the afterglow fluxes at the break time t_{b}. The χ^2 statistical test is also used as a way to compare results from two methods. Results & Conclusions: Although the number of GRBs with high redshifts is rather small, and despite the notable dispersion found in the data, the results we have obtained are quite encouraging and promising. The values of the cosmological parameters obtained here are close to those currently used.

Modeling level of urban taxi services using neural network

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

Xu, J.; Wong, S.C.; Tong, C.O.

1999-05-01

This paper is concerned with the modeling of the complex demand-supply relationship in urban taxi services. A neural network model is developed, based on a taxi service situation observed in the urban area of Hong Kong. The input consists of several exogenous variables including number of licensed taxis, incremental charge of taxi fare, average occupied taxi journey time, average disposable income, and population and customer price index; the output consists of a set of endogenous variables including daily taxi passenger demand, passenger waiting time, vacant taxi headway, average percentage of occupied taxis, taxi utilization, and average taxi waiting time. Comparisonsmore » of the estimation accuracy are made between the neural network model and the simultaneous equations model. The results show that the neural network-based macro taxi model can obtain much more accurate information of the taxi services than the simultaneous equations model does. Although the data set used for training the neural network is small, the results obtained thus far are very encouraging. The neural network model can be used as a policy tool by regulator to assist with the decisions concerning the restriction over the number of taxi licenses and the fixing of the taxi fare structure as well as a range of service quality control.« less

Public-private collaboration in clinical research during pregnancy, lactation, and childhood: joint position statement of the Early Nutrition Academy and the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.

PubMed

Koletzko, Berthold; Benninga, Marc A; Godfrey, Keith M; Hornnes, Peter J; Kolaček, Sanja; Koletzko, Sibylle; Lentze, Michael J; Mader, Silke; McAuliffe, Fionnuala M; Oepkes, Dick; Oddy, Wendy H; Phillips, Alan; Rzehak, Peter; Socha, Piotr; Szajewska, Hania; Symonds, Michael E; Taminiau, Jan; Thapar, Nikhil; Troncone, Riccardo; Vandenplas, Yvan; Veereman, Gigi

2014-04-01

This position statement summarises a view of academia regarding standards for clinical research in collaboration with commercial enterprises, focussing on trials in pregnant women, breast-feeding women, and children. It is based on a review of the available literature and an expert workshop cosponsored by the Early Nutrition Academy and the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. Clinical research collaborations between academic investigators and commercial enterprises are encouraged by universities, public funding agencies, and governmental organisations. One reason is a pressing need to obtain evidence on the effects, safety, and benefits of drugs and other commercial products and services. The credibility and value of results obtained through public-private research collaborations have, however, been questioned because many examples of inappropriate research practice have become known. Clinical research in pregnant and breast-feeding women, and in infants and children, raises sensitive scientific, ethical, and societal questions and requires the application of particularly high standards. Here we provide recommendations for the conduct of public-private research collaborations in these populations. In the interest of all stakeholders, these recommendations should contribute to more reliable, credible, and acceptable results of commercially sponsored trials and to reducing the existing credibility gap.

SURE Estimates for a Heteroscedastic Hierarchical Model

PubMed Central

Xie, Xianchao; Kou, S. C.; Brown, Lawrence D.

2014-01-01

Hierarchical models are extensively studied and widely used in statistics and many other scientific areas. They provide an effective tool for combining information from similar resources and achieving partial pooling of inference. Since the seminal work by James and Stein (1961) and Stein (1962), shrinkage estimation has become one major focus for hierarchical models. For the homoscedastic normal model, it is well known that shrinkage estimators, especially the James-Stein estimator, have good risk properties. The heteroscedastic model, though more appropriate for practical applications, is less well studied, and it is unclear what types of shrinkage estimators are superior in terms of the risk. We propose in this paper a class of shrinkage estimators based on Stein’s unbiased estimate of risk (SURE). We study asymptotic properties of various common estimators as the number of means to be estimated grows (p → ∞). We establish the asymptotic optimality property for the SURE estimators. We then extend our construction to create a class of semi-parametric shrinkage estimators and establish corresponding asymptotic optimality results. We emphasize that though the form of our SURE estimators is partially obtained through a normal model at the sampling level, their optimality properties do not heavily depend on such distributional assumptions. We apply the methods to two real data sets and obtain encouraging results. PMID:25301976

Processing-optimised imaging of analog geological models by electrical capacitance tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz Alemán, C.; Espíndola-Carmona, A.; Hernández-Gómez, J. J.; Orozco Del Castillo, MG

2017-06-01

In this work, the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) technique is applied in monitoring internal deformation of geological analog models, which are used to study structural deformation mechanisms, in particular for simulating migration and emplacement of allochtonous salt bodies. A rectangular ECT sensor was used for internal visualization of analog geologic deformation. The monitoring of analog models consists in the reconstruction of permittivity images from the capacitance measurements obtained by introducing the model inside the ECT sensor. A simulated annealing (SA) algorithm is used as a reconstruction method, and is optimized by taking full advantage of some special features in a linearized version of this inverse approach. As a second part of this work our SA image reconstruction algorithm is applied to synthetic models, where its performance is evaluated in comparison to other commonly used algorithms such as linear back-projection and iterative Landweber methods. Finally, the SA method is applied to visualise two simple geological analog models. Encouraging results were obtained in terms of the quality of the reconstructed images, as interfaces corresponding to main geological units in the analog model were clearly distinguishable in them. We found reliable results quite useful for real time non-invasive monitoring of internal deformation of analog geological models.

What do US and Canadian parents do to encourage or discourage physical activity among their 5-12 Year old children?

PubMed

Tu, Andrew W; O'Connor, Teresia M; Beauchamp, Mark R; Hughes, Sheryl O; Baranowski, Tom; Mâsse, Louise C

2017-12-01

Parents have the potential to substantively influence their child's physical activity. This study identified the parenting practices of US and Canadian parents to encourage or discourage their 5-12 year-old child's physical activity and to examine differences in parenting practices by country, parental sex, age of child, and income. The sample consisted of 134 US and Canadian parents (54.5% US; 60.4% female) recruited from a web-based panel by a polling firm. The parents answered open-ended questions about what they and other parents do to encourage or discourage their child to be active. Responses were coded using a scheme previously developed to code items used in the published literature. Coded responses were summarized by domain and dimension with differences in responses by country, parental sex, age of child, or household income assessed with a log-linear analysis. The 134 parents provided 649 and 397 responses to ways that parents encourage or discourage their child's physical activity, respectively. Over 70% of responses for practices that encourage physical activity were related to structure of the environment, parental encouragement, and co-participation. The most common response was co-participation in activity with the child. Of the practices that discourage physical activity, 67% were related to structure of the environment, lack of parental control, and modeling poor behaviors. The most common response was allowing screen time. There were no differences in response by country, parental sex, child age, or household income. Parents most often encouraged physical activity through structure and emotional support and discouraged physical activity through lack of structure and control. Understanding how parents influence their child's physical activity may help improve intervention strategies. The current results will inform the development of a physical activity parenting practices instrument.

An Approach for Assessing Delamination Propagation Capabilities in Commercial Finite Element Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, Ronald

2007-01-01

An approach for assessing the delamination propagation capabilities in commercial finite element codes is presented and demonstrated for one code. For this investigation, the Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) specimen and the Single Leg Bending (SLB) specimen were chosen for full three-dimensional finite element simulations. First, benchmark results were created for both specimens. Second, starting from an initially straight front, the delamination was allowed to propagate. Good agreement between the load-displacement relationship obtained from the propagation analysis results and the benchmark results could be achieved by selecting the appropriate input parameters. Selecting the appropriate input parameters, however, was not straightforward and often required an iterative procedure. Qualitatively, the delamination front computed for the DCB specimen did not take the shape of a curved front as expected. However, the analysis of the SLB specimen yielded a curved front as may be expected from the distribution of the energy release rate and the failure index across the width of the specimen. Overall, the results are encouraging but further assessment on a structural level is required.

An Approach to Assess Delamination Propagation Simulation Capabilities in Commercial Finite Element Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, Ronald

2008-01-01

An approach for assessing the delamination propagation simulation capabilities in commercial finite element codes is presented and demonstrated. For this investigation, the Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) specimen and the Single Leg Bending (SLB) specimen were chosen for full three-dimensional finite element simulations. First, benchmark results were created for both specimens. Second, starting from an initially straight front, the delamination was allowed to propagate. The load-displacement relationship and the total strain energy obtained from the propagation analysis results and the benchmark results were compared and good agreements could be achieved by selecting the appropriate input parameters. Selecting the appropriate input parameters, however, was not straightforward and often required an iterative procedure. Qualitatively, the delamination front computed for the DCB specimen did not take the shape of a curved front as expected. However, the analysis of the SLB specimen yielded a curved front as was expected from the distribution of the energy release rate and the failure index across the width of the specimen. Overall, the results are encouraging but further assessment on a structural level is required.

Social influence and motivation to change health behaviors among Mexican origin adults: Implications for diet and physical activity

PubMed Central

Ashida, Sato; Wilkinson, Anna V.; Koehly, Laura M.

2011-01-01

Purpose To evaluate whether influence from social network members is associated with motivation to change dietary and physical activity behaviors. Design Baseline assessment followed by mailing of family health history-based personalized messages (2 weeks) and follow-up assessment (3 months). Setting Families from an ongoing population-based cohort in Houston, TX. Subjects 475 adults from 161 Mexican origin families. Out of 347 households contacted, 162 (47%) participated. Measures Family health history, social networks, and motivation to change behaviors. Analysis Two-level logistic regression modeling. Results Having at least one network member who encourages one to eat more fruits and vegetables (p=.010) and to engage in regular physical activity (p=.046) was associated with motivation to change the relevant behavior. About 40% of the participants did not have encouragers for these behaviors. Conclusions Identification of new encouragers within networks and targeting natural encouragers (e.g., children, spouses) may increase the efficacy of interventions to motivate behavioral changes among Mexican origin adults. PMID:22208416

Tracking fronts in solutions of the shallow-water equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, Andrew F.; Cummins, Patrick F.

1988-02-01

A front-tracking algorithm of Chern et al. (1986) is tested on the shallow-water equations, using the Parrett and Cullen (1984) and Williams and Hori (1970) initial state, consisting of smooth finite amplitude waves depending on one space dimension alone. At high resolution the solution is almost indistinguishable from that obtained with the Glimm algorithm. The latter is known to converge to the true frontal solution, but is 20 times less efficient at the same resolution. The solutions obtained using the front-tracking algorithm at 8 times coarser resolution are quite acceptable, indicating a very substantial gain in efficiency, which encourages application in realistic ocean models possessing two or three space dimensions.

Process and apparatus for obtaining samples of liquid and gas from soil

DOEpatents

Rossabi, J.; May, C.P.; Pemberton, B.E.; Shinn, J.; Sprague, K.

1999-03-30

An apparatus and process for obtaining samples of liquid and gas from subsurface soil is provided having filter zone adjacent an external expander ring. The expander ring creates a void within the soil substrate which encourages the accumulation of soil-borne fluids. The fluids migrate along a pressure gradient through a plurality of filters before entering a first chamber. A one-way valve regulates the flow of fluid into a second chamber in further communication with a collection tube through which samples are collected at the surface. A second one-way valve having a reverse flow provides additional communication between the chambers for the pressurized cleaning and back-flushing of the apparatus. 8 figs.

Process and apparatus for obtaining samples of liquid and gas from soil

DOEpatents

Rossabi, Joseph; May, Christopher P.; Pemberton, Bradley E.; Shinn, Jim; Sprague, Keith

1999-01-01

An apparatus and process for obtaining samples of liquid and gas from subsurface soil is provided having filter zone adjacent an external expander ring. The expander ring creates a void within the soil substrate which encourages the accumulation of soil-borne fluids. The fluids migrate along a pressure gradient through a plurality of filters before entering a first chamber. A one-way valve regulates the flow of fluid into a second chamber in further communication with a collection tube through which samples are collected at the surface. A second one-way valve having a reverse flow provides additional communication between the chambers for the pressurized cleaning and back-flushing of the apparatus.

Emerging policy issues in PURPA implementation: an examination of policy issues related to federal and state efforts to encourage development of cogeneration and small power production under Title II of PURPA

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

Not Available

Purpose of this study is to examine the results of FERG and state efforts to encourage the development of cogeneration and small power production under Title II of the Public Utility Regualtory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) in the years since the statute was enacted. The frame of reference specified by DOE for use in this study includes both the original purposes of the legislation as set forth in PURPA and the current overall energy policy goal which is to ''foster an adequate supply of energy at reasonable costs.'' This review of PURPA implementation efforts is designed to assess themore » results to date in terms of achieving the stated goals of the statute (including ''to encourage cogeneration and small power production''), identify perceived areas of conflict between federal and state efforts to maximize development of qualifying facilities (QFs) and current Administration concerns for achieving greater levels of economic efficiency in electric power supply, briefly examine the nature of such conflicts, with reference to specific cases wherever possible, and suggest possible means of conforming government efforts to encourage QF development with the economic efficiency objectives underlying national energy policy.« less

Restaurant-based intervention to facilitate healthy eating choices and the identification of allergenic foods at a family-oriented resort and a campground.

PubMed

Tarro, Lucia; Aceves-Martins, Magaly; Tiñena, Yolanda; Parisi, Joan Lluís; Blasi, Xavier; Giralt, Montse; Llauradó, Elisabet; Solà, Rosa

2017-05-05

Restaurant-based interventions can be an enjoyable way to encourage healthier eating choices by all members of a family. Thus, the principal aims of this study were a) to promote healthy diets by increasing healthy food offerings and b) to increase the number of foods offered specifically as gluten-free and lactose-free and to inform patrons by including nutritional and allergen information that complies with Regulation 1169/2011 regarding the food served in restaurants, takeaways and snack bars. A restaurant-based intervention was implemented at 16 food establishments at 2 resorts (the Cambrils Park Resort and Camping Sangulí, Spain, from 2014 to 2015) based on the following 4 components: 1) providing nutritional and allergen analyses of the offered dishes, 2) increasing the number of healthy food choices, 3) identifying menu items associated with allergies and intolerance, and 4) training staff on healthy eating and allergens. Customer satisfaction regarding food aspects was assessed using surveys (10-point scale). Both resorts significantly increased their offerings of healthy dishes (28.6% to 44.7%; P = 0.003) and desserts with fruit (20% to 51.3%; P = 0.013), thus obtaining the Spanish Government's Mediterranean Diet certification. Additionally, both resorts obtained Catalan Celiac Association certification. Moreover, both resorts significantly increased their percentages of gluten-free dishes (2.1% to 50.5%; P < 0.001) and lactose-free dishes (5.5% to 37.5%; P < 0.001) after the intervention. Customer satisfaction increased (mean ± standard deviation) from 6.9 ± 1.6 to 8.5 ± 1.5 (P < 0.001). This restaurant-based intervention expanded the number of healthy and allergen-free foods offered in a family-oriented holiday resort environment to encourage healthy food choices, resulting in increased customer satisfaction.

Patient Protection and Risk Selection

PubMed Central

Wynia, Matthew K; Zucker, Deborah; Supran, Stacey; Selker, Harry P

2002-01-01

BACKGROUND Individual physicians who are paid prospectively, as in capitated health plans, might tend to encourage patients to avoid or to join these plans according to the patient's health status. Though insurance risk selection has been well documented among organizations paid on a prospective basis, such physician-level risk selection has not been studied. OBJECTIVE To assess physician reports of risk selection in capitated health plans and explore potentially related factors. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS National mailed survey of primary care physicians in 1997–1998, oversampling physicians in areas with more capitated health plans. RESULTS The response rate was 63% (787 of 1,252 eligible recipients). Overall, 44% of physicians reported encouraging patients either to join or to avoid capitated health plans according to the patients' health status: 40% encouraged more complex and ill patients to avoid capitated plans and 23% encouraged healthier patients to join capitated plans. In multivariable models, physicians with negative perceptions of capitated plan quality, with more negative experiences in capitated plans, and those who knew at each patient encounter how they were being compensated had higher odds of encouraging sicker patients to avoid capitated plans (odds ratios, 2.0, 2.2, and 2.0; all confidence intervals >1). CONCLUSIONS Many primary care physicians report encouraging patients to join or avoid capitated plans according to the patient's health status. Although these physicians' recommendations might be associated primarily with concerns about quality, they can have the effect of insulating certain health plans from covering sicker and more expensive patients. PMID:11903774

Your move: The effect of chess on mathematics test scores

PubMed Central

Rosholm, Michael; Mikkelsen, Mai Bjørnskov; Gumede, Kamilla

2017-01-01

We analyse the effect of substituting a weekly mathematics lesson in primary school grades 1–3 with a lesson in mathematics based on chess instruction. We use data from the City of Aarhus in Denmark, combining test score data with a comprehensive data set obtained from administrative registers. We use two different methodological approaches to identify and estimate treatment effects and we tend to find positive effects, indicating that knowledge acquired through chess play can be transferred to the domain of mathematics. We also find larger impacts for unhappy children and children who are bored in school, perhaps because chess instruction facilitates learning by providing an alternative approach to mathematics for these children. The results are encouraging and suggest that chess may be an important and effective tool for improving mathematical capacity in young students. PMID:28494023

Supercapacitors based on high-quality graphene scrolls.

PubMed

Zeng, Fanyan; Kuang, Yafei; Liu, Gaoqin; Liu, Rui; Huang, Zhongyuan; Fu, Chaopeng; Zhou, Haihui

2012-07-07

High-quality graphene scrolls (GSS) with a unique scrolled topography are designed using a microexplosion method. Their capacitance properties are investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrical impedance spectroscopy. Compared with the specific capacity of 110 F g(-1) for graphene sheets, a remarkable capacity of 162.2 F g(-1) is obtained at the current density of 1.0 A g(-1) in 6 M KOH aqueous solution owing to the unique scrolled structure of GSS. The capacity value is increased by about 50% only because of the topological change of graphene sheets. Meanwhile, GSS exhibit excellent long-term cycling stability along with 96.8% retained after 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g(-1). These encouraging results indicate that GSS based on the topological structure of graphene sheets are a kind of promising material for supercapacitors.

Supercapacitors based on high-quality graphene scrolls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Fanyan; Kuang, Yafei; Liu, Gaoqin; Liu, Rui; Huang, Zhongyuan; Fu, Chaopeng; Zhou, Haihui

2012-06-01

High-quality graphene scrolls (GSS) with a unique scrolled topography are designed using a microexplosion method. Their capacitance properties are investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrical impedance spectroscopy. Compared with the specific capacity of 110 F g-1 for graphene sheets, a remarkable capacity of 162.2 F g-1 is obtained at the current density of 1.0 A g-1 in 6 M KOH aqueous solution owing to the unique scrolled structure of GSS. The capacity value is increased by about 50% only because of the topological change of graphene sheets. Meanwhile, GSS exhibit excellent long-term cycling stability along with 96.8% retained after 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g-1. These encouraging results indicate that GSS based on the topological structure of graphene sheets are a kind of promising material for supercapacitors.

Long-term disease-free survival in advanced melanomas treated with nitrosoureas: mechanisms and new perspectives

PubMed Central

Durando, Xavier; Thivat, Emilie; D'Incan, Michel; Sinsard, Anne; Madelmont, Jean-Claude; Chollet, Philippe

2005-01-01

Background Median survival of metastatic malignant melanoma is 6.0 to 7.5 months, with a 5-year survival of ~6.0%. Although long-term complete remissions are rare, few reports describe cases after chemotherapy. Fifty-three patients with metastatic melanoma were treated with Cystemustine, a chloroethyl nitrosourea (CENU) (60 or 90 mg/m2). Case presentation We describe 5 cases, presenting with complete response with long-term disease-free survival of long-term remission of 14, 12, 9, 7 and 6 years after Cystemustine therapy alone. Conclusion Long-term survival has already been described in literature, but in all cases they have been obtained after chemotherapy associated with or followed by surgery. But despite these noteworthy and encouraging but also rare results, it appears essential to increase cystemustine efficiency. PMID:16287507

Your move: The effect of chess on mathematics test scores.

PubMed

Rosholm, Michael; Mikkelsen, Mai Bjørnskov; Gumede, Kamilla

2017-01-01

We analyse the effect of substituting a weekly mathematics lesson in primary school grades 1-3 with a lesson in mathematics based on chess instruction. We use data from the City of Aarhus in Denmark, combining test score data with a comprehensive data set obtained from administrative registers. We use two different methodological approaches to identify and estimate treatment effects and we tend to find positive effects, indicating that knowledge acquired through chess play can be transferred to the domain of mathematics. We also find larger impacts for unhappy children and children who are bored in school, perhaps because chess instruction facilitates learning by providing an alternative approach to mathematics for these children. The results are encouraging and suggest that chess may be an important and effective tool for improving mathematical capacity in young students.

[Malaria in the Republic of Djibouti. Strategy for control using a biological antilarval campaign: indigenous larvivorous fishes (Aphanius dispar) and bacterial toxins].

PubMed

Louis, J P; Albert, J P

1988-01-01

The authors take stock of the present situation of malaria in the Republic of Djibouti which, after several decades of silence, seems to have been reintroduced at the beginning of the seventies. Actually it is hypo-endemic malaria with Plasmodium falciparum of which the only vector seems to be Anopheles arabiensis, gambiae complex. The specificity of the larvae nests allows a control strategy based on the only treatment of larvae sites by biological control: larvivorous fishes (Aphanius Dispar) and in addition the pin-point use of bacterial toxins as a complementary measure. The first results obtained in the rural zones around the capital are encouraging and permit to envisage the extensions of such a strategy to the whole of the territory of the Republic.

How to convince your manager to invest in an HIS preimplementation methodology for appraisal of material, process and human costs and benefits.

PubMed Central

Bossard, B.; Renard, J. M.; Capelle, P.; Paradis, P.; Beuscart, M. C.

2000-01-01

Investing in information technology has become a crucial process in hospital management today. Medical and administrative managers are faced with difficulties in measuring medical information technology costs and benefits due to the complexity of the domain. This paper proposes a preimplementation methodology for evaluating and appraising material, process and human costs and benefits. Based on the users needs and organizational process analysis, the methodology provides an evaluative set of financial and non financial indicators which can be integrated in a decision making and investment evaluation process. We describe the first results obtained after a few months of operation for the Computer-Based Patient Record (CPR) project. Its full acceptance, in spite of some difficulties, encourages us to diffuse the method for the entire project. PMID:11079851

Somatic coliphages as surrogates for enteroviruses in sludge hygienization treatments.

PubMed

Martín-Díaz, Julia; Casas-Mangas, Raquel; García-Aljaro, Cristina; Blanch, Anicet R; Lucena, Francisco

2016-01-01

Conventional bacterial indicators present serious drawbacks giving information about viral pathogens persistence during sludge hygienization treatments. This calls for the search of alternative viral indicators. Somatic coliphages' (SOMCPH) ability for acting as surrogates for enteroviruses was assessed in 47 sludge samples subjected to novel treatment processes. SOMCPH, infectious enteroviruses and genome copies of enteroviruses were monitored. Only one of these groups, the bacteriophages, was present in the sludge at concentrations that allowed the evaluation of treatment's performance. An indicator/pathogen relationship of 4 log10 (PFU/g dw) was found between SOMCPH and infective enteroviruses and their detection accuracy was assessed. The obtained results and the existence of rapid and standardized methods encourage the inclusion of SOMCPH quantification in future sludge directives. In addition, an existing real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for enteroviruses was adapted and applied.

Person-Organization Commitment: Bonds of Internal Consumer in the Context of Non-profit Organizations

PubMed Central

Juaneda-Ayensa, Emma; Clavel San Emeterio, Mónica; González-Menorca, Carlos

2017-01-01

From an Organizational Behavior perspective, it is important to recognize the links generated between individuals and the organization that encourage a desire for permanence. After more than a half century of research, Organizational Commitment remains one of the open questions in the Psychology of Organizations. It is considered an essential factor for explaining individual behavior in the organization such as satisfaction, turnover intention, or loyalty. In this paper, we analyze different contributions regarding the nature of the bond between the individual and the organization. Taking into account the peculiarities of Non-profit Organizations, we present different interpretation for later validation, comparing results from the Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the four models obtained using exploratory factor analysis, both conducted on a sample of 235 members of Non-profit Organizations. PMID:28775699

"Doping" pentacene with sp(2)-phosphorus atoms: towards high performance ambipolar semiconductors.

PubMed

Long, Guankui; Yang, Xuan; Chen, Wangqiao; Zhang, Mingtao; Zhao, Yang; Chen, Yongsheng; Zhang, Qichun

2016-01-28

Recent research progress in black phosphorus sheets strongly encourages us to employ pentacene as a parent system to systematically investigate how the "doping" of sp(2)-phosphorus atoms onto the backbone of pentacene influences its optical and charge transport properties. Our theoretical investigations proved that increasing the contribution of the pz atomic orbital of the sp(2)-phosphorus to the frontier molecular orbital of phosphapentacenes could significantly decrease both hole and electron reorganization energies and dramatically red-shift the absorption of pentacene. The record smallest hole and electron reorganization energies of 69.80 and 95.74 meV for heteropentacene derivatives were obtained. These results suggest that phosphapentacenes (or phosphaacenes) could be potential promising candidates to achieve both higher and balanced mobilities in organic field effect transistors and realize a better power conversion efficiency in organic photovoltaics.

Post launch performance of the Meteor-3/TOMS instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaross, Glen; Ahmad, Zia; Cebula, Richard P.; Krueger, Arlin J.

1994-01-01

The Meteor-3/TOMS instrument is the second in a series of Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometers (TOMS) following the 1978 launch of Nimbus-7/TOMS. TOMS instruments are designed to measure total ozone amounts over the entire earth on a daily basis, and have been the cornerstone of ozone trend monitoring. Consequently, calibration is a critical issue, and is receiving much attention on both instruments. Performance and calibration data obtained by monitoring systems aboard the Meteor-3 instrument have been analyzed through the first full year of operation, and indicate that the instrument is performing quite well. A new system for monitoring instrument sensitivity employing multiple diffusers has been used successfully and is providing encouraging results. The 3-diffuser system has monitored changes in instrument sensitivity of a few percent despite decreases in diffuser reflectivity approaching 50 percent since launch.

Contextual classification on the massively parallel processor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tilton, James C.

1987-01-01

Classifiers are often used to produce land cover maps from multispectral Earth observation imagery. Conventionally, these classifiers have been designed to exploit the spectral information contained in the imagery. Very few classifiers exploit the spatial information content of the imagery, and the few that do rarely exploit spatial information content in conjunction with spectral and/or temporal information. A contextual classifier that exploits spatial and spectral information in combination through a general statistical approach was studied. Early test results obtained from an implementation of the classifier on a VAX-11/780 minicomputer were encouraging, but they are of limited meaning because they were produced from small data sets. An implementation of the contextual classifier is presented on the Massively Parallel Processor (MPP) at Goddard that for the first time makes feasible the testing of the classifier on large data sets.

Estimation of electric fields and current from ground-based magnetometer data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kamide, Y.; Richmond, A. D.

1984-01-01

Recent advances in numerical algorithms for estimating ionospheric electric fields and currents from groundbased magnetometer data are reviewed and evaluated. Tests of the adequacy of one such algorithm in reproducing large-scale patterns of electrodynamic parameters in the high-latitude ionosphere have yielded generally positive results, at least for some simple cases. Some encouraging advances in producing realistic conductivity models, which are a critical input, are pointed out. When the algorithms are applied to extensive data sets, such as the ones from meridian chain magnetometer networks during the IMS, together with refined conductivity models, unique information on instantaneous electric field and current patterns can be obtained. Examples of electric potentials, ionospheric currents, field-aligned currents, and Joule heating distributions derived from ground magnetic data are presented. Possible directions for future improvements are also pointed out.

How communication of genetic information within the family is addressed in genetic counselling: a systematic review of research evidence

PubMed Central

Mendes, Álvaro; Paneque, Milena; Sousa, Liliana; Clarke, Angus; Sequeiros, Jorge

2016-01-01

Supporting consultands to communicate risk information with their relatives is key to obtaining the full benefits of genetic health care. To understand how health-care professionals address this issue in clinical practice and what interventions are used specifically to assist consultands in their communication of genetic information to appropriate relatives, we conducted a systematic review. Four electronic databases and four subject-specific journals were searched for papers published, in English, between January 1997 and May 2014. Of 2926 papers identified initially, 14 papers met the inclusion criteria for the review and were heterogeneous in design, setting and methods. Thematic data analysis has shown that dissemination of information within families is actively encouraged and supported by professionals. Three overarching themes emerged: (1) direct contact from genetic services: sending letters to relatives of mutation carriers; (2) professionals' encouragement of initially reluctant consultands to share relevant information with at-risk relatives and (3) assisting consultands in communicating genetic information to their at-risk relatives, which included as subthemes (i) psychoeducational guidance and (ii) written information aids. Findings suggest that professionals' practice and interventions are predicated on the need to proactively encourage family communication. We discuss this in the context of what guidance of consultands by professionals might be appropriate, as best practices to facilitate family communication, and of the limits to non-directiveness in genetic counselling. PMID:26264439

How communication of genetic information within the family is addressed in genetic counselling: a systematic review of research evidence.

PubMed

Mendes, Álvaro; Paneque, Milena; Sousa, Liliana; Clarke, Angus; Sequeiros, Jorge

2016-03-01

Supporting consultands to communicate risk information with their relatives is key to obtaining the full benefits of genetic health care. To understand how health-care professionals address this issue in clinical practice and what interventions are used specifically to assist consultands in their communication of genetic information to appropriate relatives, we conducted a systematic review. Four electronic databases and four subject-specific journals were searched for papers published, in English, between January 1997 and May 2014. Of 2926 papers identified initially, 14 papers met the inclusion criteria for the review and were heterogeneous in design, setting and methods. Thematic data analysis has shown that dissemination of information within families is actively encouraged and supported by professionals. Three overarching themes emerged: (1) direct contact from genetic services: sending letters to relatives of mutation carriers; (2) professionals' encouragement of initially reluctant consultands to share relevant information with at-risk relatives and (3) assisting consultands in communicating genetic information to their at-risk relatives, which included as subthemes (i) psychoeducational guidance and (ii) written information aids. Findings suggest that professionals' practice and interventions are predicated on the need to proactively encourage family communication. We discuss this in the context of what guidance of consultands by professionals might be appropriate, as best practices to facilitate family communication, and of the limits to non-directiveness in genetic counselling.

A time for change: for the road to excellence for health care professionals.

PubMed

Nichols, D H

2001-01-01

This article addresses the changes affecting all of health care. Change should first be driven by data--data are what will be used to make clinical and business decisions that will result in better quality care. Employees should be held accountable for results, and celebrations should be provided for these changes. Customers have needs and goals that must be met, and if we do not meet the needs, our competition will. Management must understand the principles of quality and must encourage growth in employees. To bring change to your health care organization, you must embrace and encourage change.

An Instructional Media using Comics on the Systems of Linear Equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widyastuti, P. D.; Mardiyana, M.; Saputro, D. R. S.

2017-09-01

Comic is one of the frequently used media in our daily life. This media has been familiar for the community. Comic is mostly used as entertainment facilities. Along with the current development, comics are not only functioned as a means of entertainment, but also used in the field of education. There were some problems in a classroom which encouraged the researchers to use comics as a solution for those problems. This article aims at discussing on comics as an instructional media which is appropriate for students. This research uses research and development (R and D) method. The results obtained from this study are based on the students’ responses of the questionnaires and validation to help them understanding the system of linear equations material. Results show that comics can be used to replace LKS (student worksheet). Feedbacks from students and validators also show that comic is an attractive medium. It is said so since comics link the concrete into abstract things so that it is easily understood by the students.

Metabolic comparison of radiolabeled aniline- and phenol-phthaleins with (131)I.

PubMed

Avcibaşi, Uğur; Avcibaşi, Nesibe; Unak, Turan; Unak, Perihan; Müftüler, Fazilet Zümrüt; Yildirim, Yeliz; Dinçalp, Haluk; Gümüşer, Fikriye Gül; Dursun, Ebru Rükşen

2008-05-01

The metabolic comparison of aniline- and phenol-phthaleins radiolabeled with (131)I ((131)I-APH and (131)I-PPH, respectively) has been investigated in this study. To compare the metabolic behavior of these phthaleins and their glucuronide conjugates radiolabeled with (131)I, scintigraphic and biodistributional techniques were applied using male Albino rabbits. The results obtained have shown that these compounds were successfully radioiodinated with a radioiodination yield of about 100%. Maximum uptakes of (131)I-APH and (131)I-PPH, which were metabolized as N- and O-glucuronides, were observed within 2 h in the bladder and in the small intestine, respectively. In the case of verification of considerably up taking of these compounds also by tumors developed in the small intestine and in the bladder tissues, these results can be expected to be encouraging to test these compounds, which will be radiolabeled with other radioiodines such as (125)I, (123)I and (124)I as imaging and therapeutic agents in nuclear medical applications.

Single-side conduction modeling for high heat flux coolant channels

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

Boyd, R.D. Sr.

In the development of plasma-facing components (PFCs), most investigators have erroneously postulated negligible water critical heat flux dependence on the coolant channel length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio above a constant value of L/D. Although encouraging results have been obtained in characterizing peaking factors for local two-dimensional boiling curves and critical heat flux, additional experimental data and theoretical model development are needed to validate the applicability to PFCs. Both these and related issues will affect the flow boiling correlation and data reduction associated with the development of PFCs for fusion reactors and other physical problems that are dependent on conduction modeling in themore » heat flux spectrum of applications. Both exact solutions and numerical conjugate analyses are presented for a one-side heated (OSH) geometry. The results show (a) the coexistence of three flow regimes inside an OSH circular geometry, (b) the correlational dependence of the inside wall heat flux and temperature, and (c) inaccuracies that could arise in some data reduction procedures.« less

Approximating the Shifted Hartree-Exchange-Correlation Potential in Direct Energy Kohn-Sham Theory.

PubMed

Sharpe, Daniel J; Levy, Mel; Tozer, David J

2018-02-13

Levy and Zahariev [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113 113002 (2014)] have proposed a new approach for performing density functional theory calculations, termed direct energy Kohn-Sham (DEKS) theory. In this approach, the electronic energy equals the sum of orbital energies, obtained from Kohn-Sham-like orbital equations involving a shifted Hartree-exchange-correlation potential, which must be approximated. In the present study, density scaling homogeneity considerations are used to facilitate DEKS calculations on a series of atoms and molecules, leading to three nonlocal approximations to the shifted potential. The first two rely on preliminary Kohn-Sham calculations using a standard generalized gradient approximation (GGA) exchange-correlation functional and the results illustrate the benefit of describing the dominant Hartree component of the shift exactly. A uniform electron gas analysis is used to eliminate the need for these preliminary Kohn-Sham calculations, leading to a potential with an unconventional form that yields encouraging results, providing strong motivation for further research in DEKS theory.

The rationale of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase inhibition for cancer therapy.

PubMed

Brochez, Lieve; Chevolet, Ines; Kruse, Vibeke

2017-05-01

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO, also referred to as IDO1) has been demonstrated to be a normal endogenous mechanism of acquired peripheral immune tolerance in vivo. In the field of oncology, IDO expression and/or activity has been observed in several cancer types and has usually been associated with negative prognostic factors and worse outcome measures. This manuscript reviews current available data on the role of IDO in cancer and the current results obtained with IDO inhibition, both in animal models and in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in humans. Preliminary results with IDO inhibitors, usually combined with other anti-cancer drugs, seem encouraging. Further studies are needed to clarify the conditions in which IDO inhibitors can be of value as an anti-cancer strategy. In addition, further research should address whether the expression of IDO in tissue or blood can be a marker to select patients who can benefit most from IDO inhibition. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The electrolyte challenge for a direct methanol-air polymer electrolyte fuel cell operating at temperatures up to 200 C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savinell, Robert; Yeager, Ernest; Tryk, Donald; Landau, Uziel; Wainright, Jesse; Gervasio, Dominic; Cahan, Boris; Litt, Morton; Rogers, Charles; Scherson, Daniel

1993-01-01

Novel polymer electrolytes are being evaluated for use in a direct methanol-air fuel cell operating at temperatures in excess of 100 C. The evaluation includes tests of thermal stability, ionic conductivity, and vapor transport characteristics. The preliminary results obtained to date indicate that a high temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell is feasible. For example, Nafion 117 when equilibrated with phosphoric acid has a conductivity of at least 0.4 Omega(exp -1)cm(exp -1) at temperatures up to 200 C in the presence of 400 torr of water vapor and methanol vapor cross over equivalent to 1 mA/cm(exp 2) under a one atmosphere methanol pressure differential at 135 C. Novel polymers are also showing similar encouraging results. The flexibility to modify and optimize the properties by custom synthesis of these novel polymers presents an exciting opportunity to develop an efficient and compact methanol fuel cell.

Wind power in Jamaica

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

Chen, A.A.; Daniel, A.R.; Daniel, S.T.

1990-01-01

Parameters to evaluate the potential for using wind energy to generate electricity in Jamaica were obtained. These include the average wind power scaled to a height of 20 m at existing weather stations and temporary anemometer sites, the variation in annual and monthly wind power, and the frequency distribution of wind speed and wind energy available. Four small commercial turbines were assumed to be operating at some of the sites, and the estimated energy captured by them, the time they operated above their cut-in speed and their capacity factors were also determined. Diurnal variations of wind speed and prevailing windmore » directions are discussed and a map showing wind power at various sites was produced. Two stations with long-term averages, Manley and Morant Point, gave results which warranted further investigation. Results from some temporary stations are also encouraging. Mean wind speeds at two other sites in the Caribbean are given for comparison. A method for estimating the power exponent for scaling the wind speed from climatic data is described in Appendix 2.« less

Modern control concepts in hydrology. [parameter identification in adaptive stochastic control approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duong, N.; Winn, C. B.; Johnson, G. R.

1975-01-01

Two approaches to an identification problem in hydrology are presented, based upon concepts from modern control and estimation theory. The first approach treats the identification of unknown parameters in a hydrologic system subject to noisy inputs as an adaptive linear stochastic control problem; the second approach alters the model equation to account for the random part in the inputs, and then uses a nonlinear estimation scheme to estimate the unknown parameters. Both approaches use state-space concepts. The identification schemes are sequential and adaptive and can handle either time-invariant or time-dependent parameters. They are used to identify parameters in the Prasad model of rainfall-runoff. The results obtained are encouraging and confirm the results from two previous studies; the first using numerical integration of the model equation along with a trial-and-error procedure, and the second using a quasi-linearization technique. The proposed approaches offer a systematic way of analyzing the rainfall-runoff process when the input data are imbedded in noise.

A cellular automaton for the signed particle formulation of quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sellier, J. M.; Kapanova, K. G.; Dimov, I.

2017-02-01

Recently, a new formulation of quantum mechanics, based on the concept of signed particles, has been suggested. In this paper, we introduce a cellular automaton which mimics the dynamics of quantum objects in the phase-space in a time-dependent fashion. This is twofold: it provides a simplified and accessible language to non-physicists who wants to simulate quantum mechanical systems, at the same time it enables a different way to explore the laws of Physics. Moreover, it opens the way towards hybrid simulations of quantum systems by combining full quantum models with cellular automata when the former fail. In order to show the validity of the suggested cellular automaton and its combination with the signed particle formalism, several numerical experiments are performed, showing very promising results. Being this article a preliminary study on quantum simulations in phase-space by means of cellular automata, some conclusions are drawn about the encouraging results obtained so far and the possible future developments.

Fundamental constraints on the performance of broadband ultrasonic matching structures and absorbers.

PubMed

Acher, O; Bernard, J M L; Maréchal, P; Bardaine, A; Levassort, F

2009-04-01

Recent fundamental results concerning the ultimate performance of electromagnetic absorbers were adapted and extrapolated to the field of sound waves. It was possible to deduce some appropriate figures of merit indicating whether a particular structure was close to the best possible matching properties. These figures of merit had simple expressions and were easy to compute in practical cases. Numerical examples illustrated that conventional state-of-the-art matching structures had an overall efficiency of approximately 50% of the fundamental limit. However, if the bandwidth at -6 dB was retained as a benchmark, the achieved bandwidth would be, at most, 12% of the fundamental limit associated with the same mass for the matching structure. Consequently, both encouragement for future improvements and accurate estimates of the surface mass required to obtain certain desired broadband properties could be provided. The results presented here can be used to investigate the broadband sound absorption and to benchmark passive and active noise control systems.

Measurement and control of electrostatic charges on solids in a gaseous suspension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieh, S.; Nguyen, T.

1985-10-01

Measurements of mean particle charges and charge distributions on Medium Volatile Bituminous (MVB) coals and Lignite A (LIGA) coals in a 51 mm ID grounded copper pipe loop have been made with the upgraded Faraday cage system. Both negative and positive charges were found for coals in all experiments. The dual polarities of charges are believed to be due to the nonuniform materials and chemical composition contained in coals. As expected, increasing velocity or decreasing air humidity has a significant effect to increase the mean particle charge and the standard deviation of distribution. Charge elimination by the addition of coal fines has been explored. Effective suppression of particle charges was achieved by adding 0.1% by mass of minus 1 micron coal dust into the pipe flow. A neutralization mechanism was proposed to interpret the measured results. The results of charge control obtained to date has been significant and encouraging. More work is needed to validate the proposed mechanism.

The discrimination of honey origin using melissopalynology and Raman spectroscopy techniques coupled with multivariate analysis.

PubMed

Corvucci, Francesca; Nobili, Lara; Melucci, Dora; Grillenzoni, Francesca-Vittoria

2015-02-15

Honey traceability to food quality is required by consumers and food control institutions. Melissopalynologists traditionally use percentages of nectariferous pollens to discriminate the botanical origin and the entire pollen spectrum (presence/absence, type and quantities and association of some pollen types) to determinate the geographical origin of honeys. To improve melissopalynological routine analysis, principal components analysis (PCA) was used. A remarkable and innovative result was that the most significant pollens for the traditional discrimination of the botanical and geographical origin of honeys were the same as those individuated with the chemometric model. The reliability of assignments of samples to honey classes was estimated through explained variance (85%). This confirms that the chemometric model properly describes the melissopalynological data. With the aim to improve honey discrimination, FT-microRaman spectrography and multivariate analysis were also applied. Well performing PCA models and good agreement with known classes were achieved. Encouraging results were obtained for botanical discrimination. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of three-dimensional velocity profiles using forward scattering particle image velocimetry (FSPIV) and neural net pattern recognition

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

Ovryn, B.; Wright, T.; Khaydarov, J.D.

1995-12-31

The authors employ Forward Scattering Particle Image Velocimetry (FSPIV) to measure all three components of the velocity of a buoyant polystyrene particle in oil. Unlike conventional particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques, FSPIV employs coherent or partially coherent back illumination and collects the forward scattered wavefront; additionally, the field-of-view is microscopic. Using FSPIV, it is possible to easily identify the particle`s centroid and to simultaneously obtain the fluid velocity in different planes perpendicular to the viewing direction without changing the collection or imaging optics. The authors have trained a neural network to identify the scattering pattern as function of displacement alongmore » the optical axis (axial defocus) and determine the transverse velocity by tracking the centroid as function of time. They present preliminary results from Mie theory calculations which include the effect of the imaging system. To their knowledge, this is the first work of this kind; preliminary results are encouraging.« less

Study of the Dynamics of Transcephalic Cerebral Impedance Data during Cardio-Vascular Surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atefi, S. R.; Seoane, F.; Lindecrantz, K.

2013-04-01

Postoperative neurological deficits are one of the risks associated with cardio vascular surgery, necessitating development of new techniques for cerebral monitoring. In this study an experimental observation regarding the dynamics of transcephalic Electrical Bioimpedance (EBI) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with and without extracorporeal circulation (ECC) was conducted to investigate the potential use of electrical Bioimpedance for cerebral monitoring in cardio vascular surgery. Tetrapolar transcephalic EBI measurements at single frequency of 50 kHz were recorded prior to and during cardio vascular surgery. The obtained results show that the transcephalic impedance decreases in both groups of patients as operation starts, however slight differences in these two groups were also observed with the cerebral impedance reduction in patients having no ECC being less common and not as pronounced as in the ECC group. Changes in the cerebral impedance were in agreement with changes of haematocrit and temperature. The origin of EBI changes is still unexplained however these results encourage us to continue investigating the application of electrical bioimpedance cerebral monitoring clinically.

Classification of the Correct Quranic Letters Pronunciation of Male and Female Reciters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khairuddin, Safiah; Ahmad, Salmiah; Embong, Abdul Halim; Nur Wahidah Nik Hashim, Nik; Altamas, Tareq M. K.; Nuratikah Syd Badaruddin, Syarifah; Shahbudin Hassan, Surul

2017-11-01

Recitation of the Holy Quran with the correct Tajweed is essential for every Muslim. Islam has encouraged Quranic education since early age as the recitation of the Quran correctly will represent the correct meaning of the words of Allah. It is important to recite the Quranic verses according to its characteristics (sifaat) and from its point of articulations (makhraj). This paper presents the identification and classification analysis of Quranic letters pronunciation for both male and female reciters, to obtain the unique representation of each letter by male as compared to female expert reciters. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) was used as the classifier to classify the data with Formants and Power Spectral Density (PSD) as the acoustic features. The result shows that linear classifier of PSD with band 1 and band 2 power spectral combinations gives a high percentage of classification accuracy for most of the Quranic letters. It is also shown that the pronunciation by male reciters gives better result in the classification of the Quranic letters.

Direct detection of protein biomarkers in human fluids using site-specific antibody immobilization strategies.

PubMed

Soler, Maria; Estevez, M-Carmen; Alvarez, Mar; Otte, Marinus A; Sepulveda, Borja; Lechuga, Laura M

2014-01-29

Design of an optimal surface biofunctionalization still remains an important challenge for the application of biosensors in clinical practice and therapeutic follow-up. Optical biosensors offer real-time monitoring and highly sensitive label-free analysis, along with great potential to be transferred to portable devices. When applied in direct immunoassays, their analytical features depend strongly on the antibody immobilization strategy. A strategy for correct immobilization of antibodies based on the use of ProLinker™ has been evaluated and optimized in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, stability and reproducibility. Special effort has been focused on avoiding antibody manipulation, preventing nonspecific adsorption and obtaining a robust biosurface with regeneration capabilities. ProLinker™-based approach has demonstrated to fulfill those crucial requirements and, in combination with PEG-derivative compounds, has shown encouraging results for direct detection in biological fluids, such as pure urine or diluted serum. Furthermore, we have implemented the ProLinker™ strategy to a novel nanoplasmonic-based biosensor resulting in promising advantages for its application in clinical and biomedical diagnosis.

Effect of extended famine conditions on aerobic granular sludge stability in the treatment of brewery wastewater.

PubMed

Corsino, Santo Fabio; di Biase, Alessandro; Devlin, Tanner Ryan; Munz, Giulio; Torregrossa, Michele; Oleszkiewicz, Jan A

2017-02-01

Results obtained from three aerobic granular sludge reactors treating brewery wastewater are presented. Reactors were operated for 60d days in each of the two periods under different cycle duration: (Period I) short 6h cycle, and (Period II) long 12h cycle. Organic loading rates (OLR) varying from 0.7kgCODm -3 d -1 to 4.1kgCODm -3 d -1 were tested. During Period I, granules successfully developed in all reactors, however, results revealed that the feast and famine periods were not balanced and the granular structure deteriorated and became irregular. During Period II at decreased 12h cycle time, granules were observed to develop again with superior structural stability compared to the short 6h cycle time, suggesting that a longer starvation phase enhanced production of proteinaceous EPS. Overall, the extended famine conditions encouraged granule stability, likely because long starvation period favours bacteria capable of storage of energy compounds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combined DFT and BS study on the exchange coupling of dinuclear sandwich-type POM: comparison of different functionals and reliability of structure modeling.

PubMed

Yin, Bing; Xue, GangLin; Li, JianLi; Bai, Lu; Huang, YuanHe; Wen, ZhenYi; Jiang, ZhenYi

2012-05-01

The exchange coupling of a group of three dinuclear sandwich-type polyoxomolybdates [MM'(AsMo7O27)2](12-) with MM' = CrCr, FeFe, FeCr are theoretically predicted from combined DFT and broken-symmetry (BS) approach. Eight different XC functionals are utilized to calculate the exchange-coupling constant J from both the full crystalline structures and model structures of smaller size. The comparison between theoretical values and accurate experimental results supports the applicability of DFT-BS method in this new type of sandwich-type dinuclear polyoxomolybdates. However, a careful choice of functionals is necessary to achieve the desired accuracy. The encouraging results obtained from calculations on model structures highlight the great potential of application of structure modeling in theoretical study of POM. Structural modeling may not only reduce the computational cost of large POM species but also be able to take into account the external field effect arising from solvent molecules in solution or counterions in crystal.

Modern control concepts in hydrology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duong, N.; Johnson, G. R.; Winn, C. B.

1974-01-01

Two approaches to an identification problem in hydrology are presented based upon concepts from modern control and estimation theory. The first approach treats the identification of unknown parameters in a hydrologic system subject to noisy inputs as an adaptive linear stochastic control problem; the second approach alters the model equation to account for the random part in the inputs, and then uses a nonlinear estimation scheme to estimate the unknown parameters. Both approaches use state-space concepts. The identification schemes are sequential and adaptive and can handle either time invariant or time dependent parameters. They are used to identify parameters in the Prasad model of rainfall-runoff. The results obtained are encouraging and conform with results from two previous studies; the first using numerical integration of the model equation along with a trial-and-error procedure, and the second, by using a quasi-linearization technique. The proposed approaches offer a systematic way of analyzing the rainfall-runoff process when the input data are imbedded in noise.

Condom Negotiation Strategies and Actual Condom Use among Latino Youth

PubMed Central

Tschann, Jeanne M.; Flores, Elena; de Groat, Cynthia L.; Deardorff, Julianna; Wibbelsman, Charles J.

2010-01-01

Purpose To examine which condom negotiation strategies are effective in obtaining or avoiding condom use among Latino youth. Method Interviews were conducted with 694 Latino youth, 61% female, ages 16–22. Participants reported on their condom negotiation strategies, perceptions of whether their sexual partner wanted to use condoms, and actual condom use. Three strategies to obtain condom use (risk information, direct verbal/nonverbal communication, insist) and four strategies to avoid condom use (emotional coercion, ignore condom use, dislike condoms, seduction) were examined. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression, and included youth (n = 574) who reported wanting to use or avoid condoms. Results Almost 60% of participants reported wanting to use condoms, and nearly all of these used some strategy to obtain condom use. Young men who wanted to use condoms were more likely to do so, compared to young women. Risk information and direct verbal/nonverbal communication were effective strategies to obtain condom use, even among youth who perceived their sexual partners as not wanting to use condoms. Ignoring condom use was an effective condom avoidance strategy, even when youth thought their partners wanted to use condoms. Unexpectedly, young men who expressed dislike of condoms had higher rates of condom use than young men not using this condom avoidance strategy. Conclusions This research identified condom negotiation strategies that are effective among Latino youth, even when they believe their partners do not want to use condoms. Health care providers could encourage Latino youth to use such condom negotiation strategies. PMID:20708564

Transnational tobacco company influence on tax policy during privatization of a state monopoly: British American Tobacco and Uzbekistan.

PubMed

Gilmore, Anna; Collin, Jeff; Townsend, Joy

2007-11-01

The International Monetary Fund encourages privatization of state-owned tobacco industries. Privatization tends to lower cigarette prices, which encourages consumption. This could be countered with effective tax policies. We explored how investment by British American Tobacco (BAT) influenced tax policy in Uzbekistan during privatization there. We obtained internal documents from BAT and analyzed them using a hermeneutic process to create a chronology of events. BAT thoroughly redesigned the tobacco taxation system in Uzbekistan. It secured (1) a reduction of approximately 50% in the excise tax on cigarettes, (2) an excise system to benefit its brands and disadvantage those of its competitors (particularly Philip Morris), and (3) a tax stamp system from which it hoped to be exempted, because this would likely facilitate its established practice of cigarette smuggling and further its competitive advantage.. Privatization can endanger effective tobacco excise policies. The International Monetary Fund should review its approach to privatization and differentiate the privatization of an industry whose product kills from privatization of other industries.

Using research data to impact consumer protection legislation: lessons learned from CITY100 dissemination efforts.

PubMed

Hoerster, Katherine D; Mayer, Joni A

2013-09-01

The Correlates of Indoor Tanning in Youth (CITY100) project evaluated individual, built-environmental, and policy correlates of indoor tanning by adolescents in the 100 most populous US cities. After CITY100's completion, the research team obtained supplemental dissemination funding to strategically share data with stakeholders. The primary CITY100 dissemination message was to encourage state-level banning of indoor tanning among youth. We created a user-friendly website to broadly share the most relevant CITY100 data. Journalists were a primary target audience, as were health organizations that would be well positioned to advocate for legislative change. CITY100 data were used to pass the first US state law to ban indoor tanning among those under 18 (CA, USA), as well as in other legislative advocacy activities. This paper concludes with lessons learned from CITY100 dissemination activities that we hope will encourage more health researchers to proactively address policy implications of their data and to design relevant, effective dissemination strategies.

[Economic perspectives of the research on advanced therapies].

PubMed

Pamo Larrauri, Jose María

2014-11-03

Since a new advanced therapy medicinal product is discovered until finally allowed its sale in the domestic market, it has to overcome a series of stages. Biomedical research is the first phase, currently its situation is encouraging to the increase in the number of clinical trials in Spain and in the rest of the world, despite the economic situation and the various difficulties that have faced the pharmaceutical laboratories. The next phase consists in obtaining the authorization of marketing of the European Medicines Agency. After authorization, will attempt to set a fair and moderate price for inclusion in the list of health provision of Social Security. A price for a drug that provides added value to health and society, a price that is generated profits for the pharmaceutical companies that hope to make up for the years of work and investment. Commitment to advanced therapy must be clear and forceful, to fund ongoing research projects and encouraging their creation with economic aid. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Development of instructional manual encouraging student active learning for high school teaching on fluid mechanics through Torricelli's tank experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apiwan, Suttinee; Puttharugsa, Chokchai; Khemmani, Supitch

2018-01-01

The purposes of this research were to help students to perform Physics laboratory by themselves and to provide guidelines for high school teacher to develop active learning on fluid mechanics by using Torricelli's tank experiment. The research was conducted as follows: 1) constructed an appropriate Torricelli's tank experiment for high school teaching and investigated the condition for maximum water falling distance. As a consequence, it was found that the distance of the falling water measured from the experiment was shorter than that obtained from the theory of ideal fluid because of the energy loss during a flow, 2) developed instructional manual for high school teaching that encourages active learning by using problem based learning (PBL) approach, which is consistent with the trend of teaching and learning in 21st century. The content validity of our instructional manual using Index of Item-objective Congruence (IOC) as evaluated by three experts was over 0.67. The manual developed was therefore qualified for classroom practice.

Exploring the use of a gamified intervention for encouraging physical activity in adolescents: a qualitative longitudinal study in Northern Ireland

PubMed Central

Corepal, Rekesh; Best, Paul; O’Neill, Roisin; Tully, Mark A; Edwards, Mark; Jago, Russell; Miller, Sarah J; Kee, Frank; Hunter, Ruth F

2018-01-01

Objective To explore the temporal changes of adolescents’ views and experiences of participating in a gamified intervention to encourage physical activity behaviour and associated processes of behaviour change. Design A qualitative longitudinal design was adopted whereby focus groups were conducted with the same participants in each intervention school (n=3) at four time-points (baseline, end of each of two intervention phases and 1-year follow-up). The framework method was used to thematically analyse the data. Setting Secondary schools (n=3), Belfast (Northern Ireland). Participants A subsample (n=19 at four time-points) of individuals aged 12–14 years who participated in the StepSmart Challenge, a gamified intervention involving a pedometer competition and material rewards to encourage physical activity behaviour change. Results Three core themes were identified: (1) competition; (2) incentives and (3) influence of friends. Participants indicated that a pedometer competition may help initiate physical activity but suggested that there were a number of barriers such as participants finding it ‘boring’, and feeling as though they had a remote chance of ‘winning’. ‘Incentives’ were viewed favourably, although there were participants who found not winning a prize ‘annoying’. Friends were a motivator to be more physically active, particularly for girls who felt encouraged to walk more when with a friend. Conclusions The intervention in general and specific gamified elements were generally viewed positively and deemed acceptable. Results suggest that gamification may have an important role to play in encouraging adolescents to engage in physical activity and in creating interventions that are fun and enjoyable. The longitudinal approach added additional depth to the analysis as themes were refined and tested with participants over time. The findings also suggest that gamified Behaviour Change Techniques align well with core concepts of Self-determination Theory and that various game elements may require tailoring for specific populations, for example, different genders. Trial registration number NCT02455986; Pre-results. PMID:29678971

Posttraumatic growth and reduced suicidal ideation among adolescents at month 1 after the Sichuan Earthquake.

PubMed

Yu, Xiao-nan; Lau, Joseph T F; Zhang, Jianxin; Mak, Winnie W S; Choi, Kai Chow; Lui, Wacy W S; Zhang, Jianxin; Chan, Emily Y Y

2010-06-01

This study investigated posttraumatic growth (PTG) and reduced suicidal ideation among Chinese adolescents at one month after the occurrence of the Sichuan Earthquake. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 3324 high school students in Chengdu, Sichuan. The revised Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for Children and the Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale assessed PTG and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that being in junior high grade 2, having probable PTSD, visiting affected areas, possessing a perceived sense of security from teachers, and being exposed to touching news reports and encouraging news reports were associated with probable PTG; the reverse was true for students in senior high grade 1 or senior high grade 2 who had experienced prior adversities. Among the 623 students (19.3% of all students) who had suicidal ideation prior to the earthquake, 57.4% self-reported reduced suicidal ideation when the pre-earthquake and post-earthquake situations were compared. Among these 623 students, the multivariate results showed that being females, perceived sense of security obtained from teachers and exposure to encouraging news reports were factors associated with reduced suicidal ideation; the reverse was true for experience of pre-earthquake corporal punishment and worry about severe earthquakes in the future. The study population was not directly hit by the earthquake. This study is cross-sectional and no baseline data were collected prior to the occurrence of the earthquake. The earthquake resulted in PTG and reduced suicidal ideation among adolescents. PTSD was associated with PTG. Special attention should be paid to teachers' support, contents of media reports, and students' experience of prior adversities. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cancer-related internet information communication between oncologists and patients with breast cancer: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Shen, Megan Johnson; Dyson, Robert C; D'Agostino, Thomas A; Ostroff, Jamie S; Dickler, Maura N; Heerdt, Alexandra S; Bylund, Carma L

2015-11-01

Many patients with cancer search out information about their cancer on the internet, thus affecting their relationship with their oncologists. An in-depth analysis of patient-physician communication about information obtained from the internet is currently lacking. We audio-recorded visits of patients with breast cancer and their oncologists where internet information was expected to be discussed. Inductive thematic text analysis was used to identify qualitative themes from these conversations. Twenty-one patients self-reported discussing cancer-related internet information (CRII) with their oncologists; 16 audio recordings contained detectable discussions of CRII and were analyzed. Results indicated that oncologists and patients initiated CRII discussions implicitly and explicitly. Oncologists responded positively to patient-initiated CRII discussions by (1) acknowledging their limited expertise/knowledge, (2) encouraging/approving using the internet as an information resource, (3) providing information/guidance on the proper use of internet searches, (4) discussing the pros and cons of relevant treatment options, or (5) giving information. Finally, patients reacted to the CRII discussions by (1) indicating that they only used reputable sources/websites, (2) asking for further explanation of information, (3) expressing continued concern, or (4) asking for the oncologist's opinion or recommendation. These results indicate that the majority of patients introduce internet information implicitly, in order to guard against any threat to their self-esteem. Physicians, in turn, seem to respond in a supportive fashion to reduce any threat experienced. Future interventions may consider providing prescription-based guidance on how to navigate the internet as a health information resource and to encourage patients to bring these topics up with their oncologist. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Experiences and Perceptions of Pharmacy Students on Practical Skills and Education During Clinical Rotations in India.

PubMed

Bhagavathula, Akshaya Srikanth; Bandari, Deepak Kumar; Gogikar, Sudhir Kumar; Elnour, Asim Ahmed; Shehab, Abdulla

2017-08-01

Objective. To investigate the overall experience of pharmacy students in India during their clinical rotations and their assessment of primary mentors in imparting the intended clinical skills. Methods. A prospective cross-sectional study using a self-administered survey instrument containing 34 items to obtain feedback from senior PharmD students in the latter three years of their six-year program from November 2014 to February 2015. Results. Of the 415 PharmD students invited for this survey, 261(63% response rate) completed the survey (54% males and 46% females). Of the surveyed participants, 74% were fifth- and final-year interns undertaking clinical training in private hospitals (60.9%). Interestingly, 37.9% of the students ranked their clinical training as "least satisfactory" and remarked that their clinical pharmacy services were not recognized or appreciated in their respective hospitals (42.9%). However, 20% of the students expressed that their site "definitely" provided them with the opportunity to hone clinical pharmacy skills. Only 10% of the students strongly agreed that their mentors encouraged them to use resource materials and learn on their own, met with them regularly to review their work and to provide feedback, and encouraged them to express their opinion in patient-care issues. Conclusion. Majority of PharmD students who completed the survey were "least satisfied" with their clinical training program. Mentors should take more effort to demonstrate practice-based clinical training and provide patient-centered education to PharmD students at their clinical sites.

Project SAGE: solar assisted gas energy. Final report and executive summary

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

Not Available

The Phase III basic objective was establishment of a technical and economic baseline for proper assessment of the practical potential of solar water heating for apartments. Plans can then be formulated to improve SAGE technical design and performance; reduce SAGE costs; refine SAGE market assessment; and identify policies to encourage the use of SAGE. Two SAGE water heating systems were installed and tested. One system was retrofit onto an existing apartment building; the other was installed in a new apartment building. Each installation required approximately 1000 square feet of collector area tilted to an angle of 37/sup 0/ from themore » horizontal, and each was designed to supply about 70 percent of the energy for heating water for approximately 32 to 40 units of a typical two-story apartment complex in Southern California. Actual contruction costs were carefully compiled, and both installations were equipped with performance monitoring equipment. In addition, the operating and maintenance requirements of each installation was evaluated by gas company maintenance engineers. Upon completion of the installation analysis, the SAGE installation cost was further refined by obtaining firm SAGE construction bids from two plumbing contractors in Southern California. Market penetration was assessed by developing a computer simulation program using the technical and economic analysis from the installation experience. Also, the project examined the public policies required to encourage SAGE and other solar energy options. Results are presented and discussed. (WHK)« less

Lack of international uniformity in assessing color vision deficiency in professional pilots.

PubMed

Watson, Dougal B

2014-02-01

Color is an important characteristic of the aviation environment. Pilots must rapidly and accurately differentiate and identify colors. The medical standards published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) require that pilots have "the ability to perceive readily those colors the perception of which is necessary for the safe performance of duties." The general wording of that color vision (CV) standard, coupled with the associated flexibility provisions, allows for different approaches to the assessment of color vision deficient (CVD) pilots. Data was gathered and analyzed regarding medical assessment practices applied by different countries to CVD pilots. Data was obtained from 78 countries, representing 78% of the population and 92% of the aviation activity of the world. That data indicates wide variation in the medical assessment of CVD pilots. Countries use different tools and procedures for the testing of pilots, and also apply different result criteria to those tests. At one extreme an applicant making one error upon Ishihara 24-plate pseudoisochromatic plate (PIP) testing is declined a class 1 medical assessment, while at another extreme an applicant failing every color vision test required by the regulatory authority may be issued a medical assessment allowing commercial and airline copilot privileges. The medical assessment of CVD applicants is not performed consistently across the world. Factors that favor uniformity have been inadequate to encourage countries toward consistent medical assessment outcomes. This data is not consistent with the highest practicable degree of uniformity in medical assessment outcomes, and encourages aeromedical tourism.

Bi-directional volcano-earthquake interaction at Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, T. R.; Amelung, F.

2004-12-01

At Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii, large-magnitude earthquakes occur mostly at the west flank (Kona area), at the southeast flank (Hilea area), and at the east flank (Kaoiki area). Eruptions at Mauna Loa occur mostly at the summit region and along fissures at the southwest rift zone (SWRZ), or at the northeast rift zone (NERZ). Although historic earthquakes and eruptions at these zones appear to correlate in space and time, the mechanisms and implications of an eruption-earthquake interaction was not cleared. Our analysis of available factual data reveals the highly statistical significance of eruption-earthquake pairs, with a random probability of 5-to-15 percent. We clarify this correlation with the help of elastic stress-field models, where (i) we simulate earthquakes and calculate the resulting normal stress change at volcanic active zones of Mauna Loa, and (ii) we simulate intrusions in Mauna Loa and calculate the Coulomb stress change at the active fault zones. Our models suggest that Hilea earthquakes encourage dike intrusion in the SWRZ, Kona earthquakes encourage dike intrusion at the summit and in the SWRZ, and Kaoiki earthquakes encourage dike intrusion in the NERZ. Moreover, a dike in the SWRZ encourages earthquakes in the Hilea and Kona areas. A dike in the NERZ may encourage and discourage earthquakes in the Hilea and Kaoiki areas. The modeled stress change patterns coincide remarkably with the patterns of several historic eruption-earthquake pairs, clarifying the mechanisms of bi-directional volcano-earthquake interaction for Mauna Loa. The results imply that at Mauna Loa volcanic activity influences the timing and location of earthquakes, and that earthquakes influence the timing, location and the volume of eruptions. In combination with near real-time geodetic and seismic monitoring, these findings may improve volcano-tectonic risk assessment.

Discussions of vaginal douching with family members.

PubMed

Short, Mary B; Black, William R; Flynn, Katie

2010-02-01

This study examined women's personal douching history and the information they were given by others. Participants in the study (N=199; mean age=28.92) completed a 48-question survey on douching practices and attitudes. Fifty-seven percent of participants had douched and 39% currently douche. The majority of women reported douching after menstruation, before or after sex, or as needed. Reasons for douching included maintaining cleanliness, feeling good and fresh, eliminating vaginal odor, and removing menstrual blood. Most women (69%) had at least one discussion about douching, with 49% having a discussion with their mother and 22% with a health care provider (HCP). Of the women who currently do not douche, 47% stopped after a HCP instructed them to quit; whereas, 100% of women whose HCP encouraged douching went on to douche. Furthermore, 66% of women planned to discuss douching with a younger girl, with 57% encouraging or being neutral and 43% discouraging it. Women who have previously douched were more likely to discuss and encourage douching than women who had never douched. Also, women who have received a discussion about douching or were encouraged to douche were more likely to douche than women who had not received a discussion or were discouraged. Results from this study suggest that younger generations may be taught about or encouraged to douche by their mothers. By giving women accurate information and discouraging douching, women may be less likely to douche or encourage douching in their daughters. Copyright 2010 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Parental Encouragement of Dieting Promotes Daughters' Early Dieting

PubMed Central

Balantekin, Katherine N.; Savage, Jennifer S.; Marini, Michele E.; Birch, Leann L.

2014-01-01

Dieting to lose weight is common among female adolescents. This research investigated the association between maternal and paternal encouragement to diet and their daughters' self-reported “early dieting” (prior to age 11y) and adolescent dieting (between 11y and 15y), and how parental encouragement to diet is related to changes in daughter BMI percentiles. Participants in this study were 174 non-Hispanic white girls and their parents, assessed when daughters were age 9-, 11-, 13-, and 15y. The Parent Encouragement of Child Weight Loss Scale was used to measure encouragement to diet. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between parental encouragement to diet and daughters' reports of dieting by 11y and by 15y, adjusting for daughters' weight status at baseline. Compared to girls whose mothers didn't encourage dieting, girls who were encouraged to diet were twice as likely to diet by 11y; girls who were encouraged by their fathers were also twice as likely to diet by 11y. Girls who were encouraged to diet by both parents were 8 times more likely to report early dieting than girls who were not. Neither maternal nor paternal encouragement predicted the emergence of dieting during adolescence. Girls who dieted and had parental encouragement to do so had increases in BMI percentile from 9y to 15y. Findings reveal that parental encouragement to diet may be counterproductive and that parents need alternative approaches to promote healthy patterns of intake and growth among young girls. PMID:24858835

A Methodology for the Hybridization Based in Active Components: The Case of cGA and Scatter Search

PubMed Central

Alba, Enrique; Leguizamón, Guillermo

2016-01-01

This work presents the results of a new methodology for hybridizing metaheuristics. By first locating the active components (parts) of one algorithm and then inserting them into second one, we can build efficient and accurate optimization, search, and learning algorithms. This gives a concrete way of constructing new techniques that contrasts the spread ad hoc way of hybridizing. In this paper, the enhanced algorithm is a Cellular Genetic Algorithm (cGA) which has been successfully used in the past to find solutions to such hard optimization problems. In order to extend and corroborate the use of active components as an emerging hybridization methodology, we propose here the use of active components taken from Scatter Search (SS) to improve cGA. The results obtained over a varied set of benchmarks are highly satisfactory in efficacy and efficiency when compared with a standard cGA. Moreover, the proposed hybrid approach (i.e., cGA+SS) has shown encouraging results with regard to earlier applications of our methodology. PMID:27403153

Determination of residual monomers resulting from the chemical polymerization process of dental materials

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

Boboia, S.; Moldovan, M.; Ardelean, I.

The residual monomer present in post-polymerized dental materials encourages premature degradation of the reconstructed tooth. That is why the residual monomer should be quantified in a simple, fast, accurate and reproducible manner. In our work we propose such an approach for accurate determination of the residual monomer in dental materials which is based on low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry. The results of the NMR approach are compared with those of the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. The samples under study contain the main monomers (2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropoxy)phenyl]propane and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate) constituting the liquid phase of most dental materials andmore » an initiator. Two samples were analyzed with different ratios of chemical initiation systems: N,N-dimethyl-p-toluide: benzoyl peroxide (1:2 and 0.7:1.2). The results obtained by both techniques highlight that by reducing the initiator the polymerization process slows down and the amount of residual monomer reduces. This prevents the premature degradation of the dental fillings and consequently the reduction of the biomaterial resistance.« less

Mechanism change in a simulation of peer review: from junk support to elitism.

PubMed

Paolucci, Mario; Grimaldo, Francisco

2014-01-01

Peer review works as the hinge of the scientific process, mediating between research and the awareness/acceptance of its results. While it might seem obvious that science would regulate itself scientifically, the consensus on peer review is eroding; a deeper understanding of its workings and potential alternatives is sorely needed. Employing a theoretical approach supported by agent-based simulation, we examined computational models of peer review, performing what we propose to call redesign , that is, the replication of simulations using different mechanisms . Here, we show that we are able to obtain the high sensitivity to rational cheating that is present in literature. In addition, we also show how this result appears to be fragile against small variations in mechanisms. Therefore, we argue that exploration of the parameter space is not enough if we want to support theoretical statements with simulation, and that exploration at the level of mechanisms is needed. These findings also support prudence in the application of simulation results based on single mechanisms, and endorse the use of complex agent platforms that encourage experimentation of diverse mechanisms.

The modeler's influence on calculated solubilities for performance assessments at the Aspo Hard-rock Laboratory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ernren, A.T.; Arthur, R.; Glynn, P.D.; McMurry, J.

1999-01-01

Four researchers were asked to provide independent modeled estimates of the solubility of a radionuclide solid phase, specifically Pu(OH)4, under five specified sets of conditions. The objectives of the study were to assess the variability in the results obtained and to determine the primary causes for this variability.In the exercise, modelers were supplied with the composition, pH and redox properties of the water and with a description of the mineralogy of the surrounding fracture system A standard thermodynamic data base was provided to all modelers. Each modeler was encouraged to use other data bases in addition to the standard data base and to try different approaches to solving the problem.In all, about fifty approaches were used, some of which included a large number of solubility calculations. For each of the five test cases, the calculated solubilities from different approaches covered several orders of magnitude. The variability resulting from the use of different thermodynamic data bases was in most cases, far smaller than that resulting from the use of different approaches to solving the problem.

Implementation of multiple intelligences theory in the English language course syllabus at the University of Nis Medical School.

PubMed

Bakić-Mirić, Natasa

2010-01-01

Theory of multiple intelligences (MI) is considered an innovation in learning the English language because it helps students develop all eight intelligences that, on the other hand, represent ways people understand the world around them, solve problems and learn. They are: verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinaesthetic, musical/rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist. Also, by focusing on the problem-solving activities, teachers, by implementing theory of multiple intelligences, encourage students not only to build their existing language knowledge but also learn new content and skills. The objective of this study has been to determine the importance of implementation of the theory of multiple intelligences in the English language course syllabus at the University of Nis Medical School. Ways in which the theory of multiple intelligences has been implemented in the English language course syllabus particularly in one lecture for junior year students of pharmacy in the University of Nis Medical School. The English language final exam results from February 2009 when compared with the final exam results from June 2007 prior to the implementation of MI theory showed the following: out of 80 junior year students of pharmacy, 40 obtained grade 10 (outstanding), 16 obtained grade 9 (excellent), 11 obtained grade 8 (very good), 4 obtained grade 7 (good) and 9 obtained grade 6 (pass). No student failed. The implementation of the theory of multiple intelligences in the English language course syllabus at the University of Nis Medical School has had a positive impact on learning the English language and has increased students' interest in language learning. Genarally speaking, this theory offers better understanding of students' intelligence and greater appreciation of their strengths. It provides numerous opportunities for students to use and develop all eight intelligences not just the few they excel in prior to enrolling in a university or college.

Open source and DIY hardware for DNA nanotechnology labs.

PubMed

Damase, Tulsi R; Stephens, Daniel; Spencer, Adam; Allen, Peter B

A set of instruments and specialized equipment is necessary to equip a laboratory to work with DNA. Reducing the barrier to entry for DNA manipulation should enable and encourage new labs to enter the field. We present three examples of open source/DIY technology with significantly reduced costs relative to commercial equipment. This includes a gel scanner, a horizontal PAGE gel mold, and a homogenizer for generating DNA-coated particles. The overall cost savings obtained by using open source/DIY equipment was between 50 and 90%.

Unwitting Exposure of the Therapist

PubMed Central

Ulman, Kathleen Hubbs

2001-01-01

The unwitting exposure of the therapist's private life creates an unexpected rupture in the frame and puts both the therapist and the patient off balance. The exposure introduces into the therapy a moment of human sharing of vulnerability that has the potential to enrich the treatment. Clinical vignettes are presented to help therapists anticipate possible exposures and their consequences. The discussion encourages therapists to predict their reactions, obtain needed professional support, and make the most of opportunities for full exploration of patients' material. PMID:11121003

How to create a marketing strategy based on hospital characteristics that attract physicians.

PubMed

Nordstrom, R D; Horton, D E; Hatcher, M E

1987-03-01

Through use of multivariate statistical and research techniques, the authors analyzed 30 hospital features that contribute to a physician's image of a hospital as being a good or a poor place for patient admission and in which to practice. Use of the data obtained in this study can enable a hospital administrator to monitor changes in physicians' attitudes, plan strategies to encourage quality physicians to admit their patients, improve aspects perceived to be weak or unresponsive, and capitalize on strengths.

Lo que da buen resultado en casa. Resultados de la investigacion y Actividades de aprendizaje: Sentido comun y diversion para ninos y adultos (What Works at Home. Research Findings and Learning Activities: Common Sense and Fun for Adults and Children).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crook, Shirley, Ed.

As part of an effort to encourage Hispanic parents to help their children in school, this home learning guide, which can also be obtained in taped versions, provides parents with learning activities with which to engage their children. Based on research findings, the activities are divided into the following categories: curriculum of the home,…

Thick ceramic coating development for industrial gas turbines - A program plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vogan, J. W.; Stetson, A. R.

1979-01-01

A program plan on a NASA-Lewis funded program is presented, in which effectiveness of thick ceramic coatings in preventing hot corrosion and in providing thermal insulation to gas turbine engine components are to be investigated. Preliminary analysis of the benefit of the thermal insulating effect of this coating on decreasing cooling air and simplifying component design appears very encouraging. The program is in the preliminary stages of obtaining starting materials and establishing procedures. Numerous graphs, tables and photographs are included.

Predicting pediatricians' communication with parents about the human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccine: an application of the theory of reasoned action.

PubMed

Roberto, Anthony J; Krieger, Janice L; Katz, Mira L; Goei, Ryan; Jain, Parul

2011-06-01

This study examines the ability of the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict whether or not pediatricians encourage parents to get their adolescent daughters vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Four-hundred and six pediatricians completed a mail survey measuring attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions, and behavior. Results indicate that pediatricians have positive attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control toward encouraging parents to get their daughters vaccinated, that they intend to regularly encourage parents to get their daughters vaccinated against HPV in the next 30 days, and that they had regularly encouraged parents to get their daughters vaccinated against HPV in the past 30 days (behavior). Though the data were consistent with both the TRA and TPB models, results indicate that perceived behavioral control adds only slightly to the overall predictive power of the TRA, suggesting that attitudes and norms may be more important targets for interventions dealing with this topic and audience. No gender differences were observed for any of the individual variables or the overall fit of either model. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for the development of health communication messages targeting health care providers in general, and for those designed to influence pediatricians' communication with parents regarding the HPV vaccine in particular.

Predicting Pediatricians’ Communication With Parents About the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine: An Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action

PubMed Central

Roberto, Anthony J.; Krieger, Janice L.; Katz, Mira L.; Goei, Ryan; Jain, Parul

2014-01-01

This study examines the ability of the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict whether or not pediatricians encourage parents to get their adolescent daughters vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Four-hundred and six pediatricians completed a mail survey measuring attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions, and behavior. Results indicate that pediatricians have positive attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control toward encouraging parents to get their daughters vaccinated, that they intend to regularly encourage parents to get their daughters vaccinated against HPV in the next 30 days, and that they had regularly encouraged parents to get their daughters vaccinated against HPV in the past 30 days (behavior). Though the data were consistent with both the TRA and TPB models, results indicate that perceived behavioral control adds only slightly to the overall predictive power of the TRA, suggesting that attitudes and norms may be more important targets for interventions dealing with this topic and audience. No gender differences were observed for any of the individual variables or the overall fit of either model. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for the development of health communication messages targeting health care providers in general, and for those designed to influence pediatricians’ communication with parents regarding the HPV vaccine in particular. PMID:21424964

A case study analysis to examine motorcycle crashes in Bogota, Colombia.

PubMed

Jimenez, Adriana; Bocarejo, Juan Pablo; Zarama, Roberto; Yerpez, Joël

2015-02-01

Contributory factors to motorcycle crashes vary among populations depending on several aspects such as the users' profiles, the composition and density of traffic, and the infrastructure features. A better understanding of local motorcycle crashes can be reached in those places where a comprehensive analysis is performed. This paper presents the results obtained from a case study analysis of 400 police records of accidents involving motorcycles in Bogota. To achieve a deeper level of understanding of how these accidents occur, we propose a systemic approach that uses available crash data. The methodology is inspired by accident prototypical scenarios, a tool for analysis developed in France. When grouping cases we identified three categories: solo motorcycle accidents, motorcyclist and pedestrian accidents, and accidents involving a motorcycle and another vehicle. Within these categories we undertook in-depth analyses of 32 groups of accidents obtaining valuable information to better comprehend motorcyclists' road crashes in a local context. Recurrent contributory factors in the groups of accidents include: inexperienced motorcyclists, wide urban roads that incite speeding and risky overtaking maneuvers, flowing urban roads that encourage high speed and increased interaction between vehicles, and lack of infrastructure maintenance. The results obtained are a valuable asset to define measures that will be conveniently adapted to the group of accident on which we want to act. The methodology exposed in this paper is applicable to the study of road crashes that involve all types of actors, not only the motorcyclists, and in contexts different than those presented in Bogota. Copyright © 2014 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The peterborough hospital human tissue bank.

PubMed

Womack, C; Gray, N; Aikens, J; Jack, A

2000-01-01

The Peterborough Hospital Human Tissue Bank, based in the Cellular Pathology Department of the District Hospital, has been successful in supplying commercial biomedical companies with human tissue for research purposes. Tissue is obtained from routine surgical specimens sent to the laboratory for diagnostic testing and from cadaveric donors examined in the hospital mortuary. All tissue is obtained legally and with the full informed consent of the patient, donor or relative, as appropriate. The mechanism of retrieving, storing and supplying human tissue is described. In publishing the activities of the tissue bank at Peterborough, we wish to encourage others to consider the availability of human tissue in their locality. We recommend a strict legal and ethical code, particularly in relation to fully informed consent. 2000 FRAME.

Land degradation, government subsidy, and smallholders' conservation decision: the case of the loess plateau in China.

PubMed

Shi, Min-Jun; Chen, Kevin

2004-12-01

Land degradation is one of the severe environmental problems in China. In order to combat land degradation, a soil conservation program was introduced since 2000 to reduce soil erosion by converting slope-cultivated land into forestry and pasture. This paper represents the first systematic attempt to investigate the impact of the soil conservation program on land degradation in the loess plateau. The results indicate that the soil conservation program to convert slope fields into forest or pasture is an effective way to combat soil erosion. However, a subsidy that is higher than profit of land use activity of slope fields before their conversion into forest and pasture is needed to encourage farmers to join the conservation program. A policy measure to encourage and assist farmers to develop sedentary livestock by using crops produced from fields as well as fodder and forage grass from the converted slope fields might contribute to combat soil erosion. Increase in off-farm job opportunities may encourage households to reduce cultivation in slope fields. That implies a policy measure to encourage rural urbanization might contribute to combat soil erosion.

A new dynamical atmospheric ionizing radiation (AIR) model for epidemiological studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Angelis, G.; Clem, J. M.; Goldhagen, P. E.; Wilson, J. W.

2003-01-01

A new Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation (AIR) model is currently being developed for use in radiation dose evaluation in epidemiological studies targeted to atmospheric flight personnel such as civilian airlines crewmembers. The model will allow computing values for biologically relevant parameters, e.g. dose equivalent and effective dose, for individual flights from 1945. Each flight is described by its actual three dimensional flight profile, i.e. geographic coordinates and altitudes varying with time. Solar modulated primary particles are filtered with a new analytical fully angular dependent geomagnetic cut off rigidity model, as a function of latitude, longitude, arrival direction, altitude and time. The particle transport results have been obtained with a technique based on the three-dimensional Monte Carlo transport code FLUKA, with a special procedure to deal with HZE particles. Particle fluxes are transformed into dose-related quantities and then integrated all along the flight path to obtain the overall flight dose. Preliminary validations of the particle transport technique using data from the AIR Project ER-2 flight campaign of measurements are encouraging. Future efforts will deal with modeling of the effects of the aircraft structure as well as inclusion of solar particle events. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.

One-way mode transmission in one-dimensional phononic crystal plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xuefeng; Zou, Xinye; Liang, Bin; Cheng, Jianchun

2010-12-01

We investigate theoretically the band structures of one-dimensional phononic crystal (PC) plates with both antisymmetric and symmetric structures, and show how unidirectional transmission behavior can be obtained for either antisymmetric waves (A modes) or symmetric waves (S modes) by exploiting mode conversion and selection in the linear plate systems. The theoretical approach is illustrated for one PC plate example where unidirectional transmission behavior is obtained in certain frequency bands. Employing harmonic frequency analysis, we numerically demonstrate the one-way mode transmission for the PC plate with finite superlattice by calculating the steady-state displacement fields under A modes source (or S modes source) in forward and backward direction, respectively. The results show that the incident waves from A modes source (or S modes source) are transformed into S modes waves (or A modes waves) after passing through the superlattice in the forward direction and the Lamb wave rejections in the backward direction are striking with a power extinction ratio of more than 1000. The present structure can be easily extended to two-dimensional PC plate and efficiently encourage practical studies of experimental realization which is believed to have much significance for one-way Lamb wave mode transmission.

Rainfall estimation from microwave links in São Paulo, Brazil.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rios Gaona, Manuel Felipe; Overeem, Aart; Leijnse, Hidde; Uijlenhoet, Remko

2017-04-01

Rainfall estimation from microwave link networks has been successfully demonstrated in countries such as the Netherlands, Israel and Germany. The path-averaged rainfall intensity can be computed from the signal attenuation between cell phone towers. Although this technique is still in development, it offers great opportunities to retrieve rainfall rates at high spatiotemporal resolutions very close to the ground surface. High spatiotemporal resolutions and closer-to-ground measurements are highly appreciated, especially in urban catchments where high-impact events such as flash-floods develop in short time scales. We evaluate here this rainfall measurement technique for a tropical climate, something that has hardly been done previously. This is highly relevant since many countries with few surface rainfall observations are located in the tropics. The test-bed is the Brazilian city of São Paulo. The performance of 16 microwave links was evaluated, from a network of 200 links, for the last 3 months of 2014. The open software package RAINLINK was employed to obtain link rainfall estimates. The evaluation was done through a dense automatic gauge network. Results are promising and encouraging, especially for short links for which a high correlation (> 0.9) and a low bias (< 5%) were obtained.

Preparation of flexible bone tissue scaffold utilizing sea urchin test and collagen.

PubMed

Manchinasetty, Naga Vijaya Lakshmi; Oshima, Sho; Kikuchi, Masanori

2017-10-13

Gonads of sea urchin are consumed in Japan and some countries as food and most parts including its tests are discarded as marine wastes. Therefore, utilization of them as functional materials would reduce the waste as well as encourage Japanese fishery. In this study, magnesium containing calcite granules collected from sea urchin tests were hydrothermally phosphatized and the obtained granules were identified as approximately 82% in mass of magnesium containing β-tricalcium phosphate and 18% in mass of nonstoichiometric hydroxyapatite, i.e., a biphasic calcium phosphate, maintaining the original porous network. Shape-controlled scaffolds were fabricated with the obtained biphasic calcium phosphate granules and collagen. The scaffolds showed good open porosity (83.84%) and adequate mechanical properties for handling during cell culture and subsequent operations. The MG-63 cells showed higher proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in comparison to a control material, the collagen sponge with the same size. Furthermore, cell viability assay proved that the scaffolds were not cytotoxic. These results suggest that scaffold prepared using sea urchin test derived calcium phosphate and collagen could be a potential candidate of bone void fillers for non-load bearing defects in bone reconstruction as well as scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Characterization of nicergoline polymorphs crystallized in several organic solvents.

PubMed

Malaj, Ledjan; Censi, Roberta; Capsoni, Doretta; Pellegrino, Luca; Bini, Marcella; Ferrari, Stefania; Gobetto, Roberto; Massarotti, Vincenzo; Di Martino, Piera

2011-07-01

Nicergoline (NIC), a poorly water-soluble semisynthetic ergot derivative, was crystallized from several organic solvents, obtaining two different polymorphic forms, the triclinic form I and the orthorhombic form II. NIC samples were then characterized by several techniques such as (13)C cross-polarization magic angle spinning solid-state spectroscopy, room-temperature and high-temperature X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and by analysis of weight loss, solvent content, powder density, morphology, and particle size. Solubility and intrinsic dissolution rates determined for the two polymorphic forms in water and hydrochloride solutions (HCl 0.1 N) were always higher for form II than for form I, which is actually the form used for the industrial preparation of NIC medicinal products. Preformulation studies might encourage industry for the evaluation of polymorph II, as it is more suitable for pharmaceutical applications. Results in drug delivery, as well as those obtained by the above-mentioned techniques, and the application of Burger-Ramberger's rules make it possible to conclude that there is a thermodynamic relation of monotropy between the two polymorphs. This last assumption may help formulators in predicting the relative stability of the two forms. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Agreement between Medline searches using the Medline-CD-Rom and Internet Pubmed, BioMedNet, Medscape and Gateway search-engines.

PubMed

Caro-Rojas, Rosa Angela; Eslava-Schmalbach, Javier H

2005-01-01

To compare the information obtained from the Medline database using Internet commercial search engines with that obtained from a compact disc (Medline-CD). An agreement study was carried out based on 101 clinical scenarios provided by specialists in internal medicine, pharmacy, gynaecology-obstetrics, surgery and paediatrics. 175 search strategies were employed using the connector AND plus text within quotation marks. The search was limited to 1991-1999. Internet search-engines were selected by common criteria. Identical search strategies were independently applied to and masked from Internet search engines, as well as the Medline-CD. 3,488 articles were obtained using 129 search strategies. Agreement with the Medline-CD was 54% for PubMed, 57% for Gateway, 54% for Medscape and 65% for BioMedNet. The highest agreement rate for a given speciality (paediatrics) was 78.1% for BioMedNet, having greater -/- than +/+ agreement. Even though free access to Medline has encouraged the boom and growth of evidence-based medicine, these results must be considered within the context of which search engine was selected for doing the searches. The Internet search engines studied showed a poor agreement with the Medline-CD, the rate of agreement differing according to speciality, thus significantly affecting searches and their reproducibility. Software designed for conducting Medline database searches, including the Medline-CD, must be standardised and validated.

What Hispanic parents do to encourage and discourage 3-5 year old children to be active: a qualitative study using nominal group technique

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Purpose Hispanic preschoolers are less active than their non-Hispanic peers. As part of a feasibility study to assess environmental and parenting influences on preschooler physical activity (PA) (Niños Activos), the aim of this study was to identify what parents do to encourage or discourage PA among Hispanic 3-5 year old children to inform the development of a new PA parenting practice instrument and future interventions to increase PA among Hispanic youth. Methods Nominal Group Technique (NGT), a structured multi-step group procedure, was used to elicit and prioritize responses from 10 groups of Hispanic parents regarding what parents do to encourage (5 groups) or discourage (5 groups) preschool aged children to be active. Five groups consisted of parents with low education (less than high school) and 5 with high education (high school or greater) distributed between the two NGT questions. Results Ten NGT groups (n = 74, range 4-11/group) generated 20-46 and 42-69 responses/group for practices that encourage or discourage PA respectively. Eight to 18 responses/group were elected as the most likely to encourage or discourage PA. Parental engagement in child activities, modeling PA, and feeding the child well were identified as parenting practices that encourage child PA. Allowing TV and videogame use, psychological control, physical or emotional abuse, and lack of parental engagement emerged as parenting practices that discourage children from being active. There were few differences in the pattern of responses by education level. Conclusions Parents identified ways they encourage and discourage 3-5 year-olds from PA, suggesting both are important targets for interventions. These will inform the development of a new PA parenting practice scale to be further evaluated. Further research should explore the role parents play in discouraging child PA, especially in using psychological control or submitting children to abuse, which were new findings in this study. PMID:23919301

Sex education and the news: lessons from how journalists framed virginity pledges.

PubMed

Mebane, Felicia E; Yam, Eileen A; Rimer, Barbara K

2006-09-01

This analysis of newspaper articles about virginity pledges published from 1987 to 2001 describes prominent news frames on sex education. The articles focused on True Love Waits, a nationwide virginity pledge campaign encouraging abstinence, and results from Add Health (TLW), a longitudinal study that included questions to evaluate the effects of virginity pledges. Our results show how news frames and sources can vary for related events. Reporting on virginity pledges was often not grounded in science, and reporting on the science of pledges did not reflect a broader context. In this case, reporting may have encouraged support for abstinence-only programs.

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

Kiselyov, V.A.; Sokov, L.M.

The LBB regulatory approach adopted in Russia in 1993 as an extra safety barrier is described for advanced WWER 1000 reactor steamline. The application of LBB concept requires the following additional protections. First, the steamline should be a highly qualified piping, performed in accordance with the applicable regulations and guidelines, carefully screened to verify that it is not subjected to any disqualifying failure mechanism. Second, a deterministic fracture mechanics analysis and leak rate evaluation have been performed to demonstrate that postulated through-wall crack that yields 95 1/min at normal operation conditions is stable even under seismic loads. Finally, it hasmore » been verified that the leak detection systems are sufficiently reliable, diverse and sensitive, and that adequate margins exist to detect a through wall crack smaller than the critical size. The obtained results are encouraging and show the possibility of the application of the LBB case to the steamline of advanced WWER 1000 reactor.« less

On application of image analysis and natural language processing for music search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwardys, Grzegorz

2013-10-01

In this paper, I investigate a problem of finding most similar music tracks using, popular in Natural Language Processing, techniques like: TF-IDF and LDA. I de ned document as music track. Each music track is transformed to spectrogram, thanks that, I can use well known techniques to get words from images. I used SURF operation to detect characteristic points and novel approach for their description. The standard kmeans was used for clusterization. Clusterization is here identical with dictionary making, so after that I can transform spectrograms to text documents and perform TF-IDF and LDA. At the final, I can make a query in an obtained vector space. The research was done on 16 music tracks for training and 336 for testing, that are splitted in four categories: Hiphop, Jazz, Metal and Pop. Although used technique is completely unsupervised, results are satisfactory and encouraging to further research.

Students' and teachers' perceptions: initial achievements of a Project-Based Engineering School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terrón-López, María-José; Velasco-Quintana, Paloma-Julia; García-García, María-José; Ocampo, Jared R.

2017-11-01

A unified academic model based on the project-based learning (PBL) methodology was implemented, in the 2012-2013 period, in the School of Engineering at Universidad Europea de Madrid. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether teachers and students participating in the capstone projects feel that the objectives for which this methodology was designed for are being achieved. The data were collected through interviews to participants at the end of the PBL experience. The results are encouraging, as students seem to be more motivated, and they say that they are experiencing deeper learning, and have developed key competitive skills required for their professional lives. Findings also suggest that teachers face positively the PBL as a learning approach since they perceive that students obtain a deeper learning, develop transversal skills with the projects and are more engaged with their studies. Implications and recommendations for the future of the model are also discussed.

A low-power, high-efficiency Ka-band TWTA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curren, A. N.; Dayton, J. A., Jr.; Palmer, R. W.; Force, D. A.; Tamashiro, R. N.; Wilson, J. F.; Dombro, L.; Harvey, W. L.

1991-01-01

A NASA-sponsored program is described for developing a high-efficiency low-power TWTA operating at 32 GHz and meeting the requirements for the Cassini Mission to study Saturn. The required RF output power of the helix TWT is 10 watts, while the dc power from the spacecraft is limited to about 30 watts. The performance level permits the transmission to earth of all mission data. Several novel technologies are incorporated into the TWT to achieve this efficiency including an advanced dynamic velocity taper characterized by a nonlinear reduction in pitch in the output helix section and a multistage depressed collector employing copper electrodes treated for secondary electron-emission suppression. Preliminary program results are encouraging: RF output power of 10.6 watts is obtained at 14-mA beam current and 5.2-kV helix voltage with overall TWT efficiency exceeding 40 percent.

Work load and management in the delivery room: changing the direction of healthcare policy.

PubMed

Sfregola, Gianfranco; Laganà, Antonio Simone; Granese, Roberta; Sfregola, Pamela; Lopinto, Angela; Triolo, Onofrio

2017-02-01

Nurse staffing, increased workload and unstable nursing unit environments are linked to negative patient outcomes including falls and medication errors on medical/surgical units. Considering this evidence, the aim of our study was to overview midwives' workload and work setting. We created a questionnaire and performed an online survey. We obtained information about the type and level of hospital, workload, the use of standardised procedures, reporting of sentinel and 'near-miss' events. We reported a severe understaffing in midwives' work settings and important underuse of standard protocols according to the international guidelines, especially in the South of Italy. Based on our results, we strongly suggest a change of direction of healthcare policy, oriented to increase the number of employed midwives, in order to let them fulfil their duties according to the international guidelines (especially one-to-one care). On the other hand, we encourage the adoption of standardised protocols in each work setting.

Iosipescu shear properties of graphite fabric/epoxy composite laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walrath, D. E.; Adams, D. F.

1985-01-01

The Iosipescu shear test method is used to measure the in-plane and interlaminar shear properties of four T300 graphite fabric/934 epoxy composite materials. Different weave geometries tested include an Oxford weave, a 5-harness satin weave, an 8-harness satin weave, and a plain weave with auxiliary warp yarns. Both orthogonal and quasi-isotropic layup laminates were tested. In-plane and interlaminar shear properties are obtained for laminates of all four fabric types. Overall, little difference in shear properties attributable to the fabric weave pattern is observed. The auxiliary warp material is significantly weaker and less stiff in interlaminar shear parallel to its fill direction. A conventional strain gage extensometer is modified to measure shear strains for use with the Iosipescu shear test. While preliminary results are encouraging, several design iterations failed to produce a reliable shear transducer prototype. Strain gages are still the most reliable shear strain transducers for use with this test method.

Blast-wave density measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritzel, D. V.

Applications of a densitometer to obtain time-resolved data on the total density in blast-wave flows are described. A beta-source (promethium-147) is separated by a gap from a scintillator and a photomultiplier tube (PMT). Attenuation of the radiation beam by the passing blast wave is due to the total density in the gap volume during the wave passage. Signal conditioning and filtering methods permit the system to output linearized data. Results are provided from use of the system to monitor blast waves emitted by detonation of a 10.7 m diameter fiberglass sphere containing 609 tons of ammonium nitrate/fuel oil at a 50.6 m height. Blast wave density data are provided for peak overpressure levels of 245, 172 and 70 kPa and distances of 183, 201 and 314 m from ground zero. Data resolution was of high enough quality to encourage efforts to discriminate dust and gasdynamic phenomena within passing blast waves.

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

Potiron, A.; Gerometta, C.; Plun, J.M.

Simulation of casting processes is now industrially available with different softwares proposed to foundrymen. Yet, it is always difficult to provide the boundary conditions as correct as possible to represent accurately the environment of the mould. The knowledge of heat transfer coefficient used to modelize the cooling devices in permanent moulds is very important, as well as the acquisition of accurate data regarding die coatings or physical properties. After having conducted a sample survey with French foundries, the experiment conditions have been defined. Two main types of cooling device have been studied: water running in a pipe and air flowingmore » in a special shape to provide localized cooling. Some of the heat transfer coefficients have been simply calculated using Colburn`s law, others have been determined using a 1D or 2D inverse method. Auto-validation results obtained on the experimental device simulated with SIMULOR, a 3D finite volume software, are encouraging.« less

The Tragedy Caused by Fake Antimalarial Drugs

PubMed Central

Ambroise-Thomas, Pierre

2012-01-01

Counterfeit antimalarials (mainly artemisinin derivatives) is a crucial health problem in developing countries, particularly in Africa. The illegal production, sale and distribution of fake drugs is a huge market evaluated to several billion of dollars and represents more than 50% of the pharmaceutical market in several African countries. Fake drugs have led to a very great number of deaths from untreated malaria or fatality provoked by toxic ingredients. These fake medicines increase the risk of artemisinin resistance developed by the use of sub therapeutic dosages of antimalarials. Tackling this criminal traffic is the objective of an international program created by WHO and involves the international police and custom organizations like INTERPOL. Several very important and encouraging results have been obtained, but the problem will be completely solved if genuine antimalarials, free-of-charge, are handed-over to populations in sub Sahara African countries. PMID:22708042

Parameters-tuning of PID controller for automatic voltage regulators using the African buffalo optimization.

PubMed

Odili, Julius Beneoluchi; Mohmad Kahar, Mohd Nizam; Noraziah, A

2017-01-01

In this paper, an attempt is made to apply the African Buffalo Optimization (ABO) to tune the parameters of a PID controller for an effective Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR). Existing metaheuristic tuning methods have been proven to be quite successful but there were observable areas that need improvements especially in terms of the system's gain overshoot and steady steady state errors. Using the ABO algorithm where each buffalo location in the herd is a candidate solution to the Proportional-Integral-Derivative parameters was very helpful in addressing these two areas of concern. The encouraging results obtained from the simulation of the PID Controller parameters-tuning using the ABO when compared with the performance of Genetic Algorithm PID (GA-PID), Particle-Swarm Optimization PID (PSO-PID), Ant Colony Optimization PID (ACO-PID), PID, Bacteria-Foraging Optimization PID (BFO-PID) etc makes ABO-PID a good addition to solving PID Controller tuning problems using metaheuristics.

Analysis of the reduction of trans-fatty-acid levels in the foods of Argentina.

PubMed

Kakisu, Emiliano; Tomchinsky, Eliana; Victoria Lipps, María; Fuentes, Juan

2018-01-25

Adverse health effects found to be caused by the industrial trans fatty acids (TFAs) encouraged significant changes in the food supply. A working model was implemented based on a multisectoral approach to monitor progress in the reduction of TFAs in compliance with Argentine food regulations. We analysed the fatty-acid profiles of commercial foods over the entire country comparing the results before and after the deadline for the compliance. A 93% adherence in the foods was obtained after the finalisation of the deadline for the compliance with the limited use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. The analytical monitoring was a key tool operating for the compliance by the food manufacturers. The industrial TFAs were mostly replaced by semisolid fractions of vegetable oils containing high percentages of saturated fatty acids. Promising innovations for the food industry were established that provided more healthful alternative substitutes for TFAs.

Designing and implementing a skills program Using a clinically integrated, multi-professional approach: Using evaluation to drive curriculum change

PubMed Central

Carr, Sandra E.; Celenza, Antonio; Lake, Fiona

2009-01-01

The essential procedural skills that newly graduated doctors require are rarely defined, do not take into account pre-vocational employer expectations, and differ between Universities. This paper describes how one Faculty used local evaluation data to drive curriculum change and implement a clinically integrated, multi-professional skills program. A curriculum restructure included a review of all undergraduate procedural skills training by academic staff and clinical departments, resulting in a curriculum skills map. Undergraduate training was then linked with postgraduate expectations using the Delphi process to identify the skills requiring structured standardised training. The skills program was designed and implemented without a dedicated simulation center. This paper shows the benefits of an alternate model in which clinical integration of training and multi-professional collaboration encouraged broad ownership of a program and, in turn, impacted the clinical experience obtained. PMID:20165528

New molecules and old drugs as emerging approaches to selectively target human glioblastoma cancer stem cells.

PubMed

Würth, Roberto; Barbieri, Federica; Florio, Tullio

2014-01-01

Despite relevant progress obtained by multimodal treatment, glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive primary brain tumor, is still incurable. The most encouraging advancement of GBM drug research derives from the identification of cancer stem cells (CSCs), since these cells appear to represent the determinants of resistance to current standard therapies. The goal of most ongoing studies is to identify drugs able to affect CSCs biology, either inducing selective toxicity or differentiating this tumor cell population into nontumorigenic cells. Moreover, the therapeutic approach for GBM could be improved interfering with chemo- or radioresistance mechanisms, microenvironment signals, and the neoangiogenic process. During the last years, molecular targeted compounds such as sorafenib and old drugs, like metformin, displayed interesting efficacy in preclinical studies towards several tumors, including GBM, preferentially affecting CSC viability. In this review, the latest experimental results, controversies, and prospective application concerning these promising anticancer drugs will be discussed.

Dental fiber-post resin base material: a review

PubMed Central

Xu, Chun; Zhang, Fu-qiang

2014-01-01

Teeth that have short clinical crown, which are not alone enough to support the definitive restoration can be best treated using the post and core system. The advantages of fiber post over conventional metallic post materials have led to its wide acceptance. In addition to that the combination of aesthetic and mechanical benefits of fiber post has provided it with a rise in the field of dentistry. Also the results obtained from some clinical trials have encouraged the clinicians to use the fiber posts confidently. Fiber posts are manufactured from pre-stretched fibers impregnated within a resin matrix. The fibers could that be of carbon, glass/silica, and quartz, whereas Epoxy and bis-GMA are the most widely used resin bases. But recently studies are also found to be going on for polyimide as possible material for the fiber post resin base as a substitute for the conventional materials. PMID:24605208

Modeling of spectral signatures of littoral waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haltrin, Vladimir I.

1997-12-01

The spectral values of remotely obtained radiance reflectance coefficient (RRC) are compared with the values of RRC computed from inherent optical properties measured during the shipborne experiment near the West Florida coast. The model calculations are based on the algorithm developed at the Naval Research Laboratory at Stennis Space Center and presented here. The algorithm is based on the radiation transfer theory and uses regression relationships derived from experimental data. Overall comparison of derived and measured RRCs shows that this algorithm is suitable for processing ground truth data for the purposes of remote data calibration. The second part of this work consists of the evaluation of the predictive visibility model (PVM). The simulated three-dimensional values of optical properties are compared with the measured ones. Preliminary results of comparison are encouraging and show that the PVM can qualitatively predict the evolution of inherent optical properties in littoral waters.

Advanced fast 3D DSA model development and calibration for design technology co-optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Kafai; Meliorisz, Balint; Muelders, Thomas; Welling, Ulrich; Stock, Hans-Jürgen; Marokkey, Sajan; Demmerle, Wolfgang; Liu, Chi-Chun; Chi, Cheng; Guo, Jing

2017-04-01

Direct Optimization (DO) of a 3D DSA model is a more optimal approach to a DTCO study in terms of accuracy and speed compared to a Cahn Hilliard Equation solver. DO's shorter run time (10X to 100X faster) and linear scaling makes it scalable to the area required for a DTCO study. However, the lack of temporal data output, as opposed to prior art, requires a new calibration method. The new method involves a specific set of calibration patterns. The calibration pattern's design is extremely important when temporal data is absent to obtain robust model parameters. A model calibrated to a Hybrid DSA system with a set of device-relevant constructs indicates the effectiveness of using nontemporal data. Preliminary model prediction using programmed defects on chemo-epitaxy shows encouraging results and agree qualitatively well with theoretical predictions from a strong segregation theory.

Steady State Fluorescence Spectroscopy for Medical Diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahadevan-Jansen, Anita; Gebhart, Steven C.

Light can react with tissue in different ways and provide information for identifying the physiological state of tissue or detecting the presence of disease. The light used to probe tissue does so in a non-intrusive manner and typically uses very low levels of light far below the requirements for therapeutic applications. The use of fiber optics simplifies the delivery and collection of this light in a minimally invasive manner. Since tissue response is virtually instantaneous, the results are obtained in real-time and the use of data processing techniques and multi-variate statistical analysis allows for automated detection and therefore provides an objective estimation of the tissue state. These then form the fundamental basis for the application of optical techniques for the detection of tissue physiology as well as pathology. These distinct advantages have encouraged many researchers to pursue the development of the different optical interactions for biological and medical detection.

Developing entrepreneurship ability of pre-service mathematics teachers through GSSM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohaeti, E. E.; Afrilianto, M.; Primandhika, R. B.

2018-01-01

This research aimed to describe mathematical entrepreneurship ability of 136 mathematics education students through Gerakan STKIP Siliwangi Mengajar (GSSM) that was conducted in 7 districts (of 17 villages) in West Java. GSSM was a programme that combines devotion to the society and college student internships activity at several schools within three months. The data was obtained through observation towards the activities performed by the students during GSSM. The questionnaire to measure the mathematical entrepreneurship ability of students. The results showed that 1) there were three activities that encourage the mathematical entrepreneurship ability of students; such as tutoring post, teaching practices in school and entrepreneurial activities in society, 2) through those three activities, students can develop their entrepreneurial spirit well and grow creativity, innovation and calculation take risk ability, 3) there was medium-association between student mathematical concept mastery that supports entrepreneurship with their mathematical entrepreneurship ability.

3D Data Denoising via Nonlocal Means Filter by Using Parallel GPU Strategies

PubMed Central

Cuomo, Salvatore; De Michele, Pasquale; Piccialli, Francesco

2014-01-01

Nonlocal Means (NLM) algorithm is widely considered as a state-of-the-art denoising filter in many research fields. Its high computational complexity leads researchers to the development of parallel programming approaches and the use of massively parallel architectures such as the GPUs. In the recent years, the GPU devices had led to achieving reasonable running times by filtering, slice-by-slice, and 3D datasets with a 2D NLM algorithm. In our approach we design and implement a fully 3D NonLocal Means parallel approach, adopting different algorithm mapping strategies on GPU architecture and multi-GPU framework, in order to demonstrate its high applicability and scalability. The experimental results we obtained encourage the usability of our approach in a large spectrum of applicative scenarios such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or video sequence denoising. PMID:25045397

Spray scrubbing of particulate-laden SO(2) using a critical flow atomizer.

PubMed

Bandyopadhyay, Amitava; Biswas, Manindra Nath

2008-08-01

The performance of a spray tower using an energy efficient two-phase critical flow atomizer on the scrubbing of particulate-laden SO(2) using water and dilute NaOH is reported in this article. Experimentation revealed that SO(2) removal was enhanced due to presence of particles (fly-ash) and almost 100% removal efficiency was achieved in water scrubbing. The removal efficiency is elucidated in reference to atomizing air pressure, droplet diameter and droplet velocity besides other pertinent variables of the system studied. The presence of fly-ash particles improved the removal efficiency to about 20% within the range of variables studied. Empirical and semi-empirical correlations were developed for predicting the removal efficiency in water and dilute NaOH respectively. Predicted data fitted excellently well with experimental values. The performance of the spray tower is compared with the performances of existing systems and very encouraging results are obtained.

The Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccination in Different Groups.

PubMed

Domínguez, Angela; Godoy, Pere; Torner, Nuria

2016-06-01

Annual administration of the seasonal influenza vaccine, especially to persons known to be at elevated risk for developing serious complications, is the focus of current efforts to reduce the impact of influenza. The main factors influencing estimated inactivated influenza vaccine efficacy and effectiveness, the results obtained in different population groups, current vaccination strategies and the possible advantages of new vaccines are discussed. The available evidence suggests that influenza vaccines are less effective in the elderly than in young adults, but vaccination is encouraged by public health institutions due to higher mortality and complications. There is no consensus on universal vaccination of children yet economic studies suggest that yearly paediatric vaccination is cost saving. The benefits of herd immunity generated by paediatric vaccination require further study. Newer vaccines should be more and more-broadly protective, stable, easy to manufacture and administer and highly immunogenic across all population groups.

A low-power, high-efficiency Ka-band TWTA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curren, A. N.; Dayton, J. A., Jr.; Palmer, R. W.; Force, D. A.; Tamashiro, R. N.; Wilson, J. F.; Dombro, L.; Harvey, W. L.

1991-11-01

A NASA-sponsored program is described for developing a high-efficiency low-power TWTA operating at 32 GHz and meeting the requirements for the Cassini Mission to study Saturn. The required RF output power of the helix TWT is 10 watts, while the dc power from the spacecraft is limited to about 30 watts. The performance level permits the transmission to earth of all mission data. Several novel technologies are incorporated into the TWT to achieve this efficiency including an advanced dynamic velocity taper characterized by a nonlinear reduction in pitch in the output helix section and a multistage depressed collector employing copper electrodes treated for secondary electron-emission suppression. Preliminary program results are encouraging: RF output power of 10.6 watts is obtained at 14-mA beam current and 5.2-kV helix voltage with overall TWT efficiency exceeding 40 percent.

Additive Manufacturing of Dense Hexagonal Boron Nitride Objects

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

Marquez Rossy, Andres E.; Armstrong, Beth L.; Elliott, Amy M.

The feasibility of manufacturing hexagonal boron nitride objects via additive manufacturing techniques was investigated. It was demonstrated that it is possible to hot-extrude thermoplastic filaments containing uniformly distributed boron nitride particles with a volume concentration as high as 60% and that these thermoplastic filaments can be used as feedstock for 3D-printing objects using a fused deposition system. Objects 3D-printed by fused deposition were subsequently sintered at high temperature to obtain dense ceramic products. In a parallel study the behavior of hexagonal boron nitride in aqueous solutions was investigated. It was shown that the addition of a cationic dispersant to anmore » azeotrope enabled the formulation of slurries with a volume concentration of boron nitride as high as 33%. Although these slurries exhibited complex rheological behavior, the results from this study are encouraging and provide a pathway for manufacturing hexagonal boron nitride objects via robocasting.« less

Crack depth profiling using guided wave angle dependent reflectivity

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

Volker, Arno, E-mail: arno.volker@tno.nl; Pahlavan, Lotfollah, E-mail: arno.volker@tno.nl; Blacquiere, Gerrit, E-mail: arno.volker@tno.nl

2015-03-31

Tomographic corrosion monitoring techniques have been developed, using two rings of sensors around the circumference of a pipe. This technique is capable of providing a detailed wall thickness map, however this might not be the only type of structural damage. Therefore this concept is expanded to detect and size cracks and small corrosion defects like root corrosion. The expanded concept uses two arrays of guided-wave transducers, collecting both reflection and transmission data. The data is processed such that the angle-dependent reflectivity is obtained without using a baseline signal of a defect-free situation. The angle-dependent reflectivity is the input of anmore » inversion scheme that calculates a crack depth profile. From this profile, the depth and length of the crack can be determined. Preliminary experiments show encouraging results. The depth sizing accuracy is in the order of 0.5 mm.« less

How do attachment dimensions affect bereavement adjustment? A mediation model of continuing bonds.

PubMed

Yu, Wei; He, Li; Xu, Wei; Wang, Jianping; Prigerson, Holly G

2016-04-30

The current study aims to examine mechanisms underlying the impact of attachment dimensions on bereavement adjustment. Bereaved mainland Chinese participants (N=247) completed anonymous, retrospective, self-report surveys assessing attachment dimensions, continuing bonds (CB), grief symptoms and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Results demonstrated that attachment anxiety predicted grief symptoms via externalized CB and predicted PTG via internalized CB at the same time, whereas attachment avoidance positively predicted grief symptoms via externalized CB but negatively predicted PTG directly. Findings suggested that individuals with a high level of attachment anxiety could both suffer from grief and obtain posttraumatic growth after loss, but it depended on which kind of CB they used. By contrast, attachment avoidance was associated with a heightened risk of maladaptive bereavement adjustment. Future grief therapy may encourage the bereaved to establish CB with the deceased and gradually shift from externalized CB to internalized CB. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Probabilistic DHP adaptive critic for nonlinear stochastic control systems.

PubMed

Herzallah, Randa

2013-06-01

Following the recently developed algorithms for fully probabilistic control design for general dynamic stochastic systems (Herzallah & Káarnáy, 2011; Kárný, 1996), this paper presents the solution to the probabilistic dual heuristic programming (DHP) adaptive critic method (Herzallah & Káarnáy, 2011) and randomized control algorithm for stochastic nonlinear dynamical systems. The purpose of the randomized control input design is to make the joint probability density function of the closed loop system as close as possible to a predetermined ideal joint probability density function. This paper completes the previous work (Herzallah & Káarnáy, 2011; Kárný, 1996) by formulating and solving the fully probabilistic control design problem on the more general case of nonlinear stochastic discrete time systems. A simulated example is used to demonstrate the use of the algorithm and encouraging results have been obtained. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electron-positron momentum density in Tl 2Ba 2CuO 6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbiellini, B.; Gauthier, M.; Hoffmann, L.; Jarlborg, T.; Manuel, A. A.; Massidda, S.; Peter, M.; Triscone, G.

1994-08-01

We present calculations of the electron-positron momentum density for the high- Tc superconductor Tl 2Ba 2CuO 6, together with some preliminary two-dimensional angular correlation of the annihilation radiation (2D-ACAR) measurements. The calculations are based on the first-principles electronic structure obtained using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) and the linear muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) methods. We also use a linear combination of the atomic orbitals-molecular orbital method (LCAO-MO) to discuss orbital contributions to the anisotropies. Some agreement between calculated and measured 2D-ACAR anisotropies encourage sample improvement for further Fermi surface investigations. Indeed, our results indicate a non-negligle overlap of the positron wave function with the CuOo 2 plane electrons. Therefore, this compound may be well suited for investigating the relevant CuO 2 Fermi surface by 2D-ACAR.

Clinical xenotransplantation, a closer reality: Literature review.

PubMed

Aristizabal, Ana María; Caicedo, Luis Armando; Martínez, Juan Manuel; Moreno, Manuel; J Echeverri, Gabriel

2017-02-01

Xenotransplantation could provide an unlimited supply of organs and solve the current shortage of organs for transplantation. To become a reality in clinical practice, the immunological and physiological barriers and the risk of xenozoonosis that they possess should be resolved. From the immunological point of view, in the last 30 years a significant progress in the production of transgenic pigs has prevented the hyperacute rejection. About xenozoonosis, attention has been focused on the risk of transmission of porcine endogenous retroviruses; however, today, it is considered that the risk is very low and the inevitable transmission should not prevent the clinical xenotransplantation. Regarding the physiological barriers, encouraging results have been obtained and it's expected that the barriers that still need to be corrected can be solved in the future through genetic modifications. Copyright © 2016 AEC. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

St 2-22 - Another Symbiotic Star with High-Velocity Bipolar Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomov, T.; Zamanov, R.; Gałan, C.; Pietrukowicz, P.

2017-09-01

We report the detection of high-velocity components in the wings of Hα emission line in spectra of symbiotic binary star St 2-22 obtained in 2005. This finding encouraged us to start the present investigation in order to show that this poorly-studied object is a jet-producing system. We have used high-resolution optical and low-resolution near-infrared spectra, as well as available optical and infrared photometry, to evaluate some physical parameters of the St 2-22 components and characteristics of the jets. We confirm that St 2-22 is a S-type symbiotic star. Our results demonstrate that an unnoticed outburst, similar to those in classical symbiotic systems, occurred in the first half of 2005. During the outburst, collimated bipolar jets were ejected by the hot component of St 2-22 with an average velocity of about 1700 km/s.

Building capacity to secure healthier and safer working conditions for healthcare workers: A South African-Canadian collaboration.

PubMed

Yassi, Annalee; Nophale, Letshego E; Dybka, Lyndsay; Bryce, Elizabeth; Kruger, Willem; Spiegel, Jerry

2009-01-01

Healthcare workers face difficult working conditions, particularly where HIV and tuberculosis add to understaffing. Questionnaires, workplace assessments, and discussion groups were conducted at a regional hospital in South Africa to obtain baseline data and input from the workforce in designing interventions. Findings highlighted weaknesses in knowledge, for example regarding the use of N95 respirators and safe handling of sharps, and suggested the need for improved training. Access to supplies and personal protective equipment was the major reported reason for failure to follow proper procedures; this was confirmed by workplace assessments. Discussion groups highlighted the important role for worker Health and Safety Committees (HSC), including in combating stigma and encouraging reporting. Interest in data to support decision-making resulted in development of the Occupational Health and Safety Information System (OHASIS); further training of HSCs is still needed. Multi-stakeholder international collaboration aimed at building HSC capacity is well-received.

[Development of the Coparental Regulation Inventory and cross-sectional analysis of mothers' encouragement and criticism].

PubMed

Kato, Michiyo; Kurosawa, Tai; Kamiya, Tetsuji

2014-02-01

We developed the Coparental Regulation Inventory to assess the regulatory behavior of the mothers in involving fathers with child rearing. We translated and modified the short form of the Parental Regulation Inventory (PRI) for Japanese couples in different stages of child rearing. An online questionnaire was conducted with mothers (n = 500) and fathers (n = 500) whose youngest child was less than 21-years-old. Exploratory factor analysis identified two factors, which were labeled "encouragement" and "criticism". The resulting Coparental Regulation Inventory (the modified PRI) had high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The construct validity of the scale was supported by its correlation with parenting alliance, marital satisfaction, and the father's involvement. These findings suggest that the scale is an adequate instrument for identifying the behaviors of mothers related to coparenting. In addition, we examined the frequency of encouragement and criticism used by the mother in relation to the child-rearing stage using cross-sectional analysis. In the mothers' reports, mothers with infants and children encouraged fathers more than mothers with early and late adolescents. Mothers with late adolescents criticized fathers less than mothers with infants. In the fathers' reports, mothers gave more encouragement to fathers who had infants than at any other age, whereas the child's age was not related to mothers' criticism perceived by the fathers.

Major Histocompatibility Complex in Human - HLA System: Biological Role and Impact for Practical Medicine.

PubMed

Alexeev, Leonid P.

1999-10-01

Interactions of HLA constitute the key basis for development of the whole number of pathologies, starting from oncological and infectious diseases, and ending with autoimmune disorders and allergies. The most demonstrable example is oncopathology. The fact is that HLA class I (namely, its non-polymorphic determinants) have recently been shown to be the main target for so called natural (or non-specific) killer cells (NK). Naturally, the profound decrease of class I histocompatibility antigens on the surface of pathologically changed cells, impairing cellular interaction between NK and target cells, "takes them out" from the control of NK. As a result, the body looses one of the most important protective functions. Quite another type of impairment of HLA role in cellular interaction may be the basis of autoimmune diseases. The most successful results were obtained in studies of insulin dependent diabetes. One of the main pathogenic factors was shown to be marked elevation (aberrant expression) of HLA on islet cells (insulin producers). This, in its turn, is the consequence of dysfunction and activation of genes, responsible for "assembly and transport" of HLA class II. The problem about role of HLA in cell interactions in allergy is rather novel, but poor studied trend, however some obtained results are encouraging. The point is that the unique feature in expression of class II histocompatibility antigens, specific for allergy, was revealed for recent years. Expression of class II histocompatibility antigens is appeared to be sharply increased on B lymphocytes of allergic patients.

Medicare and Medicaid Physician Payment Incentives

PubMed Central

Burney, Ira L.; Schieber, George J.; Blaxall, Martha O.; Gabel, Jon R.

1979-01-01

The incentives in the Medicare and Medicaid physician payment systems and their effects on six interrelated aspects of health care costs and beneficiary access to care were analyzed. Research results and data presented indicate that Medicare and Medicaid physician payment incentives are inconsistent with current public policy goals of (1) containing inflation in fees and expenditures, (2) encouraging physician participation in public programs, (3) improving the geographic and specialty distributions of physicians, (4) encouraging primary care instead of surgery, and also outpatient rather than inpatient treatment. PMID:10309053

Ecological Validity and Clinical Utility of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) instruments for detecting premenstrual symptoms of depression, anger, and fatigue

PubMed Central

Junghaenel, Doerte U.; Schneider, Stefan; Stone, Arthur A.; Christodoulou, Christopher; Broderick, Joan E.

2014-01-01

Objective This study examined the ecological validity and clinical utility of NIH Patient Reported-Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) instruments for anger, depression, and fatigue in women with premenstrual symptoms. Methods One-hundred women completed daily diaries and weekly PROMIS assessments over 4 weeks. Weekly assessments were administered through Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT). Weekly CATs and corresponding daily scores were compared to evaluate ecological validity. To test clinical utility, we examined if CATs could detect changes in symptom levels, if these changes mirrored those obtained from daily scores, and if CATs could identify clinically meaningful premenstrual symptom change. Results PROMIS CAT scores were higher in the pre-menstrual than the baseline (ps < .0001) and post-menstrual (ps < .0001) weeks. The correlations between CATs and aggregated daily scores ranged from .73 to .88 supporting ecological validity. Mean CAT scores showed systematic changes in accordance with the menstrual cycle and the magnitudes of the changes were similar to those obtained from the daily scores. Finally, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses demonstrated the ability of the CATs to discriminate between women with and without clinically meaningful premenstrual symptom change. Conclusions PROMIS CAT instruments for anger, depression, and fatigue demonstrated validity and utility in premenstrual symptom assessment. The results provide encouraging initial evidence of the utility of PROMIS instruments for the measurement of affective premenstrual symptoms. PMID:24630180

A novel multi-epitope recombined protein for diagnosis of human brucellosis.

PubMed

Yin, Dehui; Li, Li; Song, Xiuling; Li, Han; Wang, Juan; Ju, Wen; Qu, Xiaofeng; Song, Dandan; Liu, Yushen; Meng, Xiangjun; Cao, Hongqian; Song, Weiyi; Meng, Rizeng; Liu, Jinhua; Li, Juan; Xu, Kun

2016-05-21

In epidemic regions of the world, brucellosis is a reemerging zoonosis with minimal mortality but is a serious public hygiene problem. Currently, there are various methods for brucellosis diagnosis, however few of them are available to be used to diagnose, especially for serious cross-reaction with other bacteria. To overcome this disadvantage, we explored a novel multi-epitope recombinant protein as human brucellosis diagnostic antigen. We established an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on this recombinant protein. 248 sera obtained from three different groups including patients with brucellosis (146 samples), non-brucellosis patients (82 samples), and healthy individuals (20 samples) were tested by indirect ELISA. To evaluate the assay, a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and immunoblotting were carried out using these characterized serum samples. For this test, the area under the ROC curve was 0.9409 (95 % confidence interval, 0.9108 to 0.9709), and a sensitivity of 88.89 % and a specificity of 85.54 % was given with a cutoff value of 0.3865 from this ROC analysis. The Western blot results indicate that it is feasible to differentiate human brucellosis and non-brucellosis with the newly established method based on this recombinant protein. Our results obtained high diagnostic accuracy of the ELISA assay which encourage the use of this novel recombinant protein as diagnostic antigen to implement serological diagnosis of brucellosis.

A FSI-based structural approach for micromechanical characterization of adipose tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seyfi, Behzad; Sabzalinejad, Masoumeh; Haddad, Seyed M. H.; Fatouraee, Nasser; Samani, Abbas

2017-03-01

This paper presents a novel computational method for micromechanical modeling of adipose tissue. The model can be regarded as the first step for developing an inversion based framework that uses adipose stiffness data obtained from elastography to determine its microstructural alterations. Such information can be used as biomarkers for diseases associated with adipose tissue microstructure alteration (e.g. adipose tissue fibrosis and inflammation in obesity). In contrast to previous studies, the presented model follows a multiphase structure which accounts for both solid and fluid components as well as their mechanical interaction. In the model, the lipid droplets and extracellular matrix were considered as the fluid and solid phase, respectively. As such, the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problem was solved using finite element method. In order to gain insight into how microstructural characteristics influence the macro scale mechanical properties of the adipose tissue, a compression mechanical test was simulated using the FSI model and its results were fitted to corresponding experimental data. The simulation procedure was performed for adipocytes in healthy conditions while the stiffness of extracellular matrix in normal adipose tissue was found by varying it systematically within an optimization process until the simulation response agreed with experimental data. Results obtained in this study are encouraging and show the capability of the proposed model to capture adipose tissue macroscale mechanical behavior based on its microstructure under health and different pathological conditions.

Novel alanines bearing a heteroaromatic side chain: synthesis and studies on fluorescent chemosensing of metal cations with biological relevance.

PubMed

Ferreira, Rosa Cristina M; Raposo, Maria Manuela M; Costa, Susana P G

2018-06-01

A family of novel thienylbenzoxazol-5-yl-L-alanines, consisting of an alanine core bearing a benzoxazole at the side chain with a thiophene ring at position 2, substituted with different (hetero)aryl substituents, was synthesised to study the tuning of the photophysical and chemosensory properties of the resulting compounds. These novel heterocyclic alanines 3a-f and a series of structurally related bis-thienylbenzoxazolyl-alanines 3g-j were evaluated for the first time in the recognition of selected metal cations with environmental, medicinal and analytical interest such as Co 2+ , Cu 2+ , Zn 2+ and Ni 2+ , in acetonitrile solution, with the heterocycles at the side chain acting simultaneously as the coordinating and reporting units, via fluorescence changes. This behaviour can be explained by the involvement of the electron donor heteroatoms in the recognition event, through complexation of the metal cations. The spectrofluorimetric titrations showed that thienylbenzoxazolyl-alanines 3a-j and 4a,b were non-selective fluorimetric chemosensors for the above-mentioned cations, with the best results being obtained for the interaction of Cu 2+ with bis-alanine 3j and deprotected alanines 4a,b. The encouraging photophysical and metal ion sensing properties of these thienylbenzoxazolyl-alanines suggest that they can be used to obtain bioinspired fluorescent reporters for metal ion such as peptides/proteins with chemosensory/probing ability.

In vitro fabrication of dental filling nanopowder by green route and its antibacterial activity against dental pathogens.

PubMed

Lee, Jeong-Ho; Velmurugan, Palanivel; Park, Jung-Hee; Lee, Kui-Jae; Jin, Jong-Sik; Park, Yool-Jin; Bang, Keuk-Soo; Oh, Byung-Taek

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was to introduce novel Sn, Cu, Hg, and Ag nanopowders (NPs) and a composite nanopowder (NP) synthesized using Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SM) root extract as a reducing and capping agent to improve the antibacterial property of dental filling materials. All of the NPs obtained were characterized using a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum imaging was performed to map the elemental distributions of the NP composite. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was performed to identify the role of various functional groups in all of the obtained NPs and the phyto-compound responsible for the reduction of various metal ions. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns clearly illustrated the crystalline phase of the synthesized NP. The antibacterial properties of the synthesized Sn, Cu, Hg, Ag, composite NP, SM root extract, and commercial amalgam powder were evaluated. The Cu, composite NP, SM root extract and Ag NP displayed excellent antibacterial activity against dental bacteria Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The results of this study require further evaluation for signs of metal toxicity in appropriate animal models. However, the results are encouraging for the application of metal NPs as suitable alternatives for antibiotics and disinfectants, especially in dental filling materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The organization of organ procurement.

PubMed

Prottas, J M

1989-01-01

The American organ procurement system has improved and matured in the last five years. At the same time, the basic challenges facing it have remained substantially the same because the moral and legal framework of the system has not changed. Success at organ procurement continues to depend on the voluntary cooperation of medical professionals and the families of potential organ donors. The generosity of the American public is so great that the primary challenge facing organ procurement agencies is obtaining cooperation from hospitals and medical professionals. This calls for a "marketing" orientation aimed at those hospitals and professionals who are most likely to treat potential donors. The last five years have seen a more general acceptance of this appreciation of the central task of organ procurement. As a result, the overall effectiveness of the system has improved, as measured by the number of organs procured on a per capita basis and by the number of multiorgan donors obtained. Much of this improvement can be attributed to the diffusion of organizational techniques and approaches, and this diffusion has been encouraged by the involvement of national organizations and public bodies in the organ procurement community. The system remains uneven in its effectiveness and further improvement is possible. It is also possible that the next general round of improvement will result from the application of businesslike information management and marketing techniques.

Deep learning for hybrid EEG-fNIRS brain–computer interface: application to motor imagery classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiarelli, Antonio Maria; Croce, Pierpaolo; Merla, Arcangelo; Zappasodi, Filippo

2018-06-01

Objective. Brain–computer interface (BCI) refers to procedures that link the central nervous system to a device. BCI was historically performed using electroencephalography (EEG). In the last years, encouraging results were obtained by combining EEG with other neuroimaging technologies, such as functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). A crucial step of BCI is brain state classification from recorded signal features. Deep artificial neural networks (DNNs) recently reached unprecedented complex classification outcomes. These performances were achieved through increased computational power, efficient learning algorithms, valuable activation functions, and restricted or back-fed neurons connections. By expecting significant overall BCI performances, we investigated the capabilities of combining EEG and fNIRS recordings with state-of-the-art deep learning procedures. Approach. We performed a guided left and right hand motor imagery task on 15 subjects with a fixed classification response time of 1 s and overall experiment length of 10 min. Left versus right classification accuracy of a DNN in the multi-modal recording modality was estimated and it was compared to standalone EEG and fNIRS and other classifiers. Main results. At a group level we obtained significant increase in performance when considering multi-modal recordings and DNN classifier with synergistic effect. Significance. BCI performances can be significantly improved by employing multi-modal recordings that provide electrical and hemodynamic brain activity information, in combination with advanced non-linear deep learning classification procedures.

EVA: laparoscopic instrument tracking based on Endoscopic Video Analysis for psychomotor skills assessment.

PubMed

Oropesa, Ignacio; Sánchez-González, Patricia; Chmarra, Magdalena K; Lamata, Pablo; Fernández, Alvaro; Sánchez-Margallo, Juan A; Jansen, Frank Willem; Dankelman, Jenny; Sánchez-Margallo, Francisco M; Gómez, Enrique J

2013-03-01

The EVA (Endoscopic Video Analysis) tracking system is a new system for extracting motions of laparoscopic instruments based on nonobtrusive video tracking. The feasibility of using EVA in laparoscopic settings has been tested in a box trainer setup. EVA makes use of an algorithm that employs information of the laparoscopic instrument's shaft edges in the image, the instrument's insertion point, and the camera's optical center to track the three-dimensional position of the instrument tip. A validation study of EVA comprised a comparison of the measurements achieved with EVA and the TrEndo tracking system. To this end, 42 participants (16 novices, 22 residents, and 4 experts) were asked to perform a peg transfer task in a box trainer. Ten motion-based metrics were used to assess their performance. Construct validation of the EVA has been obtained for seven motion-based metrics. Concurrent validation revealed that there is a strong correlation between the results obtained by EVA and the TrEndo for metrics, such as path length (ρ = 0.97), average speed (ρ = 0.94), or economy of volume (ρ = 0.85), proving the viability of EVA. EVA has been successfully validated in a box trainer setup, showing the potential of endoscopic video analysis to assess laparoscopic psychomotor skills. The results encourage further implementation of video tracking in training setups and image-guided surgery.

A group evolving-based framework with perturbations for link prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Si, Cuiqi; Jiao, Licheng; Wu, Jianshe; Zhao, Jin

2017-06-01

Link prediction is a ubiquitous application in many fields which uses partially observed information to predict absence or presence of links between node pairs. The group evolving study provides reasonable explanations on the behaviors of nodes, relations between nodes and community formation in a network. Possible events in group evolution include continuing, growing, splitting, forming and so on. The changes discovered in networks are to some extent the result of these events. In this work, we present a group evolving-based characterization of node's behavioral patterns, and via which we can estimate the probability they tend to interact. In general, the primary aim of this paper is to offer a minimal toy model to detect missing links based on evolution of groups and give a simpler explanation on the rationality of the model. We first introduce perturbations into networks to obtain stable cluster structures, and the stable clusters determine the stability of each node. Then fluctuations, another node behavior, are assumed by the participation of each node to its own belonging group. Finally, we demonstrate that such characteristics allow us to predict link existence and propose a model for link prediction which outperforms many classical methods with a decreasing computational time in large scales. Encouraging experimental results obtained on real networks show that our approach can effectively predict missing links in network, and even when nearly 40% of the edges are missing, it also retains stationary performance.

The Toluene o-Xylene Monooxygenase Enzymatic Activity for the Biosynthesis of Aromatic Antioxidants

PubMed Central

Pizzo, Elio; Notomista, Eugenio; Pezzella, Alessandro; Di Cristo, Carlo; De Lise, Federica; Di Donato, Alberto; Izzo, Viviana

2015-01-01

Monocyclic phenols and catechols are important antioxidant compounds for the food and pharmaceutic industries; their production through biotransformation of low-added value starting compounds is of major biotechnological interest. The toluene o-xylene monooxygenase (ToMO) from Pseudomonas sp. OX1 is a bacterial multicomponent monooxygenase (BMM) that is able to hydroxylate a wide array of aromatic compounds and has already proven to be a versatile biochemical tool to produce mono- and dihydroxylated derivatives of aromatic compounds. The molecular determinants of its regioselectivity and substrate specificity have been thoroughly investigated, and a computational strategy has been developed which allows designing mutants able to hydroxylate non-natural substrates of this enzyme to obtain high-added value compounds of commercial interest. In this work, we have investigated the use of recombinant ToMO, expressed in cells of Escherichia coli strain JM109, for the biotransformation of non-natural substrates of this enzyme such as 2-phenoxyethanol, phthalan and 2-indanol to produce six hydroxylated derivatives. The hydroxylated products obtained were identified, isolated and their antioxidant potential was assessed both in vitro, using the DPPH assay, and on the rat cardiomyoblast cell line H9c2. Incubation of H9c2 cells with the hydroxylated compounds obtained from ToMO-catalyzed biotransformation induced a differential protective effect towards a mild oxidative stress induced by the presence of sodium arsenite. The results obtained confirm once again the versatility of the ToMO system for oxyfunctionalization reactions of biotechnological importance. Moreover, the hydroxylated derivatives obtained possess an interesting antioxidant potential that encourages the use of the enzyme for further functionalization reactions and their possible use as scaffolds to design novel bioactive molecules. PMID:25915063

An Approach to Transmetatarsal Amputation to Encourage Immediate Weightbearing in Diabetic Patients.

PubMed

Canales, Michael B; Heurich, Maureen E; Mandela, Ashley M; Razzante, Mark C

Transmetatarsal amputation remains the standard treatment for the unsalvageable diabetic forefoot; however, this operation is often complicated by wound dehiscence, ulceration, and the need for additional surgery and tendon balancing. The technique described in the present report provides an uncomplicated suturing method for closure of a standard transmetatarsal amputation. A drill hole is created through the first, second, and fourth metatarsals, which facilitates added stability to the plantar flap of the residual metatarsals. The patients are encouraged to begin protected weightbearing as early as the first postoperative day. The security of the flap promotes immediate weightbearing, which could result in fewer postoperative complications of transmetatarsal amputations. Early weightbearing will not only encourage tendon rebalancing, but also could improve angiogenesis through capillary ingrowth. Copyright © 2017 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Grief resolution: facilitating self-transcendence in the bereaved.

PubMed

Joffrion, L P; Douglas, D

1994-03-01

1. The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) can help individuals to resolve grief that stems from personal loss and death, and encourage activities that will assist highly motivated individuals to achieve self-transcendence. 2. Self-transcendence is the ability to extend one's self beyond personal concerns and reach out to others without losing one's sense of self. The process of self-transcendence results in broader perspectives, purposes, and activities in one's life. Self-transcendent acts of giving to and/or sharing with others leads to a sense of connectedness with others, one's surroundings, and God. 3. Ultimately, the CNS encourages the bereaved person to participate in a grief resolution support group. By sharing openly and actively participating in the group process, the bereaved person learns coping skills that facilitate grief resolution and encourage the development of self-transcendency.

Stairs or escalator? Using theories of persuasion and motivation to facilitate healthy decision making.

PubMed

Suri, Gaurav; Sheppes, Gal; Leslie, Sara; Gross, James J

2014-12-01

To encourage an increase in daily activity, researchers have tried a variety of health-related communications, but with mixed results. In the present research-using the stair escalator choice context-we examined predictions derived from the Heuristic Systematic Model (HSM), Self Determination Theory (SDT), and related theories. Specifically, we tested whether (as predicted by HSM) signs that encourage heuristic processing ("Take the Stairs") would have greatest impact when placed at the stair/escalator point of choice (when processing time is limited), whereas signs that encourage systematic processing ("Will You Take the Stairs?") would have greatest impact when placed at some distance from the point of choice (when processing time is less limited). We also tested whether (as predicted by SDT) messages promoting autonomy would be more likely to result in sustained motivated behavior (i.e., stair taking at subsequent uncued choice points) than messages that use commands. A series of studies involving more than 9,000 pedestrians provided support for these predictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Formation and characterization of calcium orthophosphates in the presence of two different acidic macromolecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelin, Irina M.; Maier, Vasilica; Suflet, Dana M.; Popescu, Irina; Darie-Nita, Raluca N.; Aflori, Magdalena; Butnaru, Maria

2017-10-01

The synthetic nanocrystalline calcium orthophosphates have a notable bioactivity due to the chemical similarity with biological apatite from calcified tissues. In mineralized tissues, the highly ordered structures come from organized assemblies of biomacromolecules and inorganic nanoparticles. One of the purposes of this work was to study the effect of two types of acidic macromolecules: atelocollagen and phosphorylated curdlan onto calcium orthophosphates formation after 30 days of maturation at 2 ± 2 °C. The resulted samples after a long aging time, either calcium orthophosphates or composites, were first investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry and the results indicated that precipitated hydroxyapatite with low crystallinity was obtained when the synthesis was performed in the presence of phosphorylated curdlan. The macromolecules influenced the morphology of the particles as shown by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The presence of macromolecules as demonstrated by thermal investigation also influenced the rheological properties of the samples. The second purpose of the work was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the samples using the MTT assay, and the results revealed very good cells viability. The preliminary results are encouraging regarding the use of these materials for further tests in order to develop injectable bone substitutes.

The solution of the point kinetics equations via converged accelerated Taylor series (CATS)

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

Ganapol, B.; Picca, P.; Previti, A.

This paper deals with finding accurate solutions of the point kinetics equations including non-linear feedback, in a fast, efficient and straightforward way. A truncated Taylor series is coupled to continuous analytical continuation to provide the recurrence relations to solve the ordinary differential equations of point kinetics. Non-linear (Wynn-epsilon) and linear (Romberg) convergence accelerations are employed to provide highly accurate results for the evaluation of Taylor series expansions and extrapolated values of neutron and precursor densities at desired edits. The proposed Converged Accelerated Taylor Series, or CATS, algorithm automatically performs successive mesh refinements until the desired accuracy is obtained, making usemore » of the intermediate results for converged initial values at each interval. Numerical performance is evaluated using case studies available from the literature. Nearly perfect agreement is found with the literature results generally considered most accurate. Benchmark quality results are reported for several cases of interest including step, ramp, zigzag and sinusoidal prescribed insertions and insertions with adiabatic Doppler feedback. A larger than usual (9) number of digits is included to encourage honest benchmarking. The benchmark is then applied to the enhanced piecewise constant algorithm (EPCA) currently being developed by the second author. (authors)« less

Fear extinction in the human brain: A meta-analysis of fMRI studies in healthy participants.

PubMed

Fullana, Miquel A; Albajes-Eizagirre, Anton; Soriano-Mas, Carles; Vervliet, Bram; Cardoner, Narcís; Benet, Olívia; Radua, Joaquim; Harrison, Ben J

2018-05-01

The study of fear extinction represents an important example of translational neuroscience in psychiatry and promises to improve the understanding and treatment of anxiety and fear-related disorders. We present the results of a set of meta-analyses of human fear extinction studies in healthy participants, conducted with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and reporting whole-brain results. Meta-analyses of fear extinction learning primarily implicate consistent activation of brain regions linked to threat appraisal and experience, including the dorsal anterior cingulate and anterior insular cortices. An overlapping anatomical result was obtained from the meta-analysis of extinction recall studies, except when studies directly compared an extinguished threat stimulus to an unextinguished threat stimulus (instead of a safety stimulus). In this latter instance, more consistent activation was observed in dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex regions, together with other areas including the hippocampus. While our results partially support the notion of a shared neuroanatomy between human and rodent models of extinction processes, they also encourage an expanded account of the neural basis of human fear extinction. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Encouraging translation and assessing impact of the Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement: rationale and protocol for a research impact assessment.

PubMed

Ramanathan, Shanthi; Reeves, Penny; Deeming, Simon; Bailie, Ross Stewart; Bailie, Jodie; Bainbridge, Roxanne; Cunningham, Frances; Doran, Christopher; McPhail Bell, Karen; Searles, Andrew

2017-12-04

There is growing recognition among health researchers and funders that the wider benefits of research such as economic, social and health impacts ought to be assessed and valued alongside academic outputs such as peer-reviewed papers. Research translation needs to increase and the pathways to impact ought to be more transparent. These processes are particularly pertinent to the Indigenous health sector given continued concerns that Indigenous communities are over-researched with little corresponding improvement in health outcomes. This paper describes the research protocol of a mixed methods study to apply FAIT (Framework to Assess the Impact from Translational health research) to the Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement (CRE-IQI). FAIT will be applied to five selected CRE-IQI Flagship projects to encourage research translation and assess the wider impact of that research. Phase I will develop a modified programme logic model for each Flagship project including identifying process, output and impact metrics so progress can be monitored. A scoping review will inform potential benefits. In phase II, programme logic models will be updated to account for changes in the research pathways over time. Audit and feedback will be used to encourage research translation and collect evidence of achievement of any process, output and interim impacts. In phase III, three proven methodologies for measuring research impact-Payback, economic assessment and narratives-will be applied. Data on the application of FAIT will be collected and analysed to inform and improve FAIT's performance. This study is funded by a nationally competitive grant (ID 1078927) from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Ethics approval was obtained from the University of Newcastle's Human Research Ethics Committee (ID: H-2017-0026). The results from the study will be presented in several peer-reviewed publications, through conference presentations and via social media. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Synthesis of Carbon Foam from Waste Artificial Marble Powder and Carboxymethyl Cellulose via Electron Beam Irradiation and Its Characterization

PubMed Central

Kim, Hong Gun; Kim, Yong Sun; Kwac, Lee Ku; Chae, Su-Hyeong; Shin, Hye Kyoung

2018-01-01

Carbon foams were prepared by carbonization of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/waste artificial marble powder (WAMP) composites obtained via electron beam irradiation (EBI); these composites were prepared by mixing eco-friendly CMC with WAMP as the fillers for improved their poor mechanical strength. Gel fractions of the CMC/WAMP composites obtained at various EBI doses were investigated, and it was found that the CMC/WAMP composites obtained at an EBI dose of 80 kGy showed the highest gel fraction (95%); hence, the composite prepared at this dose was selected for preparing the carbon foam. The thermogravimetric analysis of the CMC/WAMP composites obtained at 80 kGy; showed that the addition of WAMP increased the thermal stability and carbon residues of the CMC/WAMP composites at 900 °C. SEM images showed that the cell walls of the CMC/WAMP carbon foams were thicker more than those of the CMC carbon foam. In addition, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed that the CMC/WAMP carbon foams contained small amounts of aluminum, derived from WAMP. The results confirmed that the increased WAMP content and hence increased aluminum content improved the thermal conductivity of the composites and their corresponding carbon foams. Moreover, the addition of WAMP increased the compressive strength of CMC/WAMP composites and hence the strength of their corresponding carbon foams. In conclusion, this synthesis method is encouraging, as it produces carbon foams of pore structure with good mechanical properties and thermal conductivity. PMID:29565300

Paternal Caregivers' Parenting Practices and Psychological Functioning among African American Youth Living in Urban Public Housing.

PubMed

Doyle, Otima; Clark Goings, Trenette; Cryer-Coupet, Qiana R; Lombe, Margaret; Stephens, Jennifer; Nebbitt, Von E

2017-09-01

Structural factors associated with public housing contribute to living environments that expose families to adverse life events that may in turn directly impact parenting and youth outcomes. However, despite the growth in research on fathers, research on families in public housing has practically excluded fathers and the role fathers play in the well-being of their adolescents. Using a sample of 660 African American adolescents recruited from public housing, we examined the relationship between paternal caregivers' (i.e., fathers' and father figures') parenting practices and adolescents' depressive symptoms, attitudes toward deviance, and self-efficacy. Using a latent profile analysis (LPA), we confirmed a four-class model of paternal parenting practices ranging from high to low levels of monitoring and encouragement. Results from a one-way ANOVA indicated that paternal caregivers with high (compared to moderate) levels of encouragement and monitoring were associated with youth who reported less depressive symptoms, higher levels of self-efficacy, and less favorable attitudes toward deviance. Discriminant analysis results indicated that approximately half of the sample were correctly classified into two paternal caregiver classes. The findings provide evidence that some of these caregivers engage in parenting practices that support youths' psychological functioning. More research is needed to determine what accounts for the variability in levels of paternal encouragement and supervision, including environmental influences, particularly for paternal caregivers exhibiting moderate-to-low levels of paternal encouragement and monitoring. © 2016 Family Process Institute.

A study of the stability of Jovian winds from HST images: 1995 - 1998

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Melendo, E.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.

2000-10-01

The resolution of the best WFPC-2 HST Jupiter images was 200 kmpix-1, which is close to the maximum resolution obtained by the narrow angle cameras on board Voyager 1 and 2, 160 kmpix-1. This property of the best HST Jupiter imaging spanning a whole Jovian rotation, encouraged the use of correlation techniques to obtain a series of high resolution zonal wind profiles with a velocity data scatter similar to that obtained from Voyager images. This approach provided a unique opportunity to study the Jovian winds during a time span of 4 years, which is about 12 times longer than the 4 month lapse between the two Voyager flybys in 1979, 16 years later, and before the Cassini encounter at the end of 2000. A total of six series of wind profiles from October 5, 1995 to July 16, 1998, in the 410nm, 889nm, and 953nm bands were obtained with an average velocity scatter between 5 and 6 m/s. Jovian winds were also explored up to planetographic latitudes close to +80 degrees north and -70 degrees south. Results show the presence of two previously unknown jets over +60N and at least an additional one to the south of 60S degrees latitude. Wind profiles obtained at different wavelengths were also virtually indistinguishable, suggesting a negligible influence of a possible height effect. One of the most conspicuous results is the strong general stability displayed by the wind profile during the four year span, although the jet stream at 26S showed important alterations in shape. Comparing the HST wind profiles with the Voyager 2 wind profile obtained in violet light by S. Limaye (Icarus, Vol. 65, 335, 1986), slight latitude differences up to 1.5 degrees latitude are suggested for the location of some westerly and easterly jet streams, specially in the planet's northern hemisphere. Important changes also occurred in the eastward jets at 6S and 23N degrees of latitude. This work was supported by E. Duran Foundation and Gobierno Vasco PI 034/97.

Influence of advertisement on women's attitudes toward mammography screening.

PubMed

Collins, C; Davis, L S; Rentz, K; Vannoy, D

1997-01-01

This project represents an effort to incorporate a feminist perspective into research on mammography screening. The purpose of this study was to assess women's attitudes toward four advertisements designed to encourage mammography screening. The goal was to create awareness about women's attitudes toward mammography advertisements in order to encourage the development of more effective and responsive motivational materials. The results indicated that each ad communicated different messages about the seriousness of breast cancer and the efficacy of mammography in detecting early breast cancer. Each ad also affected women differently regarding their feelings of control over breast cancer, their perceived loss of sex appeal resulting from a breast cancer diagnosis, and their general fear of breast cancer.

Low-head hydro power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemer, E. J.

1980-11-01

With a view toward increasing the U.S. electric output, the Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that 55 GW can be obtained immediately from new capacity at existing dams and 40 GW more over the long term. Given the long lead times needed to build new dams, most interest has centered on the existing dams. The Corps of Engineers has established that 21 GW can be obtained from hydroelectric and 34 GW from nonpower dams. Existing hydroelectric sites are being expanded by the utilities, but exploitation of the nonpower dams will require governmental encouragement, because the vast majority are low-head sites (dams less than 40 m high). In the present paper, the question of economics and national policy is examined. The advantages which would accrue from substituting axial turbines for the Kaplan turbine are noted.

From unmet clinical need to entrepreneurship: taking your informatics solution to market.

PubMed

Bowles, Kathryn H; Heil, Eric

2014-01-01

This paper will describe the process for taking a decision support solution to market as a start-up business. The nurse inventor and Co-Founder of RightCare Solutions, Inc. will share the steps from answering a clinical question, to registering an invention, creating a business plan and company, obtaining venture funding, and launching a commercial product. We will share positives about the experience such as how to get start-up funds, gaining national exposure and access to an excellent team, disseminating your work broadly, further enhancing the product, and obtaining equity, and financial rewards. We will discuss cons such as losing control, dilution of ownership, and conflict of interest. This paper will encourage nurse informaticians to think differently and learn about the steps in the process from an experienced team.

Child sex rings.

PubMed

Wild, N J; Wynne, J M

1986-07-19

Details of 11 child sex rings identified in one working class community were obtained by interviewing investigating police officers and examining health and social services records. The rings contained 14 adult male perpetrators and 175 children aged 6-15 years. Most perpetrators used child ringleaders to recruit victims; others became a "family friend" or obtained a position of authority over children. Secrecy was encouraged and bribery, threats, and peer pressure used to induce participation in sexual activities. Offences reported included fondling, masturbation, pornography, and oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse. Eleven perpetrators were successfully prosecuted; all but one received a sentence of three years or less. Behavioural problems were common among those children who had participated for a long time. Child sex rings are difficult to detect and may be common. Many children are seriously abused as a consequence of them.

The International Outer Planets Watch atmospheres node database of giant-planet images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hueso, R.; Legarreta, J.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Rojas, J. F.; Gómez-Forrellad, J. M.

2011-10-01

The Atmospheres Node of the International Outer Planets Watch (IOPW) is aimed to encourage the observations and study of the atmospheres of the Giant Planets. One of its main activities is to provide an interaction between the professional and amateur astronomical communities maintaining an online and fully searchable database of images of the giant planets obtained from amateur astronomers and available to both professional and amateurs [1]. The IOPW database contains about 13,000 image observations of Jupiter and Saturn obtained in the visible range with a few contributions of Uranus and Neptune. We describe the organization and structure of the database as posted in the Internet and in particular the PVOL software (Planetary Virtual Observatory & Laboratory) designed to manage the site and based in concepts from Virtual Observatory projects.

Recovering galaxy cluster gas density profiles with XMM-Newton and Chandra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartalucci, I.; Arnaud, M.; Pratt, G. W.; Vikhlinin, A.; Pointecouteau, E.; Forman, W. R.; Jones, C.; Mazzotta, P.; Andrade-Santos, F.

2017-12-01

We examined the reconstruction of galaxy cluster radial density profiles obtained from Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations, using high quality data for a sample of twelve objects covering a range of morphologies and redshifts. By comparing the results obtained from the two observatories and by varying key aspects of the analysis procedure, we examined the impact of instrumental effects and of differences in the methodology used in the recovery of the density profiles. We find that the final density profile shape is particularly robust. We adapted the photon weighting vignetting correction method developed for XMM-Newton for use with Chandra data, and confirm that the resulting Chandra profiles are consistent with those corrected a posteriori for vignetting effects. Profiles obtained from direct deprojection and those derived using parametric models are consistent at the 1% level. At radii larger than 6″, the agreement between Chandra and XMM-Newton is better than 1%, confirming an excellent understanding of the XMM-Newton PSF. Furthermore, we find no significant energy dependence. The impact of the well-known offset between Chandra and XMM-Newton gas temperature determinations on the density profiles is found to be negligible. However, we find an overall normalisation offset in density profiles of the order of 2.5%, which is linked to absolute flux cross-calibration issues. As a final result, the weighted ratios of Chandra to XMM-Newton gas masses computed at R2500 and R500 are r = 1.03 ± 0.01 and r = 1.03 ± 0.03, respectively. Our study confirms that the radial density profiles are robustly recovered, and that any differences between Chandra and XMM-Newton can be constrained to the 2.5% level, regardless of the exact data analysis details. These encouraging results open the way for the true combination of X-ray observations of galaxy clusters, fully leveraging the high resolution of Chandra and the high throughput of XMM-Newton.

Guideline attribute and implementation preferences among physicians in multiple health systems.

PubMed

Stone, Tamara T; Schweikhart, Sharon B; Mantese, Annamarie; Sonnad, Seema S

2005-01-01

Although practice guidelines are effective in assisting providers with clinical decision making, ineffective implementation strategies often prevent their use in practice. This study aimed to understand physician preferences for guideline format, placement, content, evidence, and learning strategies in different clinical environments. Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with 500 randomly selected physicians from 4 major US health systems who were involved in the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction or pediatric asthma. Paired sample t tests and Tukey's method of comparisons determined the relative ranking of physicians' guideline implementation preferences. Physicians preferred guidelines located on the front of the patient chart, in palm pilots, or in progress notes and presented as flow charts/flow diagrams, algorithms, or preprinted orders that contain strategies to minimize readmits/encourage self-management and immediate treatment flows. Discussions with colleagues and continuing medical education are the most effective strategies for encouraging guideline use, and randomized controlled trials remain the most persuasive medical evidence. Health care organizations must align guideline implementation efforts with physician preferences to encourage utilization. The results of this study reveal systematic physician preferences for guideline implementation that can be applied to clinical settings to encourage guideline use by physicians.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: City of Chicago Program Encourages Petroleum

Science.gov Websites

Displacement and Collaboration Between Departments City of Chicago Program Encourages Petroleum : City of Chicago Program Encourages Petroleum Displacement and Collaboration Between Departments on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: City of Chicago Program Encourages Petroleum

Special action groups for policy change and infrastructure support to foster healthier communities on the Arizona-Mexico border.

PubMed Central

Cohen, Stuart J.; Meister, Joel S.; deZapien, Jill G.

2004-01-01

As part of efforts to help stem the rising tide of diabetes among Hispanic Americans living in Arizona-Mexico border communities, the Border Health Strategic Initiative was launched to foster community-based approaches to diabetes prevention and control. A major thrust of the initiative was establishment of special community action groups (SAGs) to help stimulate policy change and sustain interventions designed to reduce the risk of diabetes and its complications. The SAGs met regularly for more than two years, focusing primarily on policies that encourage development of an infrastructure to support physical activity and healthier nutrition. Through involvement with planning commissions, parks and recreation, and private companies, two community development block grants were obtained to support new walking trails. The SAGs also encouraged elementary schools to improve physical education and change vending machine products, and grocery store owners and managers to allow the demonstration and promotion of healthier foods. These groups, focused on policy and infrastructure change within their communities, may be the glue needed to hold comprehensive community health promotion efforts together. PMID:15147648

Evaluation of two-year Jewish genetic disease screening program in Atlanta: insight into community genetic screening approaches.

PubMed

Shao, Yunru; Liu, Shuling; Grinzaid, Karen

2015-04-01

Improvements in genetic testing technologies have led to the development of expanded carrier screening panels for the Ashkenazi Jewish population; however, there are major inconsistencies in current screening practices. A 2-year pilot program was launched in Atlanta in 2010 to promote and facilitate screening for 19 Jewish genetic diseases. We analyzed data from this program, including participant demographics and outreach efforts. This retrospective analysis is based on a de-identified dataset of 724 screenees. Data were obtained through medical chart review and questionnaires and included demographic information, screening results, response to outreach efforts, and follow-up behavior and preferences. We applied descriptive analysis, chi-square tests, and logistic regression to analyze the data and compare findings with published literature. The majority of participants indicated that they were not pregnant or did not have a partner who was pregnant were affiliated with Jewish organizations and reported 100 % AJ ancestry. Overall, carrier frequency was 1 in 3.9. Friends, rabbis, and family members were the most common influencers of the decision to receive screening. People who were older, had a history of pregnancy, and had been previously screened were more likely to educate others (all p < 0.05). Analysis of this 2-year program indicated that people who are ready to have children or expand their families are more likely to get screened and encourage others to be screened. The most effective outreach efforts targeted influencers who then encouraged screening in the target population. Educating influencers and increasing overall awareness were the most effective outreach strategies.

The role of gangliosides in brain development and the potential benefits of perinatal supplementation.

PubMed

Ryan, Jennifer M; Rice, Gregory E; Mitchell, Murray D

2013-11-01

The maternal diet provides critical nutrients that can influence fetal and infant brain development and function. This review highlights the potential benefits of maternal dietary ganglioside supplementation on fetal and infant brain development. English-language systematic reviews, preclinical studies, and clinical studies were obtained through searches on PubMed. Reports were selected if they included benefits and harms of maternal ganglioside supplementation during pregnancy or ganglioside-supplemented formula after pregnancy. The potential benefits of ganglioside supplementation were explored by investigating the following: (1) their role in neural development, (2) their therapeutic use in neural injury and disease, (3) their presence in human breast milk, and (4) their use as a dietary supplement during or after pregnancy. Preclinical studies indicate that ganglioside supplementation at high doses (1% of total dietary intake) can significantly increase cognitive development and body weight when given prenatally. However, lower ganglioside supplementation doses have no beneficial cognitive effects, even when given throughout pregnancy and lactation. In human clinical trials, infants given formula supplemented with gangliosides showed increased cognitive development and an increase in ganglioside content. Ganglioside supplementation may promote brain development and function in offspring when administered at the optimum dosage. We propose that prenatal maternal dietary supplementation with gangliosides throughout pregnancy may promote greater long-term effects on brain development and function. Before this concept can be encouraged in preconception clinics, future research and clinical trials are needed to confirm the ability of dietary gangliosides to improve cognitive development, but available results already encourage this area of research. © 2013.

A Pythonic Approach for Computational Geosciences and Geo-Data Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morra, G.; Yuen, D. A.; Lee, S. M.

2016-12-01

Computational methods and data analysis play a constantly increasing role in Earth Sciences however students and professionals need to climb a steep learning curve before reaching a sufficient level that allows them to run effective models. Furthermore the recent arrival and new powerful machine learning tools such as Torch and Tensor Flow has opened new possibilities but also created a new realm of complications related to the completely different technology employed. We present here a series of examples entirely written in Python, a language that combines the simplicity of Matlab with the power and speed of compiled languages such as C, and apply them to a wide range of geological processes such as porous media flow, multiphase fluid-dynamics, creeping flow and many-faults interaction. We also explore ways in which machine learning can be employed in combination with numerical modelling. From immediately interpreting a large number of modeling results to optimizing a set of modeling parameters to obtain a desired optimal simulation. We show that by using Python undergraduate and graduate can learn advanced numerical technologies with a minimum dedicated effort, which in turn encourages them to develop more numerical tools and quickly progress in their computational abilities. We also show how Python allows combining modeling with machine learning as pieces of LEGO, therefore simplifying the transition towards a new kind of scientific geo-modelling. The conclusion is that Python is an ideal tool to create an infrastructure for geosciences that allows users to quickly develop tools, reuse techniques and encourage collaborative efforts to interpret and integrate geo-data in profound new ways.

Traditional foods and practices of Spanish-speaking Latina mothers influence the home food environment: implications for future interventions.

PubMed

Evans, Alexandra; Chow, Sherman; Jennings, Rose; Dave, Jayna; Scoblick, Kathryn; Sterba, Katherine Regan; Loyo, Jennifer

2011-07-01

This study aimed to obtain in-depth information from low-income, Spanish-speaking Latino families with young children to guide the development of culturally appropriate nutrition interventions. Focus groups were used to assess parent's knowledge about healthful eating, the home food environment, perceived influences on children's eating habits, food purchasing practices, and commonly used strategies to promote healthful eating among their children. Thirty-four Latino parents (33 women; 27 born in Mexico; 21 food-insecure) of preschool-aged children participated in four focus group discussions conducted in Spanish by a trained moderator. The focus groups were audiotaped, transcribed, translated, and coded by independent raters. Results suggest that in general, parents were very knowledgeable about healthful eating and cited both parents and school as significant factors influencing children's eating habits; at home, most families had more traditional Mexican foods available than American foods; cost and familiarity with foods were the most influential factors affecting food purchasing; many parents had rules regarding sugar intake; and parents cited role modeling, reinforcement, and creative food preparation as ways to encourage children's healthful eating habits. Finally, parents generated ideas on how to best assist Latino families through interventions. Parents indicated that future interventions should be community based and teach skills to purchase and prepare meals that include low-cost and traditional Mexican ingredients, using hands-on activities. In addition, interventions could encourage and reinforce healthy food-related practices that Latino families bring from their native countries. Copyright © 2011 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preconception Care of the Obese Woman.

PubMed

Delcore, Laura; Lacoursiere, D Yvette

2016-03-01

One third of obese women report obtaining preconception care. Only one third of those women state that weight issues were discussed at their visit. Obese women should be educated about the risks of pregnancy so they can make informed choices as to whether and when to conceive. Women should be encouraged to mitigate risk by losing weight and exercising before conception and understand complications of pregnancy within specific pregravid body mass index strata. This manuscript describes the risks and provides guidance on topics to include in the preconception visit of an obese woman.

China's Marriage Law: a model for family responsibilities and relationships.

PubMed

Hare-Mustin, R T

1982-12-01

China's Marriage Law of 1981 is presented with a brief commentary. The law encompasses the responsibilities of spouses, parents, children, grandparents, and siblings to one another. The new law is contrasted with the 1950 Marriage Law, which prohibited such feudal practices of former times as arranged marriages and child betrothals. The 1981 law is concerned with equality and the lawful needs of women, children, and the aged. Family planning is encouraged. Divorce is made easier to obtain. Adoptees and stepchildren are provided for. The law provides a legislative model for personal relationships.

Open source and DIY hardware for DNA nanotechnology labs

PubMed Central

Damase, Tulsi R.; Stephens, Daniel; Spencer, Adam; Allen, Peter B.

2015-01-01

A set of instruments and specialized equipment is necessary to equip a laboratory to work with DNA. Reducing the barrier to entry for DNA manipulation should enable and encourage new labs to enter the field. We present three examples of open source/DIY technology with significantly reduced costs relative to commercial equipment. This includes a gel scanner, a horizontal PAGE gel mold, and a homogenizer for generating DNA-coated particles. The overall cost savings obtained by using open source/DIY equipment was between 50 and 90%. PMID:26457320

High-speed rangefinder for industrial application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavedo, Federico; Pesatori, Alessandro; Norgia, Michele

2016-06-01

The proposed work aims to improve one of the most used telemetry techniques to make absolute measurements of distance: the time of flight telemetry. The main limitation of the low-cost implementation of this technique is the low accuracy (some mm) and measurement rate (few measurements per second). In order to overcome these limits we modified the typical setup of this rangefinder exploiting low-cost telecommunication transceivers and radiofrequency synthesizers. The obtained performances are very encouraging, reaching a standard deviation of a few micrometers over the range of some meters.

Severe paediatric conditions linked with EV-A71 and EV-D68, France, May to October 2016

PubMed Central

Antona, Denise; Kossorotoff, Manoëlle; Schuffenecker, Isabelle; Mirand, Audrey; Leruez-Ville, Marianne; Bassi, Clément; Aubart, Mélodie; Moulin, Florence; Lévy-Bruhl, Daniel; Henquell, Cécile; Lina, Bruno; Desguerre, Isabelle

2016-01-01

We report 59 cases of severe paediatric conditions linked with enterovirus (EV)-A71 and EV-D68 in France between May and October 2016. Fifty-two children had severe neurological symptoms. EV sequence-based typing for 42 cases revealed EV-A71 in 21 (18 subgenotype C1, detected for the first time in France) and EV-D68 in eight. Clinicians should be encouraged to obtain stool and respiratory specimens from patients presenting with severe neurological disorders for EV detection and characterisation. PMID:27918268

Beyond Brainstorming: Exploring Convergence in Teams.

PubMed

Seeber, Isabella; de Vreede, Gert-Jan; Maier, Ronald; Weber, Barbara

2017-01-01

Collaborative brainstorming is often followed by a convergence activity where teams extract the most promising ideas on a useful level of detail from the brainstorming results. Contrary to the wealth of research on electronic brainstorming, there is a dearth of research on convergence. We used experimental methods for an in-depth exploration of two facilitation-based interventions in a convergence activity: attention guidance (focusing participants on procedures to execute a convergence task) and discussion encouragement (engaging participants in conversations to combine knowledge on ideas). Our findings show that both attention guidance and discussion encouragement are correlated with higher convergence quality. We argue that attention guidance's contribution is in its support of coordination, information processing, and goal specification. Similar, we argue that discussion encouragement's contribution is in its stimulation of idea clarification and idea combination. Contrary to past research, our findings further show that satisfaction was higher after convergence than after brainstorming.

Improving the dependability of research in personality and social psychology: recommendations for research and educational practice.

PubMed

Funder, David C; Levine, John M; Mackie, Diane M; Morf, Carolyn C; Sansone, Carol; Vazire, Simine; West, Stephen G

2014-02-01

In this article, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Task Force on Publication and Research Practices offers a brief statistical primer and recommendations for improving the dependability of research. Recommendations for research practice include (a) describing and addressing the choice of N (sample size) and consequent issues of statistical power, (b) reporting effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), (c) avoiding "questionable research practices" that can inflate the probability of Type I error, (d) making available research materials necessary to replicate reported results, (e) adhering to SPSP's data sharing policy, (f) encouraging publication of high-quality replication studies, and (g) maintaining flexibility and openness to alternative standards and methods. Recommendations for educational practice include (a) encouraging a culture of "getting it right," (b) teaching and encouraging transparency of data reporting, (c) improving methodological instruction, and (d) modeling sound science and supporting junior researchers who seek to "get it right."

Overcoming fixation with repeated memory suppression.

PubMed

Angello, Genna; Storm, Benjamin C; Smith, Steven M

2015-01-01

Fixation (blocks to memories or ideas) can be alleviated not only by encouraging productive work towards a solution, but, as the present experiments show, by reducing counterproductive work. Two experiments examined relief from fixation in a word-fragment completion task. Blockers, orthographically similar negative primes (e.g., ANALOGY), blocked solutions to word fragments (e.g., A_L_ _GY) in both experiments. After priming, but before the fragment completion test, participants repeatedly suppressed half of the blockers using the Think/No-Think paradigm, which results in memory inhibition. Inhibiting blockers did not alleviate fixation in Experiment 1 when conscious recollection of negative primes was not encouraged on the fragment completion test. In Experiment 2, however, when participants were encouraged to remember negative primes at fragment completion, relief from fixation was observed. Repeated suppression may nullify fixation effects, and promote creative thinking, particularly when fixation is caused by conscious recollection of counterproductive information.

48 CFR 819.202-1 - Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Encouraging small business... VETERANS AFFAIRS SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Policies 819.202-1 Encouraging small... calendar days to encourage small business participation. A period of less than 7 days may not be prescribed...

48 CFR 819.202-1 - Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Encouraging small business... VETERANS AFFAIRS SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Policies 819.202-1 Encouraging small... calendar days to encourage small business participation. A period of less than 7 days may not be prescribed...

48 CFR 819.202-1 - Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Encouraging small business... VETERANS AFFAIRS SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Policies 819.202-1 Encouraging small... calendar days to encourage small business participation. A period of less than 7 days may not be prescribed...

48 CFR 819.202-1 - Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Encouraging small business... VETERANS AFFAIRS SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Policies 819.202-1 Encouraging small... calendar days to encourage small business participation. A period of less than 7 days may not be prescribed...

48 CFR 819.202-1 - Encouraging small business participation in acquisitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Encouraging small business... VETERANS AFFAIRS SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS Policies 819.202-1 Encouraging small... calendar days to encourage small business participation. A period of less than 7 days may not be prescribed...

EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT HYDROPONIC SUBSTRATE COMBINATIONS AND WATERING REGIMES ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ANTI-FUNGAL PROPERTIES OF SIPHONOCHILUS AETHIOPICUS

PubMed Central

S, Xego; L, Kambizi; F, Nchu

2017-01-01

Background: Production of medicinal plants in controlled environments, particularly hydroponic technology, provides opportunities for high quality biomass accumulation and optimizes production of secondary metabolites. Applying special watering regimes in combination with efficient soil draining is an encouraging new tool for the production of pharmaceutical relevant plants. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the effect of substrate combinations and watering regimes on nutrient uptake, anti-F. oxysporum activity and secondary metabolite profile of S. aethiopicus. Materials and Methods: Coir was used as the main component for the preparation of media in different combinations; TI (Coir + vermiculite + perlite + bark), T2 (Coir + bark), T3 (Coir + perlite) and T4 (Coir + vermiculite). Plants in different treatments were grown under two watering regimes: 3 and 5-days watering intervals. At 9 weeks post treatment, plants were harvested, oven dried and tissue nutrient content, anti-F. oxysporum activity and secondary metabolites were analyzed. Results: The results showed that there were significant differences (P < 0.05) on the uptake of P, K, N, Mg, Fe, Cu, B and NH4-.The highest mean values for most nutrients were obtained in treatments under 3-days interval. Acetone extracts of S. aethiopicus under 5-days interval were the most bioactive against F. oxysporum. The MIC values obtained are relatively lower for the rhizomes, ranging from 0.078 - 0.3125 mg/ml compared to the higher MIC values (0.375 - 0.75 mg/ml) obtained in the leaves. LC-MS analysis of acetone extracts revealed the presence of phytochemicals such as caffeic acid, quercetin, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, rutin, kaempferol, epicatechin, naringenin, hesperetin and protocatechuic acid. Conclusion: The antimicrobial activity and/or the phytochemical profile of the crude extracts were affected by watering regimes. PMID:28480420

Treatment of pressure ulcers with autologous bone marrow nuclear cells in patients with spinal cord injury

PubMed Central

Sarasúa, J González; López, S Pérez; Viejo, M Álvarez; Basterrechea, M Pérez; Rodríguez, A Fernández; Gutiérrez, A Ferrero; Gala, J García; Menéndez, Y Menéndez; Augusto, D Escudero; Arias, A Pérez; Hernández, J Otero

2011-01-01

Context Pressure ulcers are especially difficult to treat in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and recurrence rates are high. Prompted by encouraging results obtained using bone marrow stem cells to treat several diseases including chronic wounds, this study examines the use of autologous stem cells from bone marrow to promote the healing of pressure ulcers in patients with SCI. Objective To obtain preliminary data on the use of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) to treat pressure ulcers in terms of clinical outcome, procedure safety, and treatment time. Participants Twenty-two patients with SCI (19 men, 3 women; mean age 56.41 years) with single type IV pressure ulcers of more than 4 months duration. Interventions By minimally invasive surgery, the ulcers were debrided and treated with BM-MNCs obtained by Ficoll density gradient separation of autologous bone marrow aspirates drawn from the iliac crest. Results In 19 patients (86.36%), the pressure ulcers treated with BM-MNCs had fully healed after a mean time of 21 days. The number of MNCs isolated was patient dependent, although similar clinical outcomes were observed in each case. Compared to conventional surgical treatment, mean intra-hospital stay was reduced from 85.16 to 43.06 days. Following treatment, 5 minutes of daily wound care was required per patient compared to 20 minutes for conventional surgery. During a mean follow-up of 19 months, none of the resolved ulcers recurred. Conclusions Our data indicate that cell therapy using autologous BM-MNCs could be an option to treat type IV pressure ulcers in patients with SCI, avoiding major surgical intervention. PMID:21756569

Acylethanolamides and endocannabinoid signaling system in dorsal striatum of rats exposed to perinatal asphyxia.

PubMed

Holubiec, Mariana I; Romero, Juan I; Blanco, Eduardo; Tornatore, Tamara Logica; Suarez, Juan; Rodríguez de Fonseca, Fernando; Galeano, Pablo; Capani, Francisco

2017-07-13

Endocannabinoids (eCBs) and acylethanolamides (AEs) have lately received more attention due to their neuroprotective functions in neurological disorders. Here we analyze the alterations induced by perinatal asphyxia (PA) in the main metabolic enzymes and receptors of the eCBs/AEs in the dorsal striatum of rats. To induce PA, we used a model developed by Bjelke et al. (1991). Immunohistochemical techniques were carried out to determine the expression of neuronal and glial markers (NeuN and GFAP), eCBs/AEs synthesis and degradation enzymes (DAGLα, NAPE-PLD and FAAH) and their receptors (CB1 and PPARα). We found a decrease in NAPE-PLD and PPARα expression. Since NAPE-PLD and PPARα take part in the production and reception of biochemical actions of AEs, such as oleoylethanolamide, these results may suggest that PA plays a key role in the regulation of this system. These data agree with previous results obtained in the hippocampus and encourage us to develop further studies using AEs as potential neuroprotective compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optional contributions have positive effects for volunteering public goods games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Qi-Qing; Li, Zhen-Peng; Fu, Chang-He; Wang, Lai-Sheng

2011-11-01

Public goods (PG) games with the volunteering mechanism are referred to as volunteering public goods (VPG) games, in which loners are introduced to the PG games, and a loner obtains a constant payoff but not participating the game. Considering that small contributions may have positive effects to encourage more players with bounded rationality to contribute, this paper introduces optional contributions (high value or low value) to these typical VPG games-a cooperator can contribute a high or low payoff to the public pools. With the low contribution, the logit dynamics show that cooperation can be promoted in a well mixed population comparing to the typical VPG games, furthermore, as the multiplication factor is greater than a threshold, the average payoff of the population is also enhanced. In spatial VPG games, we introduce a new adjusting mechanism that is an approximation to best response. Some results in agreement with the prediction of the logit dynamics are found. These simulation results reveal that for VPG games the option of low contributions may be a better method to stimulate the growth of cooperation frequency and the average payoff of the population.

3D brain tumor segmentation in multimodal MR images based on learning population- and patient-specific feature sets.

PubMed

Jiang, Jun; Wu, Yao; Huang, Meiyan; Yang, Wei; Chen, Wufan; Feng, Qianjin

2013-01-01

Brain tumor segmentation is a clinical requirement for brain tumor diagnosis and radiotherapy planning. Automating this process is a challenging task due to the high diversity in appearance of tumor tissue among different patients and the ambiguous boundaries of lesions. In this paper, we propose a method to construct a graph by learning the population- and patient-specific feature sets of multimodal magnetic resonance (MR) images and by utilizing the graph-cut to achieve a final segmentation. The probabilities of each pixel that belongs to the foreground (tumor) and the background are estimated by global and custom classifiers that are trained through learning population- and patient-specific feature sets, respectively. The proposed method is evaluated using 23 glioma image sequences, and the segmentation results are compared with other approaches. The encouraging evaluation results obtained, i.e., DSC (84.5%), Jaccard (74.1%), sensitivity (87.2%), and specificity (83.1%), show that the proposed method can effectively make use of both population- and patient-specific information. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Damage Detection Based on Static Strain Responses Using FBG in a Wind Turbine Blade.

PubMed

Tian, Shaohua; Yang, Zhibo; Chen, Xuefeng; Xie, Yong

2015-08-14

The damage detection of a wind turbine blade enables better operation of the turbines, and provides an early alert to the destroyed events of the blade in order to avoid catastrophic losses. A new non-baseline damage detection method based on the Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in a wind turbine blade is developed in this paper. Firstly, the Chi-square distribution is proven to be an effective damage-sensitive feature which is adopted as the individual information source for the local decision. In order to obtain the global and optimal decision for the damage detection, the feature information fusion (FIF) method is proposed to fuse and optimize information in above individual information sources, and the damage is detected accurately through of the global decision. Then a 13.2 m wind turbine blade with the distributed strain sensor system is adopted to describe the feasibility of the proposed method, and the strain energy method (SEM) is used to describe the advantage of the proposed method. Finally results show that the proposed method can deliver encouraging results of the damage detection in the wind turbine blade.

Field studies of beach cones as coastal erosion control/reversal devices for areas with significant oil and gas activities. [Annual report], February 24, 1992--February 23, 1993

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

Law, V.J.

1993-03-15

The primary objective of this project is to evaluate the utility of a device called the ``beach cone`` in combating coastal erosion. Seven initial sites were selected for testing beach cones in a variety of geometric configurations. Permits were obtained from the State of Louisiana and the US Army Corps of Engineers to perform the work associated with this study. Six hundred beach cones were actually installed at six of the sites in late July and early August, 1992. One of the initial sites was abandoned because it was found to be unsuitable for beach cone placement. The test sitesmore » have been observed for six months and preliminary findings indicate that beach cones accreted significant amounts of materials along the beach of a barrier island. At other test sites, accretion rates have been less dramatic but importantly, no significant additional erosion has occurred, which is a positive result. It is too soon to state the categorical success of the beach cones, but results to date are encouraging.« less

Direct identification of bacteria in blood culture by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry: a new methodological approach.

PubMed

Kroumova, Vesselina; Gobbato, Elisa; Basso, Elisa; Mucedola, Luca; Giani, Tommaso; Fortina, Giacomo

2011-08-15

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has recently been demonstrated to be a powerful tool for the rapid identification of bacteria from growing colonies. In order to speed up the identification of bacteria, several authors have evaluated the usefulness of this MALDI-TOF MS technology for the direct and quick identification bacteria from positive blood cultures. The results obtained so far have been encouraging but have also shown some limitations, mainly related to the bacterial growth and to the presence of interference substances belonging to the blood cultures. In this paper, we present a new methodological approach that we have developed to overcome these limitations, based mainly on an enrichment of the sample into a growing medium before the extraction process, prior to mass spectrometric analysis. The proposed method shows important advantages for the identification of bacterial strains, yielding an increased identification score, which gives higher confidence in the results. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Monte Carlo calculation for the development of a BNCT neutron source (1eV-10KeV) using MCNP code.

PubMed

El Moussaoui, F; El Bardouni, T; Azahra, M; Kamili, A; Boukhal, H

2008-09-01

Different materials have been studied in order to produce the epithermal neutron beam between 1eV and 10KeV, which are extensively used to irradiate patients with brain tumors such as GBM. For this purpose, we have studied three different neutrons moderators (H(2)O, D(2)O and BeO) and their combinations, four reflectors (Al(2)O(3), C, Bi, and Pb) and two filters (Cd and Bi). Results of calculation showed that the best obtained assembly configuration corresponds to the combination of the three moderators H(2)O, BeO and D(2)O jointly to Al(2)O(3) reflector and two filter Cd+Bi optimize the spectrum of the epithermal neutron at 72%, and minimize the thermal neutron to 4% and thus it can be used to treat the deep tumor brain. The calculations have been performed by means of the Monte Carlo N (particle code MCNP 5C). Our results strongly encourage further studying of irradiation of the head with epithermal neutron fields.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and investigation of their colorimetric sensing and cytotoxicity effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pahlavan Noghabi, Mohammad; Parizadeh, Mohammad Reza; Ghayour-Mobarhan, Majid; Taherzadeh, Danial; Hosseini, Hasan Ali; Darroudi, Majid

2017-10-01

The "Green" synthesis of metallic nanoparticles and investigation of their optical properties has become a useful application between nanoscience and medicine. In this work, silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were successfully prepared through a facile and green method by treating silver ions with chitosan. Preparation of Ag-NPs in silver nitrate solution (0.01 M) resulted in small and spherical shapes of Ag-NPs with a mean diameter of 10.2 nm. The formation of Ag-NPs was approved by surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption peaks, using UV-vis spectrophotometer, while Ag-NPs were successfully employed in colorimetric sensing of H2O2 via an analytical procedure. Degradation process of Ag-NPs, encouraged by the catalytic decomposition of H2O2, causes a significant change in the absorbance intensity of SPR band depending on the H2O2 concentration. The cytotoxicity effect of synthesized Ag-NPs was examined on HEK293 cell line. The results illustrate a concentration-dependent toxicity for the tested cells, while15.07 μg/mL of IC50 was obtained.

First evidence of phase-contrast imaging with laboratory sources and active pixel sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olivo, A.; Arvanitis, C. D.; Bohndiek, S. E.; Clark, A. T.; Prydderch, M.; Turchetta, R.; Speller, R. D.

2007-11-01

The aim of the present work is to achieve a first step towards combining the advantages of an innovative X-ray imaging technique—phase-contrast imaging (XPCi)—with those of a new class of sensors, i.e. CMOS-based active pixel sensors (APSs). The advantages of XPCi are well known and include increased image quality and detection of details invisible to conventional techniques, with potential application fields encompassing the medical, biological, industrial and security areas. Vanilla, one of the APSs developed by the MI-3 collaboration (see http://mi3.shef.ac.uk), was thoroughly characterised and an appropriate scintillator was selected to provide X-ray sensitivity. During this process, a set of phase-contrast images of different biological samples was acquired by means of the well-established free-space propagation XPCi technique. The obtained results are very encouraging and are in optimum agreement with the predictions of a simulation recently developed by some of the authors thus further supporting its reliability. This paper presents these preliminary results in detail and discusses in brief both the background to this work and its future developments.

The Earthquake‐Source Inversion Validation (SIV) Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mai, P. Martin; Schorlemmer, Danijel; Page, Morgan T.; Ampuero, Jean-Paul; Asano, Kimiyuki; Causse, Mathieu; Custodio, Susana; Fan, Wenyuan; Festa, Gaetano; Galis, Martin; Gallovic, Frantisek; Imperatori, Walter; Käser, Martin; Malytskyy, Dmytro; Okuwaki, Ryo; Pollitz, Fred; Passone, Luca; Razafindrakoto, Hoby N. T.; Sekiguchi, Haruko; Song, Seok Goo; Somala, Surendra N.; Thingbaijam, Kiran K. S.; Twardzik, Cedric; van Driel, Martin; Vyas, Jagdish C.; Wang, Rongjiang; Yagi, Yuji; Zielke, Olaf

2016-01-01

Finite‐fault earthquake source inversions infer the (time‐dependent) displacement on the rupture surface from geophysical data. The resulting earthquake source models document the complexity of the rupture process. However, multiple source models for the same earthquake, obtained by different research teams, often exhibit remarkable dissimilarities. To address the uncertainties in earthquake‐source inversion methods and to understand strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches used, the Source Inversion Validation (SIV) project conducts a set of forward‐modeling exercises and inversion benchmarks. In this article, we describe the SIV strategy, the initial benchmarks, and current SIV results. Furthermore, we apply statistical tools for quantitative waveform comparison and for investigating source‐model (dis)similarities that enable us to rank the solutions, and to identify particularly promising source inversion approaches. All SIV exercises (with related data and descriptions) and statistical comparison tools are available via an online collaboration platform, and we encourage source modelers to use the SIV benchmarks for developing and testing new methods. We envision that the SIV efforts will lead to new developments for tackling the earthquake‐source imaging problem.

Direct Detection of Protein Biomarkers in Human Fluids Using Site-Specific Antibody Immobilization Strategies

PubMed Central

Soler, Maria; Estevez, M.-Carmen; Alvarez, Mar; Otte, Marinus A.; Sepulveda, Borja; Lechuga, Laura M.

2014-01-01

Design of an optimal surface biofunctionalization still remains an important challenge for the application of biosensors in clinical practice and therapeutic follow-up. Optical biosensors offer real-time monitoring and highly sensitive label-free analysis, along with great potential to be transferred to portable devices. When applied in direct immunoassays, their analytical features depend strongly on the antibody immobilization strategy. A strategy for correct immobilization of antibodies based on the use of ProLinker™ has been evaluated and optimized in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, stability and reproducibility. Special effort has been focused on avoiding antibody manipulation, preventing nonspecific adsorption and obtaining a robust biosurface with regeneration capabilities. ProLinker™-based approach has demonstrated to fulfill those crucial requirements and, in combination with PEG-derivative compounds, has shown encouraging results for direct detection in biological fluids, such as pure urine or diluted serum. Furthermore, we have implemented the ProLinker™ strategy to a novel nanoplasmonic-based biosensor resulting in promising advantages for its application in clinical and biomedical diagnosis. PMID:24481229

Quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis and virtual screening studies for identifying HDAC2 inhibitors from known HDAC bioactive chemical libraries.

PubMed

Pham-The, H; Casañola-Martin, G; Diéguez-Santana, K; Nguyen-Hai, N; Ngoc, N T; Vu-Duc, L; Le-Thi-Thu, H

2017-03-01

Histone deacetylases (HDAC) are emerging as promising targets in cancer, neuronal diseases and immune disorders. Computational modelling approaches have been widely applied for the virtual screening and rational design of novel HDAC inhibitors. In this study, different machine learning (ML) techniques were applied for the development of models that accurately discriminate HDAC2 inhibitors form non-inhibitors. The obtained models showed encouraging results, with the global accuracy in the external set ranging from 0.83 to 0.90. Various aspects related to the comparison of modelling techniques, applicability domain and descriptor interpretations were discussed. Finally, consensus predictions of these models were used for screening HDAC2 inhibitors from four chemical libraries whose bioactivities against HDAC1, HDAC3, HDAC6 and HDAC8 have been known. According to the results of virtual screening assays, structures of some hits with pair-isoform-selective activity (between HDAC2 and other HDACs) were revealed. This study illustrates the power of ML-based QSAR approaches for the screening and discovery of potent, isoform-selective HDACIs.

Recovering the 3d Pose and Shape of Vehicles from Stereo Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coenen, M.; Rottensteiner, F.; Heipke, C.

2018-05-01

The precise reconstruction and pose estimation of vehicles plays an important role, e.g. for autonomous driving. We tackle this problem on the basis of street level stereo images obtained from a moving vehicle. Starting from initial vehicle detections, we use a deformable vehicle shape prior learned from CAD vehicle data to fully reconstruct the vehicles in 3D and to recover their 3D pose and shape. To fit a deformable vehicle model to each detection by inferring the optimal parameters for pose and shape, we define an energy function leveraging reconstructed 3D data, image information, the vehicle model and derived scene knowledge. To minimise the energy function, we apply a robust model fitting procedure based on iterative Monte Carlo model particle sampling. We evaluate our approach using the object detection and orientation estimation benchmark of the KITTI dataset (Geiger et al., 2012). Our approach can deal with very coarse pose initialisations and we achieve encouraging results with up to 82 % correct pose estimations. Moreover, we are able to deliver very precise orientation estimation results with an average absolute error smaller than 4°.

Artificial intelligence in diagnosis of obstructive lung disease: current status and future potential.

PubMed

Das, Nilakash; Topalovic, Marko; Janssens, Wim

2018-03-01

The application of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases is an exciting phenomenon. Artificial intelligence algorithms work by finding patterns in data obtained from diagnostic tests, which can be used to predict clinical outcomes or to detect obstructive phenotypes. The purpose of this review is to describe the latest trends and to discuss the future potential of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases. Machine learning has been successfully used in automated interpretation of pulmonary function tests for differential diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases. Deep learning models such as convolutional neural network are state-of-the art for obstructive pattern recognition in computed tomography. Machine learning has also been applied in other diagnostic approaches such as forced oscillation test, breath analysis, lung sound analysis and telemedicine with promising results in small-scale studies. Overall, the application of artificial intelligence has produced encouraging results in the diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases. However, large-scale studies are still required to validate current findings and to boost its adoption by the medical community.

In vitro PGPR properties and osmotic tolerance of different Azospirillum native strains and their effects on growth of maize under drought stress.

PubMed

García, Julia E; Maroniche, Guillermo; Creus, Cecilia; Suárez-Rodríguez, Ramón; Ramirez-Trujillo, José Augusto; Groppa, María D

2017-09-01

Osmotic variations in the soil can affect bacterial growth diminishing the number of inoculated bacteria. In a scenario of water deficit having tolerant bacteria would be beneficial to achieve a better response of the plant to stress. Thus, selection of more resistant bacteria could be useful to design new inoculants to be used in arid zones. In this sense, a group of Azospirillum isolates deposited in INTA collection was characterized in order to select strains tolerant to osmotic stress. The results obtained demonstrated that Az19 strain has similar in vitro PGPR characteristics to Az39, the most used strain in Argentina for inoculants industries, with the advantage of a better tolerance to osmotic and salt stress. Inoculation of maize plants with this strain resulted in a better response against water deficit compared to Az39 strain, encouraging us to further study the behavior of this strain in greenhouse and field trials in view of developing new inoculants suitable for areas with water deficit. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

10 CFR 605.20 - Dissemination of results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Dissemination of results. 605.20 Section 605.20 Energy... PROGRAM § 605.20 Dissemination of results. (a) Recipients are encouraged to disseminate project results..., the reports resulting from awards. (b) DOE may waive progress reporting requirements set forth in...

10 CFR 605.20 - Dissemination of results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Dissemination of results. 605.20 Section 605.20 Energy... PROGRAM § 605.20 Dissemination of results. (a) Recipients are encouraged to disseminate project results..., the reports resulting from awards. (b) DOE may waive progress reporting requirements set forth in...

10 CFR 605.20 - Dissemination of results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Dissemination of results. 605.20 Section 605.20 Energy... PROGRAM § 605.20 Dissemination of results. (a) Recipients are encouraged to disseminate project results..., the reports resulting from awards. (b) DOE may waive progress reporting requirements set forth in...

10 CFR 605.20 - Dissemination of results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Dissemination of results. 605.20 Section 605.20 Energy... PROGRAM § 605.20 Dissemination of results. (a) Recipients are encouraged to disseminate project results..., the reports resulting from awards. (b) DOE may waive progress reporting requirements set forth in...

10 CFR 605.20 - Dissemination of results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Dissemination of results. 605.20 Section 605.20 Energy... PROGRAM § 605.20 Dissemination of results. (a) Recipients are encouraged to disseminate project results..., the reports resulting from awards. (b) DOE may waive progress reporting requirements set forth in...

EDUCATIONAL ORIENTATIONS AND PARENTAL ENCOURAGEMENT--AN INTERVENING OR AN INDEPENDENT VARIABLE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

REHBERG, RICHARD A.; AND OTHERS

TWO MODELS OF THE INTERACTION OF PARENTAL ENCOURAGEMENT AND EDUCATIONAL EXPECTATIONS WERE EVALUATED IN COMPARISON WITH DATA GATHERED FROM A SURVEY. PARENTAL ENCOURAGEMENT WAS DEFINED AS AN OVERT ATTEMPT BY PARENTS TO INFLUENCE THEIR SON TO GO TO COLLEGE. ONE MODEL REPRESENTED PARENTAL ENCOURAGEMENT AS AN INTERVENING VARIABLE BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL…

Genetic demographic networks: Mathematical model and applications.

PubMed

Kimmel, Marek; Wojdyła, Tomasz

2016-10-01

Recent improvement in the quality of genetic data obtained from extinct human populations and their ancestors encourages searching for answers to basic questions regarding human population history. The most common and successful are model-based approaches, in which genetic data are compared to the data obtained from the assumed demography model. Using such approach, it is possible to either validate or adjust assumed demography. Model fit to data can be obtained based on reverse-time coalescent simulations or forward-time simulations. In this paper we introduce a computational method based on mathematical equation that allows obtaining joint distributions of pairs of individuals under a specified demography model, each of them characterized by a genetic variant at a chosen locus. The two individuals are randomly sampled from either the same or two different populations. The model assumes three types of demographic events (split, merge and migration). Populations evolve according to the time-continuous Moran model with drift and Markov-process mutation. This latter process is described by the Lyapunov-type equation introduced by O'Brien and generalized in our previous works. Application of this equation constitutes an original contribution. In the result section of the paper we present sample applications of our model to both simulated and literature-based demographies. Among other we include a study of the Slavs-Balts-Finns genetic relationship, in which we model split and migrations between the Balts and Slavs. We also include another example that involves the migration rates between farmers and hunters-gatherers, based on modern and ancient DNA samples. This latter process was previously studied using coalescent simulations. Our results are in general agreement with the previous method, which provides validation of our approach. Although our model is not an alternative to simulation methods in the practical sense, it provides an algorithm to compute pairwise distributions of alleles, in the case of haploid non-recombining loci such as mitochondrial and Y-chromosome loci in humans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the BOD POD for estimating percent body fat in collegiate track and field female athletes: a comparison of four methods.

PubMed

Bentzur, Keren M; Kravitz, Len; Lockner, Donna W

2008-11-01

This investigation examined the accuracy of the BOD POD on a group of Division I collegiate track and field female athletes (N = 30). Hydrostatic weighing (HW) was used as the gold standard method. Body density (Db) values obtained from the BOD POD (Db BP) were compared with those determined by HW (Db HW). Both Db values were converted to percent body fat (%BF) using the Siri equation for comparison. Percent body fat values obtained from the BOD POD (BF BP) were also compared with those obtained from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, BF DXA) and skinfold (SF, BF SF). The validity of the BOD POD was assessed using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the relationship between the methods was examined through Pearson correlation. Average Db BP was 0.00890 g x cm(-3) lower (p < 0.05) than Db HW, resulting in a significant overestimation of %BF (p < 0.05) by the BOD POD. Values for BFDXA and BFBP also differed significantly (p < 0.05). On the other hand, BFSF and BF BP were not significantly different. The correlation between percent body fat values obtained from HW (BFHW) and BF BP was good (r = 0.88, SEE = 2.30) as well as between BF SF and BF BP (r = 0.85, SEE = 2.05). Conversely, the correlation between BFDXA and BF BP was poor (r = 0.25, SEE = 5.73). The strong correlation between BF BP and BF HW presented here suggests that the BOD POD has the potential to be used as a body composition analysis tool for female athletes. The advantages of the BOD POD over HW encourage further investigation of this instrument. However, the fact that the BOD POD and SF results did not differ significantly might suggest that the SF could be used in its place until a better rate of accuracy for this instrument is established.

A spatial analysis of the moderating effects of land use on the association between alcohol outlet density and violence in urban areas.

PubMed

Pridemore, William Alex; Grubesic, Tony H

2012-06-01

While there is substantial evidence of an association between alcohol outlet density and assault, it is unlikely this association is constant across the urban environment. This study tested the moderating influence of land use on the outlet-violence association. Cross-sectional ecological study that controlled for spatial autocorrelation. SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Police-recorded data on simple and aggravated assaults were obtained for all 302 block groups (mean population = 1038) in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Addresses of alcohol outlets for Cincinnati were obtained from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, geocoded to the street level, and aggregated to census block groups. Data on eight categories of land use were obtained from the Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System, with location quotients computed for each block group. We found substantial evidence that the impact of total alcohol outlet density, bar density and carryout density on assault density was moderated by land use. By taking into account local characteristics, policy-makers can make more informed decisions when regulating the placement and density of alcohol licenses in urban areas. Similarly, more systematic knowledge of how the association between alcohol outlet density and assault varies across the urban landscape should reduce harm and promote responsible retailing. Nevertheless, ours is one of the first studies to address the moderating effect of land use and we encourage further research to test the stability and generalisability of our results. © 2011 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Interventions to encourage smoke-free homes in remote indigenous Australian communities: a study protocol to evaluate the effects of a community-inspired awareness-raising and motivational enhancement strategy

PubMed Central

Clough, Alan R; Grant, Kristy; Robertson, Jan; Wrigley, Matthew; Nichols, Nina; Fitzgibbon, Tracey

2018-01-01

Introduction Rates of secondhand smoke exposure are currently significantly higher among remote indigenous communities in the top end of Australia. By implementing a ‘smoke-free home’ rule, secondhand smoke exposure can be reduced. Smoke-free homes encourage quit attempts and improve the health of children. The prevalence of indigenous smoking rates in remote, discrete communities in Australia is elevated compared with their non-indigenous counterparts. The primary aim of this project is to examine the feasibility of conducting a health-driven intervention to encourage community members to make their homes a smoke-free zone. Methods and analysis This study uses mixed-methods exploratory evaluation design to obtain data from key informants and community householders to assess their willingness to implement a ‘smoke-free’ rule in their homes. Initial focus groups will provide guidance on intervention content and deliver evaluation procedures and community requirements. A rapid survey will be conducted to ascertain interest from community members in having the project team visit to discuss study objectives further and to have a particle meter (with consent) placed in the house. Focus groups recordings will be transcribed and analysed thematically. Rapid surveys will be analysed using frequency distributions and tabulations of responses. Ethics and dissemination The National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines on ethical research approaches to indigenous studies will be adhered to. The James Cook University Human Research Ethics Committee has provided ethics approval. PMID:29500205

Do nursing staff encourage functional activity among nursing home residents? A cross-sectional study of nursing staff perceived behaviors and associated factors.

PubMed

Kuk, Nienke O; den Ouden, Mirre; Zijlstra, G A Rixt; Hamers, Jan P H; Kempen, Gertrudis I J M; Bours, Gerrie J J W

2017-01-14

Nursing home residents are mainly inactive. Nursing staff can encourage residents to perform functional activities during daily care activities. This study examines 1) the extent to which nursing staff perceive that they encourage functional activity in nursing home residents and 2) the associations between these nursing behaviors and professional characteristics, contextual factors, and information-seeking behaviors. In this cross-sectional study, 368 registered nurses and certified nurse assistants, working in somatic and psychogeriatric wards of forty-one nursing homes throughout the Netherlands participated. Self-reported data were collected with a questionnaire, comprising the MAINtAIN-behaviors, which assesses the extent to which nursing staff encourage functional activities, including different activities of daily living (ADL), household activities, and miscellaneous encouraging activities (e.g., discouraging informal caregivers from taking over activities residents can do themselves). Additional data collected included professional characteristics (e.g., age), contextual factors (e.g., ward type), and information-seeking behaviors (e.g., reading professional journals). Descriptive statistics were used to determine the extent to which functional activities were encouraged. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to determine the associations between the encouragement of functional activities and other factors. Nursing staff perceived that household activities (mean 4.1 (scale range 1-9), SD 1.9) were less often encouraged than ADL (mean 6.9, SD 1.2) or miscellaneous activities (mean 6.7, SD 1.5). The percentage of nursing staff stating that different household activities, ADL, or miscellaneous activities were almost always encouraged ranged from 11 to 45%, 41 to 86%, and 50 to 83% per activity, respectively. The extent to which these activities were encouraged differed for some of the professional characteristics, contextual factors, or information-seeking behaviors, but no consistent pattern in associations emerged. According to nursing staff, household activities are not as often encouraged as ADL or miscellaneous activities. Professional characteristics, contextual factors, and information-seeking behaviors are not consistently associated with the encouragement of functional activity. Nursing staff should also focus on improving the encouragement of household activities. Future research could examine the role of other factors in encouraging functional activity, such as experienced barriers, and assess to what extent the perception of nursing staff corresponds with their actual behavior.

Influence of occupational safety management on the incidence rate of occupational accidents in the Spanish industrial and ornamental stone mining.

PubMed

Sanmiquel, Lluís; Rossell, Josep M; Vintró, Carla; Freijo, Modesto

2014-01-01

Mines are hazardous and workers can suffer many types of accidents caused by fire, flood, explosion or collapse. Injury incidence rates in mining are considerably higher than those registered by other economic sectors. One of the main reasons for this high-level incidence rate is the existence of a large number of dangerous workplaces. This work analyzes the influence that occupational safety management had on the accidents that took place in Spanish mining of industrial and ornamental stone during the period 2007-2008. Primary data sources are: (a) Results from a statistical study of the occupational health and safety management practices of 71 quarries defined by a questionnaire of 41 items; and (b) Occupational accidents registered in the Spanish industrial and ornamental stone mining throughout the period 2007-2008. The obtained results indicate that workplaces with a low average score in the analysis of occupational safety management have a higher incidence rate of accidents. Studies on mining workplaces are very important to help detect occupational safety concerns. Results from this study help raise awareness and will encourage the adoption of appropriate measures to improve safety.

Orthoptic Treatment of Convergence Insufficiency in Parkinson's Disease: A Case Series.

PubMed

Kergoat, Hélène; Law, Caroline; Chriqui, Estefania; Kergoat, Marie-Jeanne; Leclerc, Bernard-Simon; Panisset, Michel; Postuma, Ronald; Irving, Elizabeth L

2017-01-01

Introduction: This study reports a case series of orthoptic treatment (OT) for convergence insufficiency (CI) in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Method: We are reporting two cases of individuals with PD who completed OT for CI. Both had a confirmed diagnosis of CI, accompanied by CI-type symptomatology. They each underwent an OT program consisting of three office-based visits and 8 weeks of home-based exercises. Treatment outcome was based on the changes measured pre- versus post-OT on the near point of convergence, positive fusional vergences, and symptomatology score. Results: The two participants successfully completed therapy, gained ability to converge, had fewer symptoms, and were satisfied with the OT-induced changes they felt in their day-to-day lives. Conclusion: This case series show that OT for CI in PD is possible. Further research is required as these results demonstrate that OT has the potential to improve symptomatic CI in these patients. In the meantime, the positive results obtained in these two cases should encourage clinicians to consider OT (a therapy with no/minimal risk) for CI in patients with PD whose quality of life is affected by this binocular dysfunction.

The legacy of care as reflexive learning

PubMed Central

García, Marta Rodríguez; Moya, Jose Luis Medina

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective: to analyze whether the tutor's use of reflexive strategies encourages the students to reflect. The goal is to discover what type of strategies can help to achieve this and how tutors and students behave in the practical context. Method: a qualitative and ethnographic focus was adopted. Twenty-seven students and 15 tutors from three health centers participated. The latter had received specific training on reflexive clinical tutoring. The analysis was developed through constant comparisons of the categories. Results: the results demonstrate that the tutors' use of reflexive strategies such as didactic questioning, didactic empathy and pedagogical silence contributes to encourage the students' reflection and significant learning. Conclusions: reflexive practice is key to tutors' training and students' learning. PMID:27305180

Sex differences in educational encouragement and academic achievement.

PubMed

Khan, Aqeel

2012-08-01

Sex differences in educational encouragement and their predictiveness of academic achievement were examined among 442 secondary school students (M age = 13.2 yr., SD = 1.9). Education-related encouragement received from mothers, fathers, friends, and teachers was assessed. Academic achievement was based on student self-reports and grades. Female adolescents reported receiving statistically significantly more educational encouragement from their mothers, fathers, friends, and teachers than did male adolescents. In regression, sex and educational encouragement from parents, friends, and teachers were found to be significant predictors of academic achievement.

People's Ability to Detect Objects Using Click-Based Echolocation: A Direct Comparison between Mouth-Clicks and Clicks Made by a Loudspeaker.

PubMed

Thaler, Lore; Castillo-Serrano, Josefina

2016-01-01

Echolocation is the ability to use reflected sound to obtain information about the spatial environment. Echolocation is an active process that requires both the production of the emission as well as the sensory processing of the resultant sound. Appreciating the general usefulness of echo-acoustic cues for people, in particular those with vision impairments, various devices have been built that exploit the principle of echolocation to obtain and provide information about the environment. It is common to all these devices that they do not require the person to make a sound. Instead, the device produces the emission autonomously and feeds a resultant sound back to the user. Here we tested if echolocation performance in a simple object detection task was affected by the use of a head-mounted loudspeaker as compared to active clicking. We found that 27 sighted participants new to echolocation did generally better when they used a loudspeaker as compared to mouth-clicks, and that two blind participants with experience in echolocation did equally well with mouth clicks and the speaker. Importantly, performance of sighted participants' was not statistically different from performance of blind experts when they used the speaker. Based on acoustic click data collected from a subset of our participants, those participants whose mouth clicks were more similar to the speaker clicks, and thus had higher peak frequencies and sound intensity, did better. We conclude that our results are encouraging for the consideration and development of assistive devices that exploit the principle of echolocation.

People’s Ability to Detect Objects Using Click-Based Echolocation: A Direct Comparison between Mouth-Clicks and Clicks Made by a Loudspeaker

PubMed Central

Thaler, Lore; Castillo-Serrano, Josefina

2016-01-01

Echolocation is the ability to use reflected sound to obtain information about the spatial environment. Echolocation is an active process that requires both the production of the emission as well as the sensory processing of the resultant sound. Appreciating the general usefulness of echo-acoustic cues for people, in particular those with vision impairments, various devices have been built that exploit the principle of echolocation to obtain and provide information about the environment. It is common to all these devices that they do not require the person to make a sound. Instead, the device produces the emission autonomously and feeds a resultant sound back to the user. Here we tested if echolocation performance in a simple object detection task was affected by the use of a head-mounted loudspeaker as compared to active clicking. We found that 27 sighted participants new to echolocation did generally better when they used a loudspeaker as compared to mouth-clicks, and that two blind participants with experience in echolocation did equally well with mouth clicks and the speaker. Importantly, performance of sighted participants’ was not statistically different from performance of blind experts when they used the speaker. Based on acoustic click data collected from a subset of our participants, those participants whose mouth clicks were more similar to the speaker clicks, and thus had higher peak frequencies and sound intensity, did better. We conclude that our results are encouraging for the consideration and development of assistive devices that exploit the principle of echolocation. PMID:27135407

An MSI tumor specific frameshift mutation in a coding microsatellite of MSH3 encodes for HLA-A0201-restricted CD8+ cytotoxic T cell epitopes.

PubMed

Garbe, Yvette; Maletzki, Claudia; Linnebacher, Michael

2011-01-01

Microsatellite instability (MSI) resulting from inactivation of the DNA mismatch repair system (MMR) characterizes a highly immunological subtype of colorectal carcinomas. Those tumors express multiple frameshift-mutated proteins which present a unique pool of tumor-specific antigens. The DNA MMR protein MSH3 is frequently mutated in MSI(+) colorectal tumors, thus making it an attractive candidate for T cell-based immunotherapies. FSP-specific CD8(+) T cells were generated from a healthy donor using reverse immunology. Those T cells specifically recognized T2 cells sensitized with the respective peptides. Specific recognition and killing of MSI(+) colorectal carcinoma cells harbouring the mutated reading frame was observed. The results obtained with T cell bulk cultures could be reproduced with T cell clones obtained from the same cultures. Blocking experiments (using antibodies and cold target inhibition) confirmed peptide as well as HLA-A0201-specificity. We identified two novel HLA-A0201-restricted cytotoxic T cell epitopes derived from a (-1) frameshift mutation of a coding A(8) tract within the MSH3 gene. These were (386)-FLLALWECSL (FSP18) and (387)-LLALWECSL (FSP19) as well as (403)-IVSRTLLLV (FSP23) and (402)-LIVSRTLLLV (FSP31), respectively. These results suggest that MSH3(-1) represents another promising MSI(+)-induced target antigen. By identifying two distinct epitopes within MSH3(-1), the sustained immunogenicity of the frameshift mutated sequence was confirmed. Our data therefore encourage further exploitation of MSH3 as a piece for peptide-based vaccines either for therapeutic or--even more important--preventive purposes.

A successful nationwide implementation of the ‘FIFA 11 for Health’ programme in Brazilian elementary schools

PubMed Central

Fuller, Colin W; Thiele, Edilson S; Flores, Manoel; Junge, Astrid; Netto, Diogo; Dvorak, Jiri

2015-01-01

Objectives To deliver a nationwide implementation of the ‘FIFA 11 for Health’ programme in Brazil and to compare the outcomes with results obtained previously in Sub-Saharan Africa. Method A cohort study among 3694 Brazilian children aged 9–12 years within 128 elementary schools situated in 12 cities in the five Regions of Brazil. The ‘FIFA 11 for Health’ programme contains 11 90 min sessions: the first 45 min serve to encourage physical activity through the development of football skills (Play Football) and the second 45 min provide a vehicle for delivering 10 health messages (Play Fair). We measured preintervention and postintervention health knowledge (29-item questionnaire) and the children's evaluation of the programme (6-item questionnaire). Results Mean age of the children across the five Regions was 10.6 years (range 9.2–11.6). The mean preintervention health knowledge score for the five Regions was 60.2% (range 53.8–65.3%); the mean postintervention score was 78.6% (range 70.7–86.8%); thus the mean increase in health knowledge was 18.4% (range 13.6–29.1%). 91% of the children gave a positive evaluation for the programme (range across five Regions: 82.3–96.7%). Summary The study showed that the ‘FIFA 11 for Health’ programme, which was originally developed in English and translated into another language, was delivered successfully with results equivalent to those previously obtained in Sub-Saharan Africa. The programme was effective across the five Regions of Brazil. PMID:25805807

Survey of referring veterinarians' perceptions of and reasons for referring patients to rehabilitation facilities.

PubMed

Alvarez, Leilani X; Fox, Philip R; Van Dyke, Janet B; Grigsby, Patrick

2016-10-01

OBJECTIVE To identify patterns of referral to US small animal rehabilitation facilities, document referring veterinarians' perceptions of rehabilitation services, and examine factors that encouraged and impeded referral of veterinary patients to rehabilitation facilities. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE 461 completed surveys. PROCEDURES Referral lists were obtained from 9 US rehabilitation facilities, and surveys were emailed or mailed to 2, 738 veterinarians whose names appeared on those lists. Data obtained from respondents were used to generate descriptive statistics and perform χ(2) tests to determine patterns for referral of patients to rehabilitation facilities. RESULTS 461 surveys were completed and returned, resulting in a response rate of 16.8%. The margin of error was < 5% for all responses. Most respondents (324/461 [70.3%]) had referred patients for postoperative rehabilitation therapy. Respondents ranked neurologic disorder as the condition they would most likely consider for referral for future rehabilitation therapy. The most frequently cited reason for not referring a patient for rehabilitation therapy was perceived cost (251/461 [54.4%]) followed by distance to a rehabilitation facility (135/461 [29.3%]). Specialists were more likely than general practitioners to refer patients for rehabilitation therapy. The majority (403/461 [87.4%]) of respondents felt that continuing education in the field of veterinary rehabilitation was lacking. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated a need for continuing education in small animal rehabilitation for veterinarians. Improved knowledge of rehabilitation therapy will enable veterinarians to better understand and more specifically communicate indications and benefits for pets receiving this treatment modality.

Narrative and framing: a test of an integrated message strategy in the exercise context.

PubMed

Gray, Jennifer B; Harrington, Nancy G

2011-03-01

Health communication interventions encouraging exercise may aid in mitigating the obesity crisis in the United States. Although much research has investigated behavioral predictors of exercise, little work has explored message characteristics most persuasive in the exercise context. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to test a message strategy drawing on previous work in health behavior theory combined with persuasion theories (exemplification theory and prospect theory) to encourage positive exercise attitudes, control beliefs, and intentions. The authors report the results of a controlled experiment testing messages using gain or loss frames and narrative or statistical evidence. Results indicate that gain-framed messages are significantly more successful in promoting positive exercise variables and are perceived as more effective than are loss-framed or control messages. The authors discuss the implications of the results for future research.

10 CFR 602.18 - Dissemination of results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Dissemination of results. 602.18 Section 602.18 Energy... ASSISTANCE PROGRAM § 602.18 Dissemination of results. (a) Recipients are encouraged to disseminate research results promptly. DOE reserves the right to utilize, and have others utilize to the extent it deems...

10 CFR 602.18 - Dissemination of results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Dissemination of results. 602.18 Section 602.18 Energy... ASSISTANCE PROGRAM § 602.18 Dissemination of results. (a) Recipients are encouraged to disseminate research results promptly. DOE reserves the right to utilize, and have others utilize to the extent it deems...