Spatiotemporal and Kinematic Parameters Relating to Oriented Gait and Turn Performance in Patients with Chronic Stroke

PubMed Central

Bonnyaud, Céline; Pradon, Didier; Vuillerme, Nicolas; Bensmail, Djamel; Roche, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Background The timed up and go test (TUG) is a functional test which is increasingly used to evaluate patients with stroke. The outcome measured is usually global TUG performance-time. Assessment of spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters during the Oriented gait and Turn sub-tasks of the TUG would provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying patients’ performance and therefore may help to guide rehabilitation. The aim of this study was thus to determine the spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters which were most related to the walking and turning sub-tasks of TUG performance in stroke patients. Methods 29 stroke patients carried out the TUG test which was recorded using an optoelectronic system in two conditions: spontaneous and standardized condition (standardized foot position and instructed to turn towards the paretic side). They also underwent a clinical assessment. Stepwise regression was used to determine the parameters most related to Oriented gait and Turn sub-tasks. Relationships between explanatory parameters of Oriented gait and Turn performance and clinical scales were evaluated using Spearman correlations. Results Step length and cadence explained 82% to 95% of the variance for the walking sub-tasks in both conditions. Percentage single support phase and contralateral swing phase (depending on the condition) respectively explained 27% and 56% of the variance during the turning sub-task in the spontaneous and standardized conditions. Discussion and Conclusion Step length, cadence, percentage of paretic single support phase and non-paretic swing phase, as well as dynamic stability were the main parameters related to TUG performance and they should be targeted in rehabilitation. PMID:26091555

A Standard Psychophysiological Preparation for Evaluating the Effects of Environmental Vibration Stress. Phase I. Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

A Standard Psychophysiological Preparation (SPP) for the evaluation of the physiological and biomechanical mechanisms responsible for performance...consumption, biomechanical parameters and performance level. The results of pilot tests (including 6-hours exposure to vibration while performing a...tracking task) verify the applicability and utility of the SPP and demonstrate that high quality, quantitative physiological and biomechanical data can

Microwave-immobilized polybutadiene stationary phase for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Lopes, Nilva P; Collins, Kenneth E; Jardim, Isabel C S F

2004-03-19

Polybutadiene (PBD) has been immobilized on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) silica by microwave radiation at various power levels (52-663 W) and actuation times (3-60 min). Columns prepared from these reversed-phase HPLC materials, as well as from similar non-irradiated materials, were tested with standard sample mixtures and characterized by elemental analysis (%C) and infrared spectroscopy. A microwave irradiation of 20 min at 663 W gives a layer of immobilized PBD that presented good performance. Longer irradiation times give thicker immobilized layers having less favorable chromatographic properties.

RP-HPLC method with electrochemical detection for the determination of metoclopramide in serum and its use in pharmacokinetic studies.

PubMed

Lamparczyk, H; Chmielewska, A; Konieczna, L; Plenis, A; Zarzycki, P K

2001-12-01

A rapid and sensitive reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of metoclopramide in serum. The assay was performed after single extraction with ethyl ether using methyl parahydroxybenzoate as internal standard. Chromatographic separations were performed on C(18) stationary phase with a mobile phase composed of methanol-phosphate buffer pH 3 (30:70 v/v). Analytes were detected electrochemically. The quantification limit for metoclopramide in serum was 2 ng mL(-1). Linearity of the method was confirmed in the range of 5-120 ng mL(-1) (correlation coefficient 0.9998). Within-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 0.3 to 5.5% and between-day RSDs from 0.8 to 6.0%. The analytical method was successfully applied for the determination of pharmacokinetic parameters after ingestion of 10 mg dose of metoclopramide. Studies were performed on 18 healthy volunteers of both sexes. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Simulation and evaluation of phase noise for optical amplification using semiconductor optical amplifiers in DPSK applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Wei; Huang, Dexiu; Zhang, Xinliang; Zhu, Guangxi

2008-01-01

A thorough simulation and evaluation of phase noise for optical amplification using semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is very important for predicting its performance in differential phase-shift keyed (DPSK) applications. In this paper, standard deviation and probability distribution of differential phase noise at the SOA output are obtained from the statistics of simulated differential phase noise. By using a full-wave model of SOA, the noise performance in the entire operation range can be investigated. It is shown that nonlinear phase noise substantially contributes to the total phase noise in case of a noisy signal amplified by a saturated SOA and the nonlinear contribution is larger with shorter SOA carrier lifetime. It is also shown that Gaussian distribution can be useful as a good approximation of the total differential phase noise statistics in the whole operation range. Power penalty due to differential phase noise is evaluated using a semi-analytical probability density function (PDF) of receiver noise. Obvious increase of power penalty at high signal input powers can be found for low input OSNR, which is due to both the large nonlinear differential phase noise and the dependence of BER vs. receiving power curvature on differential phase noise standard deviation.

Shot-noise-limited monitoring and phase locking of the motion of a single trapped ion.

PubMed

Bushev, P; Hétet, G; Slodička, L; Rotter, D; Wilson, M A; Schmidt-Kaler, F; Eschner, J; Blatt, R

2013-03-29

We perform a high-resolution real-time readout of the motion of a single trapped and laser-cooled Ba+ ion. By using an interferometric setup, we demonstrate a shot-noise-limited measurement of thermal oscillations with a resolution of 4 times the standard quantum limit. We apply the real-time monitoring for phase control of the ion motion through a feedback loop, suppressing the photon recoil-induced phase diffusion. Because of the spectral narrowing in the phase-locked mode, the coherent ion oscillation is measured with a resolution of about 0.3 times the standard quantum limit.

Enantioselective separation of racemic juvenile hormone III by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and preparation of [(2)H(3)]juvenile hormone III as an internal standard for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry quantification.

PubMed

Ichikawa, Akio; Ono, Hiroshi; Furuta, Kenjiro; Shiotsuki, Takahiro; Shinoda, Tetsuro

2007-08-17

Juvenile hormone III (JH III) racemate was prepared from methyl (2E,6E)-farnesoate via epoxidation with 3-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA). Enantioselective separation of JH III was conducted using normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a chiral stationary phase. [(2)H(3)]Methyl (2E,6E)-farnesoate was also prepared from (2E,6E)-farnesoic acid and [(2)H(4)]methanol (methanol-d(4)) using 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP); the conjugated double bond underwent isomerization to some degree. Epoxidation of [(2)H(3)]methyl (2E,6E)-farnesoate with mCPBA gave a novel deuterium-substituted internal standard [(2)H(3)]JH III (JH III-d(3)). The standard curve was produced by linear regression using the peak area ratios of JH III and JH III-d(3) in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Phase calibration target for quantitative phase imaging with ptychography.

PubMed

Godden, T M; Muñiz-Piniella, A; Claverley, J D; Yacoot, A; Humphry, M J

2016-04-04

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) utilizes refractive index and thickness variations that lead to optical phase shifts. This gives contrast to images of transparent objects. In quantitative biology, phase images are used to accurately segment cells and calculate properties such as dry mass, volume and proliferation rate. The fidelity of the measured phase shifts is of critical importance in this field. However to date, there has been no standardized method for characterizing the performance of phase imaging systems. Consequently, there is an increasing need for protocols to test the performance of phase imaging systems using well-defined phase calibration and resolution targets. In this work, we present a candidate for a standardized phase resolution target, and measurement protocol for the determination of the transfer of spatial frequencies, and sensitivity of a phase imaging system. The target has been carefully designed to contain well-defined depth variations over a broadband range of spatial frequencies. In order to demonstrate the utility of the target, we measure quantitative phase images on a ptychographic microscope, and compare the measured optical phase shifts with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) topography maps and surface profile measurements from coherence scanning interferometry. The results show that ptychography has fully quantitative nanometer sensitivity in optical path differences over a broadband range of spatial frequencies for feature sizes ranging from micrometers to hundreds of micrometers.

Quality Measures in Pre-Analytical Phase of Tissue Processing: Understanding Its Value in Histopathology.

PubMed

Rao, Shalinee; Masilamani, Suresh; Sundaram, Sandhya; Duvuru, Prathiba; Swaminathan, Rajendiran

2016-01-01

Quality monitoring in histopathology unit is categorized into three phases, pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical, to cover various steps in the entire test cycle. Review of literature on quality evaluation studies pertaining to histopathology revealed that earlier reports were mainly focused on analytical aspects with limited studies on assessment of pre-analytical phase. Pre-analytical phase encompasses several processing steps and handling of specimen/sample by multiple individuals, thus allowing enough scope for errors. Due to its critical nature and limited studies in the past to assess quality in pre-analytical phase, it deserves more attention. This study was undertaken to analyse and assess the quality parameters in pre-analytical phase in a histopathology laboratory. This was a retrospective study done on pre-analytical parameters in histopathology laboratory of a tertiary care centre on 18,626 tissue specimens received in 34 months. Registers and records were checked for efficiency and errors for pre-analytical quality variables: specimen identification, specimen in appropriate fixatives, lost specimens, daily internal quality control performance on staining, performance in inter-laboratory quality assessment program {External quality assurance program (EQAS)} and evaluation of internal non-conformities (NC) for other errors. The study revealed incorrect specimen labelling in 0.04%, 0.01% and 0.01% in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. About 0.04%, 0.07% and 0.18% specimens were not sent in fixatives in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. There was no incidence of specimen lost. A total of 113 non-conformities were identified out of which 92.9% belonged to the pre-analytical phase. The predominant NC (any deviation from normal standard which may generate an error and result in compromising with quality standards) identified was wrong labelling of slides. Performance in EQAS for pre-analytical phase was satisfactory in 6 of 9 cycles. A low incidence of errors in pre-analytical phase implies that a satisfactory level of quality standards was being practiced with still scope for improvement.

Phase-I monitoring of standard deviations in multistage linear profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalaei, Mahdiyeh; Soleimani, Paria; Niaki, Seyed Taghi Akhavan; Atashgar, Karim

2018-03-01

In most modern manufacturing systems, products are often the output of some multistage processes. In these processes, the stages are dependent on each other, where the output quality of each stage depends also on the output quality of the previous stages. This property is called the cascade property. Although there are many studies in multistage process monitoring, there are fewer works on profile monitoring in multistage processes, especially on the variability monitoring of a multistage profile in Phase-I for which no research is found in the literature. In this paper, a new methodology is proposed to monitor the standard deviation involved in a simple linear profile designed in Phase I to monitor multistage processes with the cascade property. To this aim, an autoregressive correlation model between the stages is considered first. Then, the effect of the cascade property on the performances of three types of T 2 control charts in Phase I with shifts in standard deviation is investigated. As we show that this effect is significant, a U statistic is next used to remove the cascade effect, based on which the investigated control charts are modified. Simulation studies reveal good performances of the modified control charts.

High level waste storage tanks 242-A evaporator S/RID phase II assessment report

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

Biebesheimer, E.

This document, the Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) Phase 2 Assessment Report for the subject facility, represents the results of a Performance Assessment to determine whether procedures containing S/RID requirements are fully implemented by field personnel in the field. It contains a summary report and three attachments; an assessment schedule, performance objectives, and assessments for selected functional areas.

Phased-array vector velocity estimation using transverse oscillations.

PubMed

Pihl, Michael J; Marcher, Jonne; Jensen, Jorgen A

2012-12-01

A method for estimating the 2-D vector velocity of blood using a phased-array transducer is presented. The approach is based on the transverse oscillation (TO) method. The purposes of this work are to expand the TO method to a phased-array geometry and to broaden the potential clinical applicability of the method. A phased-array transducer has a smaller footprint and a larger field of view than a linear array, and is therefore more suited for, e.g., cardiac imaging. The method relies on suitable TO fields, and a beamforming strategy employing diverging TO beams is proposed. The implementation of the TO method using a phased-array transducer for vector velocity estimation is evaluated through simulation and flow-rig measurements are acquired using an experimental scanner. The vast number of calculations needed to perform flow simulations makes the optimization of the TO fields a cumbersome process. Therefore, three performance metrics are proposed. They are calculated based on the complex TO spectrum of the combined TO fields. It is hypothesized that the performance metrics are related to the performance of the velocity estimates. The simulations show that the squared correlation values range from 0.79 to 0.92, indicating a correlation between the performance metrics of the TO spectrum and the velocity estimates. Because these performance metrics are much more readily computed, the TO fields can be optimized faster for improved velocity estimation of both simulations and measurements. For simulations of a parabolic flow at a depth of 10 cm, a relative (to the peak velocity) bias and standard deviation of 4% and 8%, respectively, are obtained. Overall, the simulations show that the TO method implemented on a phased-array transducer is robust with relative standard deviations around 10% in most cases. The flow-rig measurements show similar results. At a depth of 9.5 cm using 32 emissions per estimate, the relative standard deviation is 9% and the relative bias is -9%. At the center of the vessel, the velocity magnitude is estimated to be 0.25 ± 0.023 m/s, compared with an expected peak velocity magnitude of 0.25 m/s, and the beam-to-flow angle is calculated to be 89.3° ± 0.77°, compared with an expected angle value between 89° and 90°. For steering angles up to ±20° degrees, the relative standard deviation is less than 20%. The results also show that a 64-element transducer implementation is feasible, but with a poorer performance compared with a 128-element transducer. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the TO method is suitable for use in conjunction with a phased-array transducer, and that 2-D vector velocity estimation is possible down to a depth of 15 cm.

Distributional properties of relative phase in bimanual coordination.

PubMed

James, Eric; Layne, Charles S; Newell, Karl M

2010-10-01

Studies of bimanual coordination have typically estimated the stability of coordination patterns through the use of the circular standard deviation of relative phase. The interpretation of this statistic depends upon the assumption of a von Mises distribution. The present study tested this assumption by examining the distributional properties of relative phase in three bimanual coordination patterns. There were significant deviations from the von Mises distribution due to differences in the kurtosis of distributions. The kurtosis depended upon the relative phase pattern performed, with leptokurtic distributions occurring in the in-phase and antiphase patterns and platykurtic distributions occurring in the 30° pattern. Thus, the distributional assumptions needed to validly and reliably use the standard deviation are not necessarily present in relative phase data though they are qualitatively consistent with the landscape properties of the intrinsic dynamics.

Robotic solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatographic analysis of ranitidine in serum or plasma.

PubMed

Lloyd, T L; Perschy, T B; Gooding, A E; Tomlinson, J J

1992-01-01

A fully automated assay for the analysis of ranitidine in serum and plasma, with and without an internal standard, was validated. It utilizes robotic solid phase extraction with on-line high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis. The ruggedness of the assay was demonstrated over a three-year period. A Zymark Py Technology II robotic system was used for serial processing from initial aspiration of samples from original collection containers, to final direct injection onto the on-line HPLC system. Automated serial processing with on-line analysis provided uniform sample history and increased productivity by freeing the chemist to analyse data and perform other tasks. The solid phase extraction efficiency was 94% throughout the assay range of 10-250 ng/mL. The coefficients of variation for within- and between-day quality control samples ranged from 1 to 6% and 1 to 5%, respectively. Mean accuracy for between-day standards and quality control results ranged from 97 to 102% of the respective theoretical concentrations.

Performance of the ICAO standard core service modulation and coding techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lodge, John; Moher, Michael

1988-01-01

Aviation binary phase shift keying (A-BPSK) is described and simulated performance results are given that demonstrate robust performance in the presence of hardlimiting amplifiers. The performance of coherently-detected A-BPSK with rate 1/2 convolutional coding are given. The performance loss due to the Rician fading was shown to be less than 1 dB over the simulated range. A partially coherent detection scheme that does not require carrier phase recovery was described. This scheme exhibits similiar performance to coherent detection, at high bit error rates, while it is superior at lower bit error rates.

Investigation into the temporal stability of aqueous standard solutions of psilocin and psilocybin using high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Anastos, N; Barnett, N W; Pfeffer, F M; Lewis, S W

2006-01-01

This paper reports an investigation into the temporal stability of aqueous solutions of psilocin and psilocybin reference drug standards over a period of fourteen days. This study was performed using high performance liquid chromatography utilising a (95:5% v/v) methanol: 10 mM ammonium formate, pH 3.5 mobile phase and absorption detection at 269 nm. It was found that the exclusion of light significantly prolonged the useful life of standards, with aqueous solutions of both psilocin and psilocybin being stable over a period of seven days.

Field study comparing the effect of hydraulic mixing on septic tank performance and sludge accumulation.

PubMed

Almomani, Fares

2016-01-01

This study investigates the effect of hydraulic mixing on anaerobic digestion and sludge accumulation in a septic tank. The performance of a septic tank equipped with a hydraulic mixer was compared with that of a similar standard septic tank over a period of 10 months. The study was conducted in two phases: Phase-I--from May to November 2013 (6 months); Phase-II--from January to May 2014 (4 months). Hydraulic mixing effectively reduced the effluent biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids, and reduced the sludge accumulation rate in the septic tank. The BOD removal efficiencies during Phase-II were 65% and 75% in the standard septic tank and a septic tank equipped with hydraulic mixer (Smart Digester™), respectively. The effect of hydraulic mixing reduced the rate of sludge accumulation from 0.64 cm/day to 0.27 cm/day, and increased the pump-out interval by a factor of 3.

Bare-Bones Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization

PubMed Central

Zou, Feng; Wang, Lei; Hei, Xinhong; Chen, Debao; Jiang, Qiaoyong; Li, Hongye

2014-01-01

Teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm which simulates the teaching-learning process of the class room is one of the recently proposed swarm intelligent (SI) algorithms. In this paper, a new TLBO variant called bare-bones teaching-learning-based optimization (BBTLBO) is presented to solve the global optimization problems. In this method, each learner of teacher phase employs an interactive learning strategy, which is the hybridization of the learning strategy of teacher phase in the standard TLBO and Gaussian sampling learning based on neighborhood search, and each learner of learner phase employs the learning strategy of learner phase in the standard TLBO or the new neighborhood search strategy. To verify the performance of our approaches, 20 benchmark functions and two real-world problems are utilized. Conducted experiments can been observed that the BBTLBO performs significantly better than, or at least comparable to, TLBO and some existing bare-bones algorithms. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm is competitive to some other optimization algorithms. PMID:25013844

Bare-bones teaching-learning-based optimization.

PubMed

Zou, Feng; Wang, Lei; Hei, Xinhong; Chen, Debao; Jiang, Qiaoyong; Li, Hongye

2014-01-01

Teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm which simulates the teaching-learning process of the class room is one of the recently proposed swarm intelligent (SI) algorithms. In this paper, a new TLBO variant called bare-bones teaching-learning-based optimization (BBTLBO) is presented to solve the global optimization problems. In this method, each learner of teacher phase employs an interactive learning strategy, which is the hybridization of the learning strategy of teacher phase in the standard TLBO and Gaussian sampling learning based on neighborhood search, and each learner of learner phase employs the learning strategy of learner phase in the standard TLBO or the new neighborhood search strategy. To verify the performance of our approaches, 20 benchmark functions and two real-world problems are utilized. Conducted experiments can been observed that the BBTLBO performs significantly better than, or at least comparable to, TLBO and some existing bare-bones algorithms. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm is competitive to some other optimization algorithms.

How little data is enough? Phase-diagram analysis of sparsity-regularized X-ray computed tomography

PubMed Central

Jørgensen, J. S.; Sidky, E. Y.

2015-01-01

We introduce phase-diagram analysis, a standard tool in compressed sensing (CS), to the X-ray computed tomography (CT) community as a systematic method for determining how few projections suffice for accurate sparsity-regularized reconstruction. In CS, a phase diagram is a convenient way to study and express certain theoretical relations between sparsity and sufficient sampling. We adapt phase-diagram analysis for empirical use in X-ray CT for which the same theoretical results do not hold. We demonstrate in three case studies the potential of phase-diagram analysis for providing quantitative answers to questions of undersampling. First, we demonstrate that there are cases where X-ray CT empirically performs comparably with a near-optimal CS strategy, namely taking measurements with Gaussian sensing matrices. Second, we show that, in contrast to what might have been anticipated, taking randomized CT measurements does not lead to improved performance compared with standard structured sampling patterns. Finally, we show preliminary results of how well phase-diagram analysis can predict the sufficient number of projections for accurately reconstructing a large-scale image of a given sparsity by means of total-variation regularization. PMID:25939620

How little data is enough? Phase-diagram analysis of sparsity-regularized X-ray computed tomography.

PubMed

Jørgensen, J S; Sidky, E Y

2015-06-13

We introduce phase-diagram analysis, a standard tool in compressed sensing (CS), to the X-ray computed tomography (CT) community as a systematic method for determining how few projections suffice for accurate sparsity-regularized reconstruction. In CS, a phase diagram is a convenient way to study and express certain theoretical relations between sparsity and sufficient sampling. We adapt phase-diagram analysis for empirical use in X-ray CT for which the same theoretical results do not hold. We demonstrate in three case studies the potential of phase-diagram analysis for providing quantitative answers to questions of undersampling. First, we demonstrate that there are cases where X-ray CT empirically performs comparably with a near-optimal CS strategy, namely taking measurements with Gaussian sensing matrices. Second, we show that, in contrast to what might have been anticipated, taking randomized CT measurements does not lead to improved performance compared with standard structured sampling patterns. Finally, we show preliminary results of how well phase-diagram analysis can predict the sufficient number of projections for accurately reconstructing a large-scale image of a given sparsity by means of total-variation regularization.

Space-Based Telemetry and Range Safety Project Ku-Band and Ka-Band Phased Array Antenna

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whiteman, Donald E.; Valencia, Lisa M.; Birr, Richard B.

2005-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space-Based Telemetry and Range Safety study is a multiphase project to increase data rates and flexibility and decrease costs by using space-based communications assets for telemetry during launches and landings. Phase 1 used standard S-band antennas with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to obtain a baseline performance. The selection process and available resources for Phase 2 resulted in a Ku-band phased array antenna system. Several development efforts are under way for a Ka-band phased array antenna system for Phase 3. Each phase includes test flights to demonstrate performance and capabilities. Successful completion of this project will result in a set of communications requirements for the next generation of launch vehicles.

Ku- and Ka-Band Phased Array Antenna for the Space-Based Telemetry and Range Safety Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whiteman, Donald E.; Valencia, Lisa M.; Birr, Richard B.

2005-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space-Based Telemetry and Range Safety study is a multiphase project to increase data rates and flexibility and decrease costs by using space-based communications assets for telemetry during launches and landings. Phase 1 used standard S-band antennas with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to obtain a baseline performance. The selection process and available resources for Phase 2 resulted in a Ku-band phased array antenna system. Several development efforts are under way for a Ka-band phased array antenna system for Phase 3. Each phase includes test flights to demonstrate performance and capabilities. Successful completion of this project will result in a set of communications requirements for the next generation of launch vehicles.

Synthesis of a Novel Energetic Heterocyclic Oxidizer with Higher Energy and Lower Sensitivity (Phase 2) Final Report CRADA No. TC02125.0

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

Pagoria, P. F.; Racoveanu, A.

2017-09-08

This project was a continuation of work originally performed under a Phase 1 of the Small Business Technology Transfer (STIR). The success of the Phase 1 led to the award of a Phase 2 of the STIR. In Phase 1 of the STIR, the target energetic compound, 3,4-bis(4-nitro-l,2,5- oxadiazol-3yl)-1,2,5-oxadiazole-l-oxide (DNTF), was synthesized at the 5g scale and small-scale safety tests were performed. DNTF showed promising performance· and safety properties. DNTF was shown to be relatively insensitive while performing better than the current industry standard, H1vIX, in solid propellant formulations. Because of the successful research and development project involving PSI, LLNLmore » and Aerojet in Phase I of the STIR, the sponsors wanted to obtain larger quantities of DNTF for further testing.« less

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of methadone hydrochloride oral solution.

PubMed

Beasley, T H; Ziegler, H W

1977-12-01

A direct and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for methadone hydrochloride in a flavored oral solution dosage form is described. A syrup sample, one part diluted with three parts of water, is introduced onto a column packed with octadecylsilane bonded on 10 micrometer porous silica gel (reversed phase). A formic acid-ammonium formate-buffered mobile phase is linear programmed with acetonitrile. The absorbance is monitored continuously at 280 or 254 nm, using a flow-through, UV, double-beam photometer. An aqueous methadone hydrochloride solution is used for external standardization. The relative standard deviation was not more than 1.0%. Drug recovery from a syrup base was better than 99.8%.

Evaluating laboratory key performance using quality indicators in Alexandria University Hospital Clinical Chemistry Laboratories.

PubMed

Rizk, Mostafa M; Zaki, Adel; Hossam, Nermine; Aboul-Ela, Yasmin

2014-12-01

The performance of clinical laboratories plays a fundamental role in the quality and effectiveness of healthcare. To evaluate the laboratory performance in Alexandria University Hospital Clinical Laboratories using key quality indicators and to compare the performance before and after an improvement plan based on ISO 15189 standards. The study was carried out on inpatient samples for a period of 7 months that was divided into three phases: phase I included data collection for evaluation of the existing process before improvement (March-May 2012); an intermediate phase, which included corrective, preventive action, quality initiative and steps for improvement (June 2012); and phase II, which included data collection for evaluation of the process after improvement (July 2012-September 2012). In terms of the preanalytical indicators, incomplete request forms in phase I showed that the total number of received requests were 31 944, with a percentage of defected request of 33.66%; whereas in phase II, there was a significant reduction in all defected request items (P<0.001) with a percentage of defected requests of 9.64%. As for the analytical indicators, the proficiency testing accuracy score in phase I showed poor performance of 10 analytes in which total error (TE) exceeded total error allowable (TEa), with a corresponding sigma value of less than 3, which indicates test problems and an unreliable method. The remaining analytes showed an acceptable performance in which TE did not exceed the TEa, with a sigma value of more than 6. Following an intervention of 3 months, the performance showed marked improvement. Error tracking in phase I showed a TE of (5.11%), whereas in phase II it was reduced to 2.48% (P<0.001).For the postanalytical indicators, our results in phase I showed that the percentage of nonreported critical results was 26.07%. In phase II, there was a significant improvement (P<0.001). The percentage of nonreported results was 11.37%, the reasons were either inability to contact the authorized doctor (8.24%), wrong patient identification (1.0%), lack of reporting by lab doctor (1.11%), and finally, lack of reporting by the lab technician (1.03%). Standardization and monitoring of each step in the total testing process is very important and is associated with the most efficient and well-organized laboratories.

Simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid and caffeine in commercial soft drinks using reversed-phase ultraperformance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Turak, Fatma; Güzel, Remziye; Dinç, Erdal

2017-04-01

A new reversed-phase ultraperformance liquid chromatography method with a photodiode array detector was developed for the quantification of ascorbic acid (AA) and caffeine (CAF) in 11 different commercial drinks consisting of one energy drink and 10 ice tea drinks. Separation of the analyzed AA and CAF with an internal standard, caffeic acid, was performed on a Waters BEH C 18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm i.d.), using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.2M H 3 PO 4 (11:89, v/v) with a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min and an injection volume of 1.0 μL. Calibration graphs for AA and CAF were computed from the peak area ratio of AA/internal standard and CAF/internal standard detected at 244.0 nm and 273.6 nm, respectively. The developed reversed-phase ultraperformance liquid chromatography method was validated by analyzing standard addition samples. The proposed reversed-phase ultraperformance liquid chromatography method gave us successful results for the quantitative analysis of commercial drinks containing AA and CAF substances. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Laboratory performance evaluation of CIR-emulsion and its comparison against CIR-foam test results from phase III.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-12-01

Currently, no standard mix design procedure is available for CIR-emulsion in Iowa. The CIR-foam mix : design process developed during the previous phase is applied for CIR-emulsion mixtures with varying : emulsified asphalt contents. Dynamic modulus ...

Analyses in support of risk-informed natural gas vehicle maintenance facility codes and standards :

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

Ekoto, Isaac W.; Blaylock, Myra L.; LaFleur, Angela Christine

2014-03-01

Safety standards development for maintenance facilities of liquid and compressed gas fueled large-scale vehicles is required to ensure proper facility design and operation envelopes. Standard development organizations are utilizing risk-informed concepts to develop natural gas vehicle (NGV) codes and standards so that maintenance facilities meet acceptable risk levels. The present report summarizes Phase I work for existing NGV repair facility code requirements and highlights inconsistencies that need quantitative analysis into their effectiveness. A Hazardous and Operability study was performed to identify key scenarios of interest. Finally, scenario analyses were performed using detailed simulations and modeling to estimate the overpressure hazardsmore » from HAZOP defined scenarios. The results from Phase I will be used to identify significant risk contributors at NGV maintenance facilities, and are expected to form the basis for follow-on quantitative risk analysis work to address specific code requirements and identify effective accident prevention and mitigation strategies.« less

Low Resolution Picture Transmission (LRPT) Demonstration System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fong, Wai; Yeh, Pen-Shu; Sank, Victor; Nyugen, Xuan; Xia, Wei; Duran, Steve; Day, John H. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Low-Resolution Picture Transmission (LRPT) is a proposed standard for direct broadcast transmission of satellite weather images. This standard is a joint effort by the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As a digital transmission scheme, its purpose is to replace the current analog Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) system for use in the Meteorological Operational (METOP) satellites. Goddard Space Flight Center has been tasked to build an LRPT Demonstration System (LDS). It's main objective is to develop or demonstrate the feasibility of a low-cost receiver utilizing a Personal Computer (PC) as the primary processing component and determine the performance of the protocol in the simulated Radio Frequency (RF) environment. The approach would consist of two phases. In the phase 1, a Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) Modulator-Demodulator (MODEM) board that would perform RF demodulation would be purchased allowing the Central Processing Unit (CPU) to perform the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) protocol processing. Also since the weather images are compressed the PC would perform the decompression. Phase 1 was successfully demonstrated on December 1997. Phase 2 consists of developing a high-fidelity receiver, transmitter and environment simulator. Its goal is to find out how the METOP Specification performs in a simulated noise environment in a cost-effective receiver. The approach would be to produce a receiver using as much software as possible to perform front-end processing to take advantage of the latest high-speed PCs. Thus the COTS MODEM used in Phase 1 is performing RF demodulation along with data acquisition providing data to the receiving software. Also, environment simulator is produced using the noise patterns generated by Institute for Telecommunications Sciences (ITS) from their noise environment study.

[Simultaneous determination of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin in feedstuffs using solid phase extraction-reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography].

PubMed

Zhang, Hua; Yang, Xin; Ma, Ying; Dong, Aijun; Zhang, Yingchun

2008-05-01

A method was developed for the simultaneous determination of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin in feedstuffs using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The sample was extracted by acetonitrile, and cleaned up by an LC-NH2 column. An Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C18 analytical column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) was used and kept at 25 degrees C. Acetonitrile-methanol (95 : 5, v/v) was used as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection was performed by a diode array detector at 474 nm. The quantitive analysis of external standard calibration curves was used. The linear ranges of the method for canthaxanthin and astaxanthin were 1.0 - 30.0 mg/L (r = 0.999 0) and 1.0 - 20.0 mg/L (r = 0.999 1), respectively. The average recoveries were 90% - 101% with the relative standard deviations of 0.62% - 3.68%. The detection limits were 0.84 and 0.60 mg/L for canthaxanthin and astaxanthin, respectively. The method is simple, precise, sensitive and reproductive. It can be used to determine the contents of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin in feedstuffs.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project: Detect and Avoid Display Evaluations in Support of SC-228 Minimum Operational Performance Standards Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fern, Lisa Carolynn

2017-01-01

The primary activity for the UAS-NAS Human Systems Integration (HSI) sub-project in Phase 1 was support of RTCA Special Committee 228 Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS). We provide data on the effect of various Detect and Avoid (DAA) display features with respect to pilot performance of the remain well clear function in order to determine the minimum requirements for DAA displays.

A new method for the radiochemical purity measurement of ¹¹¹In-pentetreotide.

PubMed

Salgado-Garcia, Carlos; Montoza-Aguado, Manuel; Luna-Alcaide, Ana B; Segovia-Gonzalez, Maria M; de Mora, Elena Sanchez; Lopez-Martin, Juana; Ramos-Font, Carlos; Jimenez-Heffernan, Amelia

2011-12-01

The recommended method for the measurement of radiochemical purity (RCP) of ¹¹¹In-labelled pentetreotide is thin-layer chromatography with a silica gel as the stationary phase and a 0.1 N sodium citrate solution (pH 5) as the mobile phase. According to the supplier's instructions, the mobile phase must be prepared before the test is carried out, and the recommended stationary phase is off-market. We propose a new method for RCP measurement in which the mobile phase is acid citrate dextrose, solution A, which does not need to be prepared beforehand, and thin-layer chromatography is performed with a silica gel-impregnated glass fibre sheet as the stationary phase. We used both methods to measure the percentages of radiopharmaceutical and impurities. The range of RCP values obtained was 98.0-99.9% (mean=99.3%) by the standard method and 98.1-99.9% (mean=99.2%) by the new method. We observed no differences between the RCP values of both methods (P=0.070). The proposed method is suitable for RCP testing because it yields results that are in good agreement with those of the standard method and because it is easier to perform as the mobile-phase solution need not be prepared in advance.

75 FR 14575 - Voting Equipment Evaluations Phase III

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-26

..., Human Performance-Based Standards and Usability Testing. NIST Phase III research is designed to: (1... vendor equipment will not be released. Comparative information may be released in a blind manner... electronic poll book systems as well as software used for ballot design and creation. Dated: March 23, 2010...

Hermes phasing GNC functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Legenne, J.; Broca, R.; Alby, F.

1992-08-01

A review is presented of the French Guidance, Navigation and Control Simulator (GNC) developed to analyze and validate the global phasing strategy of the Hermes spaceplane. The phasing strategy, the events management, and the requirements for simulation are described, and a functional description of the simulator is given. The simulator will be able to assess the performance of the strategy in terms of fuel consumption and duration (mean values, standard deviations).

Midcourse Guidance Study for Tactical Guided Weapons. Volume I. Survey and Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-08-01

relatively moderate when compared to air intercept guidance requirements.) The alignment phase involved the comparison of gyrocom- passing (using... phase of flight for discrete updates. The AFBGW aero and guidance configuration is derived from current Air Force glide weapon concepts. The AFBGW... comparable midcourse flight phase . Harpoon and Standard Arm represent performance levels similar to the AFBGW requirements, but differences in

Method performance and multi-laboratory assessment of a normal phase high pressure liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection method for the quantitation of flavanols and procyanidins in cocoa and chocolate containing samples.

PubMed

Robbins, Rebecca J; Leonczak, Jadwiga; Johnson, J Christopher; Li, Julia; Kwik-Uribe, Catherine; Prior, Ronald L; Gu, Liwei

2009-06-12

The quantitative parameters and method performance for a normal-phase HPLC separation of flavanols and procyanidins in chocolate and cocoa-containing food products were optimized and assessed. Single laboratory method performance was examined over three months using three separate secondary standards. RSD(r) ranged from 1.9%, 4.5% to 9.0% for cocoa powder, liquor and chocolate samples containing 74.39, 15.47 and 1.87 mg/g flavanols and procyanidins, respectively. Accuracy was determined by comparison to the NIST Standard Reference Material 2384. Inter-lab assessment indicated that variability was quite low for seven different cocoa-containing samples, with a RSD(R) of less than 10% for the range of samples analyzed.

A Priori Subgrid Scale Modeling for a Droplet Laden Temporal Mixing Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Okongo, Nora; Bellan, Josette

2000-01-01

Subgrid analysis of a transitional temporal mixing layer with evaporating droplets has been performed using a direct numerical simulation (DNS) database. The DNS is for a Reynolds number (based on initial vorticity thickness) of 600, with droplet mass loading of 0.2. The gas phase is computed using a Eulerian formulation, with Lagrangian droplet tracking. Since Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of this flow requires the computation of unfiltered gas-phase variables at droplet locations from filtered gas-phase variables at the grid points, it is proposed to model these by assuming the gas-phase variables to be given by the filtered variables plus a correction based on the filtered standard deviation, which can be computed from the sub-grid scale (SGS) standard deviation. This model predicts unfiltered variables at droplet locations better than simply interpolating the filtered variables. Three methods are investigated for modeling the SGS standard deviation: Smagorinsky, gradient and scale-similarity. When properly calibrated, the gradient and scale-similarity methods give results in excellent agreement with the DNS.

Project FIRES. Volume 1: Program Overview and Summary, Phase 1B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abeles, F. J.

1980-01-01

Overall performance requirements and evaluation methods for firefighters protective equipment were established and published as the Protective Ensemble Performance Standards (PEPS). Current firefighters protective equipment was tested and evaluated against the PEPS requirements, and the preliminary design of a prototype protective ensemble was performed. In phase 1B, the design of the prototype ensemble was finalized. Prototype ensembles were fabricated and then subjected to a series of qualification tests which were based upon the PEPS requirements. Engineering drawings and purchase specifications were prepared for the new protective ensemble.

NASA UAS Integration into the NAS Project Detect and Avoid Display Evaluations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shively, Jay

2016-01-01

As part of the Air Force - NASA Bi-Annual Research Council Meeting, slides will be presented on phase 1 Detect and Avoid (DAA) display evaluations. A series of iterative human-in-the-loops (HITL) experiments were conducted with different display configurations to objectively measure pilot performance on maintaining well clear. To date, four simulations and two mini-HITLs have been conducted. Data from these experiments have been incorporated into a revised alerting structure and included in the RTCA SC 228 Phase 1 Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) proposal. Plans for phase 2 are briefly discussed.

Monte-Carlo-based phase retardation estimator for polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Lian; Makita, Shuichi; Yamanari, Masahiro; Lim, Yiheng; Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2011-08-01

A Monte-Carlo-based phase retardation estimator is developed to correct the systematic error in phase retardation measurement by polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT). Recent research has revealed that the phase retardation measured by PS-OCT has a distribution that is neither symmetric nor centered at the true value. Hence, a standard mean estimator gives us erroneous estimations of phase retardation, and it degrades the performance of PS-OCT for quantitative assessment. In this paper, the noise property in phase retardation is investigated in detail by Monte-Carlo simulation and experiments. A distribution transform function is designed to eliminate the systematic error by using the result of the Monte-Carlo simulation. This distribution transformation is followed by a mean estimator. This process provides a significantly better estimation of phase retardation than a standard mean estimator. This method is validated both by numerical simulations and experiments. The application of this method to in vitro and in vivo biological samples is also demonstrated.

Standard operating procedure: implementation, critical analysis, and validation in the Audiology Department at CESTEH/Fiocruz.

PubMed

Freitas, Anelisse Vasco Mascarenhas de; Quixabeiro, Elinaldo Leite; Luz, Geórgia Rosangela Soares; Franco, Viviane Moreira; Santos, Viviane Fontes Dos

2016-01-01

Evaluate three standard operational procedures (SOPs), regarding the application of the brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) test, implemented by the Audiology Department of the Center for Studies in Occupational Health and Human Ecology (CESTEH) through the application of a questionnaire and to verify whether the SOPs are effective and assess the necessity for improvement. The study was conducted in three phases: in the first phase, eight speech-language pathologists and seven physicians, with no experience in BAEP, were instructed to read and perform each SOP, eventually all individuals evaluated the SOPs by responding to a questionnaire; in the second phase, the questionnaires were analyzed and the three SOP texts were reviewed; in the third phase, nine speech-language pathologists and six physicians, also with no experience in BAEP, read and re-evaluated the reviewed SOPs through a questionnaire. In the first phase, difficulties in understanding the texts were found, raising doubts about the procedures; however, every participant was able to perform the procedure as a whole. In the third phase, after the review, all individuals were able to perform the procedures appropriately and continuously without any doubts. The assessment of the SOPs by questionnaires showed the need for adaptation in the texts. After the texts were reviewed according to the suggestions of the health professionals, it was possible to observe that the SOPs assisted in the execution of the task, which was conducted without any difficulties or doubts, being regarded effective and ensuring quality to the service offered.

Simultaneous determination of azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Van Os, E C; McKinney, J A; Zins, B J; Mays, D C; Schriver, Z H; Sandborn, W J; Lipsky, J J

1996-04-26

A specific, sensitive, single-step solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of plasma 6-mercaptopurine and azathioprine concentrations is reported. Following solid-phase extraction, analytes are separated on a C18 column with mobile phase consisting of 0.8% acetonitrile in 1 mM triethylamine, pH 3.2, run on a gradient system. Quantitation limits were 5 ng/ml and 2 ng/ml for azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine, respectively. Peak heights correlated linearly to known extracted standards for 6-mercaptopurine and azathioprine (r = 0.999) over a range of 2-200 ng/ml. No chromatographic interferences were detected.

Determination of dapsone in serum and saliva using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet or electrochemical detection.

PubMed

Moncrieff, J

1994-03-18

A simple, extractionless method for the determination of dapsone in serum and saliva is described. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography is used with UV detection at 295 nm or electrochemical detection at 0.7 V. Diazoxide in buffer is the internal standard for UV detection and practolol for electrochemical detection. Sample preparation is minimal with protein precipitation of serum samples whilst saliva samples are simply diluted with addition of an internal standard. Low-level serum and saliva samples are front-cut on-line with a 3 cm laboratory-made precolumn in the loop position on a standard Valco injection valve. Isocratic separation is achieved on a 250 mm x 4.6 mm I.D. stainless-steel Spherisorb S5 ODS-1 column. The mobile phase for high levels of dapsone is acetonitrile-elution buffer (12:88, v/v) at 2 ml/min and a column temperature of 40 degrees C for both serum and saliva separations. For the low-level assays using electrochemical detection and solid-phase clean-up, the mobile phase is acetonitrile-methanol-elution buffer (9:4:87, v/v/v). The UV and electrochemical detection limits are 25 ng/ml and 200 pg/ml, respectively, in both serum and saliva. This simple method is applicable to the routine monitoring of dapsone levels in serum from leprotic patients and electrochemical detection gives a simple, reliable method for the monitoring of trough values in subjects on anti-malarial prophylaxis.

Quantifying phase synchronization using instances of Hilbert phase slips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Govindan, R. B.

2018-07-01

We propose to quantify phase synchronization between two signals, x(t) and y(t), by calculating variance in the Hilbert phase of y(t) at instances of phase slips exhibited by x(t). The proposed approach is tested on numerically simulated coupled chaotic Roessler systems and second order autoregressive processes. Furthermore we compare the performance of the proposed and original approaches using uterine electromyogram signals and show that both approaches yield consistent results A standard phase synchronization approach, which involves unwrapping the Hilbert phases (ϕ1(t) and ϕ2(t)) of the two signals and analyzing the variance in the | n ṡϕ1(t) - m ṡϕ2(t) | , mod 2 π, (n and m are integers), was used for comparison. The synchronization indexes obtained from the proposed approach and the standard approach agree reasonably well in all of the systems studied in this work. Our results indicate that the proposed approach, unlike the traditional approach, does not require the non-invertible transformations - unwrapping of the phases and calculation of mod 2 π and it can be used to reliably to quantify phase synchrony between two signals.

[Diagnostic kits in parasitology: which controls?].

PubMed

Rossi, P

2004-06-01

The development of new diagnostic tools particularly for some parasitic "neglected diseases", is slowed or even hindered by limited resources assigned for basic and applied research in public institution and private sector. Even if the time-line and costs needed for developing a new In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) test are generally lower compared to vaccines or new drugs, industry is poorly engaged in investing resources due to the perception of limited markets. To accelerate the development of diagnostics for the world's most deadly diseases, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the Gates Foundation, last year launched a new initiative, FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, www.finddiagnostics.org). The aim is to "apply the latest biotechnology innovations to develop and validate affordable diagnostic tests for diseases of the developing world". Ideally, a new diagnostic test should be accurately evaluated prior to use in medical practice. The first step would be a pre-clinical evaluation, an analytic study to determine its laboratory performance. A crucial point in this phase is the calibration of reagents (antigens, antibodies, DNA probes, etc.) against a standard reference preparation. WHO, through the WHO International Laboratories for Biological Standards, "provides International Biological Reference Preparations which serve as reference sources of defined biological activity expressed in an internationally agreed unit" (www.who.int/biologicals/IBRP/index.htm). Standardization allows "comparison of biological measurements worldwide" and ensures the reliability of diagnostic procedures. These preparations are generally intended for use in the characterization of the activity of secondary reference preparations (regional, national or in-house working standards). Unfortunately, international reference standards for parasitic diseases are not available at present, except for Toxoplasma antibodies. The first international standard reagent for Anti-Toxoplasma Serum was established in 1968 and at present, an international standard reference serum, Anti-toxoplasma serum, human TOXM is available at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) in UK. Several collaborative, multicenter studies were carried out to assess the performance of different methods and commercial tests for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, by providing to participating laboratories a panel of well-defined sera to be tested. A four-phase process following well-accepted methodological standards for the development of diagnostics, analogous to those internationally accepted for drugs and vaccines was recently proposed. The pre-clinical evaluation, the analytic study to assess sensitivity, specificity, predictive values in laboratory (phase I), should be followed by a proof of principle study to distinguish diseased from healthy persons in easily accessible populations (phase II). The evaluation of test performance in populations of intended use (phase III), and finally the delineation of cost-effectiveness and societal impact of new tests in comparison with existing tools (phase IV) should complete the validation procedure. In this context, national regulatory agencies play a major role in pre-market approval and post-market surveillance of IVDs. The European Community in 1998 approved a directive (Directive 98/79/EC) which rules the marketing of IVD medical devices, in order to harmonise the performance levels and standards in European countries. But, among IVDs for parasitic diseases, only those to detect congenital toxoplasmosis are submitted to defined procedures to provide the verification of products before their placing on the market and the surveillance after their marketing by a notified body, which perform appropriate examinations, tests and inspections to production facilities to verify if the device meets the requirements of the directive. In U.S.A., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), through the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Device Evaluation and Safety (OIVD), provides a comprehensive and regulatory activity for IVDs through pre-market evaluation and post-market surveillance. In developing countries, the scarcity of resources limits the procedures through which the national control authority can assure safety, quality and efficacy of products marketed, both imported and locally manufactured.

Auditory sensitivity to spectral modulation phase reversal as a function of modulation depth

PubMed Central

Grose, John

2018-01-01

The present study evaluated auditory sensitivity to spectral modulation by determining the modulation depth required to detect modulation phase reversal. This approach may be preferable to spectral modulation detection with a spectrally flat standard, since listeners appear unable to perform the task based on the detection of temporal modulation. While phase reversal thresholds are often evaluated by holding modulation depth constant and adjusting modulation rate, holding rate constant and adjusting modulation depth supports rate-specific assessment of modulation processing. Stimuli were pink noise samples, filtered into seven octave-wide bands (0.125–8 kHz) and spectrally modulated in dB. Experiment 1 measured performance as a function of modulation depth to determine appropriate units for adaptive threshold estimation. Experiment 2 compared thresholds in dB for modulation detection with a flat standard and modulation phase reversal; results supported the idea that temporal cues were available at high rates for the former but not the latter. Experiment 3 evaluated spectral modulation phase reversal thresholds for modulation that was restricted to either one or two neighboring bands. Flanking bands of unmodulated noise had a larger detrimental effect on one-band than two-band targets. Thresholds for high-rate modulation improved with increasing carrier frequency up to 2 kHz, whereas low-rate modulation appeared more consistent across frequency, particularly in the two-band condition. Experiment 4 measured spectral weights for spectral modulation phase reversal detection and found higher weights for bands in the spectral center of the stimulus than for the lowest (0.125 kHz) or highest (8 kHz) band. Experiment 5 compared performance for highly practiced and relatively naïve listeners, and found weak evidence of a larger practice effect at high than low spectral modulation rates. These results provide preliminary data for a task that may provide a better estimate of sensitivity to spectral modulation than spectral modulation detection with a flat standard. PMID:29621338

The fabrication of a programmable via using phase-change material in CMOS-compatible technology.

PubMed

Chen, Kuan-Neng; Krusin-Elbaum, Lia

2010-04-02

We demonstrate an energy-efficient programmable via concept using indirectly heated phase-change material. This via structure has maximum phase-change volume to achieve a minimum on resistance for high performance logic applications. Process development and material investigations for this device structure are reported. The device concept is successfully demonstrated in a standard CMOS-compatible technology capable of multiple cycles between on/off states for reconfigurable applications.

Robust terahertz self-heterodyne system using a phase noise compensation technique.

PubMed

Song, Hajun; Song, Jong-In

2015-08-10

We propose and demonstrate a robust terahertz self-heterodyne system using a phase noise compensation technique. Conventional terahertz self-heterodyne systems suffer from degraded phase noise performance due to phase noise of the laser sources. The proposed phase noise compensation technique uses an additional photodiode and a simple electric circuit to produce phase noise identical to that observed in the terahertz signal produced by the self-heterodyne system. The phase noise is subsequently subtracted from the terahertz signal produced by the self-heterodyne system using a lock-in amplifier. While the terahertz self-heterodyne system using a phase noise compensation technique offers improved phase noise performance, it also provides a reduced phase drift against ambient temperature variations. The terahertz self-heterodyne system using a phase noise compensation technique shows a phase noise of 0.67 degree in terms of a standard deviation value even without using overall delay balance control. It also shows a phase drift of as small as approximately 10 degrees in an open-to-air measurement condition without any strict temperature control.

Phase from defocus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandula, Ondrej; Allier, Cédric; Hervé, Lionel; Denarier, Eric; Fourest-Lieuvin, Anne; Gory-Fauré, Sylvie; Vinit, Angélique; Morales, Sophie

2018-02-01

We present a simple and compact phase imaging microscope for long-term observation of non-absorbing biological samples such as unstained cells in nutritive media. The phase image is obtained from a single defocused image taken with a standard wide-field microscope. Using a semi-coherent light source allows us to computationally re-focus image post-acquisition and recover both phase and transmission of the complex specimen. The simplicity of the system reduces both the cost and its physical size and allows a long-term observation of samples directly in a standard biological incubator. The low cost of the system can contribute to the democratization of science by allowing to perform complex long-term biological experiments to the laboratories with constrained budget. In this proceeding we present several results taken with our prototype and discuss the possibilities and limitations of our system.

Joint Test Report For Validation of Alternatives to Aliphatic Isocyanate Polyurethanes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, Pattie

2007-01-01

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) have similar missions and therefore similar facilities and structures in similar environments. The standard practice for protecting metallic substrates in atmospheric environments is the application of an applied coating system. The most common topcoats used in coating systems are polyurethanes that contain isocyanates. Isocyanates are classified as potential human carcinogens and are known to cause cancer in animals. The primary objective of this effort was to demonstrate and validate alternatives to aliphatic isocyanate polyurethanes resulting in one or more isocyanate-free coatings qualified for use at AFSPC and NASA installations participating in this project. This joint Test Report (JTR) documents the results of the laboratory and field testing as well as any test modifications made during the execution of the testing. The technical stakeholders agreed upon test procedure modifications documented in this document. This JTR is made available as a reference for future pollution prevention endeavors by other NASA centers, the Department of Defense and commercial users to minimize duplication of effort. All coating system candidates were tested using approved NASA and AFSPC standard coating systems as experimental controls. This study looked at eight alternative coating systems and two control coating systems and was divided into Phase I Screening Tests, Phase II Tests, and Field Testing. The Phase I Screening Tests were preliminary tests performed on all the selected candidate coating systems. Candidate coating systems that did not meet the acceptance criteria of the screening tests were eliminated from further testing. Phase I Screening Tests included: Ease of Application, Surface Appearance, Dry-To-Touch (Sanding), Accelerated Storage Stability, Pot Life (Viscosity), Cure Time (Solvent Rubs), Cleanability, Knife Test, Tensile (pull-off) Adhesion, and X-Cut Adhesion by Wet Tape After a review of the Phase I test results, four of the alternative coating systems showed substandard performance in relation to the Control Systems and were eliminated from the Phase II testing. Due to the interest of stakeholders and time constraints, however, all eight alternatives were subjected to the following Phase II tests, along with field testing at Stennis Space Center (SSC), Mississippi: Hypergol Compatibility, Liquid Oxygen Compatibility, 18-Month Marine Exposure (Gloss Retention, Color Retention, Blistering, Visual Corrosion, Creepage from Scribe, Heat Adhesion), and Field Exposure (6- and 12-month Evaluation for Coating Condition, Color Retention, Gloss Retention). The remaining four alternative coating systems determined to be the best viable alternatives were carried on to Phase II testing that included: Removability, Repairability, Abrasion Resistance, Gravelometer, Fungus Resistance, Accelerated Weathering, Mandrel Bend Flexibility, and Cyclic Corrosion Resistance. Of the systems that continued to Phase II, three (3) alternative coating systems meet the performance requirements as identified by stakeholders. Two (2) other systems, that were not included in Phase II testing, performed well enough on the 18-Month Marine Exposure, the primary requirement for NASA technical standard NASA-STD-5008, Protective Coating of Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, and Aluminum on Launch Structures, Facilities, and Ground Support Equipment, that they were also considered to be successful candidates. In total, five (5) alternative coating systems were approved for inclusion in the NASA-STD- 5008 Qualified Products List (QPL). The standard is intended to provide a common framework for consistent practices across NASA and is often used by other entities. The standard's QPL does not connote endorsement of the products by NASA, but lists those products that have been tested and meet the requirements as specified.

Guiding Biliteracy Development: Appropriating Cross-Linguistic and Conceptual Knowledge to Sustain Second-Language Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soto Huerta, Mary Esther

2012-01-01

To examine the second-language reading development of 45 fourth-grade Latino bilinguals, a sequential mixed methods study was conducted in two phases (Creswell, 2009). The quantitative data collected in the first phase generated an index of the group's reading performance based on two grade-level assessments, a state-mandated standardized reading…

A combined experimental and computational thermodynamic study of difluoronitrobenzene isomers.

PubMed

Ribeiro da Silva, Manuel A V; Monte, Manuel J S; Lobo Ferreira, Ana I M C; Oliveira, Juliana A S A; Cimas, Álvaro

2010-10-14

This work reports the experimental and computational thermochemical study performed on three difluorinated nitrobenzene isomers: 2,4-difluoronitrobenzene (2,4-DFNB), 2,5-difluoronitrobenzene (2,5-DFNB), and 3,4-difluoronitrobenzene (3,4-DFNB). The standard (p° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation in the liquid phase of these compounds were derived from the standard molar energies of combustion, in oxygen, at T = 298.15 K, measured by rotating bomb combustion calorimetry. A static method was used to perform the vapor pressure study of the referred compounds allowing the construction of the phase diagrams and determination of the respective triple point coordinates, as well as the standard molar enthalpies of vaporization, sublimation, and fusion for two of the isomers (2,4-DFNB and 3,4-DFNB). For 2,5-difluoronitrobenzene, only liquid vapor pressures were measured enabling the determination of the standard molar enthalpies of vaporization. Combining the thermodynamic parameters of the compounds studied, the following standard (p° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation in the gaseous phase, at T = 298.15 K, were derived: Δ(f)H(m)° (2,4-DFNB, g) = -(296.3 ± 1.8) kJ · mol⁻¹, Δ(f)H(m)° (2,5-DFNB, g) = -(288.2 ± 2.1) kJ · mol⁻¹, and Δ(f)H(m)° (3,4-DFNB, g) = -(302.4 ± 2.1) kJ · mol⁻¹. Using the empirical scheme developed by Cox, several approaches were evaluated in order to identify the best method for estimating the standard molar gas phase enthalpies of formation of these compounds. The estimated values were compared to the ones obtained experimentally, and the approach providing the best comparison with experiment was used to estimate the thermodynamic behavior of the other difluorinated nitrobenzene isomers not included in this study. Additionally, the enthalpies of formation of these compounds along with the enthalpies of formation of the other isomers not studied experimentally, i.e., 2,3-DFNB, 2,6-DFNB, and 3,5-DFNB, were estimated using the composite G3MP2B3 approach together with adequate gas-phase working reactions. Furthermore, we also used this computational approach to calculate the gas-phase basicities, proton and electron affinities, and, finally, adiabatic ionization enthalpies.

Improved selectivity for high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of clonazepam in plasma of epileptic patients.

PubMed

Le Guellec, C; Gaudet, M L; Breteau, M

1998-11-20

We report a high-performance liquid chromatography method for clonazepam determination in plasma. The use of a synthetic silica-based stationary phase markedly improved clonazepam resolution compared to standard reversed-phase columns. A liquid-liquid extraction was used, associated with reversed-phase chromatography, gradient elution and ultraviolet detection. Accuracy and precision were satisfactory at therapeutic concentrations. Selectivity was studied for benzodiazepines or other antiepileptic drugs, with particular attention to newly marketed drugs i.e., gabapentine and vigabatrin. No interfering substance was evidenced. Under the conditions described, it was possible to quantify clonazepam at nanogram level even when carbamazepine was present at therapeutic concentrations.

Output Feedback Adaptive Control of Non-Minimum Phase Systems Using Optimal Control Modification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan; Hashemi, Kelley E.; Yucelen, Tansel; Arabi, Ehsan

2018-01-01

This paper describes output feedback adaptive control approaches for non-minimum phase SISO systems with relative degree 1 and non-strictly positive real (SPR) MIMO systems with uniform relative degree 1 using the optimal control modification method. It is well-known that the standard model-reference adaptive control (MRAC) cannot be used to control non-SPR plants to track an ideal SPR reference model. Due to the ideal property of asymptotic tracking, MRAC attempts an unstable pole-zero cancellation which results in unbounded signals for non-minimum phase SISO systems. The optimal control modification can be used to prevent the unstable pole-zero cancellation which results in a stable adaptation of non-minimum phase SISO systems. However, the tracking performance using this approach could suffer if the unstable zero is located far away from the imaginary axis. The tracking performance can be recovered by using an observer-based output feedback adaptive control approach which uses a Luenberger observer design to estimate the state information of the plant. Instead of explicitly specifying an ideal SPR reference model, the reference model is established from the linear quadratic optimal control to account for the non-minimum phase behavior of the plant. With this non-minimum phase reference model, the observer-based output feedback adaptive control can maintain stability as well as tracking performance. However, in the presence of the mismatch between the SPR reference model and the non-minimum phase plant, the standard MRAC results in unbounded signals, whereas a stable adaptation can be achieved with the optimal control modification. An application of output feedback adaptive control for a flexible wing aircraft illustrates the approaches.

Enhanced fidelity of an educational intervention on skin self-examination through surveillance and standardization

PubMed Central

Gaber, Rikki; Mallett, Kimberly A.; Hultgren, Brittney; Turrisi, Rob; Gilbertsen, Margaret L.; Martini, Mary C.; Robinson, June K.

2014-01-01

Background Melanoma can metastasize but is often successfully treated when discovered in an early stage. Melanoma patients and their skin check partners can learn skin self-examination (SSE) skills and these skills can be improved by practice. The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of fidelity with which educational in-person SSE intervention can be delivered by trained research coordinators to patients at risk of developing another melanoma and their skin check partners. Methods The in-person intervention was performed in two iterations. In phase 1 (2006-2008), the research coordinators were trained to perform the intervention using a written script. In phase 2 (2011-2013), the research coordinators were trained to perform the intervention with a PowerPoint aid. Each research coordinator was individually counseled by one of the authors (KM) to insure standardization and enhance fidelity of intervention delivery. Phase 1 and Phase 2 were compared on 16 fidelity components. Further, Phase 2 fidelity was assessed by comparing mean scores of fidelity across the five research coordinators who delivered the intervention. Results Phase 2, which utilized a PowerPoint aid, was delivered with a higher degree of fidelity compared to phase 1with four fidelity components with significantly higher fidelity than Phase 1: 1) Explained details of melanoma, χ2 (1, n = 199)= 96.31, p < .001, 2) Discussed when to call doctor, χ2 (1, n = 199) = 53.68, p < .001 3) Explained assessment at month 1, χ2 (1, n = 199)= 12.39, p < .01, and 4) Explained assessment at month 2, χ2 (1, n = 199) = 117.75, p < .001. Further, no significant differences on mean fidelity were found across research coordinators in Phase 2. Discussion When using the PowerPoint aide, the research coordinators delivered the intervention with high fidelity (all scores >14) and there were no mean differences in fidelity across research coordinators, indicating consistency in fidelity. This can be attributed to the standardization and cueing that the PowerPoint program offered. Supervision was also a key component in establishing and maintaining fidelity of the patient educational process. This method of intervention delivery enables trained healthcare professionals to deliver an educational intervention in an effective, consistent manner. PMID:25414761

Enhanced fidelity of an educational intervention on skin self-examination through surveillance and standardization.

PubMed

Gaber, Rikki; Mallett, Kimberly A; Hultgren, Brittney; Turrisi, Rob; Gilbertsen, Margaret L; Martini, Mary C; Robinson, June K

2014-01-01

Melanoma can metastasize but is often successfully treated when discovered in an early stage. Melanoma patients and their skin check partners can learn skin self-examination (SSE) skills and these skills can be improved by practice. The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of fidelity with which educational in-person SSE intervention can be delivered by trained research coordinators to patients at risk of developing another melanoma and their skin check partners. The in-person intervention was performed in two iterations. In phase 1 (2006-2008), the research coordinators were trained to perform the intervention using a written script. In phase 2 (2011-2013), the research coordinators were trained to perform the intervention with a PowerPoint aid. Each research coordinator was individually counseled by one of the authors (KM) to insure standardization and enhance fidelity of intervention delivery. Phase 1 and Phase 2 were compared on 16 fidelity components. Further, Phase 2 fidelity was assessed by comparing mean scores of fidelity across the five research coordinators who delivered the intervention. Phase 2, which utilized a PowerPoint aid, was delivered with a higher degree of fidelity compared to phase 1with four fidelity components with significantly higher fidelity than Phase 1: 1) Explained details of melanoma, χ 2 (1, n = 199)= 96.31, p < .001, 2) Discussed when to call doctor, χ 2 (1, n = 199) = 53.68, p < .001 3) Explained assessment at month 1, χ 2 (1, n = 199)= 12.39, p < .01, and 4) Explained assessment at month 2, χ 2 (1, n = 199) = 117.75, p < .001. Further, no significant differences on mean fidelity were found across research coordinators in Phase 2. When using the PowerPoint aide, the research coordinators delivered the intervention with high fidelity (all scores >14) and there were no mean differences in fidelity across research coordinators, indicating consistency in fidelity. This can be attributed to the standardization and cueing that the PowerPoint program offered. Supervision was also a key component in establishing and maintaining fidelity of the patient educational process. This method of intervention delivery enables trained healthcare professionals to deliver an educational intervention in an effective, consistent manner.

Characterization of a new stationary phase based on microwave immobilized polybutadiene on titanium oxide-modified silica.

PubMed

Morais, Lais S R; Jardim, Isabel C S F

2005-05-06

Titanium oxide-modified silica was prepared by reaction of silica with titanium tetrabutoxide and then was used as support in the preparation of stationary phases with self-immobilized polybutadiene (PBD) and PBD immobilized through microwave radiation. Chromatographic performance of the stationary phases was evaluated in terms of the efficiency (plates/m), asymmetry (A(s)), retention factor (k) and resolution (R(s)) of two standard sample mixtures, one of then containing the basic compound N,N-dimethylaniline. A microwave irradiation of 30 min at 520 W gave the best efficiency (86,500 N m(-1)), greater than that of a 6-day self immobilized phase (69,500 N m(-1)). Self-immobilized stationary phases prepared with bare silica were also studied for comparison. These resulted in lower chromatographic performance, 43,800 N m(-1), when compared to the self-immobilized phase prepared with titanized silica.

International Comparisons of Foundation Phase Number Domain Mathematics Knowledge and Practice Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Human, Anja; van der Walt, Marthie; Posthuma, Barbara

2015-01-01

Poor mathematics performance in schools is both a national and an international concern. Teachers ought to be equipped with relevant subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge as one way to address this problem. However, no mathematics knowledge and practice standards have as yet been defined for the preparation of Foundation Phase…

Phase field benchmark problems for dendritic growth and linear elasticity

DOE PAGES

Jokisaari, Andrea M.; Voorhees, P. W.; Guyer, Jonathan E.; ...

2018-03-26

We present the second set of benchmark problems for phase field models that are being jointly developed by the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) along with input from other members in the phase field community. As the integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach to materials design has gained traction, there is an increasing need for quantitative phase field results. New algorithms and numerical implementations increase computational capabilities, necessitating standard problems to evaluate their impact on simulated microstructure evolution as well as their computational performance. We propose one benchmark problem formore » solidifiication and dendritic growth in a single-component system, and one problem for linear elasticity via the shape evolution of an elastically constrained precipitate. We demonstrate the utility and sensitivity of the benchmark problems by comparing the results of 1) dendritic growth simulations performed with different time integrators and 2) elastically constrained precipitate simulations with different precipitate sizes, initial conditions, and elastic moduli. As a result, these numerical benchmark problems will provide a consistent basis for evaluating different algorithms, both existing and those to be developed in the future, for accuracy and computational efficiency when applied to simulate physics often incorporated in phase field models.« less

Phase field benchmark problems for dendritic growth and linear elasticity

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

Jokisaari, Andrea M.; Voorhees, P. W.; Guyer, Jonathan E.

We present the second set of benchmark problems for phase field models that are being jointly developed by the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) along with input from other members in the phase field community. As the integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach to materials design has gained traction, there is an increasing need for quantitative phase field results. New algorithms and numerical implementations increase computational capabilities, necessitating standard problems to evaluate their impact on simulated microstructure evolution as well as their computational performance. We propose one benchmark problem formore » solidifiication and dendritic growth in a single-component system, and one problem for linear elasticity via the shape evolution of an elastically constrained precipitate. We demonstrate the utility and sensitivity of the benchmark problems by comparing the results of 1) dendritic growth simulations performed with different time integrators and 2) elastically constrained precipitate simulations with different precipitate sizes, initial conditions, and elastic moduli. As a result, these numerical benchmark problems will provide a consistent basis for evaluating different algorithms, both existing and those to be developed in the future, for accuracy and computational efficiency when applied to simulate physics often incorporated in phase field models.« less

Chesapeake Bay Low Freshwater Inflow Study. Phase II. MAP FOLIO. Biota Assessment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-01

conditions. These were: 1) Base Average -- average freshwater inflow conditions. by increased water consumption projected for the year 2020. 3) Base Drought...RESOLUTION TEST CHART NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS. 1963- A TAI m - ii J May 1982 Chesapeake Bay Low Freshwater Inflow Study Phase II Biota Assessment Map...A PERIOD ZOVERED change was found to CIESAPEAKE BAY LOW FRESHWATER INFLOW STUDY FINAL BIOTA ASSESSMENT PHASE II: FINAL REPORT MAP FOLIO s PERFORMING

Molecular Diagnosis of Chagas Disease in Colombia: Parasitic Loads and Discrete Typing Units in Patients from Acute and Chronic Phases

PubMed Central

Hernández, Carolina; Cucunubá, Zulma; Flórez, Carolina; Olivera, Mario; Valencia, Carlos; Zambrano, Pilar; León, Cielo; Ramírez, Juan David

2016-01-01

Background The diagnosis of Chagas disease is complex due to the dynamics of parasitemia in the clinical phases of the disease. The molecular tests have been considered promissory because they detect the parasite in all clinical phases. Trypanosoma cruzi presents significant genetic variability and is classified into six Discrete Typing Units TcI-TcVI (DTUs) with the emergence of foreseen genotypes within TcI as TcIDom and TcI Sylvatic. The objective of this study was to determine the operating characteristics of molecular tests (conventional and Real Time PCR) for the detection of T. cruzi DNA, parasitic loads and DTUs in a large cohort of Colombian patients from acute and chronic phases. Methodology/Principal Findings Samples were obtained from 708 patients in all clinical phases. Standard diagnosis (direct and serological tests) and molecular tests (conventional PCR and quantitative PCR) targeting the nuclear satellite DNA region. The genotyping was performed by PCR using the intergenic region of the mini-exon gene, the 24Sa, 18S and A10 regions. The operating capabilities showed that performance of qPCR was higher compared to cPCR. Likewise, the performance of qPCR was significantly higher in acute phase compared with chronic phase. The median parasitic loads detected were 4.69 and 1.33 parasite equivalents/mL for acute and chronic phases. The main DTU identified was TcI (74.2%). TcIDom genotype was significantly more frequent in chronic phase compared to acute phase (82.1% vs 16.6%). The median parasitic load for TcIDom was significantly higher compared with TcI Sylvatic in chronic phase (2.58 vs.0.75 parasite equivalents/ml). Conclusions/Significance The molecular tests are a precise tool to complement the standard diagnosis of Chagas disease, specifically in acute phase showing high discriminative power. However, it is necessary to improve the sensitivity of molecular tests in chronic phase. The frequency and parasitemia of TcIDom genotype in chronic patients highlight its possible relationship to the chronicity of the disease. PMID:27648938

Wolves--Fact and Fiction: Example Performance Package, Minnesota Profile of Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota State Dept. of Children, Families, and Learning, St. Paul.

Developed by classroom teachers during the development phase of Minnesota's Graduation Standards, these performance packages are made up of locally designed assignments that, taken together, show whether a student has learned and can apply the knowledge and skills related to comprehending literal meaning in reading, viewing and listening…

VR-simulation cataract surgery in non-experienced trainees: evolution of surgical skill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Söderberg, Per; Erngrund, Markus; Skarman, Eva; Nordh, Leif; Laurell, Carl-Gustaf

2011-03-01

Conclusion: The current data imply that the performance index as defined herein is a valid measure of the performance of a trainee using the virtual reality phacoemulsification simulator. Further, the performance index increase linearly with measurement cycles for less than five measurement cycles. To fully use the learning potential of the simulator more than four measurement cycles are required. Materials and methods: Altogether, 10 trainees were introduced to the simulator by an instructor and then performed a training program including four measurement cycles with three iterated measurements of the simulation at the end of each cycle. The simulation characteristics was standardized and defined in 14 parameters. The simulation was measured separately for the sculpting phase in 21 variables, and for the evacuation phase in 22 variables. A performance index based on all measured variables was estimated for the sculpting phase and the evacuation phase, respectively, for each measurement and the three measurements for each cycle were averaged. Finally, the performance as a function of measurement cycle was estimated for each trainee with regression, assuming a straight line. The estimated intercept and inclination coefficients, respectively, were finally averaged for all trainees. Results: The performance increased linearly with the number of measurement cycles both for the sculpting and for the evacuation phase.

A TASER conducted electrical weapon with cardiac biomonitoring capability: Proof of concept and initial human trial.

PubMed

Stopyra, Jason P; Ritter, Samuel I; Beatty, Jennifer; Johnson, James C; Kleiner, Douglas M; Winslow, James E; Gardner, Alison R; Bozeman, William P

2016-10-01

Despite research demonstrating the overall safety of Conducted Electrical Weapons (CEWs), commonly known by the brand name TASER(®), concerns remain regarding cardiac safety. The addition of cardiac biomonitoring capability to a CEW could prove useful and even lifesaving in the rare event of a medical crisis by detecting and analyzing cardiac rhythms during the period immediately after CEW discharge. To combine an electrocardiogram (ECG) device with a CEW to detect and store ECG signals while still allowing the CEW to perform its primary function of delivering an incapacitating electrical discharge. This work was performed in three phases. In Phase 1 standard law enforcement issue CEW cartridges were modified to demonstrate transmission of ECG signals. In Phase 2, a miniaturized ECG recorder was combined with a standard issue CEW and tested. In Phase 3, a prototype CEW with on-board cardiac biomonitoring was tested on human volunteers to assess its ability to perform its primary function of electrical incapacitation. Bench testing demonstrated that slightly modified CEW cartridge wires transmitted simulated ECG signals produced by an ECG rhythm generator and from a human volunteer. Ultimately, a modified CEW incorporating ECG monitoring successfully delivered incapacitating current to human volunteers and successfully recorded ECG signals from subcutaneous CEW probes after firing. An ECG recording device was successfully incorporated into a standard issue CEW without impeding the functioning of the device. This serves as proof-of-concept that safety measures such as cardiac biomonitoring can be incorporated into CEWs and possibly other law enforcement devices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Quantum displacement receiver for M-ary phase-shift-keyed coherent states

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

Izumi, Shuro; Takeoka, Masahiro; Fujiwara, Mikio

2014-12-04

We propose quantum receivers for 3- and 4-ary phase-shift-keyed (PSK) coherent state signals to overcome the standard quantum limit (SQL). Our receiver, consisting of a displacement operation and on-off detectors with or without feedforward, provides an error probability performance beyond the SQL. We show feedforward operations can tolerate the requirement for the detector specifications.

Design of a delayed XOR phase detector for an optical phase-locked loop toward high-speed coherent laser communication.

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Tong, Shoufeng; Chang, Shuai; Song, Yansong; Dong, Yan; Zhao, Xin; An, Zhe; Yu, Fuwan

2018-05-10

Optical phase-locked loops are an effective detection method in high-speed and long-distance laser communication. Although this method can detect weak signal light and maintain a small bit error rate, it is difficult to perform because identifying the phase difference between the signal light and the local oscillator accurately has always been a technical challenge. Thus, a series of studies is conducted to address this issue. First, a delayed exclusive or gate (XOR) phase detector with multi-level loop compound control is proposed. Then, a 50 ps delay line and relative signal-to-noise ratio control at 15 dB are produced through theoretical derivation and simulation. Thereafter, a phase discrimination module is designed on a 15  cm×5  cm printed circuit board board. Finally, the experiment platform is built for verification. Experimental results show that the phase discrimination range is -1.1 to 1.1 GHz, and the gain is 0.82 mV/MHz. Three times the standard deviation, that is, 0.064 V, is observed between the test and theoretical values. The accuracy of phase detection is better than 0.07 V, which meets the design standards. A coherent carrier recovery test system is established. The delayed XOR gate has good performance in this system. When the communication rate is 5 Gbps, the system realizes a bit error rate of 1.55×10 -8 when the optical power of the signal is -40.4  dBm. When the communication rate is increased to 10 Gbps, the detection sensitivity drops to -39.5  dBm and still shows good performance in high-speed communications. This work provides a reference for future high-speed coherent homodyne detection in space. Ideas for the next phase of this study are presented at the end of this paper.

Assessment of cardiac time intervals using high temporal resolution real-time spiral phase contrast with UNFOLDed-SENSE.

PubMed

Kowalik, Grzegorz T; Knight, Daniel S; Steeden, Jennifer A; Tann, Oliver; Odille, Freddy; Atkinson, David; Taylor, Andrew; Muthurangu, Vivek

2015-02-01

To develop a real-time phase contrast MR sequence with high enough temporal resolution to assess cardiac time intervals. The sequence utilized spiral trajectories with an acquisition strategy that allowed a combination of temporal encoding (Unaliasing by fourier-encoding the overlaps using the temporal dimension; UNFOLD) and parallel imaging (Sensitivity encoding; SENSE) to be used (UNFOLDed-SENSE). An in silico experiment was performed to determine the optimum UNFOLD filter. In vitro experiments were carried out to validate the accuracy of time intervals calculation and peak mean velocity quantification. In addition, 15 healthy volunteers were imaged with the new sequence, and cardiac time intervals were compared to reference standard Doppler echocardiography measures. For comparison, in silico, in vitro, and in vivo experiments were also carried out using sliding window reconstructions. The in vitro experiments demonstrated good agreement between real-time spiral UNFOLDed-SENSE phase contrast MR and the reference standard measurements of velocity and time intervals. The protocol was successfully performed in all volunteers. Subsequent measurement of time intervals produced values in keeping with literature values and good agreement with the gold standard echocardiography. Importantly, the proposed UNFOLDed-SENSE sequence outperformed the sliding window reconstructions. Cardiac time intervals can be successfully assessed with UNFOLDed-SENSE real-time spiral phase contrast. Real-time MR assessment of cardiac time intervals may be beneficial in assessment of patients with cardiac conditions such as diastolic dysfunction. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Rapid Quantitative Analysis of Naringenin in the Fruit Bodies of Inonotus vaninii by Two-phase Acid Hydrolysis Followed by Reversed Phase-high Performance Liquid Chromatography-ultra Violet.

PubMed

Guohua, Xia; Pan, Ruirong; Bao, Rui; Ge, Yanru; Zhou, Cunshan; Shen, Yuping

2017-01-01

Sanghuang is one of mystical traditional Chinese medicines recorded earliest 2000 years ago, that included various fungi of Inonotus genus and was well-known for antitumor effect in modern medicine. Inonotus vaninii is grown in natural forest of Northeastern China merely and used as Sanghuang commercially, but it has no quality control specification until now. This study was to establish a rapid method of two-phase acid hydrolysis followed by reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet (RP-HPLC-UV) to quantify naringenin in the fruit body of I. vaninii . Sample solution was prepared by pretreatment of raw material in two-phase acid hydrolysis and the hydrolysis technology was optimized. After reconstitution, analysis was performed using RP-HPLC-UV. The method validation was investigated and the naringenin content of sample and comparison were determined. The naringenin was obtained by two-phase acid hydrolysis method, namely, 10.0 g of raw material was hydrolyzed in 200 mL of 1% sulfuric acid aqueous solution (v/v) and 400 mL of chloroform in oil bath at 110°C for 2 h. Good linearity ( r = 0.9992) was achieved between concentration of analyte and peak area. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of precision was 2.47% and the RSD of naringenin contents for repeatability was 3.13%. The accuracy was supported with recoveries at 96.37%, 97.30%, and 99.31%. The sample solution prepared using the proposed method contained higher content of naringenin than conventional method and was stable for 8 h. Due to the high efficiency of sample preparation and high reliability of the HPLC method, it is feasible to use this method for routine analysis of naringenin in the fungus. A convenient two-phase acid hydrolysis was employed to produce naringenin from raw material, and then an efficient and reliable reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet method was established to monitor naringenin in the fruit bodies of Inonotus vaninii . The newly established method could be used to control the quality of the herb. Abbreviations used: RP-HPLC-UV: Reversed Phase-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultra Violet, RSD: Relative Standard Deviation, EtOAc: Ethyl acetate, ACN: Acetonitrile, MeOH: Methanol, RH: Relative Humility.

Determination of opiates and cocaine in urine by high pH mobile phase reversed phase UPLC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Berg, Thomas; Lundanes, Elsa; Christophersen, Asbjørg S; Strand, Dag Helge

2009-02-01

A fast and selective ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of opiates (morphine, codeine, 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), pholcodine, oxycodone, ethylmorphine), cocaine and benzoylecgonine in urine has been developed and validated. Sample preparation was performed by solid phase extraction (SPE) on a mixed mode cation exchange (MCX) cartridge. For optimized chromatographic performance with repeatable retention times, narrow and symmetrical peaks, and focusing of all analytes at the column inlet at gradient start, a basic mobile phase consisting of 5mM ammonium bicarbonate, pH 10.2, and methanol (MeOH) was chosen. Positive electrospray ionization (ESI(+)) MS/MS detection was performed with a minimum of two multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions for each analyte. Deuterium labelled-internal standards were used for six of the analytes. Between-assay retention time repeatabilities (n=10 series, 225 injections in total) had relative standard deviation (RSD) values within 0.1-0.6%. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values were in the range 0.003-0.05 microM (0.001-0.02 microg/mL) and 0.01-0.16 microM (0.003-0.06 microg/mL), respectively. The RSD values of the between-assay repeatabilities of concentrations were

A study of the optimal transition temperatue of PCM (Phase Change Material) wallboard for solar energy storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drake, J. B.

1987-09-01

The performance of wallboard impregnated with phase change material (PCM) is considered. An ideal setting is assumed and several measures of performance discussed. With a definition of optimal performance given, the performance with respect to variation of transition temperature is studied. Results are based on computer simulations of PCM wallboard with a standard stud wall construction. The diurnal heat capacity was found to be to be overly sensitive to numerical errors for use in PCM applications. The other measures of performance, diurnal effectiveness, net collected to storage ratio, and absolute discharge flux, all indicate similar trends. It is shown that the optimal transition temperature of the PCM is strongly influenced by the amount of solar flux absorbed.

[Determination of glycyrrhizinic acid in biotransformation system by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography].

PubMed

Li, Hui; Lu, Dingqiang; Liu, Weimin

2004-05-01

A method for determining glycyrrhizinic acid in the biotransformation system by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was developed. The HPLC conditions were as follows: Hypersil C18 column (4.6 mm i.d. x 250 mm, 5 microm) with a mixture of methanol-water-acetic acid (70:30:1, v/v) as the mobile phase; flow rate at 1.0 mL/min; and UV detection at 254 nm. The linear range of glycyrrhizinic acid was 0.2-20 microg. The recoveries were 98%-103% with relative standard deviations between 0.16% and 1.58% (n = 3). The method is simple, rapid and accurate for determining glycyrrhizinic acid.

Machine on Trial

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

executed a concerted effort to employ reliability standards and testing from the design phase through fielding. Reliability programs remain standard...performed flight test engineer duties on several developmental flight test programs and served as Chief Engineer for a flight test squadron. Major...Quant is an acquisition professional with over 250 flight test hours in various aircraft, including the F-16, Airborne Laser, and HH-60. She holds a

KLY5 Kappabridge: High sensitivity susceptibility and anisotropy meter precisely decomposing in-phase and out-of-phase components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pokorny, Petr; Pokorny, Jiri; Chadima, Martin; Hrouda, Frantisek; Studynka, Jan; Vejlupek, Josef

2016-04-01

The KLY5 Kappabridge is equipped, in addition to standard measurement of in-phase magnetic susceptibility and its anisotropy, for precise and calibrated measurement of out-of-phase susceptibility and its anisotropy. The phase angle is measured in "absolute" terms, i.e. without any residual phase error. The measured value of the out-of-phase susceptibility is independent on both the magnitude of the complex susceptibility and intensity of the driving magnetic field. The precise decomposition of the complex susceptibility into the in-phase and out-of-phase components is verified through presumably zero out-of-phase susceptibility of pure gadolinium oxide. The outstanding sensitivity in measurement of weak samples is achieved by newly developed drift compensation routine in addition to the latest models of electronic devices. In rocks, soils, and environmental materials, in which it is usually due to viscous relaxation, the out-of-phase susceptibility is able to substitute the more laborious frequency-dependent susceptibility routinely used in magnetic granulometry. Another new feature is measurement of the anisotropy of out-of-phase magnetic susceptibility (opAMS), which is also performed simultaneously and automatically with standard (in-phase) AMS measurement. The opAMS enables the direct determination of the magnetic sub-fabrics of the minerals that show non-zero out-of-phase susceptibility either due to viscous relaxation (ultrafine grains of magnetite or maghemite), or due to weak-field hysteresis (titanomagnetite, hematite, pyrrhotite), or due to eddy currents (in conductive minerals). Using the 3D rotator, the instrument performs the measurement of both the AMS and opAMS by only one insertion of the specimen into the specimen holder. In addition, fully automated measurement of the field variation of the AMS and opAMS is possible. The instrument is able to measure, in conjunction with the CS-4 Furnace and CS-L Cryostat, the temperature variation of susceptibility.

Phase noise analysis of voltage controlled oscillator used in cesium atomic clock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhi, Menghui; Tang, Liang; Qiao, Donghai

2017-03-01

Coherent population trapping (CPT) cesium frequency standard plays a significant role in precision guidance of missile and global positioning system (GPS). Low noise 4.596 GHz voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is an indispensable part of microwave signal source in cesium frequency standard. Low-phase noise is also the most important and difficult performance indicator of VCO. Starting from phase noise analysis method proposed by Leeson, the formulas about the relationship between phase noise of output signal of oscillator feedback model and phase fluctuation spectrum of amplifier, phase noise of oscillator are derived in this paper. Finally, the asymptote model of microwave oscillator is proposed based on the formula derivation. The experiment shows that when the reverse bias voltage of variode is 1.8 V, the designed oscillation frequency of VCO is 4.596 GHz, the power is -1 dBm and the DC power consumption is 19.6 mW. The tendency of phase noise simulation curve and actual test curve conform to asymptote model. The phase noise in 1 and 10 kHz is, respectively, -60.86 and -86.58 dBc/Hz. The significance of the paper lies in determining the main factors influencing oscillator phase noise and providing guiding direction for the design of low-phase noise VCO.

Multilevel photonic modules for millimeter-wave phased-array antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paolella, Arthur C.; Joshi, Abhay M.; Wright, James G.; Coryell, Louis A.

1998-11-01

Optical signal distribution for phased array antennas in communication system is advantageous to designers. By distributing the microwave and millimeter wave signal through optical fiber there is the potential for improved performance and lower weight. In addition when applied to communication satellites this weight saving translates into substantially reduced launch costs. The goal of the Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is the development of multi-level photonic modules for phased array antennas. The proposed module with ultimately comprise of a monolithic, InGaAs/InP p-i-n photodetector-p-HEMT power amplifier, opto-electronic integrated circuit, that has 44 GHz bandwidth and output power of 50 mW integrated with a planar antenna. The photodetector will have a high quantum efficiency and will be front-illuminated, thereby improved optical performance. Under Phase I a module was developed using standard MIC technology with a high frequency coaxial feed interconnect.

Tech Reading/Small Engines: Performance Package, Minnesota Profile of Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota State Dept. of Children, Families, and Learning, St. Paul.

Developed by classroom teachers during the development phase of Minnesota's Graduation Standards, this performance package is made up of locally designed assignments that, taken together, show whether a student has learned and can apply the knowledge and skills related to technical reading regarding small engines. It begins with reference to the…

Cost-Efficient Phase Noise Measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perić, Ana; Bjelica, Milan

2014-05-01

In this paper, an automated system for oscillator phase noise measurement is described. The system is primarily intended for use in academic institutions, such as smaller university or research laboratories, as it deploys standard spectrum analyzer and free software. A method to compensate the effect of instrument intrinsic noise is proposed. Through series of experimental tests, good performances of our system are verified and compliance to theoretical expectations is demonstrated.

[Preparation of flavonoid reference standards from Scutellariae Radix under the guidance of high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis].

PubMed

Guo, Henan; Yang, Xuedong; Liu, Jun; Zheng, Wenfeng

2012-07-01

Flavonoid reference standards were targeted-prepared from Scutellariae Radix under the guidance of high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis. With HPLC-MS analysis of Scutellariae Radix, 19 flavonoid components were identified by analyzing and comparing their retention times, ultraviolet spectra, and mass spectrometry data with literature. The separation and purification protocols of all targeted flavonoid reference standards were optimally designed according to the results of HPLC-MS analysis and related literature. The ethanol extract of Scutellariae Radix was suspended in water and extracted with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol successively. The ethyl acetate extract and n-butanol extract were separately subjected to primary separation by low pressure reverse phase preparative chromatography. Then the fractions containing targeted compounds were further purified by low pressure reverse and normal phases preparative chromatography. Finally, baicalin and wogonoside reference standards were obtained from n-butanol extract; baicaelin, wogonin, and oroxylin A reference standards were obtained from ethyl acetate extract. The structures of the 5 reference standards were identified by mass spectrometry (MS) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. The HPLC analytical results showed that the purities of the 5 reference standards were all above 98%. It is demonstrated that the rapid targeted-preparation method under the guidance of the HPLC-MS analysis is applicable for the isolation and preparation of chemical components in traditional Chinese medicines.

Impaired flexible decision-making in Major Depressive Disorder.

PubMed

Cella, Matteo; Dymond, Simon; Cooper, Andy

2010-07-01

Depression is associated with dysfunctional affective states, neuropsychological impairment and altered sensitivity to reward and punishment. These impairments can influence complex decision-making in changing environments. The contingency shifting variant Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) was used to assess flexible decision-making performance in a group of medicated unipolar Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients (n=19) and a group of healthy control volunteers (n=20). The task comprised the standard IGT followed by a contingency-shift phase where decks progressively changed reward and punishment schedule. Patients with MDD showed impaired performance compared to controls during both the standard and the contingency-shift phases of the IGT. Analysis of the contingency-shift phase demonstrated that individuals with depression had difficulties perceiving when a previously bad contingency became good. The present findings have several limitations including small sample size, the possible confounding role of medication and absence of other neuropsychological tests (i.e., executive function). Depressed patients show impaired decision-making behaviour in static and dynamic environments. Altered sensitivity to reward and punishment is proposed as the mechanism responsible for the lack of advantageous choices and poor adjustment to a changing environment.

Experimental Evaluation of Grid Support Enabled PV Inverter Response to Abnormal Grid Conditions

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

Nelson, Austin A; Martin, Gregory D; Hurtt, James

As revised interconnection standards for grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) inverters address new advanced grid support functions (GSFs), there is increasing interest in inverter performance in the case of abnormal grid conditions. The growth of GSF-enabled inverters has outpaced the industry standards that define their operation, although recently published updates to UL1741 Supplement SA define test conditions for GSFs such as volt-var control, frequency-watt control, and voltage/frequency ride-through, among others. This paper describes the results of a comparative experimental evaluation on four commercially available, three-phase PV inverters in the 24.0-39.8 kVA power range on their GSF capability and its effect on abnormalmore » grid condition response. The evaluation examined the impact particular GSF implementations have on run-on times during islanding conditions, peak voltages in load rejection overvoltage scenarios, and peak currents during single-phase and three-phase fault events for individual inverters. Testing results indicated a wide variance in the performance of GSF enabled inverters to various test cases.« less

Final waste forms project: Performance criteria for phase I treatability studies

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

Gilliam, T.M.; Hutchins, D.A.; Chodak, P. III

1994-06-01

This document defines the product performance criteria to be used in Phase I of the Final Waste Forms Project. In Phase I, treatability studies will be performed to provide {open_quotes}proof-of-principle{close_quotes} data to establish the viability of stabilization/solidification (S/S) technologies. This information is required by March 1995. In Phase II, further treatability studies, some at the pilot scale, will be performed to provide sufficient data to allow treatment alternatives identified in Phase I to be more fully developed and evaluated, as well as to reduce performance uncertainties for those methods chosen to treat a specific waste. Three main factors influence themore » development and selection of an optimum waste form formulation and hence affect selection of performance criteria. These factors are regulatory, process-specific, and site-specific waste form standards or requirements. Clearly, the optimum waste form formulation will require consideration of performance criteria constraints from each of the three categories. Phase I will focus only on the regulatory criteria. These criteria may be considered the minimum criteria for an acceptable waste form. In other words, a S/S technology is considered viable only if it meet applicable regulatory criteria. The criteria to be utilized in the Phase I treatability studies were primarily taken from Environmental Protection Agency regulations addressed in 40 CFR 260 through 265 and 268; and Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations addressed in 10 CFR 61. Thus the majority of the identified criteria are independent of waste form matrix composition (i.e., applicable to cement, glass, organic binders etc.).« less

Preparation of a polybutadiene stationary phase immobilized by gamma radiation for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Lopes, Nilva P; Collins, Kenneth E; Jardim, Isabel C S F

2003-02-14

Polybutadiene (PBD) has been immobilized on HPLC silica by gamma radiation doses in the range from 5 to 180 kGy. Columns prepared from these reversed-phase materials, as well as from similar non-irradiated materials, were tested with standard sample mixtures and characterized by elemental analysis (% C) and infrared spectroscopy. A low dose of 5 kGy is sufficient to produce a layer of immobilized PBD which functions as an efficient and stable stationary phase. Higher doses give thicker immobilized layers having less favorable chromatographic properties.

Determination of fluoroquinolones in cattle manure-based biogas residue by ultrasonic-enhanced microwave-assisted extraction followed by online solid phase extraction-ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Lu, Xue-Feng; Zhou, Yang; Zhang, Jian; Ren, Yu-Peng

2018-06-01

The present work describes the development and application of an ultrasonic-enhanced microwave-assisted extraction (UEMAE) followed by online solid phase extraction (SPE)-ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of 14 fluoroquinolones in cattle manure-based biogas residue (CMBBR). The UEMAE was performed using the mixed solution of sodium dihydrogen phosphate and disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, avoiding use of any organic solvent. The online SPE system employed two solid phase extraction columns in a parallel manner, and the extraction was performed by passing 1 mL of the extract through the column. Quantification was performed using standard spiked samples and structural analogue internal standard, which were indispensable to reduce the matrix effects. Validation parameters were performed and good linearity (R 2  > 0.99 in all cases) and precision (inter- and intra-day relative standard deviations were lower than 12.8%) were obtained. Limits of detection were as low as 0.021 ng ∙ g -1 and lower limits of quantification were 0.5 ng ∙ g -1 for all fluoroquinolones. The overall extraction recovery, which was the product of the UEMAE recovery and the online SPE recovery, was assessed for three concentration levels (0.8, 40 and 400 ng ∙ g -1 ) and acceptable values (74.3-99.3%) were found. As a part of the method validation, the developed method has been used to analyze real CMBBR samples. Nine fluoroquinolones were found in the concentration range of 0.9-74.6 ng ∙ g -1 , while five were not detected in the samples. The results showed the method could be adapted for screening the presence or the final fate of fluoroquinolones during fermentation of animal waste. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Carbon Mineralization by Aqueous Precipitation for Beneficial Use of CO2 from Flue Gas

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

Brent Constantz; Randy Seeker; Martin Devenney

2010-06-30

Calera's innovative Mineralization via Aqueous Precipitation (MAP) technology for the capture and conversion of CO{sub 2} to useful materials for use in the built environment was further developed and proven in the Phase 1 Department of Energy Grant. The process was scaled to 300 gallon batch reactors and subsequently to Pilot Plant scale for the continuous production of product with the production of reactive calcium carbonate material that was evaluated as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). The Calera SCM{trademark} was evaluated as a 20% replacement for ordinary portland cement and demonstrated to meet the industry specification ASTM 1157 which ismore » a standard performance specification for hydraulic cement. The performance of the 20% replacement material was comparable to the 100% ordinary portland cement control in terms of compressive strength and workability as measured by a variety of ASTM standard tests. In addition to the performance metrics, detailed characterization of the Calera SCM was performed using advanced analytical techniques to better understand the material interaction with the phases of ordinary portland cement. X-ray synchrotron diffraction studies at the Advanced Photon Source in Argonne National Lab confirmed the presence of an amorphous phase(s) in addition to the crystalline calcium carbonate phases in the reactive carbonate material. The presence of carboaluminate phases as a result of the interaction of the reactive carbonate materials with ordinary portland cement was also confirmed. A Life Cycle Assessment was completed for several cases based on different Calera process configurations and compared against the life cycle of ordinary portland cement. In addition to the materials development efforts, the Calera technology for the production of product using an innovative building materials demonstration plant was developed beyond conceptual engineering to a detailed design with a construction schedule and cost estimate.« less

Fully automated contour detection of the ascending aorta in cardiac 2D phase-contrast MRI.

PubMed

Codari, Marina; Scarabello, Marco; Secchi, Francesco; Sforza, Chiarella; Baselli, Giuseppe; Sardanelli, Francesco

2018-04-01

In this study we proposed a fully automated method for localizing and segmenting the ascending aortic lumen with phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI). Twenty-five phase-contrast series were randomly selected out of a large population dataset of patients whose cardiac MRI examination, performed from September 2008 to October 2013, was unremarkable. The local Ethical Committee approved this retrospective study. The ascending aorta was automatically identified on each phase of the cardiac cycle using a priori knowledge of aortic geometry. The frame that maximized the area, eccentricity, and solidity parameters was chosen for unsupervised initialization. Aortic segmentation was performed on each frame using active contouring without edges techniques. The entire algorithm was developed using Matlab R2016b. To validate the proposed method, the manual segmentation performed by a highly experienced operator was used. Dice similarity coefficient, Bland-Altman analysis, and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used as performance metrics. Comparing automated and manual segmentation of the aortic lumen on 714 images, Bland-Altman analysis showed a bias of -6.68mm 2 , a coefficient of repeatability of 91.22mm 2 , a mean area measurement of 581.40mm 2 , and a reproducibility of 85%. Automated and manual segmentation were highly correlated (R=0.98). The Dice similarity coefficient versus the manual reference standard was 94.6±2.1% (mean±standard deviation). A fully automated and robust method for identification and segmentation of ascending aorta on PC-MRI was developed. Its application on patients with a variety of pathologic conditions is advisable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of secondary metabolites from Vinca rosea plant extractives by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography

PubMed Central

Siddiqui, Mohammad Jamshed Ahmad; Ismail, Zhari; Saidan, Noor Hafizoh

2011-01-01

Background: Vinca rosea (Apocynaceae) is one of the most important and high value medicinal plants known for its anticancer alkaloids. It is the iota of the isolated secondary metabolites used in chemotherapy to treat diverse cancers. Several high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods have been developed to quantify the active alkaloids in the plant. However, this method may serve the purpose in quantification of V. rosea plant extracts in totality. Objective: To develop and validate the reverse phase (RP)-HPLC method for simultaneous determination of secondary metabolites, namely alkaloids from V. rosea plant extracts. Materials and Methods: The quantitative determination was conducted by RP-HPLC equipped with ultraviolet detector. Optimal separation was achieved by isocratic elution with mobile phase consisting of methanol:acetonitrile:ammonium acetate buffer (25 mM) with 0.1% triethylamine (15:45:40 v/v) on a column (Zorbax Eclipse plus C18, 250 mm % 4.6 mm; 5 μm). The standard markers (vindoline, vincristine, catharanthine, and vinblastine) were identified by retention time and co-injected with reference standard and quantified by external standard method at 297 nm. Results: The precision of the method was confirmed by the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.), which was lower than 2.68%. The recoveries were in the range of 98.09%-108%. The limits of detection (LOD) for each marker alkaloids were lower than 0.20 μg. Different parts of the V. rosea extracts shows different concentrations of markers, flower samples were high in vinblastine content, while methanol extract from the leaves contains all the four alkaloids in good yield, and there is no significant presence of markers in water extracts. Conclusion: HPLC method established is appropriate for the standardization and quality assurance of V. rosea plant extracts. PMID:21716929

The variable and chaotic nature of professional golf performance.

PubMed

Stöckl, Michael; Lamb, Peter F

2018-05-01

In golf, unlike most other sports, individual performance is not the result of direct interactions between players. Instead decision-making and performance is influenced by numerous constraining factors affecting each shot. This study looked at the performance of PGA TOUR golfers in 2011 in terms of stability and variability on a shot-by-shot basis. Stability and variability were assessed using Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) and standard deviation, respectively. About 10% of all shots comprised short stable phases of performance (3.7 ± 1.1 shots per stable phase). Stable phases tended to consist of shots of typical performance, rather than poor or exceptional shots; this finding was consistent for all shot categories. Overall, stability measures were not correlated with tournament performance. Variability across all shots was not related to tournament performance; however, variability in tee shots and short approach shots was higher than for other shot categories. Furthermore, tee shot variability was related to tournament standing: decreased variability was associated with better tournament ranking. The findings in this study showed that PGA TOUR golf performance is chaotic. Further research on amateur golf performance is required to determine whether the structure of amateur golf performance is universal.

Classification of standard-like heterotic-string vacua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faraggi, Alon E.; Rizos, John; Sonmez, Hasan

2018-02-01

We extend the free fermionic classification methodology to the class of standard-like heterotic-string vacua, in which the SO (10) GUT symmetry is broken at the string level to SU (3) × SU (2) × U(1) 2. The space of GGSO free phase configurations in this case is vastly enlarged compared to the corresponding SO (6) × SO (4) and SU (5) × U (1) vacua. Extracting substantial numbers of phenomenologically viable models therefore requires a modification of the classification methods. This is achieved by identifying conditions on the GGSO projection coefficients, which are satisfied at the SO (10) level by random phase configurations, and that lead to three generation models with the SO (10) symmetry broken to the SU (3) × SU (2) × U(1) 2 subgroup. Around each of these fertile SO (10) configurations, we perform a complete classification of standard-like models, by adding the SO (10) symmetry breaking basis vectors, and scanning all the associated GGSO phases. Following this methodology we are able to generate some 107 three generation Standard-like Models. We present the results of the classification and one exemplary model with distinct phenomenological properties, compared to previous SLM constructions.

Evaluation of the Dark-Medium Objective Lens in Counting Asbestos Fibers by Phase-Contrast Microscopy

PubMed Central

Lee, Eun Gyung; Nelson, John H.; Kashon, Michael L.; Harper, Martin

2015-01-01

A Japanese round-robin study revealed that analysts who used a dark-medium (DM) objective lens reported higher fiber counts from American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Proficiency Analytical Testing (PAT) chrysotile samples than those using a standard objective lens, but the cause of this difference was not investigated at that time. The purpose of this study is to determine any major source of this difference by performing two sets of round-robin studies. For the first round-robin study, 15 AIHA PAT samples (five each of chrysotile and amosite generated by water-suspended method, and five chrysotile generated by aerosolization method) were prepared with relocatable cover slips and examined by nine laboratories. A second round-robin study was then performed with six chrysotile field sample slides by six out of nine laboratories who participated in the first round-robin study. In addition, two phase-shift test slides to check analysts’ visibility and an eight-form diatom test plate to compare resolution between the two objectives were examined. For the AIHA PAT chrysotile reference slides, use of the DM objective resulted in consistently higher fiber counts (1.45 times for all data) than the standard objective (P-value < 0.05), regardless of the filter generation (water-suspension or aerosol) method. For the AIHA PAT amosite reference and chrysotile field sample slides, the fiber counts between the two objectives were not significantly different. No statistically significant differences were observed in the visibility of blocks of the test slides between the two objectives. Also, the DM and standard objectives showed no pattern of differences in viewing the fine lines and/or dots of each species images on the eight-form diatom test plate. Among various potential factors that might affect the analysts’ performance of fiber counts, this study supports the greater contrast caused by the different phase plate absorptions as the main cause of high counts for the AIHA PAT chrysotile slides using the DM objective. The comparison of fiber count ratios (DM/standard) between the AIHA PAT chrysotile samples and chrysotile field samples indicates that there is a fraction of fibers in the PAT samples approaching the theoretical limit of visibility of the phase-contrast microscope with 3-degree phase-shift. These fibers become more clearly visible through the greater contrast from the phase plate absorption of the DM objective. However, as such fibers are not present in field samples, no difference in counts between the two objectives was observed in this study. The DM objective, therefore, could be allowed for routine fiber counting as it will maintain continuity with risk assessments based on earlier phase-contrast microscopy fiber counts from field samples. Published standard methods would need to be modified to allow a higher aperture specification for the objective. PMID:25737333

Georgia Long-Term Pavement Performance (GALTPP) Program – Maintaining Georgia’s Calibration Sites and Identifying the Potential for Using MEPDG for Characterization of Non-Standard Materials and Methods (Phase 1)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-10-01

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has initiated a Georgia Long-Term Pavement Performance (GALTPP) monitoring program 1) to provide data for calibrating the prediction models in the AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEP...

Phases-of-illness paradigm: better communication, better outcomes

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-28

ILP) 2. Hold continuous sedation at 0600 ( nurse ) 3. Notify RT when the patient is ‘awake’ ( nurse ) 4. Perform breathing trial (RT) CVP, central...recovery phases. Patients transitioned to palliative care would exit this model into a palliative care ‘phase’ that is distinct because it is blind...patient-driven standardization of supportive care elements, such as types of monitoring, frequency and type of laboratory assessment, sedation

Validation of an electrospray ionisation LC-MS/MS method for quantitative analysis of telaprevir and its R-diastereomer.

PubMed

Penchala, Sujan Dilly; Tjia, John; El Sherif, Omar; Back, David J; Khoo, Saye H; Else, Laura J

2013-08-01

A sensitive high-performance reverse phase liquid chromatography-positive ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantification of telaprevir and its inactive R-diastereomer (VRT-127394) in human plasma. The analytes and the internal standard (telaprevir-d11) were extracted from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction using tert-Butyl methyl ether (TBME). Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed-phase Accucore C18 column with a gradient programme consisting of water:ammonia (25%), 100:0.01 (v/v) (mobile phase A) and ACN:MeOH:ammonia (25%), 15:85:0.01 (v/v/v) (mobile phase B). The MS acquisition was performed with selective reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M+H](+) ions, m/z 680.59→322.42 for telaprevir and VRT-127394, and 691.15→110.13 for telaprevir-d11. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 5-5000ng/mL for telaprevir and VRT-127394. Acceptable precision (%RSD<6.5%) and accuracy (94-108%) were obtained for concentrations over the range of the standard curve. A procedure was established to stabilise the plasma to prevent ex vivo interconversion of the isomers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural Identification And Seismic Analysis Of An Existing Masonry Building

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

Del Monte, Emanuele; Galano, Luciano; Ortolani, Barbara

2008-07-08

The paper presents the diagnostic investigation and the seismic analysis performed on an ancient masonry building in Florence. The building has historical interest and is subjected to conservative restrictions. The investigation involves a preliminary phase concerning the research of the historic documents and a second phase of execution of in situ and laboratory tests to detect the mechanical characteristics of the masonry. This investigation was conceived in order to obtain the 'LC2 Knowledge Level' and to perform the non-linear pushover analysis according to the new Italian Standards for seismic upgrading of existing masonry buildings.

[Determination of 23 antibiotics and 3 β-agonists in livestock drinking water by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled with solid-phase extraction].

PubMed

Shi, Ao

2016-02-01

A method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 23 antibiotics (four categories) and 3 β-agonists in livestock drinking water using solid-phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI MS/MS). The samples were adjusted pH to 5. 0, added Na2EDTA, enriched and cleaned-up by an HLB solid-phase extraction cartridge. The target compounds were confirmed and quantified by UPLC-ESI MS/MS with external standard method for the anti- biotics and internal standard method for the β-agonists. The recoveries were assessed by using lab tap water as matrix. The average recoveries of the 23 antibiotics and the 3 β-agonists were in the range of 50. 7%-104. 6% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 2. 6%-8. 8% (n= 3). Under the optimal conditions, the calibration curves of the 23 antibiotics and the 3 β-agonists showed good linearity with the correlation coefficients better than 0. 994. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N≥3) ranged from 0. 01-0. 20 ng/L. The developed method was applied to analyze the livestock drinking waters in 36 Beijing intensive livestock farms. The results showed that some antibiotics were detected.

Thermodynamics of the sorption of water-soluble vitamins in reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chirkin, V. A.; Karpov, S. I.; Selemenev, V. F.

2012-12-01

The thermodynamics of the sorption of certain water-soluble vitamins on a C18 reverse phase from water-acetonitrile solutions of different compositions is studied. The thermodynamic characteristics of the investigated chromatographic systems are calculated. The dependences of standard molar enthalpy and changes in entropy when the sorbate transfers from the bulk solution to the surface layer on the concentration of the organic component in the mobile phase are analyzed. The boundaries for applying the main retention models describing the sorption of the investigated compounds are discussed.

Report of improved performance in Talbot–Lau phase-contrast computed tomography

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

Weber, Thomas, E-mail: thomas.weber@fau.de; Pelzer, Georg; Rieger, Jens

Purpose: Many expectations have been raised since the use of conventional x-ray tubes on grating-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging. Despite a reported increase in contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in many publications, there is doubt on whether phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) is advantageous in clinical CT scanners in vivo. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this discussion by analyzing the performance of a phase-contrast CT laboratory setup. Methods: A phase-contrast CT performance analysis was done. Projection images of a phantom were recorded, and image slices were reconstructed using standard filtered back projection methods. The resulting image slices were analyzed bymore » determining the CNRs in the attenuation and phase image. These results were compared to analytically calculated expectations according to the already published phase-contrast CT performance analysis by Raupach and Flohr [Med. Phys. 39, 4761–4774 (2012)]. There, a severe mistake was found leading to wrong predictions of the performance of phase-contrast CT. The error was corrected and with the new formulae, the experimentally obtained results matched the analytical calculations. Results: The squared ratios of the phase-contrast CNR and the attenuation CNR obtained in the authors’ experiment are five- to ten-fold higher than predicted by Raupach and Flohr [Med. Phys. 39, 4761–4774 (2012)]. The effective lateral spatial coherence length deduced outnumbers the already optimistic assumption of Raupach and Flohr [Med. Phys. 39, 4761–4774 (2012)] by a factor of 3. Conclusions: The authors’ results indicate that the assumptions made in former performance analyses are pessimistic. The break-even point, when phase-contrast CT outperforms attenuation CT, is within reach even with realistic, nonperfect gratings. Further improvements to state-of-the-art clinical CT scanners, like increasing the spatial resolution, could change the balance in favor of phase-contrast computed tomography even more. This could be done by, e.g., quantum-counting pixel detectors with four-fold smaller pixel pitches.« less

Standardization of HPTLC method for the estimation of oxytocin in edibles.

PubMed

Rani, Roopa; Medhe, Sharad; Raj, Kumar Rohit; Srivastava, Manmohan

2013-12-01

Adulteration in food stuff has been regarded as a major social evil and is a mind-boggling problem in society. In this study, a rapid, reliable and cost effective High Performance thin layer Chromatography (HPTLC) has been established for the estimation of oxytocin (adulterant) in vegetables, fruits and milk samples. Oxytocin is one of the most frequently used adulterant added in vegetables and fruits for increasing the growth rate and also to enhance milk production from lactating animals. The standardization of the method was based on simulation parameters of mobile phase, stationary phase and saturation time. The mobile phase used was MeOH: Ammonia (pH 6.8), optimized stationary phase was silica gel and saturation time of 5 min. The method was validated by testing its linearity, accuracy, precision, repeatability and limits of detection and quantification. Thus, the proposed method is simple, rapid and specific and was successfully employed for quality and quantity monitoring of oxytocin content in edible products.

Errors in the Extra-Analytical Phases of Clinical Chemistry Laboratory Testing.

PubMed

Zemlin, Annalise E

2018-04-01

The total testing process consists of various phases from the pre-preanalytical to the post-postanalytical phase, the so-called brain-to-brain loop. With improvements in analytical techniques and efficient quality control programmes, most laboratory errors now occur in the extra-analytical phases. There has been recent interest in these errors with numerous publications highlighting their effect on service delivery, patient care and cost. This interest has led to the formation of various working groups whose mission is to develop standardized quality indicators which can be used to measure the performance of service of these phases. This will eventually lead to the development of external quality assessment schemes to monitor these phases in agreement with ISO15189:2012 recommendations. This review focuses on potential errors in the extra-analytical phases of clinical chemistry laboratory testing, some of the studies performed to assess the severity and impact of these errors and processes that are in place to address these errors. The aim of this review is to highlight the importance of these errors for the requesting clinician.

Evolutionary dynamics and the phase structure of the minority game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Baosheng; Chen, Kan

2004-06-01

We show that a simple evolutionary scheme, when applied to the minority game (MG), changes the phase structure of the game. In this scheme each agent evolves individually whenever his wealth reaches the specified bankruptcy level, in contrast to the evolutionary schemes used in the previous works. We show that evolution greatly suppresses herding behavior, and it leads to better overall performance of the agents. Similar to the standard nonevolutionary MG, the dependence of the standard deviation σ on the number of agents N and the memory length m can be characterized by a universal curve. We suggest a crowd-anticrowd theory for understanding the effect of evolution in the MG.

A widely tunable 10-μm quantum cascade laser phase-locked to a state-of-the-art mid-infrared reference for precision molecular spectroscopy

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

Sow, P. L. T.; Mejri, S.; Tokunaga, S. K.

2014-06-30

We report the coherent phase-locking of a quantum cascade laser (QCL) at 10-μm to the secondary frequency standard of this spectral region, a CO{sub 2} laser stabilized on a saturated absorption line of OsO{sub 4}. The stability and accuracy of the standard are transferred to the QCL resulting in a line width of the order of 10 Hz, and leading to the narrowest QCL to date. The locked QCL is then used to perform absorption spectroscopy spanning 6 GHz of NH{sub 3} and methyltrioxorhenium, two species of interest for applications in precision measurements.

Sex differences on the competitive place task in the water maze: The influence of peripheral pool time on spatial navigation performance in rats.

PubMed

Devan, Bryan D; Tobin, Elizabeth L; Dunn, Emily N; Magalis, Christopher

2016-11-01

This study investigated sex differences on the competitive place version of the Morris water maze task to determine whether potential strategy differences would emerge during any phase of the study but in particular on the competitive place phase. Previous findings indicate that this version of the task is highly sensitive to measures that disrupt NMDA-dependent synaptic plasticity within the hippocampus during memory consolidation (McDonald et al., 2005). The present findings revealed significant sex differences during all phases of the study, including Phase I with standard place training to located a hidden platform/goal, Phase II mass training to a new place with the platform/goal relocated to the diagonally opposite quadrant and Phase III, competitive place probe test with the platform removed to measure spatial behaviour directed at either location. The findings showed no sex difference in escape latency and other standard performance measures during the first two phases, initial place acquisition and mass training to a new location. A very subtle male advantage in visiting both Old and New place locations during the third phase place competition test was observed, however, in the time spent swimming in the periphery of the pool, the pool wall (Zone C - outer third radial distance) was increased for females during all phases of the study, suggesting a general effect may have influenced place location search behaviour of the females. Increased peripheral pool time may represent a female preference for approaching the wall, a local cue. Alternatively, the possibility that increased peripheral swimming/thigmotaxis may represent hormonal influences interacting with strategic preferences were discussed, though no definitive conclusions about sex differences in cognitive-spatial performance or memory consolidation were inferred from the present findings. The findings suggest that mixed results reported in the literature by others may be due in part to an interaction with a persistent peripheral pool swimming response demonstrated in female rats. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analyses in Support of Risk-Informed Natural Gas Vehicle Maintenance Facility Codes and Standards: Phase II.

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

Blaylock, Myra L.; LaFleur, Chris Bensdotter; Muna, Alice Baca

Safety standards development for maintenance facilities of liquid and compressed natural gas fueled vehicles is required to ensure proper facility design and operating procedures. Standard development organizations are utilizing risk-informed concepts to develop natural gas vehicle (NGV) codes and standards so that maintenance facilities meet acceptable risk levels. The present report summarizes Phase II work for existing NGV repair facility code requirements and highlights inconsistencies that need quantitative analysis into their effectiveness. A Hazardous and Operability study was performed to identify key scenarios of interest using risk ranking. Detailed simulations and modeling were performed to estimate the location and behaviormore » of natural gas releases based on these scenarios. Specific code conflicts were identified, and ineffective code requirements were highlighted and resolutions proposed. These include ventilation rate basis on area or volume, as well as a ceiling offset which seems ineffective at protecting against flammable gas concentrations. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors gratefully acknowledge Bill Houf (SNL -- Retired) for his assistance with the set-up and post-processing of the numerical simulations. The authors also acknowledge Doug Horne (retired) for his helpful discussions. We would also like to acknowledge the support from the Clean Cities program of DOE's Vehicle Technology Office.« less

The Statistical Loop Analyzer (SLA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsey, W. C.

1985-01-01

The statistical loop analyzer (SLA) is designed to automatically measure the acquisition, tracking and frequency stability performance characteristics of symbol synchronizers, code synchronizers, carrier tracking loops, and coherent transponders. Automated phase lock and system level tests can also be made using the SLA. Standard baseband, carrier and spread spectrum modulation techniques can be accomodated. Through the SLA's phase error jitter and cycle slip measurements the acquisition and tracking thresholds of the unit under test are determined; any false phase and frequency lock events are statistically analyzed and reported in the SLA output in probabilistic terms. Automated signal drop out tests can be performed in order to trouble shoot algorithms and evaluate the reacquisition statistics of the unit under test. Cycle slip rates and cycle slip probabilities can be measured using the SLA. These measurements, combined with bit error probability measurements, are all that are needed to fully characterize the acquisition and tracking performance of a digital communication system.

Evaluation of Neutron Elastic Scatter (NES) technique for detection of graphitic corrosion in gas cast iron pipe. Final report, March 1996-April 1997

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

Charatis, G.; Hugg, E.; McEllistrem, M.

1997-04-01

PENETRON, Inc., in two phases, demonstrated the effectiveness of its Neutron elastic Scatter (NES) techniques in detecting the change in the carbon weight percentage (CWt%) as a measure of corrosion in gray cast iron pipe. In Phase I, experiments were performed with synthetic standards supplied by IIT Research Institute (IITRI) to test the applicability of the NES techniques. Irradiation experiments performed at the University of Kentucky showed that CWt% could be detected, ranging from 1.6% to 13%, within an uncertainty of around 4%. In Phase II, experiments were performed on seven (7) corroded pipe sections supplied by MichCon. Tests weremore » made on pipe sliced lengthwise into quarter sections, and in re-assembled whole pipe sections. X-ray films of the quarter sections indicated probable areas of corrosion for each quarter section.« less

Preparation and application of in-fibre internal standardization solid-phase microextraction.

PubMed

Zhao, Wennan; Ouyang, Gangfeng; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2007-03-01

The in-fibre standardization method is a novel approach that has been developed for field sampling/sample preparation, in which an internal standard is pre-loaded onto a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibre for calibration of the extraction of target analytes in field samples. The same method can also be used for in-vial sample analysis. In this study, different techniques to load the standard to a non-porous SPME fibre were investigated. It was found that the appropriateness of the technique depends on the physical properties of the standards that are used for the analysis. Headspace extraction of the standard dissolved in pumping oil works well for volatile compounds. Conversely, headspace extraction of the pure standard is an effective approach for semi-volatile compounds. For compounds with low volatility, a syringe-fibre transfer method and direct extraction of the standard dissolved in a solvent exhibited a good reproducibility (<5% RSD). The main advantage of the approaches investigated in this study is that the standard generation vials can be reused for hundreds of analyses without exhibiting significant loss. Moreover, most of the standard loading processes studied can be performed automatically, which is efficient and precise. Finally, the standard loading technique and in-fibre standardization method were applied to a complex matrix (milk) and the results illustrated that the matrix effect can be effectively compensated for with this approach.

A randomized clinical trial in preterm infants on the effects of a home-based early intervention with the 'CareToy System'

PubMed Central

Sgandurra, Giuseppina; Lorentzen, Jakob; Inguaggiato, Emanuela; Bartalena, Laura; Beani, Elena; Cecchi, Francesca; Dario, Paolo; Giampietri, Matteo; Greisen, Gorm; Herskind, Anna; Nielsen, Jens Bo; Rossi, Giuseppe; Cioni, Giovanni

2017-01-01

CareToy system is an innovative tele-rehabilitative tool, useful in providing intensive, individualized, home-based, family-centred Early Intervention (EI) in infants. Our aim was to evaluate, through a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) study, the effects of CareToy intervention on early motor and visual development in preterm infants. 41 preterm infants (range age: 3.0–5.9 months of corrected age) were enrolled and randomized into two groups, CareToy and Standard Care. 19 infants randomized in CareToy group performed a 4-week CareToy program, while 22 allocated to control group completed 4 weeks of Standard Care. Infant Motor Profile (IMP) was primary outcome measure, Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) and Teller Acuity Cards were secondary ones. Assessments were carried out at baseline (T0) and at the end of CareToy training or Standard Care period (T1). T1 was the primary endpoint. After RCT phase, 17 infants from control group carried out a 4-week CareToy program, while 18 infants from the CareToy group continued with Standard Care. At the end of this phase, infants were re-assessed at T2. In RCT phase, delta IMP total score and variation and performance sub-domains were significantly higher (P<0.050) in CareToy group if compared to Standard Care group. Similar results were found for Teller Acuity Cards, while no differences between groups were found for AIMS. No differences were found in any outcome measure results (T2-T0), between infants who started CareToy training before or after one month of standard care. This RCT study confirms the results of a previous pilot study, indicating that CareToy system can provide effective home-based EI. Trial Registration: This trial has been registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier NCT01990183). PMID:28328946

RE-PERG, a new procedure for electrophysiologic diagnosis of glaucoma that may improve PERG specificity.

PubMed

Mavilio, Alberto; Sisto, Dario; Ferreri, Paolo; Cardascia, Nicola; Alessio, Giovanni

2017-01-01

A significant variability of the second harmonic (2ndH) phase of steady-state pattern electroretinogram (SS-PERG) in intrasession retest has been recently described in glaucoma patients (GP), which has not been found in healthy subjects. To evaluate the reliability of phase variability in retest (a procedure called RE-PERG or REPERG) in the presence of cataract, which is known to affect standard PERG, we tested this procedure in GP, normal controls (NC), and cataract patients (CP). The procedure was performed on 50 GP, 35 NC, and 27 CP. All subjects were examined with RE-PERG and SS-PERG and also with spectral domain optical coherence tomography and standard automated perimetry. Standard deviation of phase and amplitude value of 2ndH were correlated by means of one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation, with the mean deviation and pattern standard deviation assessed by standard automated perimetry and retinal nerve fiber layer and the ganglion cell complex thickness assessed by spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Receiver operating characteristics were calculated in cohort populations with and without cataract. Standard deviation of phase of 2ndH was significantly higher in GP with respect to NC ( P <0.001) and CP ( P <0.001), and it correlated with retinal nerve fiber layer ( r =-0.5, P <0.001) and ganglion cell complex ( r =-0.6, P <0.001) defects in GP. Receiver operating characteristic evaluation showed higher specificity of RE-PERG (86.4%; area under the curve 0.93) with respect to SS-PERG (54.5%; area under the curve 0.68) in CP. RE-PERG may improve the specificity of SS-PERG in clinical practice in the discrimination of GP.

Fire Safety of Passenger Trains : Phase II : Application of Fire Hazard Analysis Techniques

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-12-01

On May 12, 1999, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued regulations for passenger rail equipment safety standards that included small-scale fire tests and performance criteria to evaluate the flammability and smoke characteristics of indivi...

Fire safety of passenger trains. Phase II, Application of fire hazard analysis techniques.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-12-01

On May 12, 1999, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued regulations for passenger rail equipment safety standards that included small-scale fire tests and performance criteria to evaluate the flammability and smoke characteristics of indivi...

A study of the optimal transition temperature of PCM (phase change material) wallboard for solar energy storage

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

Drake, J.B.

1987-09-01

In this report, we consider the performance of wallboard impregnated with phase change material. An ideal setting is assumed and several measures of performance discussed. With a definition of optimal performance given, the performance with respect to variation of transition temperature is studied. Results are based on computer simulations of PCM wallboard with a standard stud wall construction. We find the diurnal heat capacity to be overly sensitive to numerical errors for use in PCM applications. The other measures of performance, diurnal effectiveness, net collected to storage ratio, and absolute discharge flux, all indicate similar trends. It is shown thatmore » the optimal transition temperature of the PCM is strongly influenced by amount of solar flux absorbed by the PCM. 6 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Insecticide resistance profile of Anopheles gambiae from a phase II field station in Cové, southern Benin: implications for the evaluation of novel vector control products.

PubMed

Ngufor, Corine; N'Guessan, Raphael; Fagbohoun, Josias; Subramaniam, Krishanthi; Odjo, Abibatou; Fongnikin, Augustin; Akogbeto, Martin; Weetman, David; Rowland, Mark

2015-11-18

Novel indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) products aimed at improving the control of pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors have to be evaluated in Phase II semi-field experimental studies against highly pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes. To better understand their performance it is necessary to fully characterize the species composition, resistance status and resistance mechanisms of the vector populations in the experimental hut sites. Bioassays were performed to assess phenotypic insecticide resistance in the malaria vector population at a newly constructed experimental hut site in Cové, a rice growing area in southern Benin, being used for WHOPES Phase II evaluation of newly developed LLIN and IRS products. The efficacy of standard WHOPES-approved pyrethroid LLIN and IRS products was also assessed in the experimental huts. Diagnostic genotyping techniques and microarray studies were performed to investigate the genetic basis of pyrethroid resistance in the Cové Anopheles gambiae population. The vector population at the Cové experimental hut site consisted of a mixture of Anopheles coluzzii and An. gambiae s.s. with the latter occurring at lower frequencies (23 %) and only in samples collected in the dry season. There was a high prevalence of resistance to pyrethroids and DDT (>90 % bioassay survival) with pyrethroid resistance intensity reaching 200-fold compared to the laboratory susceptible An. gambiae Kisumu strain. Standard WHOPES-approved pyrethroid IRS and LLIN products were ineffective in the experimental huts against this vector population (8-29 % mortality). The L1014F allele frequency was 89 %. CYP6P3, a cytochrome P450 validated as an efficient metabolizer of pyrethroids, was over-expressed. Characterizing pyrethroid resistance at Phase II field sites is crucial to the accurate interpretation of the performance of novel vector control products. The strong levels of pyrethroid resistance at the Cové experimental hut station make it a suitable site for Phase II experimental hut evaluations of novel vector control products, which aim for improved efficacy against pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors to WHOPES standards. The resistance genes identified can be used as markers for further studies investigating the resistance management potential of novel mixture LLIN and IRS products tested at the site.

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

Levy, E.; Mullens, M.; Rath, P.

The Advanced Envelope Research effort will provide factory homebuilders with high performance, cost-effective envelope designs that can be effectively integrated into the plant production process while meeting the thermal requirements of the 2012 IECC standards. Given the affordable nature of manufactured homes, impact on first cost is a major consideration in developing new envelope technologies. This work is part of a multi-phase effort. Phase 1 identified seven envelope technologies and provided a preliminary assessment of three methods for building high performance walls. Phase 2 focused on developing viable product designs, manufacturing strategies, addressing code and structural issues, and cost analysismore » of the three selected options. An industry advisory committee helped narrow the research focus to perfecting a stud wall design with exterior continuous insulation (CI). Phase 3, completed in two stages, continued the design development effort, exploring and evaluating a range or methods for applying CI to factory built homes. The scope also included material selection, manufacturing and cost analysis, and prototyping and testing. During this phase, a home was built with CI, evaluated, and placed in service. The experience of building a mock up wall section with CI and then constructing on line a prototype home resolved important concerns about how to integrate the material into the production process. First steps were taken toward finding least expensive approaches for incorporating CI in standard factory building practices and a preliminary assessment suggested that even at this early stage the technology is attractive when viewed from a life cycle cost perspective.« less

Implementation and extension of the impulse transfer function method for future application to the space shuttle project. Volume 2: Program description and user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, G.

1973-01-01

The data processing procedures and the computer programs were developed to predict structural responses using the Impulse Transfer Function (ITF) method. There are three major steps in the process: (1) analog-to-digital (A-D) conversion of the test data to produce Phase I digital tapes (2) processing of the Phase I digital tapes to extract ITF's and storing them in a permanent data bank, and (3) predicting structural responses to a set of applied loads. The analog to digital conversion is performed by a standard package which will be described later in terms of the contents of the resulting Phase I digital tape. Two separate computer programs have been developed to perform the digital processing.

Feasibility and Efficacy of the Nintendo Wii Gaming System to Improve Balance Performance Post-Stroke: Protocol of a Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting.

PubMed

Bower, Kelly J; Clark, Ross A; McGinley, Jennifer L; Martin, Clarissa L; Miller, Kimberly J

2013-04-01

Balance deficits following stroke are common and debilitating. Commercially available gaming systems, such as the Nintendo(®) (Kyoto, Japan) Wii™, have been widely adopted clinically; however, there is limited evidence supporting their feasibility and efficacy for improving balance performance following stroke. The aim of this trial is to investigate the clinical feasibility and efficacy of using the Nintendo Wii gaming system as an adjunct to standard care to improve balance performance following stroke in an inpatient rehabilitation setting. Thirty participants undergoing inpatient stroke rehabilitation will be recruited into this Phase II, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Participants will be allocated into a Balance or Upper Limb Group, and both groups will perform activities using the Nintendo Wii in addition to their standard care. Participants will attend three 45-minute sessions per week, for a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 weeks. The main focus of the study is to investigate the feasibility of the intervention protocol. This will be evaluated through recruitment, retention, adherence, acceptability, and safety. The Step Test and Functional Reach Test will be the primary efficacy outcomes. Secondary outcomes will include force platform, mobility, and upper limb measures. Assessments will occur at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after study entry. To the authors' knowledge, this will be the largest randomized clinical trial to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of the Nintendo Wii gaming system for improving balance performance in a stroke population. The results will inform the design of a Phase III multicenter trial.

Changes in the planning target volume and liver volume dose based on the selected respiratory phase in respiratory-gated radiation therapy for a hepatocellular carcinoma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jae-Seung; Im, In-Chul; Kang, Su-Man; Goo, Eun-Hoe; Baek, Seong-Min

2013-11-01

The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze the changes in the planning target volume (PTV) and liver volume dose based on the respiratory phase to identify the optimal respiratory phase for respiratory-gated radiation therapy for a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Based on the standardized procedure for respiratory-gated radiation therapy, we performed a 4-dimensional computed tomography simulation for 0 ˜ 90%, 30 ˜ 70%, and 40 ˜ 60% respiratory phases to assess the respiratory stability (S R ) and the defined PTV i for each respiratory phase i. A treatment plan was established, and the changes in the PTV i and dose volume of the liver were quantitatively analyzed. Most patients (91.5%) passed the respiratory stability test (S R = 0.111 ± 0.015). With standardized respiration training exercises, we were able to minimize the overall systematic error caused by irregular respiration. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis to identify the optimal respiratory phase revealed that when a short respiratory phase (40 ˜ 60%) was used, the changes in the PTV were concentrated inside the center line; thus, we were able to obtain both a PTV margin accounting for respiration and a uniform radiation dose within the PTV.

Operating and environmental characteristics of Sigma Tau hydrogen masers used in the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, T. K.

1989-01-01

Presented here are the results obtained from performance evaluation of a pair of Sigma Tau Standards Corporation Model VLBA-112 active hydrogen maser frequency standards. These masers were manufactured for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) for use on the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) project and were furnished to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the purpose of these tests. Tests on the two masers were performed in the JPL Frequency Standards Laboratory (FSL) and included the characterization of output frequency stability versus environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, magnetic field, and barometric pressure. The performance tests also included the determination of phase noise and Allan variance using both FSL and Sigma Tau masers as references. All tests were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions, with only the desired environmental and operational parameters varied to determine sensitivity to external environment.

SNDR Limits of Oscillator-Based Sensor Readout Circuits.

PubMed

Cardes, Fernando; Quintero, Andres; Gutierrez, Eric; Buffa, Cesare; Wiesbauer, Andreas; Hernandez, Luis

2018-02-03

This paper analyzes the influence of phase noise and distortion on the performance of oscillator-based sensor data acquisition systems. Circuit noise inherent to the oscillator circuit manifests as phase noise and limits the SNR. Moreover, oscillator nonlinearity generates distortion for large input signals. Phase noise analysis of oscillators is well known in the literature, but the relationship between phase noise and the SNR of an oscillator-based sensor is not straightforward. This paper proposes a model to estimate the influence of phase noise in the performance of an oscillator-based system by reflecting the phase noise to the oscillator input. The proposed model is based on periodic steady-state analysis tools to predict the SNR of the oscillator. The accuracy of this model has been validated by both simulation and experiment in a 130 nm CMOS prototype. We also propose a method to estimate the SNDR and the dynamic range of an oscillator-based readout circuit that improves by more than one order of magnitude the simulation time compared to standard time domain simulations. This speed up enables the optimization and verification of this kind of systems with iterative algorithms.

The effects of a split sleep-wake schedule on neurobehavioural performance and predictions of performance under conditions of forced desynchrony.

PubMed

Kosmadopoulos, Anastasi; Sargent, Charli; Darwent, David; Zhou, Xuan; Dawson, Drew; Roach, Gregory D

2014-12-01

Extended wakefulness, sleep loss, and circadian misalignment are factors associated with an increased accident risk in shiftwork. Splitting shifts into multiple shorter periods per day may mitigate these risks by alleviating prior wake. However, the effect of splitting the sleep-wake schedule on the homeostatic and circadian contributions to neurobehavioural performance and subjective assessments of one's ability to perform are not known. Twenty-nine male participants lived in a time isolation laboratory for 13 d, assigned to one of two 28-h forced desynchrony (FD) schedules. Depending on the assigned schedule, participants were provided the same total time in bed (TIB) each FD cycle, either consolidated into a single period (9.33 h TIB) or split into two equal halves (2 × 4.67 h TIB). Neurobehavioural performance was regularly assessed with a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) and subjectively-assessed ability was measured with a prediction of performance on a visual analogue scale. Polysomnography was used to assess sleep, and core body temperature was recorded to assess circadian phase. On average, participants obtained the same amount of sleep in both schedules, but those in the split schedule obtained more slow wave sleep (SWS) on FD days. Mixed-effects ANOVAs indicated no overall difference between the standard and split schedules in neurobehavioural performance or predictions of performance. Main effects of circadian phase and prior wake were present for both schedules, such that performance and subjective ratings of ability were best around the circadian acrophase, worst around the nadir, and declined with increasing prior wake. There was a schedule by circadian phase interaction for all neurobehavioural performance metrics such that performance was better in the split schedule than the standard schedule around the nadir. There was no such interaction for predictions of performance. Performance during the standard schedule was significantly better than the split schedule at 2 h of prior wake, but declined at a steeper rate such that the schedules converged by 4.5-7 h of prior wake. Overall, the results indicate that when the total opportunity for sleep per day is satisfactory, a split sleep-wake schedule is not detrimental to sleep or performance. Indeed, though not reflected in subjective assessments of performance capacity, splitting the schedule may be of some benefit, given its reduction of neurobehavioural impairment at night and its association with increased SWS. Therefore, for some industries that require operations to be sustained around the clock, implementing a split work-rest schedule may be of assistance.

A core physical examination in internal medicine: what should students do and how about their supervisors?

PubMed

Haring, Catharina M; van der Meer, Jos W M; Postma, Cornelis T

2013-09-01

Performance of a focused physical examination will induce a high cognitive load for medical students in the early phase of the clinical clerkships. To come to a workable and clinically applicable standard physical examination for medical students to be used in every new patient in the daily clinical practice of internal medicine. A questionnaire held among physicians that supervise students during the clerkship of internal medicine in one Dutch training region. Of the complete list of physical examination 55 items were considered to be an integral part of the standard general physical examination for medical students. Most emphasized were elements of the physical examination aimed at general parameters, thorax and abdomen, vascular status, lymph nodes, spinal column, skin and some parts of the neurological examination. The standard physical examinations performed by supervisors themselves contain fewer items than they expected from the students. The expectations a supervisor has towards the student correlates with the frequency with which they apply the various components in their own physical examination. This study provides us with a 'core' physical examination for medical students that can be applied in the early phase of the clinical clerkships.

A reversed-phase capillary ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) method for comprehensive top-down/bottom-up lipid profiling

PubMed Central

Gao, Xiaoli; Zhang, Qibin; Meng, Da; Issac, Giorgis; Zhao, Rui; Fillmore, Thomas L.; Chu, Rosey K.; Zhou, Jianying; Tang, Keqi; Hu, Zeping; Moore, Ronald J.; Smith, Richard D.; Katze, Michael G.; Metz, Thomas O.

2012-01-01

Lipidomics is a critical part of metabolomics and aims to study all the lipids within a living system. We present here the development and evaluation of a sensitive capillary UPLC-MS method for comprehensive top-down/bottom-up lipid profiling. Three different stationary phases were evaluated in terms of peak capacity, linearity, reproducibility, and limit of quantification (LOQ) using a mixture of lipid standards representative of the lipidome. The relative standard deviations of the retention times and peak abundances of the lipid standards were 0.29% and 7.7%, respectively, when using the optimized method. The linearity was acceptable at >0.99 over 3 orders of magnitude, and the LOQs were sub-fmol. To demonstrate the performance of the method in the analysis of complex samples, we analyzed lipids extracted from a human cell line, rat plasma, and a model human skin tissue, identifying 446, 444, and 370 unique lipids, respectively. Overall, the method provided either higher coverage of the lipidome, greater measurement sensitivity, or both, when compared to other approaches of global, untargeted lipid profiling based on chromatography coupled with MS. PMID:22354571

Performance standards for urban search and rescue robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messina, Elena; Jacoff, Adam

2006-05-01

In this paper, we describe work in performance standards for urban search and rescue (USAR) robots begun in 2004 by the Department of Homeland Security. This program is being coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and will result in consensus standards developed through ASTM International, under the Operational Equipment Subcommittee of their Homeland Security Committee. The first phase of the program involved definition of requirements by subject matter experts. Responders participated in a series of workshops to identify deployment categories for robots, performance categories, and ranges of acceptable or target performance in the various categories. Over one hundred individual requirements were identified, within main categories such as Human-System Interaction, Logistics, Operating Environment, and System (which includes Chassis, Communications, Mobility, Payload, Power, and Sensing). To ensure that the robot developers and eventual end users work closely together, "responders meet robots" events at situationally relevant sites are being held to refine and extend the performance requirements and develop standard test methods. The results of these standard performance tests will be captured in a compendium of existing and developmental robots with classifications and descriptors to differentiate particular robotic capabilities. This, along with ongoing efforts to categorize situational USAR constraints such as building collapse types or the presence of hazardous materials, will help responders match particular robotic capabilities to response needs. In general, these efforts will enable responders to effectively use robotic tools to enhance their effectiveness while reducing risk to personnel during disasters.

Development and validation of a reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of risedronate in pharmaceutical preparations.

PubMed

Kyriakides, Demetra; Panderi, Irene

2007-02-12

A stability indicating, reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the determination of risedronate in pharmaceutical dosage forms. The determination was performed on a BDS C(18) analytical column (250 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm particle size); the mobile phase consisted of 0.005 M tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and 0.005 M pyrophosphate sodium (pH 7.0) mixed with acetonitrile in a ratio (78:22, v/v) and pumped at a flow rate 1.00 mL min(-1). The ultraviolet (UV) detector was operated at 262 nm. The retention times of magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, which was used as internal standard and risedronate were 4.94 and 5.95 min, respectively. The calibration graph was ranged from 2.50 to 20.00 microg mL(-1), while detection and quantitation limits were found to be 0.48 and 1.61 microg mL(-1), respectively. The intra- and inter-day percentage relative standard deviations, %R.S.D., were less than 5.9%, while the relative percentage error, %E(r), was less than 0.4%. The method was applied to the quality control of commercial tablets and content uniformity test and proved to be suitable for rapid and reliable quality control.

Development and optimization of a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of acetaminophen and its major metabolites in rabbit plasma and urine after a toxic dose.

PubMed

Vertzoni, M V; Archontaki, H A; Galanopoulou, P

2003-07-14

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with detection at 242 nm was developed, optimized and validated for the determination of acetaminophen (A) and its major metabolites glucuronide (AG) and sulfate (AS) conjugates in rabbit plasma and urine after a toxic dose. m-Aminophenol was used as internal standard (IS). A Hypersil BDS RP-C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm), 5 microm particle size, was equilibrated with a mobile phase composed of aqueous buffer solution of KH2PO4 0.05 M containing 1% CH3COOH (pH 6.5) and methanol (95:5, v/v). Its flow rate was 1.5 ml/min. Calibration curves of A, AG and AS were linear in the concentration ranges of 0.5-250, 1-200, 0.5-100 microg/ml in plasma and 1-200, 0.5-150, 0.5-100 microg/ml in urine matrix, respectively. Limits of detection and quantitation were calculated in all cases and extensive recovery studies were also performed. Intra-day relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for A, AG and AS in plasma was less than 5, 4, 2% and in urine less than 4, 7, 4%, respectively, while the corresponding inter-day values were 7, 6, 4% and 5, 8, 6%, respectively.

The influence of actor capacities on EIA system performance in low and middle income countries —Cases from Georgia and Ghana

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

Kolhoff, Arend J., E-mail: akolhoff@eia.nl; Runhaar, Hens A.C., E-mail: H.A.C.Runhaar@uu.nl; Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen

In this paper, we aim to better understand the factors that contribute to the substantive performance of EIA systems in low and middle income countries. Substantive performance is defined as the extent to which the EIA process contributes to the EIA objectives for the long term, namely environmental protection or, even more ambitious, sustainable development. We have therefore developed a conceptual model in which we focus on the key actors in the EIA system, the proponent and the EIA authority and their level of ownership as a key capacity to measure their performance, and we distinguish procedural performance and somemore » contextual factors. This conceptual model is then verified and refined for the EIA phase and the EIA follow-up phase (permitting, monitoring and enforcement) by means of 12 case studies from Ghana (four cases) and Georgia (eight cases), both lower–middle income countries. We observe that in most cases the level of substantive performance increases during the EIA phase but drops during the EIA follow-up phase, and as a result only five out of 12 operational cases are in compliance with permit conditions or national environmental standards. We conclude, firstly that ownership of the proponent is the most important factor explaining the level of substantive performance; the higher the proponent's level of ownership the higher the level of substantive performance. The influence of the EIA authority on substantive performance is limited. Secondly, the influence of procedural performance on substantive performance seems less important than expected in the EIA phase but more important during the EIA follow-up phase. In order to improve substantive performance we learned two lessons. Firstly, increasing the proponent's level of ownership seems obvious, but direct change is probably difficult. However, where international finance institutes are involved they can increase ownership. Despite the limited influence of the EIA authority, a proactive strategy of, for example, working together with international finance institutes has a slightly larger influence than a reactive strategy. - Highlights: • Ownership of the proponent is the most important factor explaining the level of substantive performance. • The influence of the EIA authority on substantive performance is limited. • The influence of procedural performance on substantive performance seems less important than expected in the EIA phase but more important during the EIA follow-up phase.« less

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

Levy, E.; Mullens, M.; Rath, P.

The Advanced Envelope Research effort will provide factory homebuilders with high performance, cost-effective envelope designs that can be effectively integrated into the plant production process while meeting the thermal requirements of the 2012 IECC standards. This work is part of a multiphase effort. Phase 1 identified seven envelope technologies and provided a preliminary assessment of three methods for building high performance walls. Phase 2 focused on developing viable product designs, manufacturing strategies, addressing code and structural issues, and cost analysis of the three selected options. An industry advisory committee helped narrow the research focus to perfecting a stud wall designmore » with exterior continuous insulation (CI). This report describes Phase 3, which was completed in two stages and continued the design development effort, exploring and evaluating a range or methods for applying CI to factory built homes. The scope also included material selection, manufacturing and cost analysis, and prototyping and testing. During this phase, a home was built with CI, evaluated, and placed in service. The experience of building a mock up wall section with CI and then constructing on line a prototype home resolved important concerns about how to integrate the material into the production process. First steps were taken toward finding least expensive approaches for incorporating CI in standard factory building practices and a preliminary assessment suggested that even at this early stage the technology is attractive when viewed from a life cycle cost perspective.« less

A Semi-flexible 64-channel Receive-only Phased Array for Pediatric Body MRI at 3T

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tao; Grafendorfer, Thomas; Cheng, Joseph Y.; Ning, Peigang; Rainey, Bob; Giancola, Mark; Ortman, Sarah; Robb, Fraser J.; Calderon, Paul D.; Hargreaves, Brian A.; Lustig, Michael; Scott, Greig C.; Pauly, John M.; Vasanawala, Shreyas S.

2015-01-01

Purpose To design, construct, and validate a semi-flexible 64-channel receive-only phased array for pediatric body MRI at 3T. Methods A 64-channel receive-only phased array was developed and constructed. The designed flexible coil can easily conform to different patient sizes with non-overlapping coil elements in the transverse plane. It can cover a field of view of up to 44 × 28 cm2 and removes the need for coil repositioning for body MRI patients with multiple clinical concerns. The 64-channel coil was compared with a 32-channel standard coil for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and parallel imaging performances on different phantoms. With IRB approval and informed consent/assent, the designed coil was validated on 21 consecutive pediatric patients. Results The pediatric coil provided higher SNR than the standard coil on different phantoms, with the averaged SNR gain at least 23% over a depth of 7 cm along the cross-section of phantoms. It also achieved better parallel imaging performance under moderate acceleration factors. Good image quality (average score 4.6 out of 5) was achieved using the developed pediatric coil in the clinical studies. Conclusion A 64-channel semi-flexible receive-only phased array has been developed and validated to facilitate high quality pediatric body MRI at 3T. PMID:26418283

Validated high-performance liquid chromatographic method utilizing solid-phase extraction for the simultaneous determination of naringenin and hesperetin in human plasma.

PubMed

Kanaze, Feras Imad; Kokkalou, Eugene; Georgarakis, Manolis; Niopas, Ioannis

2004-03-05

Naringenin and hesperetin, the aglycones of the flavanone glucosides naringin and hesperidin occur naturally in citrus fruits. They exert a variety of pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, blood lipid-lowering, anticarcinogenic and inhibit selected cytochrome P-450 enzymes resulting in drug interactions. A specific, sensitive, precise, and accurate solid-phase extraction high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay for the simultaneous determination of naringenin and hesperetin in human plasma was developed and validated. After addition of 7-ethoxycoumarin as internal standard, plasma samples were incubated with beta-glucuronidase/sulphatase, and the analytes were isolated from plasma by solid-phase extraction using C(18) cartridges and separated on a C(8) reversed phase column with methanol/water/acetic acid (40:58:2, v/v/v) as the eluent at 45 degrees C. The method was linear in the 10-300 ng/ml concentration range for both naringenin and hesperetin (r>0.999). Recovery for naringenin, hesperetin and internal standard was greater than 76.7%. Intra- and inter-day precision for naringenin ranged from 1.4 to 4.2% and from 1.9 to 5.2%, respectively, and for hesperetin ranged from 1.3 to 4.1% and from 1.7 to 5.1%, respectively. Accuracy was better than 91.5 and 91.3% for naringenin and hesperetin, respectively.

Low Resolution Picture Transmission (LRPT) Demonstration System. Phase II; 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fong, Wai; Yeh, Pen-Shu; Duran, Steve; Sank, Victor; Nyugen, Xuan; Xia, Wei; Day, John H. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Low-Resolution Picture Transmission (LRPT) is a proposed standard for direct broadcast transmission of satellite weather images. This standard is a joint effort by the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and NOAA. As a digital transmission scheme, its purpose is to replace the current analog Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) system for use in the Meteorological Operational (METOP) satellites. GSFC has been tasked to build an LRPT Demonstration System (LDS). Its main objective is to develop or demonstrate the feasibility of a low-cost receiver utilizing a PC as the primary processing component and determine the performance of the protocol in the simulated Radio Frequency (RF) environment. The approach would consist of two phases.

High-performance liquid chromatography separation and intact mass analysis of detergent-solubilized integral membrane proteins

PubMed Central

Berridge, Georgina; Chalk, Rod; D’Avanzo, Nazzareno; Dong, Liang; Doyle, Declan; Kim, Jung-In; Xia, Xiaobing; Burgess-Brown, Nicola; deRiso, Antonio; Carpenter, Elisabeth Paula; Gileadi, Opher

2011-01-01

We have developed a method for intact mass analysis of detergent-solubilized and purified integral membrane proteins using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) with methanol as the organic mobile phase. Membrane proteins and detergents are separated chromatographically during the isocratic stage of the gradient profile from a 150-mm C3 reversed-phase column. The mass accuracy is comparable to standard methods employed for soluble proteins; the sensitivity is 10-fold lower, requiring 0.2–5 μg of protein. The method is also compatible with our standard LC–MS method used for intact mass analysis of soluble proteins and may therefore be applied on a multiuser instrument or in a high-throughput environment. PMID:21093405

Site Safety and Health Plan (Phase 3) for the treatability study for in situ vitrification at Seepage Pit 1 in Waste Area Grouping 7, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

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

Spalding, B.P.; Naney, M.T.

1995-06-01

This plan is to be implemented for Phase III ISV operations and post operations sampling. Two previous project phases involving site characterization have been completed and required their own site specific health and safety plans. Project activities will take place at Seepage Pit 1 in Waste Area Grouping 7 at ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Purpose of this document is to establish standard health and safety procedures for ORNL project personnel and contractor employees in performance of this work. Site activities shall be performed in accordance with Energy Systems safety and health policies and procedures, DOE orders, Occupational Safety and Healthmore » Administration Standards 29 CFR Part 1910 and 1926; applicable United States Environmental Protection Agency requirements; and consensus standards. Where the word ``shall`` is used, the provisions of this plan are mandatory. Specific requirements of regulations and orders have been incorporated into this plan in accordance with applicability. Included from 29 CFR are 1910.120 Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response; 1910.146, Permit Required - Confined Space; 1910.1200, Hazard Communication; DOE Orders requirements of 5480.4, Environmental Protection, Safety and Health Protection Standards; 5480.11, Radiation Protection; and N5480.6, Radiological Control Manual. In addition, guidance and policy will be followed as described in the Environmental Restoration Program Health and Safety Plan. The levels of personal protection and the procedures specified in this plan are based on the best information available from reference documents and site characterization data. Therefore, these recommendations represent the minimum health and safety requirements to be observed by all personnel engaged in this project.« less

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project: KDP-A for Phase 2 Minimum Operational Performance Standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grindle, Laurie; Hackenberg, Davis L.

2016-01-01

UAS Integration in the NAS Project has: a) Developed Technical Challenges that are crucial to UAS integration, aligned with NASA's Strategic Plan and Thrusts, and support FAA standards development. b) Demonstrated rigorous project management processes through the execution of previous phases. c) Defined Partnership Plans. d) Established path to KDP-C. Request approval of Technical Challenges, execution of partnerships and plans, and execution of near-term FY17 activities. There is an increasing need to fly UAS in the NAS to perform missions of vital importance to National Security and Defense, Emergency Management, and Science. There is also an emerging need to enable commercial applications such as cargo transport (e.g. FedEx). Unencumbered NAS Access for Civil/Commercial UAS. Provide research findings, utilizing simulation and flight tests, to support the development and validation of DAA and C2 technologies necessary for integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the National Airspace System.

L-Band System Engineering - Concepts of Use, Systems Performance Requirements, and Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henriksen, Stephen; Zelkin, Natalie

2011-01-01

This document is being provided as part of ITT s NASA Glenn Research Center Aerospace Communication Systems Technical Support (ACSTS) contract NNC05CA85C, Task 7: New ATM Requirements-Future Communications, C-band and L-band Communications Standard Development. Task 7 was motivated by the five year technology assessment performed for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the joint FAA-EUROCONTROL cooperative research Action Plan (AP-17), also known as the Future Communications Study (FCS). It was based on direction provided by the FAA project-level agreement (PLA FY09_G1M.02-02v1) for "New ATM Requirements-Future Communications." Task 7 was separated into two distinct subtasks, each aligned with specific work elements and deliverable items. Subtask 7-1 addressed C-band airport surface data communications standards development, systems engineering, test bed development, and tests/demonstrations to establish operational capability for what is now referred to as the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS). Subtask 7-2, which is the subject of this report, focused on preliminary systems engineering and support of joint FAA/EUROCONTROL development and evaluation of a future L-band (960 to 1164 MHz) air/ground (A/G) communication system known as the L-band digital aeronautical communications system (L-DACS), which was defined during the FCS. The proposed L-DACS will be capable of providing ATM services in continental airspace in the 2020+ timeframe. Subtask 7-2 was performed in two phases. Phase I featured development of Concepts of Use, high level functional analyses, performance of initial L-band system safety and security risk assessments, and development of high level requirements and architectures. It also included the aforementioned support of joint L-DACS development and evaluation, including inputs to L-DACS design specifications. Phase II provided a refinement of the systems engineering activities performed during Phase I, along with continued joint FAA/EUROCONTROL L-DACS development and evaluation support.

Robust electroencephalogram phase estimation with applications in brain-computer interface systems.

PubMed

Seraj, Esmaeil; Sameni, Reza

2017-03-01

In this study, a robust method is developed for frequency-specific electroencephalogram (EEG) phase extraction using the analytic representation of the EEG. Based on recent theoretical findings in this area, it is shown that some of the phase variations-previously associated to the brain response-are systematic side-effects of the methods used for EEG phase calculation, especially during low analytical amplitude segments of the EEG. With this insight, the proposed method generates randomized ensembles of the EEG phase using minor perturbations in the zero-pole loci of narrow-band filters, followed by phase estimation using the signal's analytical form and ensemble averaging over the randomized ensembles to obtain a robust EEG phase and frequency. This Monte Carlo estimation method is shown to be very robust to noise and minor changes of the filter parameters and reduces the effect of fake EEG phase jumps, which do not have a cerebral origin. As proof of concept, the proposed method is used for extracting EEG phase features for a brain computer interface (BCI) application. The results show significant improvement in classification rates using rather simple phase-related features and a standard K-nearest neighbors and random forest classifiers, over a standard BCI dataset. The average performance was improved between 4-7% (in absence of additive noise) and 8-12% (in presence of additive noise). The significance of these improvements was statistically confirmed by a paired sample t-test, with 0.01 and 0.03 p-values, respectively. The proposed method for EEG phase calculation is very generic and may be applied to other EEG phase-based studies.

Standardization, evaluation and early-phase method validation of an analytical scheme for batch-consistency N-glycosylation analysis of recombinant produced glycoproteins.

PubMed

Zietze, Stefan; Müller, Rainer H; Brecht, René

2008-03-01

In order to set up a batch-to-batch-consistency analytical scheme for N-glycosylation analysis, several sample preparation steps including enzyme digestions and fluorophore labelling and two HPLC-methods were established. The whole method scheme was standardized, evaluated and validated according to the requirements on analytical testing in early clinical drug development by usage of a recombinant produced reference glycoprotein (RGP). The standardization of the methods was performed by clearly defined standard operation procedures. During evaluation of the methods, the major interest was in the loss determination of oligosaccharides within the analytical scheme. Validation of the methods was performed with respect to specificity, linearity, repeatability, LOD and LOQ. Due to the fact that reference N-glycan standards were not available, a statistical approach was chosen to derive accuracy from the linearity data. After finishing the validation procedure, defined limits for method variability could be calculated and differences observed in consistency analysis could be separated into significant and incidental ones.

Coordinate measuring machine test standard apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Bieg, L.F.

1994-08-30

A coordinate measuring machine test standard apparatus and method are disclosed which includes a rotary spindle having an upper phase plate and an axis of rotation, a kinematic ball mount attached to the phase plate concentric with the axis of rotation of the phase plate, a groove mounted at the circumference of the phase plate, and an arm assembly which rests in the groove. The arm assembly has a small sphere at one end and a large sphere at the other end. The small sphere may be a coordinate measuring machine probe tip and may have variable diameters. The large sphere is secured in the kinematic ball mount and the arm is held in the groove. The kinematic ball mount includes at least three mounting spheres and the groove is an angular locating groove including at least two locking spheres. The arm may have a hollow inner core and an outer layer. The rotary spindle may be a ratio reducer. The device is used to evaluate the measuring performance of a coordinate measuring machine for periodic recertification, including 2 and 3 dimensional accuracy, squareness, straightness, and angular accuracy. 5 figs.

Coordinate measuring machine test standard apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Bieg, Lothar F.

1994-08-30

A coordinate measuring machine test standard apparatus and method which iudes a rotary spindle having an upper phase plate and an axis of rotation, a kinematic ball mount attached to the phase plate concentric with the axis of rotation of the phase plate, a groove mounted at the circumference of the phase plate, and an arm assembly which rests in the groove. The arm assembly has a small sphere at one end and a large sphere at the other end. The small sphere may be a coordinate measuring machine probe tip and may have variable diameters. The large sphere is secured in the kinematic ball mount and the arm is held in the groove. The kinematic ball mount includes at least three mounting spheres and the groove is an angular locating groove including at least two locking spheres. The arm may have a hollow inner core and an outer layer. The rotary spindle may be a ratio reducer. The device is used to evaluate the measuring performance of a coordinate measuring machine for periodic recertification, including 2 and 3 dimensional accuracy, squareness, straightness, and angular accuracy.

High Performance Programming Using Explicit Shared Memory Model on Cray T3D1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Horst D.; Saini, Subhash; Grassi, Charles

1994-01-01

The Cray T3D system is the first-phase system in Cray Research, Inc.'s (CRI) three-phase massively parallel processing (MPP) program. This system features a heterogeneous architecture that closely couples DEC's Alpha microprocessors and CRI's parallel-vector technology, i.e., the Cray Y-MP and Cray C90. An overview of the Cray T3D hardware and available programming models is presented. Under Cray Research adaptive Fortran (CRAFT) model four programming methods (data parallel, work sharing, message-passing using PVM, and explicit shared memory model) are available to the users. However, at this time data parallel and work sharing programming models are not available to the user community. The differences between standard PVM and CRI's PVM are highlighted with performance measurements such as latencies and communication bandwidths. We have found that the performance of neither standard PVM nor CRI s PVM exploits the hardware capabilities of the T3D. The reasons for the bad performance of PVM as a native message-passing library are presented. This is illustrated by the performance of NAS Parallel Benchmarks (NPB) programmed in explicit shared memory model on Cray T3D. In general, the performance of standard PVM is about 4 to 5 times less than obtained by using explicit shared memory model. This degradation in performance is also seen on CM-5 where the performance of applications using native message-passing library CMMD on CM-5 is also about 4 to 5 times less than using data parallel methods. The issues involved (such as barriers, synchronization, invalidating data cache, aligning data cache etc.) while programming in explicit shared memory model are discussed. Comparative performance of NPB using explicit shared memory programming model on the Cray T3D and other highly parallel systems such as the TMC CM-5, Intel Paragon, Cray C90, IBM-SP1, etc. is presented.

Leveling the Playing Field: Graphical Aids on Mathematics Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiménez, Albert M.; Nixon, Casey B.; Zepeda, Sally J.

2017-01-01

This research suggests that structural accommodation can be implemented during the construction phase of standardized mathematics examinations. Data from a racially diverse district in the United States are used to compare student performance on questions with and without graphical aids. Findings suggest that mathematics questions possessing…

75 FR 38645 - Standards Improvement Project-Phase III

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-02

... are specified as ``ID,'' followed by the number of the document. OSHA posts these referenced materials... medical-testing requirement and eliminating an unnecessary and obsolete medical test required in both the... Sec. 1915.1001(h)(4)(ii) requires employers to perform quantitative and qualitative fit testing ``at...

Information Processing in Memory Tasks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnston, William A.

The intensity of information processing engendered in different phases of standard memory tasks was examined in six experiments. Processing intensity was conceptualized as system capacity consumed, and was measured via a divided-attention procedure in which subjects performed a memory task and a simple reaction-time (RT) task concurrently. The…

Integrated low emissions cleanup system for direct coal-fueled turbines

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

Lippert, T.E.; Newby, R.A.; Alvin, M.A.

1992-01-01

The Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Science Technology Center (W-STC) is developing an Integrated Low Emissions Cleanup (ILEC) concept for high-temperature gas cleaning to meet environmental standards, as well as to economical gas turbine life. The ILEC concept simultaneously controls sulfur, particulate, and alkali contaminants in high-pressure fuel gases or combustion gases at temperatures up to 1850[degrees]F for advanced power generation systems (PFBC, APFBC, IGCC, DCF7). The objective of this program is to demonstrate, at a bench scale, the conceptual, technical feasibility of the REC concept. The ELEC development program has a 3 phase structure: Phase 1 - laboratory-scale testing; phase 2more » - bench-scale equipment; design and fabrication; and phase 3 - bench-scale testing. Phase 1 laboratory testing has been completed. In Phase 1, entrained sulfur and alkali sorbent kinetics were measured and evaluated, and commercial-scale performance was projected. Related cold flow model testing has shown that gas-particle contacting within the ceramic barrier filter vessel will provide a good reactor environment. The Phase 1 test results and the commercial evaluation conducted in the Phase 1 program support the bench-scale facility testing to be performed in Phase 3. Phase 2 is nearing completion with the design and assembly of a modified, bench-scale test facility to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the ILEC features. This feasibility testing will be conducted in Phase 3.« less

Measurements and simulations analysing the noise behaviour of grating-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, T.; Bartl, P.; Durst, J.; Haas, W.; Michel, T.; Ritter, A.; Anton, G.

2011-08-01

In the last decades, phase-contrast imaging using a Talbot-Lau grating interferometer is possible even with a low-brilliance X-ray source. With the potential of increasing the soft-tissue contrast, this method is on its way into medical imaging. For this purpose, the knowledge of the underlying physics of this technique is necessary.With this paper, we would like to contribute to the understanding of grating-based phase-contrast imaging by presenting results on measurements and simulations regarding the noise behaviour of the differential phases.These measurements were done using a microfocus X-ray tube with a hybrid, photon-counting, semiconductor Medipix2 detector. The additional simulations were performed by our in-house developed phase-contrast simulation tool “SPHINX”, combining both wave and particle contributions of the simulated photons.The results obtained by both of these methods show the same behaviour. Increasing the number of photons leads to a linear decrease of the standard deviation of the phase. The number of used phase steps has no influence on the standard deviation, if the total number of photons is held constant.Furthermore, the probability density function (pdf) of the reconstructed differential phases was analysed. It turned out that the so-called von Mises distribution is the physically correct pdf, which was also confirmed by measurements.This information advances the understanding of grating-based phase-contrast imaging and can be used to improve image quality.

On the application of neural networks to the classification of phase modulated waveforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchenroth, Anthony; Yim, Joong Gon; Nowak, Michael; Chakravarthy, Vasu

2017-04-01

Accurate classification of phase modulated radar waveforms is a well-known problem in spectrum sensing. Identification of such waveforms aids situational awareness enabling radar and communications spectrum sharing. While various feature extraction and engineering approaches have sought to address this problem, the use of a machine learning algorithm that best utilizes these features is becomes foremost. In this effort, a comparison of a standard shallow and a deep learning approach are explored. Experiments provide insights into classifier architecture, training procedure, and performance.

Molybdenum-titanium phase diagram evaluated from ab initio calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barzilai, Shmuel; Toher, Cormac; Curtarolo, Stefano; Levy, Ohad

2017-07-01

The design of next generation β -type titanium implants requires detailed knowledge of the relevant stable and metastable phases at temperatures where metallurgical heat treatments can be performed. Recently, a standard specification for surgical implant applications was established for Mo-Ti alloys. However, the thermodynamic properties of this binary system are not well known and two conflicting descriptions of the β -phase stability have been presented in the literature. In this study, we use ab initio calculations to investigate the Mo-Ti phase diagram. These calculations predict that the β phase is stable over a wide concentration range, in qualitative agreement with one of the reported phase diagrams. In addition, they predict stoichiometric compounds, stable at temperatures below 300 ∘C , which have not yet been detected by experiments. The resulting solvus, which defines the transition to the β -phase solid solution, therefore occurs at lower temperatures and is more complex than previously anticipated.

Phase-noise limitations in continuous-variable quantum key distribution with homodyne detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corvaja, Roberto

2017-02-01

In continuous-variables quantum key distribution with coherent states, the advantage of performing the detection by using standard telecoms components is counterbalanced by the lack of a stable phase reference in homodyne detection due to the complexity of optical phase-locking circuits and to the unavoidable phase noise of lasers, which introduces a degradation on the achievable secure key rate. Pilot-assisted phase-noise estimation and postdetection compensation techniques are used to implement a protocol with coherent states where a local laser is employed and it is not locked to the received signal, but a postdetection phase correction is applied. Here the reduction of the secure key rate determined by the laser phase noise, for both individual and collective attacks, is analytically evaluated and a scheme of pilot-assisted phase estimation proposed, outlining the tradeoff in the system design between phase noise and spectral efficiency. The optimal modulation variance as a function of the phase-noise amount is derived.

Theory of injection locking and rapid start-up of magnetrons, and effects of manufacturing errors in terahertz traveling wave tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pengvanich, Phongphaeth

In this thesis, several contemporary issues on coherent radiation sources are examined. They include the fast startup and the injection locking of microwave magnetrons, and the effects of random manufacturing errors on phase and small signal gain of terahertz traveling wave amplifiers. In response to the rapid startup and low noise magnetron experiments performed at the University of Michigan that employed periodic azimuthal perturbations in the axial magnetic field, a systematic study of single particle orbits is performed for a crossed electric and periodic magnetic field. A parametric instability in the orbits, which brings a fraction of the electrons from the cathode toward the anode, is discovered. This offers an explanation of the rapid startup observed in the experiments. A phase-locking model has been constructed from circuit theory to qualitatively explain various regimes observed in kilowatt magnetron injection-locking experiments, which were performed at the University of Michigan. These experiments utilize two continuous-wave magnetrons; one functions as an oscillator and the other as a driver. Time and frequency domain solutions are developed from the model, allowing investigations into growth, saturation, and frequency response of the output. The model qualitatively recovers many of the phase-locking frequency characteristics observed in the experiments. Effects of frequency chirp and frequency perturbation on the phase and lockability have also been quantified. Development of traveling wave amplifier operating at terahertz is a subject of current interest. The small circuit size has prompted a statistical analysis of the effects of random fabrication errors on phase and small signal gain of these amplifiers. The small signal theory is treated with a continuum model in which the electron beam is monoenergetic. Circuit perturbations that vary randomly along the beam axis are introduced through the dimensionless Pierce parameters describing the beam-wave velocity mismatch (b), the gain parameter (C), and the cold tube circuit loss ( d). Our study shows that perturbation in b dominates the other two in terms of power gain and phase shift. Extensive data show that standard deviation of the output phase is linearly proportional to standard deviation of the individual perturbations in b, C and d.

Development and validation of high-performance liquid chromatography and high-performance thin-layer chromatography methods for the quantification of khellin in Ammi visnaga seed

PubMed Central

Kamal, Abid; Khan, Washim; Ahmad, Sayeed; Ahmad, F. J.; Saleem, Kishwar

2015-01-01

Objective: The present study was used to design simple, accurate and sensitive reversed phase-high-performance liquid chromatography RP-HPLC and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) methods for the development of quantification of khellin present in the seeds of Ammi visnaga. Materials and Methods: RP-HPLC analysis was performed on a C18 column with methanol: Water (75: 25, v/v) as a mobile phase. The HPTLC method involved densitometric evaluation of khellin after resolving it on silica gel plate using ethyl acetate: Toluene: Formic acid (5.5:4.0:0.5, v/v/v) as a mobile phase. Results: The developed HPLC and HPTLC methods were validated for precision (interday, intraday and intersystem), robustness and accuracy, limit of detection and limit of quantification. The relationship between the concentration of standard solutions and the peak response was linear in both HPLC and HPTLC methods with the concentration range of 10–80 μg/mL in HPLC and 25–1,000 ng/spot in HPTLC for khellin. The % relative standard deviation values for method precision was found to be 0.63–1.97%, 0.62–2.05% in HPLC and HPTLC for khellin respectively. Accuracy of the method was checked by recovery studies conducted at three different concentration levels and the average percentage recovery was found to be 100.53% in HPLC and 100.08% in HPTLC for khellin. Conclusions: The developed HPLC and HPTLC methods for the quantification of khellin were found simple, precise, specific, sensitive and accurate which can be used for routine analysis and quality control of A. visnaga and several formulations containing it as an ingredient. PMID:26681890

Multi-template image matching using alpha-rooted biquaternion phase correlation with application to logo recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DelMarco, Stephen

2011-06-01

Hypercomplex approaches are seeing increased application to signal and image processing problems. The use of multicomponent hypercomplex numbers, such as quaternions, enables the simultaneous co-processing of multiple signal or image components. This joint processing capability can provide improved exploitation of the information contained in the data, thereby leading to improved performance in detection and recognition problems. In this paper, we apply hypercomplex processing techniques to the logo image recognition problem. Specifically, we develop an image matcher by generalizing classical phase correlation to the biquaternion case. We further incorporate biquaternion Fourier domain alpha-rooting enhancement to create Alpha-Rooted Biquaternion Phase Correlation (ARBPC). We present the mathematical properties which justify use of ARBPC as an image matcher. We present numerical performance results of a logo verification problem using real-world logo data, demonstrating the performance improvement obtained using the hypercomplex approach. We compare results of the hypercomplex approach to standard multi-template matching approaches.

Flight performance measurement utilizing a figure of merit (FOM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mosier, Kathleen L.; Zacharias, Greg L.

1993-01-01

One of the goals of the NASA Strategic Behavior/Workload Management Program is to develop standardized procedures for constructing figures of merit (FOMs) that describe minimal criteria for flight task performance, as well as summarize overall performance quality. Such a measure could be utilized for evaluating flight crew performance, for assessing the effectiveness of new equipment or technological innovations, or for measuring performance at a particular airport. In this report, we describe the initial phases in the creation of a FOM to be employed in examining crew performance in NASA-Ames Air Ground Compatibility and Strategic Behavior/Workload Management programs.

Stress management standards: a warning indicator for employee health.

PubMed

Kazi, A; Haslam, C O

2013-07-01

Psychological stress is a major cause of lost working days in the UK. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has developed management standards (MS) to help organizations to assess work-related stress. To investigate the relationships between the MS indicator tool and employee health, job attitudes, work performance and environmental outcomes. The first phase involved a survey employing the MS indicator tool, General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), job attitudes, work performance and environmental measures in a call centre from a large utility company. The second phase comprised six focus groups to investigate what employees believed contributed to their perceived stress. Three hundred and four call centre employees responded with a response rate of 85%. Significant negative correlations were found between GHQ-12 and two MS dimensions; demands (Rho = -0.211, P < 0.001) and relationships (Rho= -0.134, P < 0.05). Other dimensions showed no significant relationship with GHQ-12. Higher levels of stress were associated with reduced job performance, job motivation and increased intention to quit but low stress levels were associated with reduced job satisfaction. Lack of management support, recognition and development opportunities were identified as sources of stress. The findings support the utility of the MS as a measure of employee attitudes and performance.

A low phase noise microwave frequency synthesis for a high-performance cesium vapor cell atomic clock

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

François, B.; Boudot, R.; Calosso, C. E.

2014-09-15

We report the development, absolute phase noise, and residual phase noise characterization of a 9.192 GHz microwave frequency synthesis chain devoted to be used as a local oscillator in a high-performance cesium vapor cell atomic clock based on coherent population trapping (CPT). It is based on frequency multiplication of an ultra-low phase noise 100 MHz oven-controlled quartz crystal oscillator using a nonlinear transmission line-based chain. Absolute phase noise performances of the 9.192 GHz output signal are measured to be −42, −100, −117 dB rad{sup 2}/Hz and −129 dB rad{sup 2}/Hz at 1 Hz, 100 Hz, 1 kHz, and 10 kHz offset frequencies, respectively. Comparedmore » to current results obtained in a state-of-the-art CPT-based frequency standard developed at LNE-SYRTE, this represents an improvement of 8 dB and 10 dB at f = 166 Hz and f = 10 kHz, respectively. With such performances, the expected Dick effect contribution to the atomic clock short term frequency stability is reported at a level of 6.2 × 10{sup −14} at 1 s integration time, that is a factor 3 higher than the atomic clock shot noise limit. Main limitations are pointed out.« less

[Simultaneous determination of 15 industrial synthetic dyes in condiment by solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography].

PubMed

Liu, Min; Li, Xiaolin; Bie, Wei; Wang, Minglin; Feng, Qian

2011-02-01

A new method was established for the determination of 15 industrial synthetic dyes in condiment by solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography (SPE-HPLC). The samples were extracted by methanol-water (1:1, v/v) and purified by a solid phase extraction column. Then, the chromatographic separation was achieved on a Luna C18 column by linear gradient elution. The mobile phase was 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate-acetonitrile (containing 1% acetic acid). The results showed that the 15 industrial synthetic dyes can be separated efficiently. The recoveries of the 15 industrial synthetic dyes spiked in condiment were between 84.6% and 114.2% with the relative standard deviations of 0.9% - 10.3%. The limits of detection of this method was 0.05 - 0.18 mg/kg for the 15 industrial synthetic dyes. The method is simple, sensitive, accurate, repeatable and can be used for simultaneous determination of the 15 illegally added industrial synthetic dyes.

Real time flaw detection and characterization in tube through partial least squares and SVR: Application to eddy current testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Shamim; Miorelli, Roberto; Calmon, Pierre; Anselmi, Nicola; Salucci, Marco

2018-04-01

This paper describes Learning-By-Examples (LBE) technique for performing quasi real time flaw localization and characterization within a conductive tube based on Eddy Current Testing (ECT) signals. Within the framework of LBE, the combination of full-factorial (i.e., GRID) sampling and Partial Least Squares (PLS) feature extraction (i.e., GRID-PLS) techniques are applied for generating a suitable training set in offine phase. Support Vector Regression (SVR) is utilized for model development and inversion during offine and online phases, respectively. The performance and robustness of the proposed GIRD-PLS/SVR strategy on noisy test set is evaluated and compared with standard GRID/SVR approach.

Application of extremum seeking for time-varying systems to resonance control of RF cavities

DOE PAGES

Scheinker, Alexander

2016-09-13

A recently developed form of extremum seeking for time-varying systems is implemented in hardware for the resonance control of radio-frequency cavities without phase measurements. Normal conducting RF cavity resonance control is performed via a slug tuner, while superconducting TESLA-type cavity resonance control is performed via piezo actuators. The controller maintains resonance by minimizing reflected power by utilizing model-independent adaptive feedback. Unlike standard phase-measurement-based resonance control, the presented approach is not sensitive to arbitrary phase shifts of the RF signals due to temperature-dependent cable length or phasemeasurement hardware changes. The phase independence of this method removes common slowly varying drifts andmore » required periodic recalibration of phase-based methods. A general overview of the adaptive controller is presented along with the proof of principle experimental results at room temperature. Lastly, this method allows us to both maintain a cavity at a desired resonance frequency and also to dynamically modify its resonance frequency to track the unknown time-varying frequency of an RF source, thereby maintaining maximal cavity field strength, based only on power-level measurements.« less

Sterile Neutrino Search with the PROSPECT Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surukuchi Venkata, Pranava Teja

2017-01-01

PROSPECT is a multi-phased short-baseline reactor antineutrino experiment with primary goals of performing a search for sterile neutrinos and making a precise measurement of 235U reactor antineutrino spectrum from the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. PROSPECT will provide a model independent oscillation measurement of electron antineutrinos by performing relative spectral comparison between a wide range of baselines. By covering the baselines of 7-12 m with Phase-I and extending the coverage to 19m with Phase-II, the PROSPECT experiment will be able to address the current eV-scale sterile neutrino oscillation best-fit region within a single year of data-taking and covers a major portion of suggested parameter space within 3 years of Phase-II data-taking. Additionally, with a Phase-II detector PROSPECT will be able to distinguish between 3+1 mixing, 3+N mixing and other non-standard oscillations. In this talk, we describe the PROSPECT oscillation fitting framework and expected detector sensitivity to the oscillations arising from eV-scale sterile neutrinos. DOE

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

Scheinker, Alexander

A recently developed form of extremum seeking for time-varying systems is implemented in hardware for the resonance control of radio-frequency cavities without phase measurements. Normal conducting RF cavity resonance control is performed via a slug tuner, while superconducting TESLA-type cavity resonance control is performed via piezo actuators. The controller maintains resonance by minimizing reflected power by utilizing model-independent adaptive feedback. Unlike standard phase-measurement-based resonance control, the presented approach is not sensitive to arbitrary phase shifts of the RF signals due to temperature-dependent cable length or phasemeasurement hardware changes. The phase independence of this method removes common slowly varying drifts andmore » required periodic recalibration of phase-based methods. A general overview of the adaptive controller is presented along with the proof of principle experimental results at room temperature. Lastly, this method allows us to both maintain a cavity at a desired resonance frequency and also to dynamically modify its resonance frequency to track the unknown time-varying frequency of an RF source, thereby maintaining maximal cavity field strength, based only on power-level measurements.« less

Neural Substrates for Processing Task-Irrelevant Sad Images in Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Lihong; Huettel, Scott; De Bellis, Michael D.

2008-01-01

Neural systems related to cognitive and emotional processing were examined in adolescents using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Ten healthy adolescents performed an emotional oddball task. Subjects detected infrequent circles (targets) within a continual stream of phase-scrambled images (standards). Sad and neutral…

NHEXAS PHASE I REGION 5 STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR TRAINING FILE INSPECTIONS (NHX/SOP-815-004)

EPA Science Inventory

This procedure details the procedure for inspecting training files. Training file inspections are performed primarily to ensure that the program requirements are being met and that a current summary of training and experience is being maintained for each individual engaged in the...

Development of a preprototype times wastewater recovery subsystem: Appendices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roebelen, G. J., Jr.; Dehner, G. F.

1984-01-01

This Master Test Plan outlines the test program to be performed by Hamilton Standard during the Urine Water Recovery Subsystem Program. Testing is divided into three phases: (1) design support testing; development component testing; and acceptance testing. The completion of this test program verifies the subsystem operation.

Integrated low emissions cleanup system for direct coal-fueled turbines

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

Lippert, T.E.; Newby, R.A.; Alvin, M.A.

1992-12-31

The Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Science & Technology Center (W-STC) is developing an Integrated Low Emissions Cleanup (ILEC) concept for high-temperature gas cleaning to meet environmental standards, as well as to economical gas turbine life. The ILEC concept simultaneously controls sulfur, particulate, and alkali contaminants in high-pressure fuel gases or combustion gases at temperatures up to 1850{degrees}F for advanced power generation systems (PFBC, APFBC, IGCC, DCF7). The objective of this program is to demonstrate, at a bench scale, the conceptual, technical feasibility of the REC concept. The ELEC development program has a 3 phase structure: Phase 1 - laboratory-scale testing; phasemore » 2 - bench-scale equipment; design and fabrication; and phase 3 - bench-scale testing. Phase 1 laboratory testing has been completed. In Phase 1, entrained sulfur and alkali sorbent kinetics were measured and evaluated, and commercial-scale performance was projected. Related cold flow model testing has shown that gas-particle contacting within the ceramic barrier filter vessel will provide a good reactor environment. The Phase 1 test results and the commercial evaluation conducted in the Phase 1 program support the bench-scale facility testing to be performed in Phase 3. Phase 2 is nearing completion with the design and assembly of a modified, bench-scale test facility to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the ILEC features. This feasibility testing will be conducted in Phase 3.« less

A standardized motor imagery introduction program (MIIP) for neuro-rehabilitation: development and evaluation.

PubMed

Wondrusch, C; Schuster-Amft, C

2013-01-01

For patients with central nervous system (CNS) lesions and sensorimotor impairments a solid motor imagery (MI) introduction is crucial to understand and use MI to improve motor performance. The study's aim was to develop and evaluate a standardized MI group introduction program (MIIP) for patients after stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Phase 1: Based on literature a MIIP was developed comprising MI theory (definition, type, mode, perspective, planning) and MI practice (performance, control). Phase 2: Development of a 27-item self-administered MIIP evaluation questionnaire, assessing MI knowledge self-evaluation of the ability to perform MI and patient satisfaction with the MIIP. Phase 3: Evaluation of MIIP and MI questionnaire by 2 independent MI experts based on predefined criteria and 2 patients using semi-structured interviews. Phase 4: Case series with a pre-post design to evaluate MIIP (3 × 30 min) using the MI questionnaire, Imaprax, Kinaesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire, and Mental Chronometry. The paired t-test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to determine significant changes. Data of eleven patients were analysed (5 females; age 62.3 ± 14.1 years). Declarative MI knowledge improved significantly from 5.4 ± 2.2 to 8.8 ± 2.9 (p = 0.010). Patients demonstrated good satisfaction with MIIP (mean satisfaction score: 83.2 ± 11.4%). MI ability remained on a high level but showed no significant change, except a significant decrease in the Kinaesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire score. The presented MIIP seems to be valid and feasible for patients with CNS lesions and sensorimotor impairments resulting in improved MI knowledge. MIIP sessions can be held in groups of four or less. MI ability and Mental Chronometry remained unchanged after 3 training sessions.

A Priori Subgrid Analysis of Temporal Mixing Layers with Evaporating Droplets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Okongo, Nora; Bellan, Josette

1999-01-01

Subgrid analysis of a transitional temporal mixing layer with evaporating droplets has been performed using three sets of results from a Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) database, with Reynolds numbers (based on initial vorticity thickness) as large as 600 and with droplet mass loadings as large as 0.5. In the DNS, the gas phase is computed using a Eulerian formulation, with Lagrangian droplet tracking. The Large Eddy Simulation (LES) equations corresponding to the DNS are first derived, and key assumptions in deriving them are first confirmed by computing the terms using the DNS database. Since LES of this flow requires the computation of unfiltered gas-phase variables at droplet locations from filtered gas-phase variables at the grid points, it is proposed to model these by assuming the gas-phase variables to be the sum of the filtered variables and a correction based on the filtered standard deviation; this correction is then computed from the Subgrid Scale (SGS) standard deviation. This model predicts the unfiltered variables at droplet locations considerably better than simply interpolating the filtered variables. Three methods are investigated for modeling the SGS standard deviation: the Smagorinsky approach, the Gradient model and the Scale-Similarity formulation. When the proportionality constant inherent in the SGS models is properly calculated, the Gradient and Scale-Similarity methods give results in excellent agreement with the DNS.

Photothermal quantitative phase imaging of living cells with nanoparticles utilizing a cost-efficient setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turko, Nir A.; Isbach, Michael; Ketelhut, Steffi; Greve, Burkhard; Schnekenburger, Jürgen; Shaked, Natan T.; Kemper, Björn

2017-02-01

We explored photothermal quantitative phase imaging (PTQPI) of living cells with functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) utilizing a cost-efficient setup based on a cell culture microscope. The excitation light was modulated by a mechanical chopper wheel with low frequencies. Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) was performed with Michelson interferometer-based off-axis digital holographic microscopy and a standard industrial camera. We present results from PTQPI observations on breast cancer cells that were incubated with functionalized gold NPs binding to the epidermal growth factor receptor. Moreover, QPI was used to quantify the impact of the NPs and the low frequency light excitation on cell morphology and viability.

Accelerated stability assay (ASA) for colloidal systems.

PubMed

Chong, Josephine Y T; Mulet, Xavier; Boyd, Ben J; Drummond, Calum J

2014-05-12

Assessment of the stability of colloidal systems, in particular lyotropic liquid crystalline dispersions, such as cubosomes and hexosomes, is typically performed qualitatively or with limited throughput on specialized instruments. Here, an accelerated stability assay for colloidal particles has been developed in 384-well plates with standard laboratory equipment. These protocols enable quantitative assessments of colloidal stability. To demonstrate the applicability of the assay, several steric stabilizers for cubic phase nanostructured particles (cubosomes) have been compared to the current "gold standard" Pluronic F127.

Rapid and Sensitive Reverse-phase High-performance Liquid Chromatography Method for Estimation of Ketorolac in Pharmaceuticals Using Weighted Regression

PubMed Central

Dubey, S. K.; Duddelly, S.; Jangala, H.; Saha, R. N.

2013-01-01

A reliable, rapid and sensitive isocratic reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography method has been developed and validated for assay of ketorolac tromethamine in tablets and ophthalmic dosage forms using diclofenac sodium as an internal standard. An isocratic separation of ketorolac tromethamine was achieved on Oyster BDS (150×4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size) column using mobile phase of methanol:acetonitrile:sodium dihydrogen phosphate (20 mM; pH 5.5) (50:10:40, %v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The eluents were monitored at 322 nm for ketorolac and at 282 nm for diclofenac sodium with a photodiode array detector. The retention times of ketorolac and diclofenac sodium were found to be 1.9 min and 4.6 min, respectively. Response was a linear function of drug concentration in the range of 0.01-15 μg/ml (R2=0.994; linear regression model using weighing factor 1/x2) with a limit of detection and quantification of 0.002 μg/ml and 0.007 μg/ml, respectively. The % recovery and % relative standard deviation values indicated the method was accurate and precise. PMID:23901166

Selective solid-phase extraction based on molecularly imprinted technology for the simultaneous determination of 20 triazole pesticides in cucumber samples using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhao, Fengnian; She, Yongxin; Zhang, Chao; Cao, Xiaolin; Wang, Shanshan; Zheng, Lufei; Jin, Maojun; Shao, Hua; Jin, Fen; Wang, Jing

2017-10-01

A selective analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 20 triazole fungicides and plant growth regulators in cucumber samples was developed using solid-phase extraction with specific molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as adsorbents. The MIPs were successfully prepared by precipitation polymerization using triadimefon as the template molecule, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate as the crosslinker, and acetonitrile as the porogen. The performance and recognition mechanism for both the MIPs and non-molecularly imprinted polymers were evaluated using adsorption isotherms and adsorption kinetics. Liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry was used to identify and quantify the target analytes. The solid-phase extraction using the MIPs was rapid, convenient, and efficient for extraction and enrichment of the 20 triazole pesticides from cucumber samples. The recoveries obtained at three concentration levels (1, 2, and 10μgL -1 ) ranged from 82.3% to 117.6% with relative standard deviations of less than 11.8% (n=5) for all analytes. The limits of detection for the 20 triazole pesticides were all less than 0.4μgL -1 , and were sufficient to meet international standards. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and optimisation of an HPLC-DAD-ESI-Q-ToF method for the determination of phenolic acids and derivatives.

PubMed

Restivo, Annalaura; Degano, Ilaria; Ribechini, Erika; Colombini, Maria Perla

2014-01-01

A method for the HPLC-MS/MS analysis of phenols, including phenolic acids and naphtoquinones, using an amide-embedded phase column was developed and compared to the literature methods based on classical C18 stationary phase columns. RP-Amide is a recently developed polar embedded stationary phase, whose wetting properties mean that up to 100% water can be used as an eluent. The increased retention and selectivity for polar compounds and the possibility of working in 100% water conditions make this column particularly interesting for the HPLC analysis of phenolic acids and derivatives. In this study, the chromatographic separation was optimised on an HPLC-DAD, and was used to separate 13 standard phenolic acids and derivatives. The method was validated on an HPLC-ESI-Q-ToF. The acquisition was performed in negative polarity and MS/MS target mode. Ionisation conditions and acquisition parameters for the Q-ToF detector were investigated by working on collision energies and fragmentor potentials. The performance of the method was fully evaluated on standards. Moreover, several raw materials containing phenols were analysed: walnut, gall, wine, malbec grape, French oak, red henna and propolis. Our method allowed us to characterize the phenolic composition in a wide range of matrices and to highlight possible matrix effects.

Multiple template-based image matching using alpha-rooted quaternion phase correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DelMarco, Stephen

2010-04-01

In computer vision applications, image matching performed on quality-degraded imagery is difficult due to image content distortion and noise effects. State-of-the art keypoint based matchers, such as SURF and SIFT, work very well on clean imagery. However, performance can degrade significantly in the presence of high noise and clutter levels. Noise and clutter cause the formation of false features which can degrade recognition performance. To address this problem, previously we developed an extension to the classical amplitude and phase correlation forms, which provides improved robustness and tolerance to image geometric misalignments and noise. This extension, called Alpha-Rooted Phase Correlation (ARPC), combines Fourier domain-based alpha-rooting enhancement with classical phase correlation. ARPC provides tunable parameters to control the alpha-rooting enhancement. These parameter values can be optimized to tradeoff between high narrow correlation peaks, and more robust wider, but smaller peaks. Previously, we applied ARPC in the radon transform domain for logo image recognition in the presence of rotational image misalignments. In this paper, we extend ARPC to incorporate quaternion Fourier transforms, thereby creating Alpha-Rooted Quaternion Phase Correlation (ARQPC). We apply ARQPC to the logo image recognition problem. We use ARQPC to perform multiple-reference logo template matching by representing multiple same-class reference templates as quaternion-valued images. We generate recognition performance results on publicly-available logo imagery, and compare recognition results to results generated from standard approaches. We show that small deviations in reference templates of sameclass logos can lead to improved recognition performance using the joint matching inherent in ARQPC.

An accurate on-site calibration system for electronic voltage transformers using a standard capacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Chen; Chen, Mian-zhou; Li, Hong-bin; Zhang, Zhu; Jiao, Yang; Shao, Haiming

2018-05-01

Ordinarily electronic voltage transformers (EVTs) are calibrated off-line and the calibration procedure requires complex switching operations, which will influence the reliability of the power grid and induce large economic losses. To overcome this problem, this paper investigates a 110 kV on-site calibration system for EVTs, including a standard channel, a calibrated channel and a PC equipped with the LabView environment. The standard channel employs a standard capacitor and an analogue integrating circuit to reconstruct the primary voltage signal. Moreover, an adaptive full-phase discrete Fourier transform (DFT) algorithm is proposed to extract electrical parameters. The algorithm involves the process of extracting the frequency of the grid, adjusting the operation points, and calculating the results using DFT. In addition, an insulated automatic lifting device is designed to realize the live connection of the standard capacitor, which is driven by a wireless remote controller. A performance test of the capacitor verifies the accurateness of the standard capacitor. A system calibration test shows that the system ratio error is less than 0.04% and the phase error is below 2‧, which meets the requirement of the 0.2 accuracy class. Finally, the developed calibration system was used in a substation, and the field test data validates the availability of the system.

Automated solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography for assay of cyclosporine in whole blood.

PubMed

Kabra, P M; Wall, J H; Dimson, P

1987-12-01

In this rapid, precise, accurate, cost-effective, automated liquid-chromatographic procedure for determining cyclosporine in whole blood, the cyclosporine is extracted from 0.5 mL of whole blood together with 300 micrograms of cyclosporin D per liter, added as internal standard, by using an Advanced Automated Sample Processing unit. The on-line solid-phase extraction is performed on an octasilane sorbent cartridge, which is interfaced with a RP-8 guard column and an octyl analytical column, packed with 5-microns packing material. Both columns are eluted with a mobile phase containing acetonitrile/methanol/water (53/20/27 by vol) at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min and column temperature of 70 degrees C. Absolute recovery of cyclosporine exceeded 85% and the standard curve was linear to 5000 micrograms/L. Within-run and day-to-day CVs were less than 8%. Correlation between automated and manual Bond-Elut extraction methods was excellent (r = 0.987). None of 18 drugs and four steroids tested interfered.

Chiral phase transition of three flavor QCD with nonzero magnetic field using standard staggered fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomiya, Akio; Ding, Heng-Tong; Mukherjee, Swagato; Schmidt, Christian; Wang, Xiao-Dan

2018-03-01

Lattice simulations for (2+1)-flavor QCD with external magnetic field demon-strated that the quark mass is one of the important parameters responsible for the (inverse) magnetic catalysis. We discuss the dependences of chiral condensates and susceptibilities, the Polyakov loop on the magnetic field and quark mass in three degenerate flavor QCD. The lattice simulations are performed using standard staggered fermions and the plaquette action with spatial sizes Nσ = 16 and 24 and a fixed temporal size Nτ = 4. The value of the quark masses are chosen such that the system undergoes a first order chiral phase transition and crossover with zero magnetic field. We find that in light mass regime, the quark chiral condensate undergoes magnetic catalysis in the whole temperature region and the phase transition tend to become stronger as the magnetic field increases. In crossover regime, deconfinement transition temperature is shifted by the magnetic field when quark mass ma is less than 0:4. The lattice cutoff effects are also discussed.

Rapid Development and Validation of Improved Reversed-Phase High-performance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Quantification of Mangiferin, a Polyphenol Xanthone Glycoside in Mangifera indica

PubMed Central

Naveen, P.; Lingaraju, H. B.; Prasad, K. Shyam

2017-01-01

Mangiferin, a polyphenolic xanthone glycoside from Mangifera indica, is used as traditional medicine for the treatment of numerous diseases. The present study was aimed to develop and validate a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for the quantification of mangiferin from the bark extract of M. indica. RP-HPLC analysis was performed by isocratic elution with a low-pressure gradient using 0.1% formic acid: acetonitrile (87:13) as a mobile phase with a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min. The separation was done at 26°C using a Kinetex XB-C18 column as stationary phase and the detection wavelength at 256 nm. The proposed method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantification, and robustness by the International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines. In linearity, the excellent correlation coefficient more than 0.999 indicated good fitting of the curve and also good linearity. The intra- and inter-day precision showed < 1% of relative standard deviation of peak area indicated high reliability and reproducibility of the method. The recovery values at three different levels (50%, 100%, and 150%) of spiked samples were found to be 100.47, 100.89, and 100.99, respectively, and low standard deviation value < 1% shows high accuracy of the method. In robustness, the results remain unaffected by small variation in the analytical parameters, which shows the robustness of the method. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of mangiferin with M/Z value of 421. The assay developed by HPLC method is a simple, rapid, and reliable for the determination of mangiferin from M. indica. SUMMARY The present study was intended to develop and validate an RP-HPLC method for the quantification of mangiferin from the bark extract of M. indica. The developed method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantification and robustness by International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. This study proved that the developed assay by HPLC method is a simple, rapid and reliable for the quantification of the mangiferin from M. indica. Abbreviations Used: M. indica: Mangifera indica, RP-HPLC: Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, M/Z: Mass to charge ratio, ICH: International conference on harmonization, % RSD: Percentage of relative standard deviation, ppm: Parts per million, LOD: Limit of detection, LOQ: Limit of quantification. PMID:28539748

Rapid Development and Validation of Improved Reversed-Phase High-performance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Quantification of Mangiferin, a Polyphenol Xanthone Glycoside in Mangifera indica.

PubMed

Naveen, P; Lingaraju, H B; Prasad, K Shyam

2017-01-01

Mangiferin, a polyphenolic xanthone glycoside from Mangifera indica , is used as traditional medicine for the treatment of numerous diseases. The present study was aimed to develop and validate a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for the quantification of mangiferin from the bark extract of M. indica . RP-HPLC analysis was performed by isocratic elution with a low-pressure gradient using 0.1% formic acid: acetonitrile (87:13) as a mobile phase with a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min. The separation was done at 26°C using a Kinetex XB-C18 column as stationary phase and the detection wavelength at 256 nm. The proposed method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantification, and robustness by the International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines. In linearity, the excellent correlation coefficient more than 0.999 indicated good fitting of the curve and also good linearity. The intra- and inter-day precision showed < 1% of relative standard deviation of peak area indicated high reliability and reproducibility of the method. The recovery values at three different levels (50%, 100%, and 150%) of spiked samples were found to be 100.47, 100.89, and 100.99, respectively, and low standard deviation value < 1% shows high accuracy of the method. In robustness, the results remain unaffected by small variation in the analytical parameters, which shows the robustness of the method. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of mangiferin with M/Z value of 421. The assay developed by HPLC method is a simple, rapid, and reliable for the determination of mangiferin from M. indica . The present study was intended to develop and validate an RP-HPLC method for the quantification of mangiferin from the bark extract of M. indica . The developed method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantification and robustness by International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. This study proved that the developed assay by HPLC method is a simple, rapid and reliable for the quantification of the mangiferin from M. indica . Abbreviations Used: M. indica : Mangifera indica , RP-HPLC: Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, M/Z: Mass to charge ratio, ICH: International conference on harmonization, % RSD: Percentage of relative standard deviation, ppm: Parts per million, LOD: Limit of detection, LOQ: Limit of quantification.

[Simultaneous determination of ten benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers in food contact plastic materials by solid phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Gou, Xinlei; Zhao, Xinying; Chi, Haitao; Gao, Xia; Zhou, Mingqiang; Liu, Weili

2015-06-01

A sensitive method was developed for the simultaneous determination of ten benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers in food contact plastic materials by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The sample was extracted by methanol-dichloromethane, and purified by a C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) column. The separation was performed by using water containing 0. 1% (v/v) formic acid and methanol as the mobile phases with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0. 3 mL/min. The electrospray ionization (ESI) source in positive ion mode was used for the analysis of the ten benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The results showed that the standard curves were obtained with good correlation coefficients (r2 > 0.996) in their linear concentration ranges. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) for the ten benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers were in the range of 0.6-1.6 µg/kg. The mean recoveries for the ten benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers at three spiked levels (low, medium and high) were 75.2%-85.3% with relative standard deviations of 1.0%-5.7%. Ten kinds of food contact plastic materials were tested, and 2,2'-methylenebis (6-(benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-tert-octylphenol) (UV-360) was found in a sample of polyethylene (PE) material. The method is accurate, simple, rapid and feasible for the simultaneous determination of benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers in food plastic materials.

SNDR Limits of Oscillator-Based Sensor Readout Circuits

PubMed Central

Buffa, Cesare; Wiesbauer, Andreas; Hernandez, Luis

2018-01-01

This paper analyzes the influence of phase noise and distortion on the performance of oscillator-based sensor data acquisition systems. Circuit noise inherent to the oscillator circuit manifests as phase noise and limits the SNR. Moreover, oscillator nonlinearity generates distortion for large input signals. Phase noise analysis of oscillators is well known in the literature, but the relationship between phase noise and the SNR of an oscillator-based sensor is not straightforward. This paper proposes a model to estimate the influence of phase noise in the performance of an oscillator-based system by reflecting the phase noise to the oscillator input. The proposed model is based on periodic steady-state analysis tools to predict the SNR of the oscillator. The accuracy of this model has been validated by both simulation and experiment in a 130 nm CMOS prototype. We also propose a method to estimate the SNDR and the dynamic range of an oscillator-based readout circuit that improves by more than one order of magnitude the simulation time compared to standard time domain simulations. This speed up enables the optimization and verification of this kind of systems with iterative algorithms. PMID:29401646

Phase Transformation and Creep Behavior in Ti50Pd30Ni20 High Temperature Shape Memory Alloy in Compression

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, Parikshith K.; Desai, Uri; Monroe, James; Lagoudas, Dimitris C.; Karaman, Ibrahim; Noebe, Ron; Bigelow, Glenn

2010-01-01

The creep behavior and the phase transformation of Ti50Pd30Ni20 High Temperature Shape Memory Alloy (HTSMA) is investigated by standard creep tests and thermomechanical tests. Ingots of the alloy are induction melted, extruded at high temperature, from which cylindrical specimens are cut and surface polished. A custom high temperature test setup is assembled to conduct the thermomechanical tests. Following preliminary monotonic tests, standard creep tests and thermally induced phase transformation tests are conducted on the specimen. The creep test results suggest that over the operating temperatures and stresses of this alloy, the microstructural mechanisms responsible for creep change. At lower stresses and temperatures, the primary creep mechanism is a mixture of dislocation glide and dislocation creep. As the stress and temperature increase, the mechanism shifts to predominantly dislocation creep. If the operational stress or temperature is raised even further, the mechanism shifts to diffusion creep. The thermally induced phase transformation tests show that actuator performance can be affected by rate independent irrecoverable strain (transformation induced plasticity + retained martensite) as well as creep. The rate of heating and cooling can adversely impact the actuators performance. While the rate independent irrecoverable strain is readily apparent early in the actuators life, viscoplastic strain continues to accumulate over the lifespan of the HTSMA. Thus, in order to get full actuation out of the HTSMA, the heating and cooling rates must be sufficiently high enough to avoid creep.

Development of an automated method to detect sitting pivot transfer phases using biomechanical variables: toward a standardized method

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Sitting pivot transfer (SPT) is one of the most important, but at the same time strenuous at the upper extremity, functional task for spinal cord injured individuals. In order to better teach this task to those individuals and to improve performance, a better biomechanical understanding during the different SPT phases is a prerequisite. However, no consensus has yet been reached on how to depict the different phases of the SPT. The definition of the phases of the SPT, along with the events characterizing these phases, will facilitate the interpretation of biomechanical outcome measures related to the performance of SPTs as well as strengthen the evidence generated across studies. Methods Thirty-five individuals with a spinal cord injury performed two SPTs between seats of similar height using their usual SPT technique. Kinematics and kinetics were recorded using an instrumented transfer assessment system. Based on kinetic and kinematic measurements, a relative threshold-based algorithm was developed to identify four distinct phases: pre-lift, upper arm loading, lift-pivot and post-lift phases. To determine the stability of the algorithm between the two SPTs, Student t-tests for dependent samples were performed on the absolute duration of each phase. Results The mean total duration of the SPT was 2.00 ± 0.49 s. The mean duration of the pre-lift, upper arm loading, lift-pivot and post-lift phases were 0.74 ± 0.29 s, 0.28 ± 0.13 s, 0.72 ± 0.24 s, 0.27 ± 0.14 s whereas their relative contributions represented approximately 35%, 15%, 35% and 15% of the overall SPT cycle, respectively. No significant differences were found between the trials (p = 0.480-0.891). Conclusion The relative threshold-based algorithm used to automatically detect the four distinct phases of the SPT, is rapid, accurate and repeatable. A quantitative and thorough description of the precise phases of the SPT is prerequisite to better interpret biomechanical findings and measure task performance. The algorithm could also become clinically useful to refine the assessment and training of SPTs. PMID:22305052

Separating DDTs in edible animal fats using matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction with activated carbon filter, Toyobo-KF.

PubMed

Furusawa, Naoto

2006-09-01

A technique is presented for the economical, routine, and quantitative analysis of contamination by dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs) [pp'-DDT, pp'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene, and pp'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloreothane in beef tallow and chicken fat samples, based on their separation using matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction with Toyobo-KF, an activated carbon fiber. Toyobo-KF is a newly applied MSPD sorbent, and it is followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a photodiode array detector. The resulting analytical performance parameters [recoveries of spiked DDTs (0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 microg/g) > or = 81%, with relative standard deviations of < or = 8% (n = 5), and quantitation limits < or = 0.03 microg/g], with minimal handling and cost-efficiency, indicate that the present MSPD-HPLC method may be a useful tool for routine monitoring of DDT contamination in meat.

A modular multiple use system for precise time and frequency measurement and distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhardt, V. S.; Adams, W. S.; Lee, G. M.; Bush, R. L.

1978-01-01

A modular CAMAC based system is described which was developed to meet a variety of precise time and frequency measurement and distribution needs. The system was based on a generalization of the dual mixer concept. By using a 16 channel 100 ns event clock, the system can intercompare the phase of 16 frequency standards with subpicosecond resolution. The system has a noise floor of 26 fs and a long term stability on the order of 1 ps or better. The system also used a digitally controlled crystal oscillator in a control loop to provide an offsettable 5 MHz output with subpicosecond phase tracking capability. A detailed description of the system is given including theory of operation and performance. A method to improve the performance of the dual mixer technique is discussed when phase balancing of the two input ports cannot be accomplished.

Explosive force production during isometric squats correlates with athletic performance in rugby union players.

PubMed

Tillin, Neale Anthony; Pain, Matthew Thomas Gerard; Folland, Jonathan

2013-01-01

This study investigated the association between explosive force production during isometric squats and athletic performance (sprint time and countermovement jump height). Sprint time (5 and 20 m) and jump height were recorded in 18 male elite-standard varsity rugby union players. Participants also completed a series of maximal- and explosive-isometric squats to measure maximal force and explosive force at 50-ms intervals up to 250 ms from force onset. Sprint performance was related to early phase (≤100 ms) explosive force normalised to maximal force (5 m, r = -0.63, P = 0.005; and 20 m, r = -0.54, P = 0.020), but jump height was related to later phase (>100 ms) absolute explosive force (0.51 < r < 0.61; 0.006 < P < 0.035). When participants were separated for 5-m sprint time (< or ≥ 1s), the faster group had greater normalised explosive force in the first 150 ms of explosive-isometric squats (33-67%; 0.001 < P < 0.017). The results suggest that explosive force production during isometric squats was associated with athletic performance. Specifically, sprint performance was most strongly related to the proportion of maximal force achieved in the initial phase of explosive-isometric squats, whilst jump height was most strongly related to absolute force in the later phase of the explosive-isometric squats.

Determination of low-level acrylamide in drinking water by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Lucentini, Luca; Ferretti, Emanuele; Veschetti, Enrico; Achene, Laura; Turrio-Baldassarri, Luigi; Ottaviani, Massimo; Bogialli, Sara

2009-01-01

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) method has been developed and validated to confirm and quantify acrylamide monomer (AA) in drinking water using [13C3] acrylamide as internal standard (IS). After a preconcentration by solid-phase extraction with spherical activated carbon, analytes were chromatographed on IonPac ICE-AS1 column (9 x 250 mm) under isocratic conditions using acetonitrile-water-0.1 M formic acid (43 + 52 + 5, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. Analysis was achieved using a triple-quadrupole mass analyzer equipped with a turbo ion spray interface. For confirmation and quantification of the analytes, MS data acquisition was performed in the multireaction monitoring mode, selecting 2 precursor ion to product ion transitions for both AA and IS. The method was validated for linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, precision, extraction efficiency, and matrix effect. Linearity in tap water was observed over the concentration range 0.1-2.0 microg/L. Limits of detection and quantification were 0.02 and 0.1 microg/L, respectively. Interday and intraday assays were performed across 3 validation levels (0.1, 0.5, and 1.5 microg/L). Accuracy (as mean recovery) ranged from 89.3 to 96.2% with relative standard deviation <7.98%. Performance characteristics of this LC/MS/MS method make it suitable for regulatory confirmatory analysis of AA in drinking water in compliance with European Union and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Applications of wavelets in interferometry and artificial vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escalona Z., Rafael A.

2001-08-01

In this paper we present a different point of view of phase measurements performed in interferometry, image processing and intelligent vision using Wavelet Transform. In standard and white-light interferometry, the phase function is retrieved by using phase-shifting, Fourier-Transform, cosinus-inversion and other known algorithms. Our novel technique presented here is faster, robust and shows excellent accuracy in phase determinations. Finally, in our second application, fringes are no more generate by some light interaction but result from the observation of adapted strip set patterns directly printed on the target of interest. The moving target is simply observed by a conventional vision system and usual phase computation algorithms are adapted to an image processing by wavelet transform, in order to sense target position and displacements with a high accuracy. In general, we have determined that wavelet transform presents properties of robustness, relative speed of calculus and very high accuracy in phase computations.

[Determination of alkylphenol and alkylphenolpolyethoxylates in brine by solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Wang, Jincheng; Xiong, Li; Zhang, Haijun; Chen, Jiping

2011-12-01

A simple method based on solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was developed for the determination of octylphenol (OP), nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol ethoxylates (OPEOs) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) in brine. The extraction and cleanup of brine samples were performed on C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges. The complete separation among OP, NP, OPEOs and NPEOs was achieved on a Hypersil GOLD analytical column with methanol-water as the mobile phase. The determination was achieved using HPLC-MS with electrospray ionization (ESI) in selected ion monitoring mode. The results showed that the average recoveries of target compounds were 59.6% - 104.4% and the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 3) were 1.0% - 13.5%. The instrumental limits of detection for the compounds were 0.08 - 3 microg/L. This method was applied to the analysis of the samples of seawater near Dalian coast. The results showed that both NP and NPEOs were detected in all samples and their concentrations in seaport and oil port were much higher than those in other sampling sites.

A whole-heart motion-correction algorithm: Effects on CT image quality and diagnostic accuracy of mechanical valve prosthesis abnormalities.

PubMed

Suh, Young Joo; Kim, Young Jin; Kim, Jin Young; Chang, Suyon; Im, Dong Jin; Hong, Yoo Jin; Choi, Byoung Wook

2017-11-01

We aimed to determine the effect of a whole-heart motion-correction algorithm (new-generation snapshot freeze, NG SSF) on the image quality of cardiac computed tomography (CT) images in patients with mechanical valve prostheses compared to standard images without motion correction and to compare the diagnostic accuracy of NG SSF and standard CT image sets for the detection of prosthetic valve abnormalities. A total of 20 patients with 32 mechanical valves who underwent wide-coverage detector cardiac CT with single-heartbeat acquisition were included. The CT image quality for subvalvular (below the prosthesis) and valvular regions (valve leaflets) of mechanical valves was assessed by two observers on a four-point scale (1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = good, and 4 = excellent). Paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare image quality scores and the number of diagnostic phases (image quality score≥3) between the standard image sets and NG SSF image sets. Diagnostic performance for detection of prosthetic valve abnormalities was compared between two image sets with the final diagnosis set by re-operation or clinical findings as the standard reference. NG SSF image sets had better image quality scores than standard image sets for both valvular and subvalvular regions (P < 0.05 for both). The number of phases that were of diagnostic image quality per patient was significantly greater in the NG SSF image set than standard image set for both valvular and subvalvular regions (P < 0.0001). Diagnostic performance of NG SSF image sets for the detection of prosthetic abnormalities (20 pannus and two paravalvular leaks) was greater than that of standard image sets (P < 0.05). Application of NG SSF can improve CT image quality and diagnostic accuracy in patients with mechanical valves compared to standard images. Copyright © 2017 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adaptive Randomization of Veliparib-Carboplatin Treatment in Breast Cancer.

PubMed

Rugo, Hope S; Olopade, Olufunmilayo I; DeMichele, Angela; Yau, Christina; van 't Veer, Laura J; Buxton, Meredith B; Hogarth, Michael; Hylton, Nola M; Paoloni, Melissa; Perlmutter, Jane; Symmans, W Fraser; Yee, Douglas; Chien, A Jo; Wallace, Anne M; Kaplan, Henry G; Boughey, Judy C; Haddad, Tufia C; Albain, Kathy S; Liu, Minetta C; Isaacs, Claudine; Khan, Qamar J; Lang, Julie E; Viscusi, Rebecca K; Pusztai, Lajos; Moulder, Stacy L; Chui, Stephen Y; Kemmer, Kathleen A; Elias, Anthony D; Edmiston, Kirsten K; Euhus, David M; Haley, Barbara B; Nanda, Rita; Northfelt, Donald W; Tripathy, Debasish; Wood, William C; Ewing, Cheryl; Schwab, Richard; Lyandres, Julia; Davis, Sarah E; Hirst, Gillian L; Sanil, Ashish; Berry, Donald A; Esserman, Laura J

2016-07-07

The genetic and clinical heterogeneity of breast cancer makes the identification of effective therapies challenging. We designed I-SPY 2, a phase 2, multicenter, adaptively randomized trial to screen multiple experimental regimens in combination with standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. The goal is to match experimental regimens with responding cancer subtypes. We report results for veliparib, a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, combined with carboplatin. In this ongoing trial, women are eligible for participation if they have stage II or III breast cancer with a tumor 2.5 cm or larger in diameter; cancers are categorized into eight biomarker subtypes on the basis of status with regard to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), hormone receptors, and a 70-gene assay. Patients undergo adaptive randomization within each biomarker subtype to receive regimens that have better performance than the standard therapy. Regimens are evaluated within 10 biomarker signatures (i.e., prospectively defined combinations of biomarker subtypes). Veliparib-carboplatin plus standard therapy was considered for HER2-negative tumors and was therefore evaluated in 3 signatures. The primary end point is pathological complete response. Tumor volume changes measured by magnetic resonance imaging during treatment are used to predict whether a patient will have a pathological complete response. Regimens move on from phase 2 if and when they have a high Bayesian predictive probability of success in a subsequent phase 3 neoadjuvant trial within the biomarker signature in which they performed well. With regard to triple-negative breast cancer, veliparib-carboplatin had an 88% predicted probability of success in a phase 3 trial. A total of 72 patients were randomly assigned to receive veliparib-carboplatin, and 44 patients were concurrently assigned to receive control therapy; at the completion of chemotherapy, the estimated rates of pathological complete response in the triple-negative population were 51% (95% Bayesian probability interval [PI], 36 to 66%) in the veliparib-carboplatin group versus 26% (95% PI, 9 to 43%) in the control group. The toxicity of veliparib-carboplatin was greater than that of the control. The process used in our trial showed that veliparib-carboplatin added to standard therapy resulted in higher rates of pathological complete response than standard therapy alone specifically in triple-negative breast cancer. (Funded by the QuantumLeap Healthcare Collaborative and others; I-SPY 2 TRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01042379.).

Standard spacecraft economic analysis. Volume 2: Findings and conclusions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, E. D.; Large, J. P.

1976-01-01

The comparative program costs associated with use of various standardized spacecraft for Air Force space test program missions to be flown on the space shuttle were studied in two phases. In the first phase, a variety of procurement mixes composed of existing or programmed NASA standard spacecraft designs and an Air Force standard spacecraft design were considered. The second phase dealt with additional procurement options using an upgraded version of an existing NASA design. The results of both phases are discussed.

Establishment of replacement batches for heparin low-molecular-mass for calibration CRS, and the International Standard Low Molecular Weight Heparin for Calibration.

PubMed

Mulloy, B; Heath, A; Behr-Gross, M-E

2007-12-01

An international collaborative study involving fourteen laboratories has taken place, organised by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) with National Institute for Biological Standards & Control (NIBSC) (in its capacity as a World Health Organisation (WHO) Laboratory for Biological Standardisation) to provide supporting data for the establishment of replacement batches of Heparin Low-Molecular-Mass (LMM) for Calibration Chemical Reference Substance (CRS), and of the International Reference Reagent (IRR) Low Molecular Weight Heparin for Molecular Weight Calibration. A batch of low-molecular-mass heparin was donated to the organisers and candidate preparations of freeze-dried heparin were produced at NIBSC and EDQM. The establishment study was organised in two phases: a prequalification (phase 1, performed in 3 laboratories in 2005) followed by an international collaborative study (phase 2). In phase 2, started in March 2006, molecular mass parameters were determined for seven different LMM heparin samples using the current CRS batch and two batches of candidate replacement material with a defined number average relative molecular mass (Mn) of 3,700, determined in phase 1. The values calculated using the candidates as standard were systematically different from values calculated using the current batch with its assigned number-average molecular mass (Mna) of 3,700. Using raw data supplied by participants, molecular mass parameters were recalculated using the candidates as standard with values for Mna of 3,800 and 3,900. Values for these parameters agreed more closely with those calculated using the current batch supporting the fact that the candidates, though similar to batch 1 in view of the production processes used, differ slightly in terms of molecular mass distribution. Therefore establishment of the candidates was recommended with an assigned Mna value of 3,800 that is both consistent with phase 1 results and guarantees continuity with the current CRS batch. In phase 2, participants also determined molecular weight parameters for the seven different LMM heparin samples using both the 1st IRR (90/686) and its Broad Standard Table and the candidate World Health Organization (WHO) 2nd International Standard (05/112) (2nd IS) using a Broad Standard Table established in phase 1. Mean molecular weights calculated using 2nd IS were slightly higher than with 1st IRR, and participants in the study indicated that this systematic difference precluded establishment of 2nd IS with the table supplied. A replacement Broad Standard Table has been devised on the basis of the central recalculations of raw data supplied by participants; this table gives improved agreement between values derived using the 1st IRR and the candidate 2nd IS. On the basis of this study a recommendation was made for the establishment of 2nd IS and its proposed Broad Standard Table as a replacement for the 1st International Reference Reagent Low Molecular Weight Heparin for Molecular Weight Calibration. Unlike the 1st IRR however, the candidate material 2nd IS is not suitable for use with the method of Nielsen. The candidate materials were established as heparin low-molecular-mass for calibration batches 2 and 3 by the Ph. Eur. Commission in March 2007 and as 2nd IS low-molecular-weight heparin for molecular weight calibration (05/112) by the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization in November 2007.

Gas-phase geometry optimization of biological molecules as a reasonable alternative to a continuum environment description: fact, myth, or fiction?

PubMed

Sousa, Sérgio Filipe; Fernandes, Pedro Alexandrino; Ramos, Maria João

2009-12-31

Gas-phase optimization of single biological molecules and of small active-site biological models has become a standard approach in first principles computational enzymology. The important role played by the surrounding environment (solvent, enzyme, both) is normally only accounted for through higher-level single point energy calculations performed using a polarizable continuum model (PCM) and an appropriate dielectric constant with the gas-phase-optimized geometries. In this study we analyze this widely used approximation, by comparing gas-phase-optimized geometries with geometries optimized with different PCM approaches (and considering different dielectric constants) for a representative data set of 20 very important biological molecules--the 20 natural amino acids. A total of 323 chemical bonds and 469 angles present in standard amino acid residues were evaluated. The results show that the use of gas-phase-optimized geometries can in fact be quite a reasonable alternative to the use of the more computationally intensive continuum optimizations, providing a good description of bond lengths and angles for typical biological molecules, even for charged amino acids, such as Asp, Glu, Lys, and Arg. This approximation is particularly successful if the protonation state of the biological molecule could be reasonably described in vacuum, a requirement that was already necessary in first principles computational enzymology.

Performance of preproduction model cesium beam frequency standards for spacecraft applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, M. W.

1978-01-01

A cesium beam frequency standards for spaceflight application on Navigation Development Satellites was designed and fabricated and preliminary testing was completed. The cesium standard evolved from an earlier prototype model launched aboard NTS-2 and the engineering development model to be launched aboard NTS satellites during 1979. A number of design innovations, including a hybrid analog/digital integrator and the replacement of analog filters and phase detectors by clocked digital sampling techniques are discussed. Thermal and thermal-vacuum testing was concluded and test data are presented. Stability data for 10 to 10,000 seconds averaging interval, measured under laboratory conditions, are shown.

Pulse phase-coherent timing and spectroscopy of CXOU J164710.2-45521 outbursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez Castillo, Guillermo A.; Israel, Gian Luca; Esposito, Paolo; Pons, José A.; Rea, Nanda; Turolla, Roberto; Viganò, Daniele; Zane, Silvia

2014-06-01

We present a long-term phase-coherent timing analysis and pulse-phase resolved spectroscopy for the two outbursts observed from the transient anomalous X-ray pulsar CXOU J164710.2-455216. For the first outburst we used 11 Chandra and XMM-Newton observations between 2006 September and 2009 August, the longest baseline yet for this source. We obtain a coherent timing solution with P = 10.61065583(4) s, Ṗ = 9.72(1) × 10-13 s s-1 and P̈ = -1.05(5) × 10-20 s s-2. Under the standard assumptions this implies a surface dipolar magnetic field of ˜1014 G, confirming this source as a standard B magnetar. We also study the evolution of the pulse profile (shape, intensity and pulsed fraction) as a function of time and energy. Using the phase-coherent timing solution we perform a phase-resolved spectroscopy analysis, following the spectral evolution of pulse-phase features, which hints at the physical processes taking place on the star. The results are discussed from the perspective of magnetothermal evolution models and the untwisting magnetosphere model. Finally, we present similar analysis for the second, less intense, 2011 outburst. For the timing analysis we used Swift data together with 2 XMM-Newton and Chandra pointings. The results inferred for both outbursts are compared and briefly discussed in a more general framework.

Transition phase clothing strategies and their effect on body temperature and 100-m swimming performance.

PubMed

Galbraith, Andy; Willmott, Aimee

2018-03-01

Effective warm-ups are attributed to several temperature-related mechanisms. Strategies during the transition phase, preceding swimming competition, have been shown to prolong temperature-related warm-up effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two different clothing strategies during the transition phase, on subsequent 100-m maximal swimming performance. Nine competitive swimmers (3 female, 21 ± 3 yrs; 6 male 20 ± 2 yrs, mean performance standard 702 FINA Points, mean 100-m seasons best time 61.54 s) completed their own 30-min individual pool warm-up, followed by 7-min changing time and a 30-min transition phase, straight into a 100-m maximal effort time-trial. During the transition phase, swimmers remained seated, either wearing warm or limited clothing. Swimmers returned 1 week later, where clothing conditions were alternated. Post-transition phase skin and core temperature remained higher in the warm clothing condition compared to the limited clothing condition (Mean Core: 36.90 ± 0.17°C, 36.61 ± 0.15°C, P < .01; Mean Skin: 33.49 ± 0.59°C, 31.94 ± 0.59°C, P < .01). One hundred-metre finish times were 0.6% faster in the warm clothing condition compared to the limited clothing condition (62.63 ± 7.69 s, 63.00 ± 7.75 s, P < .01). Wearing warm clothing during a 30-min transition phase improved swimming performance by 0.6%, compared to limited clothing.

77 FR 70390 - Lifesaving Equipment: Production Testing and Harmonization With International Standards

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-26

...) by ensuring that any non-grooved drum design is still shown at the prototype testing phase to be as... equivalent) will no longer be available for purchase. Only the non-galvanized, corrosion-resistant mechanisms... affecting design, performance, and testing for such lifesaving equipment, and to clarify the requirements...

76 FR 3211 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Ejection Mitigation; Phase-In Reporting Requirements...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-19

... be tethered near the base of the vehicle's pillars or otherwise designed to keep the impactor within... performance and occupant behavior, and with the FHWA taking the lead, improving roadway designs. Vehicle... remaining in the vehicle during a rollover included improved roof crush resistance and research on whether...

Aircraft Alerting Systems Standardization Study. Phase IV. Accident Implications on Systems Design.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

computing and processing to assimilate and process status informa- 5 tion using...provided with capabilities in computing and processing , sensing, interfacing, and controlling and displaying. 17 o Computing and Processing - Algorithms...alerting system to perform a flight status monitor function would require additional sensinq, computing and processing , interfacing, and controlling

Characterization of Vertical Impact Device Acceleration Pulses Using Parametric Assessment: Phase II Accelerated Free-Fall

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-30

support contractor , Infoscitex, conducted a series of tests to identify the performance capabilities of the Vertical Impact Device (VID). The VID is a...C. Table 3. AFD Evaluation with Red IMPAC Programmer: Data Summary Showing Means and Standard Deviations Test Cell Drop Ht . (in) Mean Peak

Simultaneous determination of eight major bioactive compounds in Dachengqi Tang (DT) by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Tang, Wenfu; Wan, Meihua; Zhu, Zhengyan; Chen, Guanyuan; Huang, Xi

2008-04-29

Dachengqi Tang (DT) is a common traditional Chinese medicine formula for expelling neire ('internal heat') in the stomach and intestines. There was no reliable analytical method available for the quality control of DT. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with a reverse phase C18 column (150 x 4.6 mm) was developed. The mobile phase was methanol with 0.2% acetic acid. Eight markers including naringin, hesperidin, aloe emodin, rhein, honokiol, magnolol, emodin and chrysophanol were determined. Regression analysis revealed a linear relationship between the concentrations of the markers and the peak area ratio of the standards and internal standard. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) and the limit of qualification (RSD < 20%) ranged from 0.21 to 0.43 ng/microl and 0.76 to 1.74 ng/microl respectively. The recovery was between 95.6% and 103.4%. The tests on the samples from three batches of DT showed that the profiles of the markers did not vary significantly among batches. A reliable HPLC method for simultaneous determination of the eight markers in DT was developed.

Community-Wide Zero Energy Ready Home Standard

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

Herk, A.; Beggs, T.

This report outlines the steps a developer can use when looking to create and implement higher performance standards such as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) standards in a community. The report also describes the specific examples of how this process was followed by a developer, Forest City, in the Stapleton community in Denver, Colorado. IBACOS described the steps used to begin to bring the DOE ZERH standard to the Forest City Stapleton community based on 15 years of community-scale development work done by IBACOS. As a result of this prior IBACOS work, the teammore » gained an understanding of the various components that a master developer needs to consider and created strategies for incorporating those components in the initial phases of development to achieve higher performance buildings in the community. An automated scoring system can be used to perform an internal audit that provides a detailed and consistent evaluation of how several homes under construction or builders' floor plans compare with the requirements of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program. This audit can be performed multiple times at specific milestones during construction to allow the builder to make changes as needed throughout construction for the project to meet Zero Energy Ready Home standards. This scoring system also can be used to analyze a builder's current construction practices and design.« less

Payload operations control center network (POCCNET) systems definition phase study report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desjardins, R.

1978-01-01

The results of the studies performed during the systems definition phase of POCCNET are presented. The concept of POCCNET as a system of standard POCCs is described and an analysis of system requirements is also included. Alternative systems concepts were evaluated as well as various methods for development of reliable reusable software. A number of POCC application areas, such as command management, on board computer support, and simulation were also studied. Other areas of investigation included the operation of POCCNET systems, the facility requirements and usage.

A positivity preserving and conservative variational scheme for phase-field modeling of two-phase flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Vaibhav; Jaiman, Rajeev K.

2018-05-01

We present a positivity preserving variational scheme for the phase-field modeling of incompressible two-phase flows with high density ratio. The variational finite element technique relies on the Allen-Cahn phase-field equation for capturing the phase interface on a fixed Eulerian mesh with mass conservative and energy-stable discretization. The mass conservation is achieved by enforcing a Lagrange multiplier which has both temporal and spatial dependence on the underlying solution of the phase-field equation. To make the scheme energy-stable in a variational sense, we discretize the spatial part of the Lagrange multiplier in the phase-field equation by the mid-point approximation. The proposed variational technique is designed to reduce the spurious and unphysical oscillations in the solution while maintaining the second-order accuracy of both spatial and temporal discretizations. We integrate the Allen-Cahn phase-field equation with the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for modeling a broad range of two-phase flow and fluid-fluid interface problems. The coupling of the implicit discretizations corresponding to the phase-field and the incompressible flow equations is achieved via nonlinear partitioned iterative procedure. Comparison of results between the standard linear stabilized finite element method and the present variational formulation shows a remarkable reduction of oscillations in the solution while retaining the boundedness of the phase-indicator field. We perform a standalone test to verify the accuracy and stability of the Allen-Cahn two-phase solver. We examine the convergence and accuracy properties of the coupled phase-field solver through the standard benchmarks of the Laplace-Young law and a sloshing tank problem. Two- and three-dimensional dam break problems are simulated to assess the capability of the phase-field solver for complex air-water interfaces involving topological changes on unstructured meshes. Finally, we demonstrate the phase-field solver for a practical offshore engineering application of wave-structure interaction.

Physico-chemical separation process of nanoparticles in cosmetic formulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Retamal Marín, R. R.; Babick, F.; Stintz, M.

2017-06-01

Understanding the world of nanoparticles, especially their interactions with the environment, begins with their correct detection and successive quantification. To achieve this purpose, one needs to perform correctly developed standard operating procedures (SOPs). Furthermore, the study of nanoparticles frequently requires their characterisation in complex media (e.g. in cosmetic formulations). In this study, a set of sample preparation procedures for the detection and extraction of NMs in emulsion-based formulations is proposed and their performance for model and real-life products is discussed. A separation or extraction of lipid phases is achieved by means of organic solvents. The polarity of the lipid phases is decisive for selecting an optimum solvent. The use of the Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSP) may clearly support this decision.

Determination of osthol and its metabolites in a phase I reaction system and the Caco-2 cell model by HPLC-UV and LC-MS/MS

PubMed Central

Yuan, Zhenting; Xu, Haiyan; Wang, Ke; Zhao, Zhonghua; Hu, Ming

2012-01-01

A straightforward and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay was developed and validated for the analysis of osthol and its phase I metabolites (internal standard: umbelliferone). The method was validated for the determination of osthol with respect to selectivity, precision, linearity, limit of detection, recovery, and stability. The linear response range was 0.47 ~ 60 μM, and the average recoveries ranged from 98 to 101%. The inter-day and intra-day relative standard deviations were both less than 5%. Using this method, we showed that more than 80% of osthol was metabolized in 20 min in a phase I metabolic reaction system. Transport experiments in the Caco-2 cell culture model indicated that osthol was easily absorbed with high absorptive permeability (>10×10-6 cm/sec). The permeability did not display concentration-dependence or vectorial-dependence and is mildly temperature sensitive (activation energy less than 10 Kcal/mole), indicating passive mechanism of transport. When analyzed by LC-MS/MS, five metabolites were detected in a phase I reaction system and in the receiver side of a modified Caco-2 cell model, which was supplemented with the phase I reaction system. The major metabolites appeared to be desmethyl-osthol and multiple isomers of dehydro-osthol. In conclusion, a likely cause of poor osthol bioavailability is rapid phase I metabolism via the cytochrome P-450 pathways. PMID:19304430

Improvement of the GERDA Ge Detectors Energy Resolution by an Optimized Digital Signal Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benato, G.; D'Andrea, V.; Cattadori, C.; Riboldi, S.

GERDA is a new generation experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of 76Ge, operating at INFN Gran Sasso Laboratories (LNGS) since 2010. Coaxial and Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) Detectors have been operated in liquid argon (LAr) in GERDA Phase I. In the framework of the second GERDA experimental phase, both the contacting technique, the connection to and the location of the front end readout devices are novel compared to those previously adopted, and several tests have been performed. In this work, starting from considerations on the energy scale stability of the GERDA Phase I calibrations and physics data sets, an optimized pulse filtering method has been developed and applied to the Phase II pilot tests data sets, and to few GERDA Phase I data sets. In this contribution the detector performances in term of energy resolution and time stability are here presented. The improvement of the energy resolution, compared to standard Gaussian shaping adopted for Phase I data analysis, is discussed and related to the optimized noise filtering capability. The result is an energy resolution better than 0.1% at 2.6 MeV for the BEGe detectors operated in the Phase II pilot tests and an improvement of the energy resolution in LAr of about 8% achieved on the GERDA Phase I calibration runs, compared to previous analysis algorithms.

Simultaneous analysis of gemfibrozil, morphine, and its two active metabolites in different mouse brain structures using solid-phase extraction with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry with a deuterated internal standard.

PubMed

Yang, Zizhao; Wang, Lu; Xu, Mingcheng; Gu, Jingkai; Yu, Lushan; Zeng, Su

2016-06-01

A rapid and sensitive bioassay was established and validated to simultaneously determine gemfibrozil, morphine, morphine-3β-glucuronide, and morphine-6β-glucuronide in mouse cerebrum, epencephalon, and hippocampus based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The deuterated internal standard, M6G-d3, was mixed with the prepared samples at 10 ng/mL as the final concentration. The samples were transferred into the C18 solid-phase extraction columns with gradient elution for solid-phase extraction. The mobile phase consisted of methanol and 0.05% formic acid (pH 3.2). Multiple reaction monitoring has been applied to analyze gemfibrozil (m/z 249.0 → 121.0) in anion mode, and M6G-d3 (m/z 465.1 → 289.1), morphine (m/z 286.0 → 200.9), and M3G and M6G (m/z 462.1 → 286.1) in the positive ion mode. The method has a linear calibration range from 0.05 to 10 ng for gemfibrozil, morphine, and M3G and M6G with correlation coefficients >0.993. The lower limit of quantitation for all four analytes was 0.05 ng/mL, relative standard deviation of intra- and interday precision was less than 10.5%, and the relative error of accuracy was from -8.2 to 8.3% at low, medium, and high concentrations for all the analytes. In conclusion, gemfibrozil can influence the morphine antinociception after coronary heart disease induced chronic angina by the change in one of morphine metabolites', M3G, distribution in mouse brain. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Formation of ion clusters in the phase separated structures of neutral-charged polymer blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Ha-Kyung; Olvera de La Cruz, Monica

2015-03-01

Polyelectrolyte blends, consisting of at least one charged species, are promising candidate materials for fuel cell membranes, for their mechanical stability and high selectivity for proton conduction. The phase behavior of the blends is important to understand, as this can significantly affect the performance of the device. The phase behavior is controlled by χN, the Flory-Huggins parameter multiplied by the number of mers, as well as the electrostatic interactions between the charged backbone and the counterions. It has recently been shown that local ionic correlations, incorporated via liquid state (LS) theory, enhance phase separation of the blend, even in the absence of polymer interactions. In this study, we show phase diagrams of neutral-charged polymer blends including ionic correlations via LS theory. In addition to enhanced phase separation at low χN, the blends show liquid-liquid phase separation at high electrostatic interaction strengths. Above the critical strength, the charged polymer phase separates into ion-rich and ion-poor regions, resulting in the formation of ion clusters within the charged polymer phase. This can be shown by the appearance of multiple spinodal and critical points, indicating the coexistence of several charge separated phases. This work was performed under the following financial assistance award 70NANB14H012 from U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology as part of the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD).

Constellation labeling optimization for bit-interleaved coded APSK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Xingyu; Mo, Zijian; Wang, Zhonghai; Pham, Khanh; Blasch, Erik; Chen, Genshe

2016-05-01

This paper investigates the constellation and mapping optimization for amplitude phase shift keying (APSK) modulation, which is deployed in Digital Video Broadcasting Satellite - Second Generation (DVB-S2) and Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite services to Handhelds (DVB-SH) broadcasting standards due to its merits of power and spectral efficiency together with the robustness against nonlinear distortion. The mapping optimization is performed for 32-APSK according to combined cost functions related to Euclidean distance and mutual information. A Binary switching algorithm and its modified version are used to minimize the cost function and the estimated error between the original and received data. The optimized constellation mapping is tested by combining DVB-S2 standard Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes in both Bit-Interleaved Coded Modulation (BICM) and BICM with iterative decoding (BICM-ID) systems. The simulated results validate the proposed constellation labeling optimization scheme which yields better performance against conventional 32-APSK constellation defined in DVB-S2 standard.

Contrasting recovery patterns of 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazones (DNPH) derivative of carbonyls between liquid and gas phase standards using HPLC-based analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Subbroto Kumar; Jo, Sang-Hee; Song, Hee-Nam; Brown, Richard J. C.; Kim, Ki-Hyun

2012-12-01

This study evaluates the relative recovery (RR) of five different carbonyls (CCs) (i.e., acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde, isovaleraldehyde, and valeraldehyde) following their reaction as 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) derivatives when using gas phase and liquid phase standards. To this end, relative efficiency of CC-DNPH derivatization is compared between two liquid-phase standards (commercially available vs. lab made mixture) and between liquid and gas-phase standard. If the results are compared in terms of response factors (RF) derived for five carbonyls from all different standard phases, the recovery of gaseous CC standard was distinguished from that of liquid counterparts. The RR of the heavier carbonyls (propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde, isovaleraldehyde, and valeraldehyde) was approximately 60% low relative to their liquid counterparts; however, it was not the case for the lighter carbonyls (acetaldehyde) with the RR of ˜92%. This study thus suggests that the quantification of heavy carbonyls in ambient air, unless made by standards of the same matrix (i.e., gas phase) or compensated by the proper correction factor, may be subject to a large bias due to difference in derivatization reaction efficiency between matrix types. Hence, consideration of the matrix effect at the calibration stage is of particular importance to measure CC quantitatively.

Simultaneous liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry determination of both polar and "multiresidue" pesticides in food using parallel hydrophilic interaction/reversed-phase liquid chromatography and a hybrid sample preparation approach.

PubMed

Robles-Molina, José; Gilbert-López, Bienvenida; García-Reyes, Juan F; Molina-Díaz, Antonio

2017-09-29

Pesticide testing of foodstuffs is usually accomplished with generic wide-scope multi-residue methods based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). However, this approach does not cover some special pesticides, the so called "single-residue method" compounds, that are hardly compatible with standard reversed-phase (RP) separations due to their specific properties. In this article, we propose a comprehensive strategy for the integration of single residue method compounds and standard multiresidue pesticides within a single run. It is based on the use of a parallel LC column assembly with two different LC gradients performing orthogonal hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase (RPLC) chromatography within one analytical run. Two sample aliquots were simultaneously injected on each column, using different gradients, being the eluents merged post-column prior to mass spectrometry detection. The approach was tested with 41 multiclass pesticides covering a wide range of physicochemical properties across several orders of log K ow (from -4 to +5.5). With this assembly, distinct separation from the void was attained for all the pesticides studied, keeping similar performance in terms of sensitivity, peak area reproducibility (<6 RSD% in most cases) and retention time stability of standard single column approaches (better than±0.1min). The application of the proposed approach using parallel HILIC/RPLC and RPLC/aqueous normal phase (Obelisc) were assessed in leek using LC-MS/MS. For this purpose, a hybrid QuEChERS (Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe)/QuPPe (quick method for polar pesticides) method was evaluated based on solvent extraction with MeOH and acetonitrile followed by dispersive solid-phase extraction, delivering appropriate recoveries for most of the pesticides included in the study within the log K ow in the range from -4 to +5.5. The proposed strategy may be extended to other fields such as sport drug testing or environmental analysis, where the same type of variety of analytes featuring poor retention within a single chromatographic separation occurs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A model for predicting propagation-related DSCS (Defense Communications Engineering Center) margin requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shultheis, C. F.

1985-02-01

This technical report describes an analysis of the performance allocations for a satellite link, focusing specifically on a single-hop 7 to 8 GHz link of the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS). The analysis is performed for three primary reasons: (1) to reevaluate link power margin requirements for DSCS links based on digital signalling; (2) to analyze the implications of satellite availability and error rate allocations contained in proposed MIL-STD-188-323, system design and engineering standards for long haul digital transmission system performance; and (3) to standardize a methodology for determination of rain-related propagation constraints. The aforementioned methodology is then used to calculate the link margin requirements of typical DSCS binary/quaternary phase shift keying (BPSK/QPSK) links at 7 to 8 GHz for several different Earth terminal locations.

Accessible triple-phase boundary length: A performance metric to account for transport pathways in heterogeneous electrochemical materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajo, A.; Cocco, A. P.; DeGostin, M. B.; Peracchio, A. A.; Cassenti, B. N.; Cantoni, M.; Van herle, J.; Chiu, W. K. S.

2016-09-01

The performance of materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage depends upon the number of electrocatalytic sites available for reaction and their accessibility by the transport of reactants and products. For solid oxide fuel/electrolysis cell materials, standard 3-D measurements such as connected triple-phase boundary (TPB) length and effective transport properties partially inform on how local geometry and network topology causes variability in TPB accessibility. A new measurement, the accessible TPB, is proposed to quantify these effects in detail and characterize material performance. The approach probes the reticulated pathways to each TPB using an analytical electrochemical fin model applied to a 3-D discrete representation of the heterogeneous structure provided by skeleton-based partitioning. The method is tested on artificial and real structures imaged by 3-D x-ray and electron microscopy. The accessible TPB is not uniform and the pattern varies depending upon the structure. Connected TPBs can be even passivated. The sensitivity to manipulations of the local 3-D geometry and topology that standard measurements cannot capture is demonstrated. The clear presence of preferential pathways showcases a non-uniform utilization of the 3-D structure that potentially affects the performance and the resilience to alterations due to degradation phenomena. The concepts presented also apply to electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices such as other types of fuel cells, electrolyzers, batteries and capacitors.

Characterization of slow and fast phase nystagmus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lessard, Charles S.; Rodriguez-Garcia, Carlos A.; Wong, Wing Chan; Im, Jae J.; Schmidt, Glenn F.

1991-01-01

A current literature review of the analog and digital process of vestibular and optical kinetic nystagmus reveals little agreement in the methods used by various labs. The strategies for detection of saccade (fast phase velocity component of nystagmus) vary between labs, and most of the process have not been evaluated and validated with a standard database. A survey was made of major vestibular labs in the U.S. that perform computer analyses of vestibular and optokinetic reflexes to stimuli, and a baseline was established from which to standardize data acquisition and analysis programs. The concept of an Error Index was employed as the criterium for evaluating the performance of the vestibular analysis software programs. The performance criterium is based on the detection of saccades and is the average of the percentages of missed detections and false detections. Evaluation of the programs produced results for lateral gaze with saccadic amplitude of one, two, three, five, and ten degrees with various signal-to-noise ratios. In addition, results were obtained for sinusoidal pursuit of 0.05, 0.10, and 0.50 Hz with saccades from one to ten degrees at various signal-to-noise ratios. Selection of the best program was made from the performance in the lateral gaze with three degrees of saccadic amplitude and in the 0.10 Hz sinusoid with three degrees of saccadic amplitude.

Adaptive matched filter spatial detection performance on standard imagery from a wideband VHF/UHF SAR

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

Allen, M.R.; Phillips, S.A.; Sofianos, D.J.

1994-12-31

The adaptive matched filter was implemented as a spatial detector for amplitude-only or complex images, and applied to an image formed by standard narrow band means from a wide angle, wideband radar. Direct performance comparisons were made between different implementations and various matched and mismatched cases by using a novel approach to generate ROC curves parametrically. For perfectly matched cases, performance using imaged targets was found to be significantly lower than potential performance of artificial targets whose features differed from the background. Incremental gain due to whitening the background was also found to be small, indicating little background spatial correlation.more » It is conjectured that the relatively featureless behavior in both targets and background is due to the image formation process, since this technique averages together all wide angle, wideband information. For mismatched cases where the signature was unknown, the amplitude detector losses were approximately equal to whatever gain over noncoherent integration that matching provided. However, the complex detector was generally very sensitive to unknown information, especially phase, and produced much larger losses. Whitening under these mismatched conditions produced further losses. Detector choice thus depends primarily on how reproducible target signatures are, especially if phase is used, and the subsequent number of stored signatures necessary to account for various imaging aspect angles.« less

Antigravity treadmill training during the early rehabilitation phase following unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: A case series.

PubMed

Huang, Chun-Hao; Schroeder, E Todd; Powers, Christopher

2018-02-26

Patients who have undergone unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) have been reported to exhibit altered gait 19-25 months post-surgery. The most common gait impairment in this population is inadequate knee flexion and a corresponding decrease in the knee extensor moment during loading response (i.e., quadriceps avoidance). The purpose of this case series was to determine whether incorporation of antigravity treadmill training into a standard physical therapy program can eliminate quadriceps avoidance gait during the early rehabilitation phase following UKA. Four females who underwent UKA were recruited for this study. Participants completed antigravity treadmill training three times per week for 12 weeks in addition to their standard physical therapy program. Instrumented gait analysis was performed at baseline (pre-intervention), week 6 (mid-intervention), and week 12 (post-intervention). We found that peak knee flexion and the peak knee extensor moment during the weight acceptance phase of gait increased to normal values following the 12-week intervention period (14.1 ± 6.5° to 20.6 ± 1.5° and 0.4 ± 0.3 to 0.7 ± 0.2 Nm/kg respectively). The findings of this case series suggest that a standard physical therapy program that incorporates early gait training using an antigravity treadmill may be beneficial in eliminating "quadriceps avoidance" during the early rehabilitation phase following UKA.

Extraterrestrial material analysis: loss of amino acids during liquid-phase acid hydrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buch, Arnaud; Brault, Amaury; Szopa, Cyril; Freissinet, Caroline

2015-04-01

Searching for building blocks of life in extraterrestrial material is a way to learn more about how life could have appeared on Earth. With this aim, liquid-phase acid hydrolysis has been used, since at least 1970 , in order to extract amino acids and other organic molecules from extraterrestrial materials (e.g. meteorites, lunar fines) or Earth analogues (e.g. Atacama desert soil). This procedure involves drastic conditions such as heating samples in 6N HCl for 24 h, either under inert atmosphere/vacuum, or air. Analysis of the hydrolyzed part of the sample should give its total (free plus bound) amino acid content. The present work deals with the influence of the 6N HCl hydrolysis on amino acid degradation. Our experiments have been performed on a standard solution of 17 amino acids. After liquid-phase acid hydrolysis (6N HCl) under argon atmosphere (24 h at 100°C), the liquid phase was evaporated and the dry residue was derivatized with N-Methyl-N-(t-butyldimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) and dimethylformamide (DMF), followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. After comparison with derivatized amino acids from the standard solution, a significant reduction of the chromatographic peak areas was observed for most of the amino acids after liquid-phase acid hydrolysis. Furthermore, the same loss pattern was observed when the amino acids were exposed to cold 6N HCl for a short amount of time. The least affected amino acid, i.e. glycine, was found to be 73,93% percent less abundant compared to the non-hydrolyzed standard, while the most affected, i.e. histidine, was not found in the chromatograms after hydrolysis. Our experiments thereby indicate that liquid-phase acid hydrolysis, even under inert atmosphere, leads to a partial or total loss of all of the 17 amino acids present in the standard solution, and that a quick cold contact with 6N HCl is sufficient to lead to a loss of amino acids. Therefore, in the literature, the reported increase of the total quantity of amino acids after acid hydrolysis, due to the formation/release of amino acids during the whole water extraction / liquid-phase acid hydrolysis, could have hidden a loss of amino acids. Thus, in extraterrestrial material studies involving liquid-phase acid hydrolysis, the quantities of total amino acids may have been underestimated.

Performance of a Ka-band transponder breadboard for deep-space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mysoor, N. R.; Lane, J. P.; Kayalar, S.; Kermode, A. W.

1995-01-01

This article summarizes the design concepts applied in the development of and advanced Ka-band (34.4 GHz/32 GHz) transponder breadboard for the next generation of space communications systems applications. The selected architecture upgrades the X-band (7.2 GHz/8.4 GHz) deep-space transponder (DST) to provide Da-band up/Ka- and X-band down capability. The Ka-band transponder breadboard incorporates several state-of-the-art components, including sampling mixers, a Ka-band dielectric resonator oscillator, and microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs). The MMICs that were tested in the breadboard include upconverters, downconverters, automatic gain control circuits, mixers, phase modulators, and amplifiers. The measured receiver dynamic range, tracking range, acquisition rate, static phase error, and phase jitter characteristics of the Ka-band breadboard interfaced to the advanced engineering model X-band DST are in good agreement with the expected performance. The results show a receiver tracking threshold of -149 dBm with a dynamic range of 80 dB and a downlink phase jitter of 7 deg rms. The analytical results of phase noise and Allan standard deviation are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Reduction of Solvent Effect in Reverse Phase Gradient Elution LC-ICP-MS

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

Sullivan, Patrick Allen

2005-12-17

Quantification in liquid chromatography (LC) is becoming very important as more researchers are using LC, not as an analytical tool itself, but as a sample introduction system for other analytical instruments. The ability of LC instrumentation to quickly separate a wide variety of compounds makes it ideal for analysis of complex mixtures. For elemental speciation, LC is joined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to separate and detect metal-containing, organic compounds in complex mixtures, such as biological samples. Often, the solvent gradients required to perform complex separations will cause matrix effects within the plasma. This limits the sensitivity ofmore » the ICP-MS and the quantification methods available for use in such analyses. Traditionally, isotope dilution has been the method of choice for LC-ICP-MS quantification. The use of naturally abundant isotopes of a single element in quantification corrects for most of the effects that LC solvent gradients produce within the plasma. However, not all elements of interest in speciation studies have multiple naturally occurring isotopes; and polyatomic interferences for a given isotope can develop within the plasma, depending on the solvent matrix. This is the case for reverse phase LC separations, where increasing amounts of organic solvent are required. For such separations, an alternative to isotope dilution for quantification would be is needed. To this end, a new method was developed using the Apex-Q desolvation system (ESI, Omaha, NE) to couple LC instrumentation with an ICP-MS device. The desolvation power of the system allowed greater concentrations of methanol to be introduced to the plasma prior to destabilization than with direct methanol injection into the plasma. Studies were performed, using simulated and actual linear methanol gradients, to find analyte-internal standard (AIS) pairs whose ratio remains consistent (deviations {+-} 10%) over methanol concentration ranges of 5%-35% (simulated) and 8%-32% (actual). Quadrupole (low resolution) and sector field (high resolution) ICP-MS instrumentation were utilized in these studies. Once an AIS pair is determined, quantification studies can be performed. First, an analysis is performed by adding both elements of the AIS pair post-column while performing the gradient elution without sample injection. A comparison of the ratio of the measured intensities to the atomic ratio of the two standards is used to determine a correction factor that can be used to account for the matrix effects caused by the mobile phase. Then, organic and/or biological molecules containing one of the two elements in the AIS pair are injected into the LC column. A gradient method is used to vary the methanol-water mixture in the mobile phase and to separate out the compounds in a given sample. A standard solution of the second ion in the AIS pair is added continuously post-column. By comparing the ratio of the measured intensities to the atomic ratio of the eluting compound and internal standard, the concentration of the injected compound can be determined.« less

Normal values and standardization of parameters in nuclear cardiology: Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine working group database.

PubMed

Nakajima, Kenichi; Matsumoto, Naoya; Kasai, Tokuo; Matsuo, Shinro; Kiso, Keisuke; Okuda, Koichi

2016-04-01

As a 2-year project of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine working group activity, normal myocardial imaging databases were accumulated and summarized. Stress-rest with gated and non-gated image sets were accumulated for myocardial perfusion imaging and could be used for perfusion defect scoring and normal left ventricular (LV) function analysis. For single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with multi-focal collimator design, databases of supine and prone positions and computed tomography (CT)-based attenuation correction were created. The CT-based correction provided similar perfusion patterns between genders. In phase analysis of gated myocardial perfusion SPECT, a new approach for analyzing dyssynchrony, normal ranges of parameters for phase bandwidth, standard deviation and entropy were determined in four software programs. Although the results were not interchangeable, dependency on gender, ejection fraction and volumes were common characteristics of these parameters. Standardization of (123)I-MIBG sympathetic imaging was performed regarding heart-to-mediastinum ratio (HMR) using a calibration phantom method. The HMRs from any collimator types could be converted to the value with medium-energy comparable collimators. Appropriate quantification based on common normal databases and standard technology could play a pivotal role for clinical practice and researches.

Determination of alkylphenols and alkylphenol mono- and diethoxylates in environmental samples by high-performance liquid chromatography

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

Ahel, M.; Giger, W.

1985-07-01

A routine method is described for the quantitative determination of 4-nonylphenol (NP) and 4-nonylphenol mono-(NP1EO) and diethoxylate (NP2EO) in samples from wastewater and sludge treatment and from the aquatic environment. An exhaustive steam-distillation/solvent-extraction procedure was employed to enrich the analytes from aqueous and solid samples. Quantitative determinations were performed by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HP-LC) using aminosilica columns. Relative standard deviations were 3.0-4.4% in a river water containing 3.9 ..mu..g/L NP, 23.4 ..mu..g/L NP1EO, and 9.4 ..mu..g/L NP2EO. A digested sewage sludge with 1.6 g of NP/kg of dry matter was analyzed with a relative standard deviation of 3.7%. Recoveriesmore » were higher than 80%, and the estimated detection limit in water samples was 0.5 ..mu..g/L. Reversed-phase HPLC on octylsilica provided complementary qualitative data, particularly on homologous alkylphenolic compounds. Good agreement was found between quantitative determinations by HPLC and by high-resolution gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and directly coupled mass spectrometry. Municipal wastewater effluents, sewage sludges, and natural waters were analyzed to demonstrate the method's broad applicability. 19 references, 4 tables, 4 figures.« less

Experimental and computational thermochemical study of α-alanine (DL) and β-alanine.

PubMed

da Silva, Manuel A V Ribeiro; da Silva, Maria das Dores M C Ribeiro; Santos, Ana Filipa L O M; Roux, Maria Victoria; Foces-Foces, Concepción; Notario, Rafael; Guzmán-Mejía, Ramón; Juaristi, Eusebio

2010-12-16

This paper reports an experimental and theoretical study of the gas phase standard (p° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation, at T = 298.15 K, of α-alanine (DL) and β-alanine. The standard (p° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation of crystalline α-alanine (DL) and β-alanine were calculated from the standard molar energies of combustion, in oxygen, to yield CO2(g), N2(g), and H2O(l), measured by static-bomb combustion calorimetry at T = 298.15 K. The vapor pressures of both amino acids were measured as function of temperature by the Knudsen effusion mass-loss technique. The standard molar enthalpies of sublimation at T = 298.15 K was derived from the Clausius−Clapeyron equation. The experimental values were used to calculate the standard (p° = 0.1 MPa) enthalpy of formation of α-alanine (DL) and β-alanine in the gaseous phase, Δ(f)H(m)°(g), as −426.3 ± 2.9 and −421.2 ± 1.9 kJ·mol(−1), respectively. Standard ab initio molecular orbital calculations at the G3 level were performed. Enthalpies of formation, using atomization reactions, were calculated and compared with experimental data. Detailed inspections of the molecular and electronic structures of the compounds studied were carried out.

Determination of trace labile copper in environmental waters by magnetic nanoparticle solid phase extraction and high-performance chelation ion chromatography.

PubMed

Wei, Z; Sandron, S; Townsend, A T; Nesterenko, P N; Paull, B

2015-04-01

Cobalt magnetic nanoparticles surface functionalised with iminodiacetic acid were evaluated as a nano-particulate solid phase extraction absorbent for copper ions (Cu(2+)) from environmental water samples. Using an external magnetic field, the collector nanoparticles could be separated from the aqueous phase, and adsorbed ions simply decomplexed using dilute HNO3. Effects of pH, buffer concentration, sample and sorbent volume, extraction equilibrium time, and interfering ion concentration on extraction efficiency were investigated. Optimal conditions were then applied to the extraction of Cu(2+) ions from natural water samples, prior to their quantitation using high-performance chelation ion chromatography. The limits of detection (LOD) of the combined extraction and chromatographic method were ~0.1 ng ml(-1), based upon a 100-fold preconcentration factor (chromatographic performance; LOD=9.2 ng ml(-1) Cu(2+)), analytical linear range from 20 to 5000 ng mL(-1), and relative standard deviations=4.9% (c=1000 ng ml(-1), n=7). Accuracy and precision of the combined approach was verified using a certified reference standard estuarine water sample (SLEW-2) and comparison of sample determinations with sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Recoveries from the addition of Cu(2+) to impacted estuarine and rain water samples were 103.5% and 108.5%, respectively. Coastal seawater samples, both with and without prior UV irradiation and dissolved organic matter removal were also investigated using the new methodology. The effect of DOM concentration on copper availability was demonstrated. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Development and Optimisation of an HPLC-DAD-ESI-Q-ToF Method for the Determination of Phenolic Acids and Derivatives

PubMed Central

Restivo, Annalaura; Degano, Ilaria; Ribechini, Erika; Colombini, Maria Perla

2014-01-01

A method for the HPLC-MS/MS analysis of phenols, including phenolic acids and naphtoquinones, using an amide-embedded phase column was developed and compared to the literature methods based on classical C18 stationary phase columns. RP-Amide is a recently developed polar embedded stationary phase, whose wetting properties mean that up to 100% water can be used as an eluent. The increased retention and selectivity for polar compounds and the possibility of working in 100% water conditions make this column particularly interesting for the HPLC analysis of phenolic acids and derivatives. In this study, the chromatographic separation was optimised on an HPLC-DAD, and was used to separate 13 standard phenolic acids and derivatives. The method was validated on an HPLC-ESI-Q-ToF. The acquisition was performed in negative polarity and MS/MS target mode. Ionisation conditions and acquisition parameters for the Q-ToF detector were investigated by working on collision energies and fragmentor potentials. The performance of the method was fully evaluated on standards. Moreover, several raw materials containing phenols were analysed: walnut, gall, wine, malbec grape, French oak, red henna and propolis. Our method allowed us to characterize the phenolic composition in a wide range of matrices and to highlight possible matrix effects. PMID:24551158

Development and validation of reversed-phase HPLC gradient method for the estimation of efavirenz in plasma.

PubMed

Gupta, Shweta; Kesarla, Rajesh; Chotai, Narendra; Omri, Abdelwahab

2017-01-01

Efavirenz is an anti-viral agent of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor category used as a part of highly active retroviral therapy for the treatment of infections of human immune deficiency virus type-1. A simple, sensitive and rapid reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic gradient method was developed and validated for the determination of efavirenz in plasma. The method was developed with high performance liquid chromatography using Waters X-Terra Shield, RP18 50 x 4.6 mm, 3.5 μm column and a mobile phase consisting of phosphate buffer pH 3.5 and Acetonitrile. The elute was monitored with the UV-Visible detector at 260 nm with a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate was used as internal standard. The method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity, robustness and data obtained were statistically analyzed. Calibration curve was found to be linear over the concentration range of 1-300 μg/mL. The retention times of efavirenz and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (internal standard) were 5.941 min and 4.356 min respectively. The regression coefficient value was found to be 0.999. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification obtained were 0.03 and 0.1 μg/mL respectively. The developed HPLC method can be useful for quantitative pharmacokinetic parameters determination of efavirenz in plasma.

A racket-sport intervention improves behavioral and cognitive performance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Pan, Chien-Yu; Chu, Chia-Hua; Tsai, Chia-Liang; Lo, Shen-Yu; Cheng, Yun-Wen; Liu, Yu-Jen

2016-10-01

The present study assessed the effects of a 12-week table tennis exercise on motor skills, social behaviors, and executive functions in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the first 12-week phase, 16 children (group I) received the intervention, whereas 16 children (group II) did not. A second 12-week phase immediately followed with the treatments reversed. Improvements were observed in executive functions in both groups after the intervention. After the first 12-week phase, some motor and behavioral functions improved in group I. After the second 12-week phase, similar improvements were noted for group II, and the intervention effects achieved in the first phase were persisted in group I. The racket-sport intervention is valuable in promoting motor skills, social behaviors, and executive functions and should be included within the standard-of-care treatment for children with ADHD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Robust interferometric imaging via prior-less phase recovery: redundant spacing calibration with generalized-closure phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurien, Binoy G.; Ashcom, Jonathan B.; Shah, Vinay N.; Rachlin, Yaron; Tarokh, Vahid

2017-01-01

Atmospheric turbulence presents a fundamental challenge to Fourier phase recovery in optical interferometry. Typical reconstruction algorithms employ Bayesian inference techniques which rely on prior knowledge of the scene under observation. In contrast, redundant spacing calibration (RSC) algorithms employ redundancy in the baselines of the interferometric array to directly expose the contribution of turbulence, thereby enabling phase recovery for targets of arbitrary and unknown complexity. Traditionally RSC algorithms have been applied directly to single-exposure measurements, which are reliable only at high photon flux in general. In scenarios of low photon flux, such as those arising in the observation of dim objects in space, one must instead rely on time-averaged, atmosphere-invariant quantities such as the bispectrum. In this paper, we develop a novel RSC-based algorithm for prior-less phase recovery in which we generalize the bispectrum to higher order atmosphere-invariants (n-spectra) for improved sensitivity. We provide a strategy for selection of a high-signal-to-noise ratio set of n-spectra using the graph-theoretic notion of the minimum cycle basis. We also discuss a key property of this set (wrap-invariance), which then enables reliable application of standard linear estimation techniques to recover the Fourier phases from the 2π-wrapped n-spectra phases. For validation, we analyse the expected shot-noise-limited performance of our algorithm for both pairwise and Fizeau interferometric architectures, and corroborate this analysis with simulation results showing performance near an atmosphere-oracle Cramer-Rao bound. Lastly, we apply techniques from the field of compressed sensing to perform image reconstruction from the estimated complex visibilities.

[Determination of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin in egg yolks by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection].

PubMed

He, Kang-Hao; Zou, Xiao-Li; Liu, Xiang; Zeng, Hong-Yan

2012-01-01

A method using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled with diode array detector (DAD) was developed for the simultaneous determination of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin in egg yolks. Samples were extracted with acetonitrile in ultrasonic bath for 20 minutes and then purified by freezing-lipid filtration and solid phase extraction (SPE). After being vaporized to dryness by nitrogen blowing and made up to volume with methanol, the extract solution was chromatographically separated in C18 column with a unitary mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile. The proposed method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, accuracy, and limit of detection (LOD). Regression analysis revealed a good linearity between peak area of each analyte and its concentration (r > or = 0.998). The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 3.6% and 5.2%, respectively. LODs of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin were 0.035 and 0.027 microg/mL (S/N = 3). The average recoveries of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin were 91.5% and 88.7%. The proposed method is simple, fast and easy to apply.

Comparative analysis of autofocus functions in digital in-line phase-shifting holography.

PubMed

Fonseca, Elsa S R; Fiadeiro, Paulo T; Pereira, Manuela; Pinheiro, António

2016-09-20

Numerical reconstruction of digital holograms relies on a precise knowledge of the original object position. However, there are a number of relevant applications where this parameter is not known in advance and an efficient autofocusing method is required. This paper addresses the problem of finding optimal focusing methods for use in reconstruction of digital holograms of macroscopic amplitude and phase objects, using digital in-line phase-shifting holography in transmission mode. Fifteen autofocus measures, including spatial-, spectral-, and sparsity-based methods, were evaluated for both synthetic and experimental holograms. The Fresnel transform and the angular spectrum reconstruction methods were compared. Evaluation criteria included unimodality, accuracy, resolution, and computational cost. Autofocusing under angular spectrum propagation tends to perform better with respect to accuracy and unimodality criteria. Phase objects are, generally, more difficult to focus than amplitude objects. The normalized variance, the standard correlation, and the Tenenbaum gradient are the most reliable spatial-based metrics, combining computational efficiency with good accuracy and resolution. A good trade-off between focus performance and computational cost was found for the Fresnelet sparsity method.

Separation of Aeruginosin-865 from Cultivated Soil Cyanobacterium (Nostoc sp.) by Centrifugal Partition Chromatography combined with Gel Permeation Chromatography.

PubMed

Cheel, José; Minceva, Mirjana; Urajová, Petra; Aslam, Rabya; Hrouzek, Pavel; Kopecký, Jiří

2015-10-01

Aeruginosin-865 was isolated from cultivated soil cyanobacteria using a combination of centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) and gel permeation chromatography. The solubility of Aer-865 in different solvents was evaluated using the conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS). The CPC separation was performed in descending mode with a biphasic solvent system composed of water-n-BuOH-acetic acid (5:4:1, v/v/v). The upper phase was used as a stationary phase, whereas the lower phase was employed as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 10 mL/min. The revolution speed and temperature of the separation column were 1700 rpm and 25 degrees C, respectively. Preparative CPC separation followed by gel permeation chromatography was performed on 50 mg of crude extract yielding Aer-865 (3.5 mg), with a purity over 95% as determined by HPLC. The chemical identity of the isolated compound was confirmed by comparing its spectroscopic data (UV, HRESI-MS, HRESI-MS/MS) with those of an authentic standard and data available in the literature.

Effect of calendar age on physical performance: A comparison of standard clinical measures with instrumented measures in middle-aged to older adults.

PubMed

Stijntjes, M; Meskers, C G M; de Craen, A J M; van Lummel, R C; Rispens, S M; Slagboom, P E; Maier, A B

2016-03-01

Decline in physical performance is highly prevalent during aging. Identification of sensitive markers of age-related changes in physical performance is important for early detection, development of therapeutic strategies and insight into underlying mechanisms. We studied the association of calendar age and familial longevity with standard clinical and instrumented measures of physical performance in a cohort of healthy middle-aged to older adults. Cross-sectional analysis within the Leiden Longevity Study consisting of offspring of nonagenarian siblings and their partners (n=300, mean age (SD) 65.3 (6.7) years). Standard clinical measures were 25-meter walking speed and total duration of the chair stand test (CST). Instrumented measures were determined using a body fixed sensor. Dependence of physical performance on calendar age and familial longevity (offspring versus partner status) was analyzed using linear and logistic regression, respectively, adjusted for gender and height. Higher calendar age was associated with slower walking speed and longer duration of the CST (standardized β (95% CI) -.024 (-.042; -.006) and .035 (.014;.056), respectively). Instrumented measures showed similar effect sizes with strongest associations for gait stability and symmetry in mediolateral direction and for the extension and flexion phase of sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transfers, respectively. No differences were observed between offspring of nonagenarian siblings and their partners. Standard clinical and instrumented measures of physical performance are associated with similar effect size to age-related changes in physical performance observable from middle age. The potential added value of instrumented measures for understanding underlying mechanisms requires further attention. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet diode array detection and refractive index detection to the determination of class composition and to the analysis of gasoline.

PubMed

Kamiński, Marian; Kartanowicz, Rafał; Przyjazny, Andrzej

2004-03-12

A method of effective application of normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC) with ultraviolet diode array detection (DAD) and refractive index detection (RID) for the determination of class composition of gasoline and its components, i.e. for the determination of content of alkenes, aromatic and saturated hydrocarbons in gasoline meeting modern quality standards, has been developed. An aminopropyl-bonded silica stationary phase was used along with n-hexane or n-heptane as the mobile phase. A DAD signal integrated over the 207-240 nm range was used to determine alkenes. This eliminates the necessity of separating alkenes from saturates, because the latter do not absorb UV radiation above 200 nm. The content of aromatic hydrocarbons is determined by means of a refractive index detector. Calibration was based on hydrocarbon type composition determined by the fluorescent indicator adsorption method, ASTM D1319. The results obtained by the developed method were found to be consistent with those obtained by fluorescent indicator adsorption or by a multidimensional GC method (PIONA) (ASTM D5443). The method can be applied to gasoline meeting recent quality standards, irrespective of refining technology used in the production of gasoline components, including gasoline with various contents of oxygenates. The developed method cannot be used to determine the hydrocarbon type composition of gasoline that contains as a component the so-called pyrocondensate, i.e. the fraction with a boiling point up to 220 degrees C, obtained through thermal pyrolysis of distillation residues of crude oil or coal and, consequently, does not meet the quality standards. The paper includes the procedure for identification of this type of gasoline.

A novel reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for standardization of Orthosiphon stamineus leaf extracts.

PubMed

Saidan, Noor Hafizoh; Aisha, Abdalrahim F A; Hamil, Mohd Shahrul Ridzuan; Majid, Amin Malik Shah Abdul; Ismail, Zhari

2015-01-01

Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. (Lamiaceae) is a traditional medicinal plant which has been used in treating various ailments such as kidney diseases, bladder inflammation, arthritis and diabetes. The leaves contain high concentration of phenolic compounds, thus, rosmarinic acid (RA), 3'-hydroxy-5, 6, 7, 4'-tetramethoxyflavone (TMF), sinensetin (SIN) and eupatorin (EUP) were chosen as a marker compounds for standardization of various O. stamineus leaf extracts. The aim was to develop and validate a new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for quantification of 4 marker compounds (RA, TMF, SIN, EUP) in various O. stamineus leaf extracts. The method was developed and validated using RP-HPLC-diode-array detection at 320 nm for accuracy, precision and limits of detection and was applied for quantification of it markers in five different extracts prepared in solvents with increasing polarity, using a gradient mobile phase 0.1% formic acid: Acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1 ml/min on reverse phase acclaim polar advantage II C18 column (3 μm, 3 × 150 mm) with 18 min separation time. The developed method provided satisfactory precision, and the accuracy of this method was in the range of 90.2% to 105.5%. All of 4 compounds showed good linearity at R2 > 0.999. The developed method is a simple, cost effective with shorter run time (18 min) in comparison to previous methods (30 min) and utilization of environmental-friendly solvents system. Therefore, this method has the potential to replace currently used methods in the routine standardization work of O. stamineus extracts, raw materials and its commercial products.

A novel reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for standardization of Orthosiphon stamineus leaf extracts

PubMed Central

Saidan, Noor Hafizoh; Aisha, Abdalrahim F.A.; Hamil, Mohd Shahrul Ridzuan; Majid, Amin Malik Shah Abdul; Ismail, Zhari

2015-01-01

Background: Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. (Lamiaceae) is a traditional medicinal plant which has been used in treating various ailments such as kidney diseases, bladder inflammation, arthritis and diabetes. The leaves contain high concentration of phenolic compounds, thus, rosmarinic acid (RA), 3’-hydroxy-5, 6, 7, 4’-tetramethoxyflavone (TMF), sinensetin (SIN) and eupatorin (EUP) were chosen as a marker compounds for standardization of various O. stamineus leaf extracts. Objective: The aim was to develop and validate a new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for quantification of 4 marker compounds (RA, TMF, SIN, EUP) in various O. stamineus leaf extracts. Materials and Methods: The method was developed and validated using RP-HPLC-diode-array detection at 320 nm for accuracy, precision and limits of detection and was applied for quantification of it markers in five different extracts prepared in solvents with increasing polarity, using a gradient mobile phase 0.1% formic acid: Acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1 ml/min on reverse phase acclaim polar advantage II C18 column (3 μm, 3 × 150 mm) with 18 min separation time. Results: The developed method provided satisfactory precision, and the accuracy of this method was in the range of 90.2% to 105.5%. All of 4 compounds showed good linearity at R2 > 0.999. Conclusion: The developed method is a simple, cost effective with shorter run time (18 min) in comparison to previous methods (30 min) and utilization of environmental-friendly solvents system. Therefore, this method has the potential to replace currently used methods in the routine standardization work of O. stamineus extracts, raw materials and its commercial products. PMID:25598631

Referenceless MR thermometry-a comparison of five methods.

PubMed

Zou, Chao; Tie, Changjun; Pan, Min; Wan, Qian; Liang, Changhong; Liu, Xin; Chung, Yiu-Cho

2017-01-07

Proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS) MR thermometry is commonly used to measure temperature in thermotherapy. The method requires a baseline temperature map and is therefore motion sensitive. Several referenceless MR thermometry methods were proposed to address this problem but their performances have never been compared. This study compared the performance of five referenceless methods through simulation, heating of ex vivo tissues and in vivo imaging of the brain and liver of healthy volunteers. Mean, standard deviation, root mean square, 2/98 percentiles of error were used as performance metrics. Probability density functions (PDF) of the error distribution for these methods in the different tests were also compared. The results showed that the phase gradient method (PG) exhibited largest error in all scenarios. The original method (ORG) and the complex field estimation method (CFE) had similar performance in all experiments. The phase finite difference method (PFD) and the near harmonic method (NH) were better than other methods, especially in the lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and fast changing field cases. Except for PG, the PDFs of each method were very similar among the different experiments. Since phase unwrapping in ORG and NH is computationally demanding and subject to image SNR, PFD and CFE would be good choices as they do not need phase unwrapping. The results here would facilitate the choice of appropriate referenceless methods in various MR thermometry applications.

[Simultaneous determination of sixteen perfluorinated organic compounds in surface water by solid phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Zhang, Ming; Tang, Fangliang; Yu, Yayun; Chen, Feng; Xu, Jianfen; Ye, Yonggen

2014-05-01

A high-throughput detection method has been developed for the determination of sixteen perfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs) in surface water by solid phase extraction-ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The water samples were concentrated and purified through WAX solid phase extraction cartridges. The UPLC separation was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column utilizing a gradient elution program of methanol (containing 2 mmol/L ammonium acetate) and water (containing 2 mmol/L ammonium acetate) as the mobile phases at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The MS/MS detection was performed under negative electrospray ionization ( ESI ) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Good linearities were observed in the range of 0.5-100 gg/L or 1.0 - 100 microg/L with correlation coefficients from 0.998 7 to 0.999 9. The limits of detection (LODs) for the sixteen perfluorinated organic compounds were in the range of 0.06-0.46 ng/L. The recoveries ranged from 67.6% to 103% with the relative standard deviations between 2.94% and 12.0%. This method was characterized by high sensitivity and precision, extensive range and high speed, and can be applied for the analysis of PFC contaminants in surface water.

[Simultaneous determination of nine perfluorinated compound precursors in atmospheric precipitation by solid phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Zhang, Ming; Tang, Fangliang; Xu, Jianfen; Yu, Bo; Zhang, Wei; Yao, Jianliang; Hu, Minhua

2017-10-08

A high-throughput detection method has been developed for the determination of nine perfluorinated compound precursors (PFCPs) in atmospheric precipitation by solid phase extraction-ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The atmospheric precipitation samples were concentrated and purified with HLB solid phase extraction cartridges. The UPLC separation was performed on an HSS T 3 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) utilizing a gradient elution program of methanol and water as the mobile phases at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The MS/MS detection was performed under negative electrospray ionization (ESI - ) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Good linearity was observed in the range of 0.05-5.00 μg/L, 0.50-50.0 μg/L or 5.00-500 μg/L with correlation coefficients from 0.9921 to 0.9995. The limits of detection (LODs) for the nine perfluorinated compound precursors were in the ranges of 0.05-7.9 ng/L. The recoveries ranged from 76.0% to 106% with the relative standard deviations between 0.72% and 13.7%. This method is characterized by high sensitivity and precision, extensive analytical range and quick analytical rate, and can be applied for the analysis of perfluorinated compound precursors in atmospheric precipitation.

Referenceless MR thermometry—a comparison of five methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Chao; Tie, Changjun; Pan, Min; Wan, Qian; Liang, Changhong; Liu, Xin; Chung, Yiu-Cho

2017-01-01

Proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS) MR thermometry is commonly used to measure temperature in thermotherapy. The method requires a baseline temperature map and is therefore motion sensitive. Several referenceless MR thermometry methods were proposed to address this problem but their performances have never been compared. This study compared the performance of five referenceless methods through simulation, heating of ex vivo tissues and in vivo imaging of the brain and liver of healthy volunteers. Mean, standard deviation, root mean square, 2/98 percentiles of error were used as performance metrics. Probability density functions (PDF) of the error distribution for these methods in the different tests were also compared. The results showed that the phase gradient method (PG) exhibited largest error in all scenarios. The original method (ORG) and the complex field estimation method (CFE) had similar performance in all experiments. The phase finite difference method (PFD) and the near harmonic method (NH) were better than other methods, especially in the lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and fast changing field cases. Except for PG, the PDFs of each method were very similar among the different experiments. Since phase unwrapping in ORG and NH is computationally demanding and subject to image SNR, PFD and CFE would be good choices as they do not need phase unwrapping. The results here would facilitate the choice of appropriate referenceless methods in various MR thermometry applications.

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

Simunovic, Srdjan; Piro, Markus H.A.

Thermochimica is a software library that determines a unique combination of phases and their compositions at thermochemical equilibrium. Thermochimica can be used for stand-alone calculations or it can be directly coupled to other codes. This release of the software does not have a graphical user interface (GUI) and it can be executed from the command line or from an Application Programming Interface (API). Also, it is not intended for thermodynamic model development or for constructing phase diagrams. The main purpose of the software is to be directly coupled with a multi-physics code to provide material properties and boundary conditions formore » various physical phenomena. Significant research efforts have been dedicated to enhance computational performance through advanced algorithm development, such as improved estimation techniques and non-linear solvers. Various useful parameters can be provided as output from Thermochimica, such as: determination of which phases are stable at equilibrium, the mass of solution species and phases at equilibrium, mole fractions of solution phase constituents, thermochemical activities (which are related to partial pressures for gaseous species), chemical potentials of solution species and phases, and integral Gibbs energy (referenced relative to standard state). The overall goal is to provide an open source computational tool to enhance the predictive capability of multi-physics codes without significantly impeding computational performance.« less

Automated dynamic liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection for the determination of phenoxy acid herbicides in environmental waters.

PubMed

Wu, Jingming; Ee, Kim Huey; Lee, Hian Kee

2005-08-05

Automated dynamic liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction (D-LLLME) controlled by a programmable syringe pump and combined with HPLC-UV was investigated for the extraction and determination of 5 phenoxy acid herbicides in aqueous samples. In the extraction procedure, the acceptor phase was repeatedly withdrawn into and discharged from the hollow fiber by the syringe pump. The repetitive movement of acceptor phase into and out of the hollow fiber channel facilitated the transfer of analytes into donor phase, from the organic phase held in the pore of the fiber. Parameters such as the organic solvent, concentrations of the donor and acceptor phases, plunger movement pattern, speed of agitation and ionic strength of donor phase were evaluated. Good linearity of analytes was achieved in the range of 0.5-500 ng/ml with coefficients of determination, r2 > 0.9994. Good repeatabilities of extraction performance were obtained with relative standard deviations lower than 7.5%. The method provided up-to 490-fold enrichment within 13 min. In addition, the limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.1 to 0.4 ng/mL (S/N = 3). D-LLLME was successfully applied for the analysis of phenoxy acid herbicides from real environmental water samples.

Comparison of Conventional and Computer-Aided Drafting Methods from the View of Time and Drafting Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozkan, Aysen; Yildirim, Kemal

2016-01-01

Problem Statement: Drafting course is essential for students in the design disciplines for becoming more organized and for complying with standards in the educational system. Drafting knowledge is crucial, both for comprehension of the issues and for the implementation phase. In any design project, drafting performance and success are as important…

Developing an Environment for Exploring Distributed Operations: A Wargaming Example

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-05-01

a basis for performance standards. At the same time, the design tried to provide an acceptable mix of structured versus free - play activity in...participants’ free - play discussion and collaboration during Counteraction. Scripting allowed the research team to embed potential problems or measurement...Learned - Structured Exercises ......................................................................... 24 Scripted and Free - Play Wargaming Phases

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR PERFORMANCE OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE: VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION (UA-D-2.0)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to define the procedures used for the initial and periodic verification and validation of computer programs used during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the "Border" study. Keywords: Computers; Software; QA/QC.

The National Human Exposure Assessment Sur...

Coupling solid-phase microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography for direct and sensitive determination of halogenated fungicides in wine.

PubMed

Millán, S; Sampedro, M C; Unceta, N; Goicolea, M A; Rodríguez, E; Barrio, R J

2003-05-02

A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) for the analysis of six organochlorine fungicides (nuarimol, triadimenol, triadimefon, folpet, vinclozolin and penconazole) in wine was developed. For this purpose, polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene-coated fibers were utilized and all factors affecting throughput, precision, and accuracy of the SPME method were investigated and optimized. These factors include: matrix influence, extraction and desorption time, percentage of ethanol, pH, salt effect and desorption mode. The performed analytical procedure showed detectability ranging from 4 to 27 microg l(-1) and precision from 2.4 to 14.2% (as intra-day relative standard deviation, RSD) and 4.7-25.7% (as inter-day RSD) depending on the fungicide. The results demonstrate the suitability of the SPME-HPLC-DAD method to analyze these organochlorine fungicides in red wine.

There are differences in cerebral activation between females in distinct menstrual phases during viewing of erotic stimuli: A fMRI study.

PubMed

Gizewski, Elke R; Krause, Eva; Karama, Sherif; Baars, Anneke; Senf, Wolfgang; Forsting, Michael

2006-09-01

There is evidence that men experience more sexual arousal than women but also that women in mid-luteal phase experience more sexual arousal than women outside this phase. Recently, a few functional brain imaging studies have tackled the issue of gender differences as pertaining to reactions to erotica. The question of whether or not gender differences in reactions to erotica are maintained with women in different phases has not yet been answered from a functional brain imaging perspective. In order to examine this issue, functional MRI was performed in 22 male and 22 female volunteers. Subjects viewed erotic film excerpts alternating with emotionally neutral excerpts in a standard block-design paradigm. Arousal to erotic stimuli was evaluated using standard rating scales after scanning. Two-sample t-test with uncorrected P < 0.001 values for a priori determined region of interests involved in processing of erotic stimuli and with corrected P < 0.05 revealed gender differences: Comparing women in mid-luteal phase and during their menses, superior activation was revealed for women in mid-luteal phase in the anterior cingulate, left insula, and orbitofrontal cortex. A superior activation for men was found in the left thalamus, the bilateral amygdala, the anterior cingulate, the bilateral orbitofrontal, bilateral parahippocampal, and insular regions, which were maintained at a corrected P in the amygdala, the insula, and thalamus. There were no areas of significant superior activation for women neither in mid-luteal phase nor during their menses. Our results indicate that there are differences between women in the two cycle times in cerebral activity during viewing of erotic stimuli. Furthermore, gender differences with women in mid-luteal phases are similar to those in females outside the mid-luteal phase.

Physical activity intervention for elderly patients with reduced physical performance after acute coronary syndrome (HULK study): rationale and design of a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Tonet, Elisabetta; Maietti, Elisa; Chiaranda, Giorgio; Vitali, Francesco; Serenelli, Matteo; Bugani, Giulia; Mazzoni, Gianni; Ruggiero, Rossella; Myers, Jonathan; Villani, Giovanni Quinto; Corvi, Ursula; Pasanisi, Giovanni; Biscaglia, Simone; Pavasini, Rita; Lucchi, Giulia Ricci; Sella, Gianluigi; Ferrari, Roberto; Volpato, Stefano; Campo, Gianluca; Grazzi, Giovanni

2018-05-21

Reduced physical performance and impaired mobility are common in elderly patients after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and they represent independent risk factors for disability, morbidity, hospital readmission and mortality. Regular physical exercise represents a means for improving functional capacity. Nevertheless, its clinical benefit has been less investigated in elderly patients in the early phase after ACS. The HULK trial aims to investigate the clinical benefit of an early, tailored low-cost physical activity intervention in comparison to standard of care in elderly ACS patients with reduced physical performance. HULK is an investigator-initiated, prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial (NCT03021044). After successful management of the ACS acute phase and uneventful first 1 month, elderly (≥70 years) patients showing reduced physical performance are randomized (1:1 ratio) to either standard of care or physical activity intervention. Reduced physical performance is defined as a short physical performance battery (SPPB) score of 4-9. The early, tailored, low-cost physical intervention includes 4 sessions of physical activity with a supervisor and an home-based program of physical exercise. The chosen primary endpoint is the 6-month SPPB value. Secondary endpoints briefly include quality of life, on-treatment platelet reactivity, some laboratory data and clinical adverse events. To demonstrate an increase of at least one SPPB point in the experimental arm, a sample size of 226 patients is needed. The HULK study will test the hypothesis that an early, tailored low-cost physical activity intervention improves physical performance, quality of life, frailty status and outcome in elderly ACS patients with reduced physical performance. Clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT03021044 , first posted January, 13th 2017.

A strategic management model for evaluation of health, safety and environmental performance.

PubMed

Abbaspour, Majid; Toutounchian, Solmaz; Roayaei, Emad; Nassiri, Parvin

2012-05-01

Strategic health, safety, and environmental management system (HSE-MS) involves systematic and cooperative planning in each phase of the lifecycle of a project to ensure that interaction among the industry group, client, contractor, stakeholder, and host community exists with the highest level of health, safety, and environmental standard performances. Therefore, it seems necessary to assess the HSE-MS performance of contractor(s) by a comparative strategic management model with the aim of continuous improvement. The present Strategic Management Model (SMM) has been illustrated by a case study and the results show that the model is a suitable management tool for decision making in a contract environment, especially in oil and gas fields and based on accepted international standards within the framework of management deming cycle. To develop this model, a data bank has been created, which includes the statistical data calculated by converting the HSE performance qualitative data into quantitative values. Based on this fact, the structure of the model has been formed by defining HSE performance indicators according to the HSE-MS model. Therefore, 178 indicators have been selected which have been grouped into four attributes. Model output provides quantitative measures of HSE-MS performance as a percentage of an ideal level with maximum possible score for each attribute. Defining the strengths and weaknesses of the contractor(s) is another capability of this model. On the other hand, this model provides a ranking that could be used as the basis for decision making at the contractors' pre-qualification phase or during the execution of the project.

C-Band Airport Surface Communications System Standards Development. Phase II Final Report. Volume 2: Test Bed Performance Evaluation and Final AeroMACS Recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Edward; Magner, James

2011-01-01

This report is provided as part of ITT s NASA Glenn Research Center Aerospace Communication Systems Technical Support (ACSTS) contract NNC05CA85C, Task 7: New ATM Requirements-Future Communications, C-Band and L-Band Communications Standard Development and was based on direction provided by FAA project-level agreements for New ATM Requirements-Future Communications. Task 7 included two subtasks. Subtask 7-1 addressed C-band (5091- to 5150-MHz) airport surface data communications standards development, systems engineering, test bed and prototype development, and tests and demonstrations to establish operational capability for the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS). Subtask 7-2 focused on systems engineering and development support of the L-band digital aeronautical communications system (L-DACS). Subtask 7-1 consisted of two phases. Phase I included development of AeroMACS concepts of use, requirements, architecture, and initial high-level safety risk assessment. Phase II builds on Phase I results and is presented in two volumes. Volume I is devoted to concepts of use, system requirements, and architecture, including AeroMACS design considerations. Volume II (this document) describes an AeroMACS prototype evaluation and presents final AeroMACS recommendations. This report also describes airport categorization and channelization methodologies. The purposes of the airport categorization task were (1) to facilitate initial AeroMACS architecture designs and enable budgetary projections by creating a set of airport categories based on common airport characteristics and design objectives, and (2) to offer high-level guidance to potential AeroMACS technology and policy development sponsors and service providers. A channelization plan methodology was developed because a common global methodology is needed to assure seamless interoperability among diverse AeroMACS services potentially supplied by multiple service providers.

Experimental Evaluation of Grid Support Enabled PV Inverter Response to Abnormal Grid Conditions: Preprint

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

Nelson, Austin; Martin, Gregory; Hurtt, James

As revised interconnection standards for grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) inverters address new advanced grid support functions (GSFs), there is increasing interest in inverter performance in the case of abnormal grid conditions. The growth of GSF-enabled inverters has outpaced the industry standards that define their operation, although recently published updates to UL1741 with Supplement SA define test conditions for GSFs such as volt-var control, frequency-watt control, and volt-age/frequency ride-through, among others. A comparative experimental evaluation has been completed on four commercially available, three-phase PV inverters in the 24.0-39.8 kVA power range on their GSF capability and the effect on abnormal grid conditionmore » response. This study examines the impact particular GSF implementations have on run-on times during islanding conditions, peak voltages in load rejection overvoltage scenarios, and peak currents during single-phase and three-phase fault events for individual inverters. This report reviews comparative test data, which shows that GSFs have little impact on the metrics of interest in most tests cases.« less

Liquid-chromatographic determination of cephalosporins and chloramphenicol in serum.

PubMed

Danzer, L A

1983-05-01

A "high-performance" liquid-chromatographic technique involving a radial compression module is used for measuring chloramphenicol and five cephalosporin antibiotics: cefotaxime, cefoxitin, cephapirin, and cefamandol. Serum proteins are precipitated with acetonitrile solution containing 4'-nitroacetanilide as the internal standard. The drugs are eluted with a mobile phase of methanol/acetate buffer (30/70 by vol), pH 5.5. Absorbance of the cephalosporins is monitored at 254 nm. Standard curves are linear to at least 100 mg/L. The absorbance of chloramphenicol is monitored at 254 nm and 280 nm, and its standard curve is linear to at least 50 mg/L. The elution times for various other drugs were also determined, to check for potential interferents.

Determination of total phthalate in cosmetics using a simple three-phase sample preparation method.

PubMed

Liu, Laping; Wang, Zhengmeng; Zhao, Sihan; Duan, Jiahui; Tao, Hu; Wang, Wenji; Liu, Shuhui

2018-02-01

A simple sample preparation method requiring minimal organic solvents is proposed for the determination of the total phthalate content in cosmetics by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The hydrolysis of phthalates and purification of interfering substances were performed in a three-phase system that included an upper n-hexane phase, a middle ethanol phase, and a lower aqueous alkali solution. This three-phase system utilized an incremental purification strategy. The apolar ingredients were extracted with n-hexane, the polar pigments accumulated in the ethanol phase, and the hydrolysis product, phthalic acid, remained in the hydrolysate. Under the optimized conditions, the correlation coefficients (r) for the calibration curves were 0.998-0.999 in the range 0.60-12 mol L -1 . The limit of detection was 5.1 μmol kg -1 , and the limit of quantification was 9.2 μmol kg -1 . The recoveries varied from 84 to 97% with RSDs equal to or lower than 11%. The intra-day and inter-day repeatability values, expressed as the relative standard deviation, were less than 8.7 and 9.8, respectively. No obvious matrix effect existed in the different cosmetics matrices. The validated method was applied for the analysis of 57 commercial cosmetic samples. Graphical abstract Analysis of phthalates in cosmetics using a three-phase preparation method.

Quantitative analysis of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) in soy bean oils by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Zonta, F; Stancher, B

1985-07-19

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determining phylloquinone (vitamin K1) in soy bean oils is described. Resolution of vitamin K1 from interfering peaks of the matrix was obtained after enzymatic digestion, extraction and liquid-solid chromatography on alumina. An isocratic reversed-phase chromatography with UV detection was used in the final stage. The quantitation was carried out by the standard addition method, and the recovery of the whole procedure was 88.2%.

The Continual Intercomparison of Radiation Codes: Results from Phase I

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Mlawer, Eli; Delamere, Jennifer; Shippert, Timothy; Cole, Jason; Iacono, Michael; Jin, Zhonghai; Li, Jiangnan; Manners, James; Raisanen, Petri;

Nonlinear stability and control study of highly maneuverable high performance aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mohler, R. R.

1993-01-01

This project is intended to research and develop new nonlinear methodologies for the control and stability analysis of high-performance, high angle-of-attack aircraft such as HARV (F18). Past research (reported in our Phase 1, 2, and 3 progress reports) is summarized and more details of final Phase 3 research is provided. While research emphasis is on nonlinear control, other tasks such as associated model development, system identification, stability analysis, and simulation are performed in some detail as well. An overview of various models that were investigated for different purposes such as an approximate model reference for control adaptation, as well as another model for accurate rigid-body longitudinal motion is provided. Only a very cursory analysis was made relative to type 8 (flexible body dynamics). Standard nonlinear longitudinal airframe dynamics (type 7) with the available modified F18 stability derivatives, thrust vectoring, actuator dynamics, and control constraints are utilized for simulated flight evaluation of derived controller performance in all cases studied.

Reproducibility and Variability of I/O Performance on BG/Q: Lessons Learned from a Data Aggregation Algorithm

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

Tessier, Francois; Vishwanath, Venkatram

2017-11-28

Reading and writing data efficiently from different tiers of storage is necessary for most scientific simulations to achieve good performance at scale. Many software solutions have been developed to decrease the I/O bottleneck. One wellknown strategy, in the context of collective I/O operations, is the two-phase I/O scheme. This strategy consists of selecting a subset of processes to aggregate contiguous pieces of data before performing reads/writes. In our previous work, we implemented the two-phase I/O scheme with a MPI-based topology-aware algorithm. Our algorithm showed very good performance at scale compared to the standard I/O libraries such as POSIX I/O andmore » MPI I/O. However, the algorithm had several limitations hindering a satisfying reproducibility of our experiments. In this paper, we extend our work by 1) identifying the obstacles we face to reproduce our experiments and 2) discovering solutions that reduce the unpredictability of our results.« less

A method for direct, semi-quantitative analysis of gas phase samples using gas chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

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

Carter, Kimberly E; Gerdes, Kirk

2013-07-01

A new and complete GC–ICP-MS method is described for direct analysis of trace metals in a gas phase process stream. The proposed method is derived from standard analytical procedures developed for ICP-MS, which are regularly exercised in standard ICP-MS laboratories. In order to implement the method, a series of empirical factors were generated to calibrate detector response with respect to a known concentration of an internal standard analyte. Calibrated responses are ultimately used to determine the concentration of metal analytes in a gas stream using a semi-quantitative algorithm. The method was verified using a traditional gas injection from a GCmore » sampling valve and a standard gas mixture containing either a 1 ppm Xe + Kr mix with helium balance or 100 ppm Xe with helium balance. Data collected for Xe and Kr gas analytes revealed that agreement of 6–20% with the actual concentration can be expected for various experimental conditions. To demonstrate the method using a relevant “unknown” gas mixture, experiments were performed for continuous 4 and 7 hour periods using a Hg-containing sample gas that was co-introduced into the GC sample loop with the xenon gas standard. System performance and detector response to the dilute concentration of the internal standard were pre-determined, which allowed semi-quantitative evaluation of the analyte. The calculated analyte concentrations varied during the course of the 4 hour experiment, particularly during the first hour of the analysis where the actual Hg concentration was under predicted by up to 72%. Calculated concentration improved to within 30–60% for data collected after the first hour of the experiment. Similar results were seen during the 7 hour test with the deviation from the actual concentration being 11–81% during the first hour and then decreasing for the remaining period. The method detection limit (MDL) was determined for the mercury by injecting the sample gas into the system following a period of equilibration. The MDL for Hg was calculated as 6.8 μg · m -3. This work describes the first complete GC–ICP-MS method to directly analyze gas phase samples, and detailed sample calculations and comparisons to conventional ICP-MS methods are provided.« less

Silicone sensing phase for detection of aromatic hydrocarbons in water employing near-infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Albuquerque, Jackson S; Pimentel, M Fernanda; Silva, Valdinete L; Raimundo, Ivo M; Rohwedder, Jarbas J R; Pasquini, Celio

2005-01-01

The use of silicone for detection of aromatic hydrocarbons in water using near-infrared spectroscopy is proposed. A sensing phase of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) was prepared, and a rod of this material was adapted to a transflectance probe for measurements from 850 to 1800 nm. Deionized water samples contaminated separately with known amounts of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m-xylene were used for evaluation of the PDMS sensing phase, and measurements were made in a closed reactor with constant stirring. Equilibrium states were obtained after 90, 180, 360, and 405 min for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m-xylene, respectively. The PDMS sensing phase showed a reversible response, presenting linear response ranges up to 360, 290, 100, and 80 mg L(-1), with detection limits of 8.0, 7.0, 2.6, and 3.0 mg L(-1) for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m-xylene, respectively. Reference spectra obtained with different rods showed a relative standard deviation of 0.5%, indicating repeatability in the sensing phase preparation. A relative standard deviation of 6.7% was obtained for measurements performed with six different rods, using a 52 mg L(-1) toluene aqueous solution. The sensing phase was evaluated for identification of sources of contamination of water in simulated studies, employing Brazilian gasoline type A (without ethanol), gasoline type C (with 25% of anhydrous ethanol), and diesel fuel. Principal component analysis was able to classify the water in distinct groups, contaminated by gasoline A, gasoline C, or diesel fuel.

Isocratic non-aqueous reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of capsanthin and capsorubin in red peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), paprika and oleoresin.

PubMed

Weissenberg, M; Schaeffler, I; Menagem, E; Barzilai, M; Levy, A

1997-01-03

A simple, rapid high-performance liquid chromatography method has been devised in order to separate and quantify the xanthophylls capsorubin and capasanthin present in red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruits and preparations made from them (paprika and oleoresin). A reversed-phase isocratic non-aqueous system allows the separation of xanthophylls within a few minutes, with detection at 450 nm, using methyl red as internal standard to locate the various carotenoids and xanthophylls found in plant extracts. The selection of extraction solvents, mild saponification conditions, and chromatographic features is evaluated and discussed. The method is proposed for rapid screening of large plant populations, plant selection, as well as for paprika products and oleoresin, and also for nutrition and quality control studies.

Determination of N-(trans-4-isopropylcyclohexylcarbonyl)-D-phenylalanine in human plasma by solid-phase extraction and column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

PubMed

Ono, I; Matsuda, K; Kanno, S

1996-04-12

A column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet detection at 210 nm has been developed for the determination of N-(trans-4-isopropylcyclohexylcarbonyl)-D-phenylalanine (AY4166, I) in human plasma. Plasma samples were prepared by solid-phase extraction with Sep-Pak Light tC18, followed by HPLC. The calibration graph for I was linear in the range 0.1-20 micrograms/ml. The limit of quantitation of I, in plasma, was 0.05 microgram/ml. The recovery of spiked I (0.5 microgram/ml) to drug-free plasma was over 92% and the relative standard deviation of spiked I (0.5 microgram/ml) compared to drug-free plasma was 4.3% (n = 8).

Development of a Fan-Filter Unit Test Standard, LaboratoryValidations, and its Applications across Industries

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

Xu, Tengfang

2006-10-20

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is now finalizing the Phase 2 Research and Demonstration Project on characterizing 2-foot x 4-foot (61-cm x 122-cm) fan-filter units in the market using the first-ever standard laboratory test method developed at LBNL.[1][2][3] Fan-filter units deliver re-circulated air and provide particle filtration control for clean environments. Much of the energy in cleanrooms (and minienvironments) is consumed by 2-foot x 4-foot (61-cm x 122-cm) or 4-foot x 4-foot (122-cm x 122-cm) fan-filter units that are typically located in the ceiling (25-100% coverage) of cleanroom controlled environments. Thanks to funding support by the California Energy Commission's Industrialmore » Program of the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program, and significant participation from manufacturers and users of fan-filter units from around the world, LBNL has developed and performed a series of standard laboratory tests and reporting on a variety of 2-foot x 4-foot (61-cm x 122-cm) fan-filter units (FFUs). Standard laboratory testing reports have been completed and reported back to anonymous individual participants in this project. To date, such reports on standard testing of FFU performance have provided rigorous and useful data for suppliers and end users to better understand, and more importantly, to quantitatively characterize performance of FFU products under a variety of operating conditions.[1] In the course of the project, the standard laboratory method previously developed at LBNL has been under continuous evaluation and update.[2][3] Based upon the updated standard, it becomes feasible for users and suppliers to characterize and evaluate energy performance of FFUs in a consistent way.« less

A simple and versatile phase detector for heterodyne interferometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mlynek, A.; Faugel, H.; Eixenberger, H.; Pautasso, G.; Sellmair, G.

2017-02-01

The measurement of the relative phase of two sinusoidal electrical signals is a frequently encountered task in heterodyne interferometry, but also occurs in many other applications. Especially in interferometry, multi-radian detectors are often required, which track the temporal evolution of the phase difference and are able to register phase changes that exceed 2π. While a large variety of solutions to this problem is already known, we present an alternative approach, which pre-processes the signals with simple analog circuitry and digitizes two resulting voltages with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), whose sampling frequency can be far below the frequency of the sinusoidal signals. Phase reconstruction is finally carried out by software. The main advantage of this approach is its simplicity, using only few low-cost hardware components and a standard 2-channel ADC with low performance requirements. We present an application on the two-color interferometer of the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak, where the relative phase of 40 MHz sinusoids is measured.

Analysis of Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards for Residential General Service Lighting in Chile

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

Letschert, Virginie E.; McNeil, Michael A.; Leiva Ibanez, Francisco Humberto

2011-06-01

Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) have been chosen as part of Chile's national energy efficiency action plan. As a first MEPS, the Ministry of Energy has decided to focus on a regulation for lighting that would ban the sale of inefficient bulbs, effectively phasing out the use of incandescent lamps. Following major economies such as the US (EISA, 2007) , the EU (Ecodesign, 2009) and Australia (AS/NZS, 2008) who planned a phase out based on minimum efficacy requirements, the Ministry of Energy has undertaken the impact analysis of a MEPS on the residential lighting sector. Fundacion Chile (FC) and Lawrencemore » Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) collaborated with the Ministry of Energy and the National Energy Efficiency Program (Programa Pais de Eficiencia Energetica, or PPEE) in order to produce a techno-economic analysis of this future policy measure. LBNL has developed for CLASP (CLASP, 2007) a spreadsheet tool called the Policy Analysis Modeling System (PAMS) that allows for evaluation of costs and benefits at the consumer level but also a wide range of impacts at the national level, such as energy savings, net present value of savings, greenhouse gas (CO2) emission reductions and avoided capacity generation due to a specific policy. Because historically Chile has followed European schemes in energy efficiency programs (test procedures, labelling program definitions), we take the Ecodesign commission regulation No 244/2009 as a starting point when defining our phase out program, which means a tiered phase out based on minimum efficacy per lumen category. The following data were collected in order to perform the techno-economic analysis: (1) Retail prices, efficiency and wattage category in the current market, (2) Usage data (hours of lamp use per day), and (3) Stock data, penetration of efficient lamps in the market. Using these data, PAMS calculates the costs and benefits of efficiency standards from two distinct but related perspectives: (1) The Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) calculation examines costs and benefits from the perspective of the individual household; and (2) The National Perspective projects the total national costs and benefits including both financial benefits, and energy savings and environmental benefits. The national perspective calculations are called the National Energy Savings (NES) and the Net Present Value (NPV) calculations. PAMS also calculate total emission mitigation and avoided generation capacity. This paper describes the data and methodology used in PAMS and presents the results of the proposed phase out of incandescent bulbs in Chile.« less

Quantum-enhanced spectroscopy with entangled multiphoton states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinani, Hossein T.; Gupta, Manish K.; Dowling, Jonathan P.; Berry, Dominic W.

2016-06-01

Traditionally, spectroscopy is performed by examining the position of absorption lines. However, at frequencies near the transition frequency, additional information can be obtained from the phase shift. In this work we consider the information about the transition frequency obtained from both the absorption and the phase shift, as quantified by the Fisher information in an interferometric measurement. We examine the use of multiple single-photon states, NOON states, and numerically optimized states that are entangled and have multiple photons. We find the optimized states that improve over the standard quantum limit set by independent single photons for some atom number densities.

Quantitative determination for cytotoxic Friedo-nor-oleanane derivatives from five morphological types of Maytenus ilicifolia (Celastraceae) by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Buffa Filho, Waldemar; Corsino, Joaquim; Bolzani, da Silva Vanderlan; Furlan, Maysa; Pereira, Ana Maria S; França, Suzelei Castro

2002-01-01

Five different morphological types of Maytenus ilicifolia of the same age and harvested under the same conditions showed distinct accumulations of some friedo-nor-oleananes. A rapid, sensitive and reliable reverse-phase HPLC method (employing an external standard) was used for the determination of the cytotoxic triterpenoids, 20 alpha-hydroxymaytenin, 22 beta-hydroxymaytenin, maytenin, celastrol and pristimerin in each of the five types. Well resolved peaks with good detection response and linearity in the range 1.0-100 micrograms/mL were obtained.

Improved heteronuclear dipolar decoupling sequences for liquid-crystal NMR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thakur, Rajendra Singh; Kurur, Narayanan D.; Madhu, P. K.

2007-04-01

Recently we introduced a radiofrequency pulse scheme for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance under magic-angle spinning [R.S. Thakur, N.D. Kurur, P.K. Madhu, Swept-frequency two-pulse phase modulation for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling in solid-state NMR, Chem. Phys. Lett. 426 (2006) 459-463]. Variants of this sequence, swept-frequency TPPM, employing frequency modulation of different types have been further tested to improve the efficiency of heteronuclear dipolar decoupling. Among these, certain sequences that were found to perform well at lower spinning speeds are demonstrated here on a liquid-crystal sample of MBBA for application in static samples. The new sequences are compared with the standard TPPM and SPINAL schemes and are shown to perform better than them. These modulated schemes perform well at low decoupler radiofrequency power levels and are easy to implement on standard spectrometers.

Simultaneous determination of nicotine and cotinine in serum using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection and postcolumn UV-photoirradiation system.

PubMed

Yasuda, Makoto; Ota, Tatsuhiro; Morikawa, Atsushi; Mawatari, Ken-ichi; Fukuuchi, Tomoko; Yamaoka, Noriko; Kaneko, Kiyoko; Nakagomi, Kazuya

2013-09-01

A simple and rapid method for the simultaneous determination of serum nicotine and cotinine using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fluorometric detection with a postcolumn ultraviolet-photoirradiation system was developed. Analytes were extracted from alkalinized human serum via liquid-liquid extraction using chloroform. The organic phase was back-extracted with the acidified aqueous phase, and the analytes were directly injected into an ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC system. 6-Aminoquinoline was used as an internal standard. Nicotine, cotinine, and 6-aminoquinoline were separated within 14min. The extraction efficiency of nicotine and cotinine was greater than 91%. The linear range was 0.30-1000ng for nicotine and 0.06-1000ng for cotinine. In serum samples from smokers, the concentrations of nicotine and cotinine were 8-15ng/mL and 156-372ng/mL, respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Large space telescope, phase A. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The Phase A study of the Large Space Telescope (LST) is reported. The study defines an LST concept based on the broad mission guidelines provided by the Office of Space Science (OSS), the scientific requirements developed by OSS with the scientific community, and an understanding of long range NASA planning current at the time the study was performed. The LST is an unmanned astronomical observatory facility, consisting of an optical telescope assembly (OTA), scientific instrument package (SIP), and a support systems module (SSM). The report consists of five volumes. The report describes the constraints and trade off analyses that were performed to arrive at a reference design for each system and for the overall LST configuration. A low cost design approach was followed in the Phase A study. This resulted in the use of standard spacecraft hardware, the provision for maintenance at the black box level, growth potential in systems designs, and the sharing of shuttle maintenance flights with other payloads.

Validated LC–MS-MS Method for Multiresidual Analysis of 13 Illicit Phenethylamines in Amniotic Fluid

PubMed Central

Burrai, Lucia; Nieddu, Maria; Carta, Antonio; Trignano, Claudia; Sanna, Raimonda; Boatto, Gianpiero

2016-01-01

A multi-residue analytical method was developed for the determination in amniotic fluid (AF) of 13 illicit phenethylamines, including 12 compounds never investigated in this matrix before. Samples were subject to solid-phase extraction using; hydrophilic–lipophilic balance cartridges which gave good recoveries and low matrix effects on analysis of the extracts. The quantification was performed by liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The water–acetonitrile mobile phase containing 0.1% formic acid, used with a C18 reversed phase column, provided adequate separation, resolution and signal-to-noise ratio for the analytes and the internal standard. The final optimized method was validated according to international guidelines. A monitoring campaign to assess fetal exposure to these 13 substances of abuse has been performed on AF test samples obtained from pregnant women. All mothers (n = 194) reported no use of drugs of abuse during pregnancy, and this was confirmed by the analytical data. PMID:26755540

[Study on the analytical methods of catechins in tea and green tea polyphenol samples by high performance liquid chromatography].

PubMed

Dai, J; Wang, H X; Chen, S W; Tang, J

2001-09-01

Hypersil BDS C18 and Zorbax SB C18, suitable to separate simultaneously seven kinds of catechins and caffeine, were screened out from seven brands of reversed-phase columns. Mobile phase was a solution of methanol-water-acetic acid (or trifluoro acetic acid). Seven kinds of catechins in tea samples from six places in China and three green tea polyphenol(GTP) samples from different producers were separated and determined in 30 min by isocratic and gradient elutions. The effects of mobile phase components and temperature of column on retention parameters of catechins and caffeine are reviewed. Chromatographic conditions and pretreatment methods of samples were optimized. Gallocatechin gallate(GCG) and (-)-catechin gallate(CG) were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(ESI-MS) and prepared by high performance liquid chromatography for quantitative analysis. The other catechins, (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (+)-catechin (D-C), (-)-epicatechin(EC), (-)-epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG), (-)-epicatechin gallate(ECG) were identified with standards.

Phase structure of completely asymptotically free SU(Nc) models with quarks and scalar quarks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, F. F.; Janowski, T.; Langæble, K.; Mann, R. B.; Sannino, F.; Steele, T. G.; Wang, Z. W.

2018-03-01

We determine the phase diagram of completely asymptotically free SU (Nc) gauge theories featuring Ns complex scalars and Nf Dirac quarks transforming according to the fundamental representation of the gauge group. The analysis is performed at the maximum known order in perturbation theory. We unveil a very rich dynamics and associated phase structure. Intriguingly, we discover that the completely asymptotically free conditions guarantee that the infrared dynamics displays long-distance conformality, and in a regime when perturbation theory is applicable. We conclude our analysis by determining the quantum corrected potential of the model and summarizing the possible patterns of radiative symmetry breaking. These models are of potential phenomenological interest as either elementary or composite ultraviolet finite extensions of the standard model.

LST phase A design update study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

An update is presented of the Phase A study of the Large Space Telescope (LST), based on changes in guidelines and new data developed subsequent to the Phase A study. The study defines an LST concept based on the broad mission guidelines provided by the Office of Space Science (OSS), the scientific requirements developed by OSS with the scientific community, and an understanding of long range NASA planning current at the time the study was performed. A low cost design approach was followed. This resulted in the use of standard spacecraft hardware, the provision for maintenance at the black box level, growth potential in systems designs, and sharing of shuttle maintenance flights with other payloads (See N73-18449 through N73-18453)

Novel MRI-derived quantitative biomarker for cardiac function applied to classifying ischemic cardiomyopathy within a Bayesian rule learning framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menon, Prahlad G.; Morris, Lailonny; Staines, Mara; Lima, Joao; Lee, Daniel C.; Gopalakrishnan, Vanathi

2014-03-01

Characterization of regional left ventricular (LV) function may have application in prognosticating timely response and informing choice therapy in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. The purpose of this study is to characterize LV function through a systematic analysis of 4D (3D + time) endocardial motion over the cardiac cycle in an effort to define objective, clinically useful metrics of pathological remodeling and declining cardiac performance, using standard cardiac MRI data for two distinct patient cohorts accessed from CardiacAtlas.org: a) MESA - a cohort of asymptomatic patients; and b) DETERMINE - a cohort of symptomatic patients with a history of ischemic heart disease (IHD) or myocardial infarction. The LV endocardium was segmented and a signed phase-to-phase Hausdorff distance (HD) was computed at 3D uniformly spaced points tracked on segmented endocardial surface contours, over the cardiac cycle. An LV-averaged index of phase-to-phase endocardial displacement (P2PD) time-histories was computed at each tracked point, using the HD computed between consecutive cardiac phases. Average and standard deviation in P2PD over the cardiac cycle was used to prepare characteristic curves for the asymptomatic and IHD cohort. A novel biomarker of RMS error between mean patient-specific characteristic P2PD over the cardiac cycle for each individual patient and the cumulative P2PD characteristic of a cohort of asymptomatic patients was established as the RMS-P2PD marker. The novel RMS-P2PD marker was tested as a cardiac function based feature for automatic patient classification using a Bayesian Rule Learning (BRL) framework. The RMS-P2PD biomarker indices were significantly different for the symptomatic patient and asymptomatic control cohorts (p<0.001). BRL accurately classified 83.8% of patients correctly from the patient and control populations, with leave-one-out cross validation, using standard indices of LV ejection fraction (LV-EF) and LV end-systolic volume index (LV-ESVI). This improved to 91.9% with inclusion of the RMS-P2PD biomarker and was congruent with improvements in both sensitivity for classifying patients and specificity for identifying asymptomatic controls from 82.6% up to 95.7%. RMS-P2PD, when contrasted against a collective normal reference, is a promising biomarker to investigate further in its utility for identifying quantitative signs of pathological endocardial function which may boost standard image makers as precursors of declining cardiac performance.

A standardized motor imagery introduction program (MIIP) for neuro-rehabilitation: development and evaluation

PubMed Central

Wondrusch, C.; Schuster-Amft, C.

2013-01-01

Background: For patients with central nervous system (CNS) lesions and sensorimotor impairments a solid motor imagery (MI) introduction is crucial to understand and use MI to improve motor performance. The study's aim was to develop and evaluate a standardized MI group introduction program (MIIP) for patients after stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Phase 1: Based on literature a MIIP was developed comprising MI theory (definition, type, mode, perspective, planning) and MI practice (performance, control). Phase 2: Development of a 27-item self-administered MIIP evaluation questionnaire, assessing MI knowledge self-evaluation of the ability to perform MI and patient satisfaction with the MIIP. Phase 3: Evaluation of MIIP and MI questionnaire by 2 independent MI experts based on predefined criteria and 2 patients using semi-structured interviews. Phase 4: Case series with a pre-post design to evaluate MIIP (3 × 30 min) using the MI questionnaire, Imaprax, Kinaesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire, and Mental Chronometry. The paired t-test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to determine significant changes. Results: Data of eleven patients were analysed (5 females; age 62.3 ± 14.1 years). Declarative MI knowledge improved significantly from 5.4 ± 2.2 to 8.8 ± 2.9 (p = 0.010). Patients demonstrated good satisfaction with MIIP (mean satisfaction score: 83.2 ± 11.4%). MI ability remained on a high level but showed no significant change, except a significant decrease in the Kinaesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire score. Conclusion: The presented MIIP seems to be valid and feasible for patients with CNS lesions and sensorimotor impairments resulting in improved MI knowledge. MIIP sessions can be held in groups of four or less. MI ability and Mental Chronometry remained unchanged after 3 training sessions. PMID:23986676

Standards for Agricultural Occupations Programs in Illinois Community Colleges. Interim Report of the Community College Phase [Phase I] of Project RD1-A8-564 Entitled "Standards for Illinois ABAO Post-Secondary Programs and Secondary Programs in Cook County".

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Robert W.; Hemp, Paul E.

A study was made of Phase 1 of the long-term standards program for agricultural occupations programs for Illinois community colleges. The unique feature of this project was the procedure used to maximize the input of community college teachers in the validation and revision of the national standards. Survey instruments were sent to community…

Comparison of phasing strategies for whole human genomes

PubMed Central

Kirkness, Ewen; Schork, Nicholas J.

2018-01-01

Humans are a diploid species that inherit one set of chromosomes paternally and one homologous set of chromosomes maternally. Unfortunately, most human sequencing initiatives ignore this fact in that they do not directly delineate the nucleotide content of the maternal and paternal copies of the 23 chromosomes individuals possess (i.e., they do not ‘phase’ the genome) often because of the costs and complexities of doing so. We compared 11 different widely-used approaches to phasing human genomes using the publicly available ‘Genome-In-A-Bottle’ (GIAB) phased version of the NA12878 genome as a gold standard. The phasing strategies we compared included laboratory-based assays that prepare DNA in unique ways to facilitate phasing as well as purely computational approaches that seek to reconstruct phase information from general sequencing reads and constructs or population-level haplotype frequency information obtained through a reference panel of haplotypes. To assess the performance of the 11 approaches, we used metrics that included, among others, switch error rates, haplotype block lengths, the proportion of fully phase-resolved genes, phasing accuracy and yield between pairs of SNVs. Our comparisons suggest that a hybrid or combined approach that leverages: 1. population-based phasing using the SHAPEIT software suite, 2. either genome-wide sequencing read data or parental genotypes, and 3. a large reference panel of variant and haplotype frequencies, provides a fast and efficient way to produce highly accurate phase-resolved individual human genomes. We found that for population-based approaches, phasing performance is enhanced with the addition of genome-wide read data; e.g., whole genome shotgun and/or RNA sequencing reads. Further, we found that the inclusion of parental genotype data within a population-based phasing strategy can provide as much as a ten-fold reduction in phasing errors. We also considered a majority voting scheme for the construction of a consensus haplotype combining multiple predictions for enhanced performance and site coverage. Finally, we also identified DNA sequence signatures associated with the genomic regions harboring phasing switch errors, which included regions of low polymorphism or SNV density. PMID:29621242

Low-noise sub-harmonic injection locked multiloop ring oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weilin, Xu; Di, Wu; Xueming, Wei; Baolin, Wei; Jihai, Duan; Fadi, Gui

2016-09-01

A three-stage differential voltage-controlled ring oscillator is presented for wide-tuning and low-phase noise requirement of clock and data recovery circuit in ultra wideband (UWB) wireless body area network. To improve the performance of phase noise of delay cell with coarse and fine frequency tuning, injection locked technology together with pseudo differential architecture are adopted. In addition, a multiloop is employed for frequency boosting. Two RVCOs, the standard RVCO without the IL block and the proposed IL RVCO, were fabricated in SMIC 0.18 μm 1P6M Salicide CMOS process. The proposed IL RVCO exhibits a measured phase noise of -112.37 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from the center frequency of 1 GHz, while dissipating a current of 8 mA excluding the buffer from a 1.8-V supply voltage. It shows a 16.07 dB phase noise improvement at 1 MHz offset compared to the standard topology. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61264001), the Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (Nos. 2013GXNSFAA019333, 2015GXNSFAA139301, 2014GXNSFAA118386), the Graduate Education Innovation Program of GUET (No. GDYCSZ201457), the Project of Guangxi Education Department (No. LD14066B) and the High-Level-Innovation Team and Outstanding Scholar Project of Guangxi Higher Education Institutes.

Does exercise deprivation increase the tendency towards morphine dependence in rats?

PubMed

Nakhaee, Mohammad Reza; Sheibani, Vahid; Ghahraman Tabrizi, Kourosh; Marefati, Hamid; Bahreinifar, Sareh; Nakhaee, Nouzar

2010-01-01

Exercise deprivation has been concluded to have some negative effectson psychological well-being. This study was conducted to find outwhether exercise deprivation may lead to morphine dependence in rats. Forty male Wistar rats weighing 162 ± 9 g were housed in clear plasticcages in groups of two under standard laboratory conditions. The studyhad two phases. In phase I, the animals were randomly divided intoexercised (E) and unexercised (UE) groups (n = 20 each) and treadmillrunning was performed based on a standard protocol for three weeks. Atthe end of the training period, plasma β-endorphin levels weredetermined in four rats from each group. In phase II, the animals wereprovided with two bottles, one containing tap water and the other 25mg/l morphine sulfate in tap water for a total of 12 weeks. At the end ofthis phase naloxone was injected intraperitoneally to precipitatemorphine withdrawal. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UE AND E GROUPS INMORPHINE CONSUMPTION (MG/KG/WK) [ F(1,14) = 0.2, P = 0.690; time:F(11,154) =18.72, P < 0.001; interaction: F(11,154) = 1.27 , P = 0.245]. Nostatistically significant difference between the two groups of animals wasseen regarding withdrawal signs. The study showed that discontinuation of exercise does not increasethe tendency of morphine dependence in rats.

UV DISINFECTION GUIDANCE MANUAL FOR THE ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Provides technical information on selection, design and operation of UV systems; provides regulatory agencies with guidance and the necessary tools to assess UV systems at the design, start-up, and routine operation phase; provides manufacturers with the testing and performance standards for UV components and systems for treating drinking water. Provide guidance to water systems, regulators and manufacturers on UV disinfection of drinking water.

Optical Methods for Identifying Hard Clay Core Samples During Petrophysical Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morev, A. V.; Solovyeva, A. V.; Morev, V. A.

2018-01-01

X-ray phase analysis of the general mineralogical composition of core samples from one of the West Siberian fields was performed. Electronic absorption spectra of the clay core samples with an added indicator were studied. The speed and availability of applying the two methods in petrophysical laboratories during sample preparation for standard and special studies were estimated.

[Analysis of sulfonamids and their metabolites in drinking water by high Performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Wang, Shuo; Li, Shuming; Zhang, Xiangming; Wei, Yunfang; Zhang, Meiyun; Zhang, Jing

2015-07-01

To develop a comprehensive method for simultaneous analysis of sulfonamides and their metabolites in drinking water by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Different solid-phase extraction columns were compared with respect to the recovery of target drugs from drinking water. The drinking water samples were adjusted to 3 by HCl and purified by a mix mode cation-ion exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE), following determination using LG-MS/MS. A total of 21 sulfonamides were separated by a C15 column (2.1 mm x 100 mm, 1.7 µm) and analyzed under positive ion mode with multi-reaction monitoring. The matrix-matched external standard calibration was used for quantification. The method quantification limits for 21 analytes were 0.03-0.63 ng/L with overall recoveries of 50.1%-114.9%, and the relative standard deviations less than 20%. The method was finally used to analyze sulfonamides in drinking water in Beijing, and 5 target compounds (sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine, trimethoprim and sulfamethazine) were detected at a concentration range of 0.08-32.54 ng/L. This method could be applied in simultaneous analysis of sulfonamides and their metabolites in drinking water samples.

A Novel and Rapid Method to Determine Doxycycline in Human Plasma by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Krishna, A. Chaitanya; Sathiyaraj, M.; Saravanan, R. S.; Chelladurai, R.; Vignesh, R.

2012-01-01

A simple, rapid, specific and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric method has been developed and validated for the determination of doxycycline from the human plasma. Doxycycline is extracted from human plasma by solid phase extraction. Demeclocycline was used as an internal standard. Detection was performed at transitions of 444.800→428.200 for doxycycline and 464.700→448.100 for demeclocycline using mass spectrometry. Chromatographic separation of analyte and internal standard were carried out using a reverse phase C18, column at 0.500 ml/min flow. The assay of doxycycline is linear over the range of 0.055-7.612 μg/ml, with a precision <14.83%, regression coefficient (r2)=0.9961 and the limit of quantification in plasma for doxycycline was 0.055 μg/ml. Mean extraction recovery obtained was 95.55%. Samples are stable at room temperature for 6 h, processed samples were stable at least for 30.20 h and also stable at three freeze-thaw cycles. The method has been used to perform pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence studies in human plasma. PMID:23798780

Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for determination of tilmicosin in feed using high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Zheng, Yaqiu; Liu, Yahong; Guo, Hongbin; He, Limin; Fang, Binghu; Zeng, Zhenling

2011-04-01

A simple, sensitive and reproducible molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) coupled with high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for monitoring tilmicosin in feeds. The polymers were prepared using tylosin as mimic template molecule, methacrylic acid as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linking monomer, and chloroform as a solvent by bulk polymerization. Under the optimum MISPE conditions, the novel polymer sorbent can selectively extract and enrich tilmicosin from variety of feeds. The MISPE cartridge was better than non-imprinted, C(18) and HLB cartridges in terms of both recovery and precision. Mean recoveries of tilmicosin from five kinds of feeds spiked at 1, 10 and 50 mg kg(-1) ranged from 76.9% to 95.6%, with intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviation less than 7.6%. The linearity was ranged from 1.0 to 100 mg L(-1) for matrix standard solution (r=0.9990). The limit of detection was approximately 0.35 mg kg(-1) and the limit of quantification was approximately 0.98 mg kg(-1). There was cleaner chromatogram by using MISPE than C(18) and HLB SPE. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of eight major bioactive compounds in Dachengqi Tang (DT) by high-performance liquid chromatography

PubMed Central

Tang, Wenfu; Wan, Meihua; Zhu, Zhengyan; Chen, Guanyuan; Huang, Xi

2008-01-01

Background Dachengqi Tang (DT) is a common traditional Chinese medicine formula for expelling neire ('internal heat') in the stomach and intestines. There was no reliable analytical method available for the quality control of DT. Methods A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with a reverse phase C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm) was developed. The mobile phase was methanol with 0.2% acetic acid. Eight markers including naringin, hesperidin, aloe emodin, rhein, honokiol, magnolol, emodin and chrysophanol were determined. Results Regression analysis revealed a linear relationship between the concentrations of the markers and the peak area ratio of the standards and internal standard. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) and the limit of qualification (RSD < 20%) ranged from 0.21 to 0.43 ng/μl and 0.76 to 1.74 ng/μl respectively. The recovery was between 95.6% and 103.4%. The tests on the samples from three batches of DT showed that the profiles of the markers did not vary significantly among batches. Conclusion A reliable HPLC method for simultaneous determination of the eight markers in DT was developed. PMID:18445276

Factor structure of a standards-based inventory of competencies in social work with groups.

PubMed

Macgowan, Mark J; Dillon, Frank R; Spadola, Christine E

2018-01-01

This study extends previous findings on a measure of competencies based on Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups. The Inventory of Competencies in Social Work with Groups (ICSWG) measures confidence in performing the Standards. This study examines the latent structure of the Inventory, while illuminating the underlying structure of the Standards. A multinational sample of 586 persons completed the ICSWG. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), reliability estimates, standard error of measurement estimates, and a range of validity tests were conducted. The EFA yielded a six-factor solution consisting of core values, mutuality/connectivity, collaboration, and three phases of group development (planning, beginnings/middles, endings). The alphas were .98 for the scale and ranged from .85 to .95 for the subscales. Correlations between the subscales and validators supported evidence of construct validity. The findings suggest key group work domains that should be taught and practiced in social work with groups.

Determination of para red, Sudan dyes, canthaxanthin, and astaxanthin in animal feeds using UPLC.

PubMed

Hou, Xiaolin; Li, Yonggang; Wu, Guojuan; Wang, Lei; Hong, Miao; Wu, Yongnin

2010-01-01

A simple high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for quantitative determination of para red, Sudan I, Sudan II, Sudan III, Sudan IV, canthaxanthin, and astaxanthin in feedstuff. The sample was extracted using acetonitrile and cleaned up on a C(18) SPE column. The residues were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detector at 500 nm. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-formic acid-water with a gradient elution condition. The external standard curves were calibrated. The mean recoveries of the seven colorants were 62.7-91.0% with relative standard deviation 2.6-10.4% (intra-day) and 4.0-13.2% (inter-day). The detection limits were in the range of 0.006-0.02 mg/kg.

Evaluating the utility of syndromic surveillance algorithms for screening to detect potentially clonal hospital infection outbreaks

PubMed Central

Talbot, Thomas R; Schaffner, William; Bloch, Karen C; Daniels, Titus L; Miller, Randolph A

2011-01-01

Objective The authors evaluated algorithms commonly used in syndromic surveillance for use as screening tools to detect potentially clonal outbreaks for review by infection control practitioners. Design Study phase 1 applied four aberrancy detection algorithms (CUSUM, EWMA, space-time scan statistic, and WSARE) to retrospective microbiologic culture data, producing a list of past candidate outbreak clusters. In phase 2, four infectious disease physicians categorized the phase 1 algorithm-identified clusters to ascertain algorithm performance. In phase 3, project members combined the algorithms to create a unified screening system and conducted a retrospective pilot evaluation. Measurements The study calculated recall and precision for each algorithm, and created precision-recall curves for various methods of combining the algorithms into a unified screening tool. Results Individual algorithm recall and precision ranged from 0.21 to 0.31 and from 0.053 to 0.29, respectively. Few candidate outbreak clusters were identified by more than one algorithm. The best method of combining the algorithms yielded an area under the precision-recall curve of 0.553. The phase 3 combined system detected all infection control-confirmed outbreaks during the retrospective evaluation period. Limitations Lack of phase 2 reviewers' agreement indicates that subjective expert review was an imperfect gold standard. Less conservative filtering of culture results and alternate parameter selection for each algorithm might have improved algorithm performance. Conclusion Hospital outbreak detection presents different challenges than traditional syndromic surveillance. Nevertheless, algorithms developed for syndromic surveillance have potential to form the basis of a combined system that might perform clinically useful hospital outbreak screening. PMID:21606134

Rapid determination of nitrite in foods in acidic conditions by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

PubMed

Wang, Xiao-Fang; Fan, Ji-Cai; Ren, Ren; Jin, Quan; Wang, Jing

2016-06-01

In this study, a simple, rapid, and sensitive method for the determination of nitrite (NO2 (-) ) in food samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection in acidic conditions had been developed. The derivatization of the nitrite with 2,3-diaminonaphthalene was performed in acidic conditions to yield the highly fluorescent 2,3-naphthotriazole, which was directly analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection without adjusting the solution to alkaline. The analysis column was reversed-phase C8 column. A constant flow rate of 1.0 mL/min was employed using water/acetonitrile as the mobile phase in isocratic mode (70:30, v/v). Fluorescence was monitored with excitation at 375 nm and emission at 415 nm. The standard calibration curves were linear for nitrite in different matrixes in the concentration range of 0-100 μg/L, and the correlation coefficients ranged from 0.9978 to 0.9998. The limits of detection and quantification were in the ranges of 0.012-0.060 and 0.040-0.20 mg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of nitrite from samples spiked at three different concentrations were 74.0-113.2%, and the relative standard deviations of the recovery results (n = 6) were 1.67-10.8%. The proposed method has good repeatability and is very sensitive and simple. It has been successfully used to determine nitrite in foods. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A rapid and sensitive evaluation of nitrite content in Saudi Arabian processed meat and poultry using a novel ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method.

PubMed

Siddiqui, Masoom Raza; Wabaidur, Saikh Mohammad; Khan, Moonis Ali; ALOthman, Zeid A; Rafiquee, M Z A; Alqadami, Ayoub Abdullah

2018-01-01

Quantitative assessment of nitrite (NO 2 - ) anion was performed using a newly developed high throughput ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric (UPLC-MS) method. The nitrite determination with the proposed method using micellar mobile phase was unknown. Selected ion reaction mode using negative electrospray ionization was adopted for the identification and quantitative analysis of nitrite. The chromatographic separation was performed using BEH C-18 column and a micellar mobile phase consisted of sodium dodecyl sulphate and acetonitrile in ratio 30:70 was used. The elution of nitrite anion was accomplished in less than 1 min. Under the optimal analysis conditions, the linearity of the developed method was checked in the concentration range of 0.5-20 mg kg -1 NO 2 - with an excellent correlation coefficient of 0.996. The precisions of the method with relative standard deviation <2% was observed when standard at concentration of 1 mg kg -1 was used. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation of the developed mass spectrometric method was found to be 0.114 and 0.346 mg kg -1 , respectively. The developed UPLC/MS method was applied to quantify this anion in processed meats and poultries from various super market of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh region). The recoveries of the nitrite in the various samples were found in the range of 100.03-103.5%.

[Determination of triclosan and triclocarban in human breast milk by solid-phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Zhang, Pin; Zhang, Jing; Shi, Ying; Shao, Bing

2015-03-01

An analytical method was developed to simultaneously detect triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) in human breast milk using solid-phase extraction (SPE) with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Samples were extracted by acetonitrile and purified with C -18 SPE cartridge after enzymolysis with β-glucuronidase/arylsulfatase. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC™ HSS T3 column (100 mm x 2. 1 mm, 1. 8 µm) with gradient elution using methanol and water at a flow rate of 0. 3 ml/min. The target analytes were assayed by triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in the negative ion mode. Quantification was performed by isotopic internal standard calibration. Satisfactory linearity (r2 > 0. 999) was obtained over the range of 0. 2 - 20. 0 µg/L and 0. 02 - 2. 0 µg/L for triclosan and triclocarban, respectively, with the limits of quantifications (LOQs) of 0. 41 and 0. 03 µg/kg. Average recoveries of two target compounds (spiked at three concentration levels) ranged from 100. 2% to 119. 3%, with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 5. 91% and 11. 31% (n =6). Twenty-five real samples (n = 25) were detected containing TCS and TCC at concentrations of < LOQ - 0. 77 µg/kg and < LOQ - 4. 28 µg/kg, respectively. Due to its high sensitivity and good reproductivity, this method can be applied to analyze TCS and TCC in human breast milk.

Methods of analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey Organic Geochemistry Research Group; determination of glyphosate, aminomethylphosphonic acid, and glufonsinate in water using online solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, E.A.; Strahan, A.P.; Thurman, E.M.

2001-01-01

An analytical method for the determination of glyphosate, its principal degradation compound, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and glufosinate in water with varying matrices has been developed. Four different sample matrices fortified at 0.2 and 2.0 ?g/L (micrograms per liter) were analyzed using precolumn derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate (FMOC). After derivatization, cleanup and concentration were accomplished using automated online solid-phase extraction followed by elution with the mobile phase allowing for direct injection into a liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer (LC/MS). Analytical conditions for MS detection were optimized, and quantitation was carried out using the following representative ions: 390 and 168 for glyphosate; 332, 110, and 136 for AMPA; and 402, 180, and 206 for glufosinate. Matrix effects were minimized by utilizing standard addition for quantification and an isotope-labeled glyphosate (2-13C,15N) as the internal standard. Method detection limits (MDLs) were 0.084 ?g/L for glyphosate, 0.078 ?g/L for AMPA, and 0.057 ?g/L for glufosinate. The method reporting limits (MRLs) were set at 0.1 ?g/L for all three compounds. The mean recovery values ranged from 88.0 to 128.7 percent, and relative standard deviation values ranged from 5.6 to 32.6 percent.

Health Care Financing Administration--Medicaid program; Medicaid management information systems. Final rule.

PubMed

1980-03-05

These regulations set forth a new procedure to improve Medicaid management by explicitly authorizing HCFA to expand or revise State Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS) as necessary to meet program needs. Under this procedure, HCFA will publish major new requirements for comment before deciding to adopt them, and will provide increased Federal matching and reasonable phase-in time for their implementation. HCFA will also periodically review ongoing systems to determine whether all system requirements and performance standards are being met and may reduce the level of Federal matching for those MMIS systems which do not meet prescribed standards.

Joint CPT and N resonance in compact atomic time standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crescimanno, Michael; Hohensee, Michael; Xiao, Yanhong; Phillips, David; Walsworth, Ron

2008-05-01

Currently development efforts towards small, low power atomic time standards use current-modulated VCSELs to generate phase-coherent optical sidebands that interrogate the hyperfine structure of alkali atoms such as rubidium. We describe and use a modified four-level quantum optics model to study the optimal operating regime of the joint CPT- and N-resonance clock. Resonant and non-resonant light shifts as well as modulation comb detuning effects play a key role in determining the optimal operating point of such clocks. We further show that our model is in good agreement with experimental tests performed using Rb-87 vapor cells.

SU-D-17A-02: Four-Dimensional CBCT Using Conventional CBCT Dataset and Iterative Subtraction Algorithm of a Lung Patient

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

Hu, E; Lasio, G; Yi, B

2014-06-01

Purpose: The Iterative Subtraction Algorithm (ISA) method generates retrospectively a pre-selected motion phase cone-beam CT image from the full motion cone-beam CT acquired at standard rotation speed. This work evaluates ISA method with real lung patient data. Methods: The goal of the ISA algorithm is to extract motion and no- motion components form the full reconstruction CBCT. The workflow consists of subtracting from the full CBCT all of the undesired motion phases and obtain a motion de-blurred single-phase CBCT image, followed by iteration of this subtraction process. ISA is realized as follows: 1) The projections are sorted to various phases,more » and from all phases, a full reconstruction is performed to generate an image CTM. 2) Generate forward projections of CTM at the desired phase projection angles, the subtraction of projection and the forward projection will reconstruct a CTSub1, which diminishes the desired phase component. 3) By adding back the CTSub1 to CTm, no motion CBCT, CTS1, can be computed. 4) CTS1 still contains residual motion component. 5) This residual motion component can be further reduced by iteration.The ISA 4DCBCT technique was implemented using Varian Trilogy accelerator OBI system. To evaluate the method, a lung patient CBCT dataset was used. The reconstruction algorithm is FDK. Results: The single phase CBCT reconstruction generated via ISA successfully isolates the desired motion phase from the full motion CBCT, effectively reducing motion blur. It also shows improved image quality, with reduced streak artifacts with respect to the reconstructions from unprocessed phase-sorted projections only. Conclusion: A CBCT motion de-blurring algorithm, ISA, has been developed and evaluated with lung patient data. The algorithm allows improved visualization of a single phase motion extracted from a standard CBCT dataset. This study has been supported by National Institute of Health through R01CA133539.« less

USL/DBMS NASA/PC R and D project system testing standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Kavi, Srinu; Moreau, Dennis R.; Yan, Lin

1984-01-01

A set of system testing standards to be used in the development of all C software within the NASA/PC Research and Development Project is established. Testing will be considered in two phases: the program testing phase and the system testing phase. The objective of these standards is to provide guidelines for the planning and conduct of program and software system testing.

40 CFR 1051.103 - What are the exhaust emission standards for snowmobiles?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 100 275 Phase 1 2007-2009 100 100 275 Phase 2 2010 and 2011 100 75 275 Phase 3 2012 and later 100 (1... to show compliance with these HC and CO standards at the end of the model year under paragraph (a)(2... snowmobiles: THC emissions. (c) Your snowmobiles must meet emission standards over their full useful life. The...

40 CFR 1051.103 - What are the exhaust emission standards for snowmobiles?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 100 275 Phase 1 2007-2009 100 100 275 Phase 2 2010 and 2011 100 75 275 Phase 3 2012 and later 100 (1... to show compliance with these HC and CO standards at the end of the model year under paragraph (a)(2... snowmobiles: THC emissions. (c) Your snowmobiles must meet emission standards over their full useful life. The...

Single-laboratory validation of a high-performance liquid chromatographic-diode array detector-fluorescence detector/mass spectrometric method for simultaneous determination of water-soluble vitamins in multivitamin dietary tablets.

PubMed

Chen, Pei; Atkinson, Renata; Wolf, Wayne R

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a single-laboratory validated (SLV) method using high-performance liquid chromatography with different detectors [diode array detector (DAD); fluorescence detector (FLD); and mass spectrometry (MS)] for determination of 7 B-complex vitamins (B1-thiamin, B2-riboflavin, B3-nicotinamide, B6-pyridoxine, B9-folic acid, pantothenic acid, and biotin) and vitamin C in multivitamin/multimineral dietary supplements. The method involves the use of a reversed-phase octadecylsilyl column (4 microm, 250 x 2.0 mm id) and a gradient mobile phase profile. Gradient elution was performed at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. After a 5 min isocratic elution at 100% A (0.1% formic acid in water), a linear gradient to 50% A and 50% B (0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile) at 15 min was employed. Detection was performed with a DAD as well as either an FLD or a triple-quadrupole MS detector in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. SLV was performed using Standard Reference Material (SRM) 3280 Multivitamin/Multimineral Tablets, being developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with support by the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health. Phosphate buffer (10 mM, pH 2.0) extracts of the NIST SRM 3280 were analyzed by the liquid chromatographic (LC)-DAD-FLDIMS method. Following extraction, the method does not require any sample cleanup/preconcentration steps except centrifugation and filtration.

Single-Laboratory Validation of a High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic-Diode Array Detector-Fluorescence Detector/Mass Spectrometric Method for Simultaneous Determination of Water-Soluble Vitamins in Multivitamin Dietary Tablets

PubMed Central

Chen, Pei; Atkinson, Renata; Wolf, Wayne R.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a single-laboratory validated (SLV) method using high-performance liquid chromatography with different detectors [diode array detector (DAD); fluorescence detector (FLD); and mass spectrometry (MS)] for determination of 7 B-complex vitamins (B1-thiamin, B2-riboflavin, B3-nicotinamide, B6-pyridoxine, B9-folic acid, pantothenic acid, and biotin) and vitamin C in multivitamin/multimineral dietary supplements. The method involves the use of a reversed-phase octadecylsilyl column (4 µm, 250 × 2.0 mm id) and a gradient mobile phase profile. Gradient elution was performed at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. After a 5 min isocratic elution at 100% A (0.1% formic acid in water), a linear gradient to 50% A and 50% B (0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile) at 15 min was employed. Detection was performed with a DAD as well as either an FLD or a triple-quadrupole MS detector in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. SLV was performed using Standard Reference Material (SRM) 3280 Multivitamin/Multimineral Tablets, being developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with support by the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health. Phosphate buffer (10 mM, pH 2.0) extracts of the NIST SRM 3280 were analyzed by the liquid chromatographic (LC)-DAD-FLD/MS method. Following extraction, the method does not require any sample cleanup/preconcentration steps except centrifugation and filtration. PMID:19485230

Optimization and validation of the reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection method for the separation of tocopherol and tocotrienol isomers in cereals, employing a novel sorbent material.

PubMed

Irakli, Maria N; Samanidou, Victoria F; Papadoyannis, Ioannis N

2012-03-07

The separation and determination of tocopherols (Ts) and tocotrienols (T3s) by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been developed and validated after optimization of various chromatographic conditions and other experimental parameters. Analytes were separated on a PerfectSil Target ODS-3 (250 × 4.6 mm, 3 μm) column filled with a novel sorbent material of ultrapure silica gel. The separation of Ts and T3s was optimized in terms of mobile-phase composition and column temperature on the basis of the best compromise among efficiency, resolution, and analysis time. Using a gradient elution of mobile phase composed of isopropanol/water and 7 °C column temperature, a satisfactory resolution was achieved within 62 min. For the quantitative determination, α-T acetate (50 μg/mL) was used as the internal standard. Detection limits ranged from 0.27 μg/mL (γ-T) to 0.76 μg/mL (γ-T3). The validation of the method was examined performing intraday (n = 5) and interday (n = 3) assays and was found to be satisfactory, with high accuracy and precision results. Solid-phase extraction provided high relative extraction recoveries from cereal samples: 87.0% for γ-T3 and 115.5% for δ-T. The method was successfully applied to cereals, such as durum wheat, bread wheat, rice, barley, oat, rye, and corn.

The effect of increasing strength and approach velocity on triple jump performance.

PubMed

Allen, Sam J; Yeadon, M R Fred; King, Mark A

2016-12-08

The triple jump is an athletic event comprising three phases in which the optimal phase ratio (the proportion of each phase to the total distance jumped) is unknown. This study used a planar whole body torque-driven computer simulation model of the ground contact parts of all three phases of the triple jump to investigate the effect of strength and approach velocity on optimal performance. The strength and approach velocity of the simulation model were each increased by up to 30% in 10% increments from baseline data collected from a national standard triple jumper. Increasing strength always resulted in an increased overall jump distance. Increasing approach velocity also typically resulted in an increased overall jump distance but there was a point past which increasing approach velocity without increasing strength did not lead to an increase in overall jump distance. Increasing both strength and approach velocity by 10%, 20%, and 30% led to roughly equivalent increases in overall jump distances. Distances ranged from 14.05m with baseline strength and approach velocity, up to 18.49m with 30% increases in both. Optimal phase ratios were either hop-dominated or balanced, and typically became more balanced when the strength of the model was increased by a greater percentage than its approach velocity. The range of triple jump distances that resulted from the optimisation process suggests that strength and approach velocity are of great importance for triple jump performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation and quantification of the total phenolic products in Citrus fruit using solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and UV detection.

PubMed

Zeng, Honglian; Liu, Zhenli; Zhao, Siyu; Shu, Yisong; Song, Zhiqian; Wang, Chun; Dong, Yunzhuo; Ning, Zhangchi; He, Dan; Wang, Menglei; Lu, Cheng; Liu, Yuanyan; Lu, Aiping

2016-10-01

Citrus fruit is an important health-promoting food that is rich in dietary phenolic metabolites. Traditional Chinese medicines, such as Zhishi and Zhiqiao, come from young and immature fruits of Citrus cultivars. The preparation of diversified bioactive phenolic products and establishment of the corresponding quality control methodology are challenging and necessary. In the current study, four types of solid-phase extraction sorbents for the enrichment and clean-up of the phenolic matrix were evaluated. A solid-phase extraction column coated with Strata-X was finally used in the procedure. Twenty phenolic compounds were selected to evaluate the extraction performances of the sorbents using high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Under the optimized conditions, good linearities were obtained with R 2 more than 0.9996 for all analytes with LODs of 0.04-1.012 μg/g. Intra- and interday relative standard deviation values were less than 3%, and the recovery was equal to or higher than 90.02%. Compared to non-solid-phase extraction process, the content of total phenolic products was elevated 35.55-68.48% with solid-phase extraction. Finally, the developed and validated method was successfully applied to the discrimination of Zhishi samples from different species as well as Zhishi and Zhiqiao samples in different development stages. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Multi-Flight-Phase GPS Navigation Filter Applications to Terrestrial Vehicle Navigation and Positioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Young W.; Montez, Moises N.

1994-01-01

A candidate onboard space navigation filter demonstrated excellent performance (less than 8 meter level RMS semi-major axis accuracy) in performing orbit determination of a low-Earth orbit Explorer satellite using single-frequency real GPS data. This performance is significantly better than predicted by other simulation studies using dual-frequency GPS data. The study results revealed the significance of two new modeling approaches evaluated in the work. One approach introduces a single-frequency ionospheric correction through pseudo-range and phase range averaging implementation. The other approach demonstrates a precise axis-dependent characterization of dynamic sample space uncertainty to compute a more accurate Kalman filter gain. Additionally, this navigation filter demonstrates a flexibility to accommodate both perturbational dynamic and observational biases required for multi-flight phase and inhomogeneous application environments. This paper reviews the potential application of these methods and the filter structure to terrestrial vehicle and positioning applications. Both the single-frequency ionospheric correction method and the axis-dependent state noise modeling approach offer valuable contributions in cost and accuracy improvements for terrestrial GPS receivers. With a modular design approach to either 'plug-in' or 'unplug' various force models, this multi-flight phase navigation filter design structure also provides a versatile GPS navigation software engine for both atmospheric and exo-atmospheric navigation or positioning use, thereby streamlining the flight phase or application-dependent software requirements. Thus, a standardized GPS navigation software engine that can reduce the development and maintenance cost of commercial GPS receivers is now possible.

Enantiomeric separation and quantification of R/S-amphetamine in urine by ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Hegstad, S; Havnen, H; Helland, A; Spigset, O; Frost, J

2018-03-01

To distinguish between legal and illegal consumption of amphetamine reliable analytical methods for chiral separation of the R- and S-enantiomers of amphetamine in biological specimens are required. In this regard, supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has several potential advantages over liquid chromatography, including rapid separation of enantiomers due to low viscosity and high diffusivity of supercritical carbon dioxide, the main component in the SFC mobile phase. A method for enantiomeric separation and quantification of R- and S-amphetamine in urine was developed and validated using ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPSFC-MS/MS). Sample preparation prior to UHPSFC-MS/MS analysis was a semi-automatic solid phase extraction method. The UHPSFC-MS/MS method used a Chiralpak AD-3 column with a mobile phase consisting of CO 2 and 0.2% cyclohexylamine in 2-propanol. The injection volume was 2 μL and run-time was 6 min. MS/MS detection was performed with positive electrospray ionization and two multiple reaction monitoring transitions (m/z 136.1 > 119.0 and m/z 136.1 > 91.0). The calibration range was 50-10,000 ng/mL for each enantiomer. The between-assay relative standard deviations were in the range of 3.7-7.6%. Recovery was 92-93% and matrix effects ranged from 100 to 104% corrected with internal standard. After development and validation, the method has been successfully implemented in routine use at our laboratory for both separation and quantification of R/S-amphetamine, and has proved to be a reliable and useful tool for distinguishing intake of R- and S-amphetamine in authentic patient samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accelerated Metastable Solid-liquid Interdiffusion Bonding with High Thermal Stability and Power Handling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Ting-Chia; Smet, Vanessa; Kawamoto, Satomi; Pulugurtha, Markondeya R.; Tummala, Rao R.

2018-01-01

Emerging high-performance systems are driving the need for advanced packaging solutions such as 3-D integrated circuits (ICs) and 2.5-D system integration with increasing performance and reliability requirements for off-chip interconnections. Solid-liquid interdiffusion (SLID) bonding resulting in all-intermetallic joints has been proposed to extend the applicability of solders, but faces fundamental and manufacturing challenges hindering its wide adoption. This paper introduces a Cu-Sn SLID interconnection technology, aiming at stabilization of the microstructure in the Cu6Sn5 metastable phase rather than the usual stable Cu3Sn phase. This enables formation of a void-free interface yielding higher mechanical strength than standard SLID bonding, as well as significantly reducing the transition time. The metastable SLID technology retains the benefits of standard SLID with superior I/O pitch scalability, thermal stability and current handling capability, while advancing assembly manufacturability. In the proposed concept, the interfacial reaction is controlled by introducing Ni(P) diffusion barrier layers, designed to effectively isolate the metastable Cu6Sn5 phase preventing any further transformation. Theoretical diffusion and kinetic models were applied to design the Ni-Cu-Sn interconnection stack to achieve the targeted joint composition. A daisy chain test vehicle was used to demonstrate this technology as a first proof of concept. Full transition to Cu6Sn5 was successfully achieved within a minute at 260°C as confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) analysis. The joint composition was stable through 10× reflow, with outstanding bond strength averaging 90 MPa. The metastable SLID interconnections also showed excellent electromigration performance, surviving 500 h of current stressing at 105 A/cm2 at 150°C.

Simultaneous determination of four water-soluble vitamins in fortified infant foods by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Lu, Baiyi; Ren, Yiping; Huang, Baifen; Liao, Wenqun; Cai, Zengxuan; Tie, Xiaowei

2008-03-01

A novel ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of four water-soluble vitamins, including vitamin B5 (VB5), vitamin B8 (VB8), vitamin B9 (VB9), and vitamin B12 (VB12) in fortified infant foods is developed and validated. A reverse phase UPLC separation system consisting of a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C-18 column (2.1 mm x 100 mm i.d., 1.7 microm) and a binary gradient acetonitrile-water mobile phase is applied for the separation of the four water-soluble vitamins. Formic acid is spiked into the mobile phase to enhance the ionization efficiency. Tandem MS-MS analysis is performed in multi-reaction monitoring mode (MRM). Product-ion traces at m/z 220.1 --> 89.9 for VB5, 245.1 --> 227.1 for VB8, 442.3 --> 295.2 for VB9, and 678.9 --> 147.0 for VB12 are used for quantitation of the corresponding vitamins, and traces at m/z 455.5 --> 308.0 are used for methotrexate (internal standard). Limits of quantitation (LOQs) are 0.016, 0.090, 0.020, and 0.019 microg/L for VB5, VB8, VB9, and VB12, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precisions for the determination of the four vitamins are better than 6.84% and 12.26% in relative standard deviations, and recoveries for the four vitamins are in the range of 86.0~101.5%. The developed approach is applied for the determination of the trace amounts of the vitamins in fortified milk powers and fortified rice powers.

Determination of a selection of anti-epileptic drugs and two active metabolites in whole blood by reversed phase UPLC-MS/MS and some examples of application of the method in forensic toxicology cases.

PubMed

Karinen, Ritva; Vindenes, Vigdis; Hasvold, Inger; Olsen, Kirsten Midtbøen; Christophersen, Asbjørg S; Øiestad, Elisabeth

2015-07-01

Quantitative determination of anti-epileptic drug concentrations is of great importance in forensic toxicology cases. Although the drugs are not usually abused, they are important post-mortem cases where the question of both lack of compliance and accidental or deliberate poisoning might be raised. In addition these drugs can be relevant for driving under the influence cases. A reversed phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of the anti-epileptic compounds carbamazepine, carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide, gabapentin, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, 10-OH-carbazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, pregabalin, and topiramate in whole blood, using 0.1 mL sample volume with methaqualone as internal standard. Sample preparation was a simple protein precipitation with acetonitrile and methanol. The diluted supernatant was directly injected into the chromatographic system. Separation was performed on an Acquity UPLC® BEH Phenyl column with gradient elution and a mildly alkaline mobile phase. The mass spectrometric detection was performed in positive ion mode, except for phenobarbital, and multiple reaction monitoring was used for drug quantification. The limits of quantification for the different anti-epileptic drugs varied from 0.064 to 1.26 mg/L in blood, within-day and day-to-day relative standard deviations from 2.2 to 14.7% except for phenobarbital. Between-day variation for phenobarbital was 20.4% at the concentration level of 3.5 mg/L. The biases for all compounds were within ±17.5%. The recoveries ranged between 85 and 120%. The corrected matrix effects were 88-106% and 84-110% in ante-mortem and post-mortem whole blood samples, respectively. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Analytical Characterization of SPM Impact on XPM-Induced Degradation in Dispersion-Compensated WDM Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luís, Ruben S.; Cartaxo, Adolfo V. T.

2005-03-01

This paper proposes the definition of a cross-phase modulation (XPM)-induced power penalty for intensity modulation/direct detection (IM-DD) systems as a function of the normalized variance of the XPM-induced IM. This allows the definition of 1-dB power penalty reference values. New expressions of the equivalent linear model transfer functions for the XPM-induced IM and phase modulation (PM) that include the influence of self-phase modulation (SPM) as well as group-velocity dispersion are derived. The new expressions allow a significant extension for higher powers and dispersion parameters of expressions derived in previous papers for single-segment and multisegment fiber systems with dispersion compensation. Good agreement between analytical results and numerical simulations is obtained. Consistency with work performed numerically and experimentally by other authors is shown, validating the proposed model. Using the proposed model, the influence of residual dispersion and SPM on the limitations imposed by XPM on the performance of dispersion-compensated systems is assessed. It is shown that inline residual dispersion may lead to performance improvement for a properly tuned total residual dispersion. The influence of SPM is shown to degrade the system performance when nonzero-dispersion-shifted fiber is used. However, systems using standard single-mode fiber may benefit from the presence of SPM.

Analysis of WakeVAS Benefits Using ACES Build 3.2.1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Jeremy C.

2005-01-01

The FAA and NASA are currently engaged in a Wake Turbulence Research Program to revise wake turbulence separation standards, procedures, and criteria to increase airport capacity while maintaining or increasing safety. The research program is divided into three phases: Phase I near term procedural enhancements; Phase II wind dependent Wake Vortex Advisory System (WakeVAS) Concepts of Operations (ConOps); and Phase III farther term ConOps based on wake prediction and sensing. This report contains an analysis that evaluates the benefits of a closely spaced parallel runway (CSPR) Phase I ConOps, a single runway and CSPR Phase II ConOps and a single runway Phase III ConOps. A series of simulation runs were performed using the Airspace Concepts Evaluation System (ACES) Build 3.21 air traffic simulator to provide an initial assessment of the reduction in delay and cost savings obtained by the use of a WakeVAS at selected U.S. airports. The ACES simulator is being developed by NASA Ames Research Center as part of the Virtual Airspace Modelling and Simulation (VAMS) program.

Supercritical fluid chromatography for separation and preparation of tautomeric 7-epimeric spiro oxindole alkaloids from Uncaria macrophylla.

PubMed

Yang, Wenzhi; Zhang, Yibei; Pan, Huiqin; Yao, Changliang; Hou, Jinjun; Yao, Shuai; Cai, Luying; Feng, Ruihong; Wu, Wanying; Guo, Dean

2017-02-05

Increasing challenge arising from configurational interconversion in aqueous solvent renders it rather difficult to isolate high-purity tautomeric reference standards and thus largely hinders the holistic quality control of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Spiro oxindole alkaloids (SOAs), as the markers for the medicinal Uncaria herbs, can easily isomerize in polar or aqueous solvent via a retro-Mannich reaction. In the present study, supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is utilized to separate and isolate two pairs of 7-epimeric SOAs, including rhynchophylline (R) and isorhynchophylline (IR), corynoxine (C) and corynoxine B (CB), from Uncaria macrophylla. Initially, the solvent that can stabilize SOA epimers was systematically screened, and acetonitrile was used to dissolve and as the modifier in SFC. Then, key parameters of ultra-high performance SFC (ultra-performance convergence chromatography, UPC 2 ), comprising stationary phase, additive in modifier, column temperature, ABPR pressure, and flow rate, were optimized in sequence. Two isocratic UPC 2 methods were developed on the achiral Torus 1-AA and Torus Diol columns, suitable for UV and MS detection, respectively. MCI gel column chromatography fractionated the U. macrophylla extract into two mixtures (R/IR and C/CB). Preparative SFC, using a Viridis Prep Silica 2-EP OBD column and acetonitrile-0.2% diethylamine in CO 2 as the mobile phase, was finally employed for compound purification. As a result, the purity of four SOA compounds was all higher than 95%. Different from reversed-phase HPLC, SFC, by use of water-free mobile phase (inert CO 2 and aprotic modifier), provides a solution to rapid analysis and isolation of tautomeric reference standards for quality control of TCM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validation of a method for the determination of zolpidem in human plasma using LC with fluorescence detection.

PubMed

Ring, P R; Bostick, J M

2000-04-01

A sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of zolpidem in human plasma. Zolpidem and the internal standard (trazodone) were extracted from human plasma that had been made basic. The basic sample was loaded onto a conditioned Bond Elut C18 cartridge, rinsed with water and eluted with methanol. Forty microliters were then injected onto the LC system. Separation was achieved on a C18 column (150 x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile:50 mM potassium phosphate monobasic at pH 6.0 (4:6, v/v). Detection was by fluorescence, with excitation at 254 nm and emission at 400 nm. The retention times of zolpidem and internal standard were approximately 4.7 and 5.3 min, respectively. The LC run time was 8 min. The assay was linear in concentration range 1-400 ng/ml for zolpidem in human plasma. The analysis of quality control samples for zolpidem (3, 30, and 300 ng/ml) demonstrated excellent precision with relative standard deviations (RSD) of 3.7, 4.6, and 3.0%, respectively (n = 18). The method was accurate with all intraday (n = 6) and overall (n = 18) mean concentrations within 5.8% from nominal at all quality control sample concentrations. This method was also performed using a Gilson Aspec XL automated sample processor and autoinjector. The samples were manually fortified with internal standard and made basic. The aspec then performed the solid phase extraction and made injections of the samples onto the LC system. Using the automated procedure for analysis, quality control samples for zolpidem (3, 30, and 300 ng/ml) demonstrated acceptable precision with RSD values of 9.0, 4.9, and 5.1%, respectively (n = 12). The method was accurate with all intracurve (n = 4) and overall (n = 12) mean values being less than 10.8% from nominal at all quality control sample concentrations.

Processing of CuInSe{sub 2}-based solar cells: Characterization of deposition processes in terms of chemical reaction analyses. Phase 2 Annual Report, 6 May 1996--5 May 1997

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

Anderson, T.

This report describes research performed by the University of Florida during Phase 2 of this subcontract. First, to study CIGS, researchers adapted a contactless, nondestructive technique previously developed for measuring photogenerated excess carrier lifetimes in SOI wafers. This dual-beam optical modulation (DBOM) technique was used to investigate the differences between three alternative methods of depositing CdS (conventional chemical-bath deposition [CBD], metal-organic chemical vapor deposition [MOCVD], and sputtering). Second, a critical assessment of the Cu-In-Se thermochemical and phase diagram data using standard CALPHAD procedures is being performed. The outcome of this research will produce useful information on equilibrium vapor compositions (requiredmore » annealing ambients, Sex fluxes from effusion cells), phase diagrams (conditions for melt-assisted growth), chemical potentials (driving forces for diffusion and chemical reactions), and consistent solution models (extents of solid solutions and extending phase diagrams). Third, an integrated facility to fabricate CIS PV devices was established that includes migration-enhanced epitaxy (MEE) for deposition of CIS, a rapid thermal processing furnace for absorber film formation, sputtering of ZnO, CBD or MOCVD of CdS, metallization, and pattern definition.« less

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of Praeruptorin D from Radix peucedani in rats by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

PubMed

Liang, Taigang; Yue, Wenyan; Du, Xue; Ren, Luhui; Li, Qingshan

2012-01-01

Praeruptorin D (PD), a major pyranocoumarin isolated from Radix Peucedani, exhibited antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of PD in rats following intravenous (i.v.) administration. The levels of PD in plasma and tissues were measured by a simple and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The biosamples were treated by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and osthole was used as the internal standard (IS). The chromatographic separation was accomplished on a reversed-phase C(18) column using methanol-water (75:25, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min and ultraviolet detection wave length was set at 323 nm. The results demonstrate that this method has excellent specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy and recovery. The pharmacokinetic study found that PD fitted well into a two-compartment model with a fast distribution phase and a relative slow elimination phase. Tissue distribution showed that the highest concentration was observed in the lung, followed by heart, liver and kidney. Furthermore, PD can also be detected in the brain, which indicated that PD could cross the blood-brain barrier after i.v. administration.

Precise GNSS Positioning Using Smart Devices

PubMed Central

Caldera, Stefano; Pertusini, Lisa

2017-01-01

The recent access to GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) phase observations on smart devices, enabled by Google through its Android operating system, opens the possibility to apply precise positioning techniques using off-the-shelf, mass-market devices. The target of this work is to evaluate whether this is feasible, and which positioning accuracy can be achieved by relative positioning of the smart device with respect to a base station. Positioning of a Google/HTC Nexus 9 tablet was performed by means of batch least-squares adjustment of L1 phase double-differenced observations, using the open source goGPS software, over baselines ranging from approximately 10 m to 8 km, with respect to both physical (geodetic or low-cost) and virtual base stations. The same positioning procedure was applied also to a co-located u-blox low-cost receiver, to compare the performance between the receiver and antenna embedded in the Nexus 9 and a standard low-cost single-frequency receiver with external patch antenna. The results demonstrate that with a smart device providing raw GNSS phase observations, like the Nexus 9, it is possible to reach decimeter-level accuracy through rapid-static surveys, without phase ambiguity resolution. It is expected that sub-centimeter accuracy could be achieved, as demonstrated for the u-blox case, if integer phase ambiguities were correctly resolved. PMID:29064417

Precise GNSS Positioning Using Smart Devices.

PubMed

Realini, Eugenio; Caldera, Stefano; Pertusini, Lisa; Sampietro, Daniele

2017-10-24

The recent access to GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) phase observations on smart devices, enabled by Google through its Android operating system, opens the possibility to apply precise positioning techniques using off-the-shelf, mass-market devices. The target of this work is to evaluate whether this is feasible, and which positioning accuracy can be achieved by relative positioning of the smart device with respect to a base station. Positioning of a Google/HTC Nexus 9 tablet was performed by means of batch least-squares adjustment of L1 phase double-differenced observations, using the open source goGPS software, over baselines ranging from approximately 10 m to 8 km, with respect to both physical (geodetic or low-cost) and virtual base stations. The same positioning procedure was applied also to a co-located u-blox low-cost receiver, to compare the performance between the receiver and antenna embedded in the Nexus 9 and a standard low-cost single-frequency receiver with external patch antenna. The results demonstrate that with a smart device providing raw GNSS phase observations, like the Nexus 9, it is possible to reach decimeter-level accuracy through rapid-static surveys, without phase ambiguity resolution. It is expected that sub-centimeter accuracy could be achieved, as demonstrated for the u-blox case, if integer phase ambiguities were correctly resolved.

Critical assessment of three high performance liquid chromatography analytical methods for food carotenoid quantification.

PubMed

Dias, M Graça; Oliveira, Luísa; Camões, M Filomena G F C; Nunes, Baltazar; Versloot, Pieter; Hulshof, Paul J M

2010-05-21

Three sets of extraction/saponification/HPLC conditions for food carotenoid quantification were technically and economically compared. Samples were analysed for carotenoids alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene, and zeaxanthin. All methods demonstrated good performance in the analysis of a composite food standard reference material for the analytes they are applicable to. Methods using two serial connected C(18) columns and a mobile phase based on acetonitrile, achieved a better carotenoid separation than the method using a mobile phase based on methanol and one C(18)-column. Carotenoids from leafy green vegetable matrices appeared to be better extracted with a mixture of methanol and tetrahydrofuran than with tetrahydrofuran alone. Costs of carotenoid determination in foods were lower for the method with mobile phase based on methanol. However for some food matrices and in the case of E-Z isomer separations, this was not technically satisfactory. Food extraction with methanol and tetrahydrofuran with direct evaporation of these solvents, and saponification (when needed) using pyrogallol as antioxidant, combined with a HPLC system using a slight gradient mobile phase based on acetonitrile and a stationary phase composed by two serial connected C(18) columns was the most technically and economically favourable method. 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V.

MinION Analysis and Reference Consortium: Phase 1 data release and analysis

PubMed Central

Eccles, David A.; Zalunin, Vadim; Urban, John M.; Piazza, Paolo; Bowden, Rory J.; Paten, Benedict; Mwaigwisya, Solomon; Batty, Elizabeth M.; Simpson, Jared T.; Snutch, Terrance P.

2015-01-01

The advent of a miniaturized DNA sequencing device with a high-throughput contextual sequencing capability embodies the next generation of large scale sequencing tools. The MinION™ Access Programme (MAP) was initiated by Oxford Nanopore Technologies™ in April 2014, giving public access to their USB-attached miniature sequencing device. The MinION Analysis and Reference Consortium (MARC) was formed by a subset of MAP participants, with the aim of evaluating and providing standard protocols and reference data to the community. Envisaged as a multi-phased project, this study provides the global community with the Phase 1 data from MARC, where the reproducibility of the performance of the MinION was evaluated at multiple sites. Five laboratories on two continents generated data using a control strain of Escherichia coli K-12, preparing and sequencing samples according to a revised ONT protocol. Here, we provide the details of the protocol used, along with a preliminary analysis of the characteristics of typical runs including the consistency, rate, volume and quality of data produced. Further analysis of the Phase 1 data presented here, and additional experiments in Phase 2 of E. coli from MARC are already underway to identify ways to improve and enhance MinION performance. PMID:26834992

[Separation and determination of eight plant hormones by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography].

PubMed

Fang, N; Hou, S; Shao, X; He, Y; Zhao, G

1998-09-01

In this paper, reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic technique was used for the separation and determination of eight plant hormones. Methanol-water-acetic acid system was chosen as the mobile phase. The effects of different separation conditions, such as the methanol and acetic acid concentrations in mobile phase, on the retention behaviours of eight plant hormones in this system were studied. The general trends in retention behaviours could be correlated to the methanol concentration in mobile phase. The experimental results showed that the optimum separation was achieved with following gradient elution condition: 0-3 minutes, 70% (water percentage in mobile phase), 3-13 minutes, 70%-20%, 13-48 minutes, 20%. Benzene was added to be as the internal standard. Under this experimental condition, the eight plant hormones could be separated completely and detected quantitatively at 260 nm within 16 minutes. The calibration curves for the eight compounds gave linearity over a wide range. The correlation coefficients of each components were r(ZT) = 0.9971, r(GAs) = 0.9999, r(K) = 0.9997, r(BA) = 0.9995, r(IAA) = 0.9998, r(IPA) = 0.9982, r(IBA) = 0.9995 and r(NAA) = 0.9995. The method is rapid, simple and efficient. It is a suitable method for the accurate determination of gibberellic acid (GA) and alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid (alpha-NAA) in products for agricultural use.

The Maximal Oxygen Uptake Verification Phase: a Light at the End of the Tunnel?

PubMed

Schaun, Gustavo Z

2017-12-08

Commonly performed during an incremental test to exhaustion, maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2max ) assessment has become a recurring practice in clinical and experimental settings. To validate the test, several criteria were proposed. In this context, the plateau in oxygen uptake (V̇O 2 ) is inconsistent in its frequency, reducing its usefulness as a robust method to determine "true" V̇O 2max . Moreover, secondary criteria previously suggested, such as expiratory exchange ratios or percentages of maximal heart rate, are highly dependent on protocol design and often are achieved at V̇O 2 percentages well below V̇O 2max . Thus, an alternative method termed verification phase was proposed. Currently, it is clear that the verification phase can be a practical and sensitive method to confirm V̇O 2max ; however, procedures to conduct it are not standardized across the literature and no previous research tried to summarize how it has been employed. Therefore, in this review the knowledge on the verification phase was updated, while suggestions on how it can be performed (e.g. intensity, duration, recovery) were provided according to population and protocol design. Future studies should focus to identify a verification protocol feasible for different populations and to compare square-wave and multistage verification phases. Additionally, studies assessing verification phases in different patient populations are still warranted.

Simulated patient training: Using inter-rater reliability to evaluate simulated patient consistency in nursing education.

PubMed

MacLean, Sharon; Geddes, Fiona; Kelly, Michelle; Della, Phillip

2018-03-01

Simulated patients (SPs) are frequently used for training nursing students in communication skills. An acknowledged benefit of using SPs is the opportunity to provide a standardized approach by which participants can demonstrate and develop communication skills. However, relatively little evidence is available on how to best facilitate and evaluate the reliability and accuracy of SPs' performances. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of an evidenced based SP training framework to ensure standardization of SPs. The training framework was employed to improve inter-rater reliability of SPs. A quasi-experimental study was employed to assess SP post-training understanding of simulation scenario parameters using inter-rater reliability agreement indices. Two phases of data collection took place. Initially a trial phase including audio-visual (AV) recordings of two undergraduate nursing students completing a simulation scenario is rated by eight SPs using the Interpersonal Communication Assessments Scale (ICAS) and Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale (QDTS). In phase 2, eight SP raters and four nursing faculty raters independently evaluated students' (N=42) communication practices using the QDTS. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were >0.80 for both stages of the study in clinical communication skills. The results support the premise that if trained appropriately, SPs have a high degree of reliability and validity to both facilitate and evaluate student performance in nurse education. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Simultaneous determination of principal components and related substances of raw material drug of ammonium glycyrrhizinate by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography].

PubMed

Zhao, Yanyan; Liu, Liyan; Han, Yuanyuan; Li, Yueqiu; Wang, Yan; Shi, Minjian

2013-09-01

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 18alpha-glycyrrhizic acid, 18beta-glycyrrhizinic acid, related substances A and B and drug quality standard by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was established. The assay was carried out on a Durashell-C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with 10 mmol/L ammonium perchlorate (the pH value was adjusted to 8.20 with ammonia)-methanol (48:52, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.80 mL/min, and the detection wavelength was set at 254 nm. The column temperature was 50 degrees C and the injection volume was 10 microL. Under the separation conditions, the calibration curves of the analytes showed good linearities within the mass concentrations of 0.50 -100 mg/L (r > 0.999 9). The detection limits for 18alpha-glycyrrhizic acid, 18beta-glycyrrhizinic acid, related substances A and B were 0.15, 0.10, 0.10, 0.15 mg/L, respectively. The average recoveries were between 97.32% and 99.33% (n = 3) with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 0.05% and 1.06%. The method is sensitive, reproducible, and the results are accurate and reliable. The method can be used for the determination of principal components and related substances of ammonium glycyrrhizinate for the quality control of raw material drug of ammonium glycyrrhizinate.

Calorimetric and computational study of indanones.

PubMed

Matos, M Agostinha R; Miranda, Margarida S; Monte, Manuel J S; Santos, Luís M N B F; Morais, Victor M F; Chickos, James S; Umnahanant, Patamaporn; Liebman, Joel F

2007-11-01

Condensed phase standard (p degrees = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation for 1-indanone, 2-indanone, and 1,3-indandione were derived from the standard molar enthalpies of combustion, in oxygen, at T = 298.15 K, measured by static bomb combustion calorimetry. The standard molar enthalpies of sublimation for 1-indanone and 2-indanone, at T = 298.15 K, were measured both by correlation-gas chromatography and by Calvet microcalorimetry leading to a mean value for each compound. For 1,3-indandione, the standard molar enthalpy of sublimation was derived from the vapor pressure dependence on temperature. The following enthalpies of formation in gas phase, at T = 298.15 K, were then derived: 1-indanone, -64.0 +/- 3.8 kJ mol(-1); 2-indanone, -56.6 +/- 4.8 kJ mol(-1); 1,3-indandione, -165.0 +/- 2.6 kJ mol(-1). The vaporization and fusion enthalpies of the indanones studied are also reported. In addition, theoretical calculations using the density functional theory with the B3LYP and MPW1B95 energy functionals and the 6-311G** and cc-pVTZ basis sets have been performed for these molecules and the corresponding one-ring species to obtain the most stable geometries and to access their energetic stabilities.

Rapid amino acid quantitation with pre-column derivatization; ultra-performance reverse phase liquid chromatography and single quadrupole mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Pretorius, Carel J; McWhinney, Brett C; Sipinkoski, Bilyana; Wilce, Alice; Cox, David; McWhinney, Avis; Ungerer, Jacobus P J

2018-03-01

We optimized a quantitative amino acid method with pre-column derivatization, norvaline (nva) internal standard and reverse phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography by replacing the ultraviolet detector with a single quadrupole mass spectrometer (MS nva ). We used 13 C 15 N isotopically labeled amino acid internal standards and a C18 column with 1.6μm particles to optimize the chromatography and to confirm separation of isobaric compounds (MS lis ). We compared the analytical performance of MS nva with MS lis and the original method (UV nva ) with clinical samples. The chromatography time per sample of MS nva was 8min, detection capabilities were <1μmol/L for most components, intermediate imprecisions at low concentrations were <10% and there was negligible carryover. MS nva was linear up to a total amino acid concentration in a sample of approximately 9500μmol/L. The agreements between most individual amino acids were satisfactory compared to UV nva with the latter prone to outliers and suboptimal quantitation of urinary arginine, aspartate, glutamate and methionine. MS nva reliably detected argnininosuccinate, β-alanine, citrulline and cysteine-s-sulfate. MS nva resulted in a more than fivefold increase in operational efficiency with accurate detection of amino acids and metabolic intermediates in clinical samples. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of bisphenols and alkylphenols in water by solid phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Shan, Xiao Mei; Shen, Deng Hui; Wang, Bing Shuang; Lu, Bei Bei; Huang, Fa Yuan

2014-06-01

To establish an analytical method for determination of four bisphenols (BPA, BPB, BPF, and BPS) and two alkylphenols (4-n-OP, 4-n-NP) in water by ultra performance liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS). The water samples were extracted and condensed with solid-phase extraction (SPE) using C18 cartridges and eluted by acetonitrile. Separation was carried out with Acquity BEH C8 column and detection were performed by UPLC/MS/MS. Quantification was calculated by using the internal standard BPA-d16 and 4-n-NP-d8. The linear correlation coefficients of these compounds in the range of 1.0-100.0 μg/L were all over 0.999. The minimum detectable concentrations were 0.75-1.0 ng/L, and the recoveries ranged from 87.0% to 106.9%. Relative standard deviations (RSDs) were between 1.26% and 3.67%. Applying this method to detect the source water of Chaohu Lake and drinking water of Hefei, six target compounds were detected in different levels. This method is simple with high sensitivity and selectivity, could be suitable for the determination of these compounds in source and drinking water. Copyright © 2014 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

Validation of a new ELISA method for in vitro potency testing of hepatitis A vaccines.

PubMed

Morgeaux, S; Variot, P; Daas, A; Costanzo, A

2013-01-01

The goal of the project was to standardise a new in vitro method in replacement of the existing standard method for the determination of hepatitis A virus antigen content in hepatitis A vaccines (HAV) marketed in Europe. This became necessary due to issues with the method used previously, requiring the use of commercial test kits. The selected candidate method, not based on commercial kits, had already been used for many years by an Official Medicines Control Laboratory (OMCL) for routine testing and batch release of HAV. After a pre-qualification phase (Phase 1) that showed the suitability of the commercially available critical ELISA reagents for the determination of antigen content in marketed HAV present on the European market, an international collaborative study (Phase 2) was carried out in order to fully validate the method. Eleven laboratories took part in the collaborative study. They performed assays with the candidate standard method and, in parallel, for comparison purposes, with their own in-house validated methods where these were available. The study demonstrated that the new assay provides a more reliable and reproducible method when compared to the existing standard method. A good correlation of the candidate standard method with the in vivo immunogenicity assay in mice was shown previously for both potent and sub-potent (stressed) vaccines. Thus, the new standard method validated during the collaborative study may be implemented readily by manufacturers and OMCLs for routine batch release but also for in-process control or consistency testing. The new method was approved in October 2012 by Group of Experts 15 of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) as the standard method for in vitro potency testing of HAV. The relevant texts will be revised accordingly. Critical reagents such as coating reagent and detection antibodies have been adopted by the Ph. Eur. Commission and are available from the EDQM as Ph. Eur. Biological Reference Reagents (BRRs).

[Simultaneous determination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol cannabidiol and cannabinol in edible oil using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Zhang, Aizhi; Wang, Quanlin; Mo, Shijie

2010-11-01

A method for the simultaneous determination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN) in edible oil was developed using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The target compounds were extracted with methanol, purified by an LC-Alumina-N solid phase extraction cartridge, separated and detected by the UPLC-MS/MS. Quantitative analysis was corrected by an isotope internal standard method using delta-9-THC-D3 as internal standard. Average recoveries for the target compounds varied from 68.0% to 101.6% with the relative standard deviations ranging from 7.0% to 20.1% at three spiked levels. The limits of detection (LOD) of the method were from 0.06-0.17 microg/kg and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were in the range of 0.20-0.52 microg/kg. The results showed that the method is able to meet the requirements for the simultaneous determination of THC, CBD and CBN in edible oil.

Timing and frequency considerations in the worldwide testing of a spread spectrum communication system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodring, D. G.; Nichols, S. A.; Swanson, R.

1979-01-01

During 1978 and 1979, an Air Force C-135 test aircraft was flown to various locations in the North and South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for satellite communications experiments. A part of the equipment tested on the aircraft was the SEACOM spread spectrum modem. The SEACOM modem operated at X band frequency from the aircraft via the DSCS II satellite to a ground station. For data to be phased successfully, it was necessary to maintain independent time and frequency accuracy over relatively long periods of time (up to two weeks) on the aircraft and at the ground station. To achieve this goal, two Efratom atomic frequency standards were used. The performance of these frequency standards as used in the spread spectrum modem is discussed, including the effects of high relative velocity, synchronization and the effects of the frequency standards on data performance is discussed. The aircraft environment, which includes extremes of temperature, as well as long periods of shutdown followed by rapid warmup requirements, is also discussed.

Optimization of the high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of a complex mixture containing urinary steroids, boldenone and bolasterone: application to urine samples.

PubMed

Gonzalo-Lumbreras, R; Izquierdo-Hornillos, R

2000-05-26

An HPLC separation of a complex mixture containing 13 urinary anabolics and corticoids, and boldenone and bolasterone (synthetic anabolics) has been carried out. The applied optimization method involved the use of binary, ternary and quaternary mobile phases containing acetonitrile, methanol or tetrahydrofuran as organic modifiers. The effect of different reversed-phase packings and temperature on the separation was studied. The optimum separation was achieved by using a water-acetonitrile (60:40, v/v) mobile phase in reversed-phase HPLC at 30 degrees C, allowing the separation of all the analytes in about 24 min. Calibration graphs were obtained using bolasterone or methyltestosterone as internal standards. Detection limits were in the range 0.012-0.107 microg ml(-1). The optimized separation was applied to the analysis, after liquid-liquid extraction, of human urine samples spiked with steroids.

Experimental study on all-fiber-based unidimensional continuous-variable quantum key distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xuyang; Liu, Wenyuan; Wang, Pu; Li, Yongmin

2017-06-01

We experimentally demonstrated an all-fiber-based unidimensional continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV QKD) protocol and analyzed its security under collective attack in realistic conditions. A pulsed balanced homodyne detector, which could not be accessed by eavesdroppers, with phase-insensitive efficiency and electronic noise, was considered. Furthermore, a modulation method and an improved relative phase-locking technique with one amplitude modulator and one phase modulator were designed. The relative phase could be locked precisely with a standard deviation of 0.5° and a mean of almost zero. Secret key bit rates of 5.4 kbps and 700 bps were achieved for transmission fiber lengths of 30 and 50 km, respectively. The protocol, which simplified the CV QKD system and reduced the cost, displayed a performance comparable to that of a symmetrical counterpart under realistic conditions. It is expected that the developed protocol can facilitate the practical application of the CV QKD.

Development of Environmental Load Estimation Model for Road Drainage Systems in the Early Design Phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jin-Young; Lee, Dong-Eun; Kim, Byung-Soo

2017-10-01

Due to the increasing concern about climate change, efforts to reduce environmental load are continuously being made in construction industry, and LCA (life cycle assessment) is being presented as an effective method to assess environmental load. Since LCA requires information on construction quantity used for environmental load estimation, however, it is not being utilized in the environmental review in the early design phase where it is difficult to obtain such information. In this study, computation system for construction quantity based on standard cross section of road drainage facilities was developed to compute construction quantity required for LCA using only information available in the early design phase to develop and verify the effectiveness of a model that can perform environmental load estimation. The result showed that it is an effective model that can be used in the early design phase as it revealed a 13.39% mean absolute error rate.

Speaker Recognition by Combining MFCC and Phase Information in Noisy Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Longbiao; Minami, Kazue; Yamamoto, Kazumasa; Nakagawa, Seiichi

In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of phase for speaker recognition in noisy conditions and combine the phase information with mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs). To date, almost speaker recognition methods are based on MFCCs even in noisy conditions. For MFCCs which dominantly capture vocal tract information, only the magnitude of the Fourier Transform of time-domain speech frames is used and phase information has been ignored. High complement of the phase information and MFCCs is expected because the phase information includes rich voice source information. Furthermore, some researches have reported that phase based feature was robust to noise. In our previous study, a phase information extraction method that normalizes the change variation in the phase depending on the clipping position of the input speech was proposed, and the performance of the combination of the phase information and MFCCs was remarkably better than that of MFCCs. In this paper, we evaluate the robustness of the proposed phase information for speaker identification in noisy conditions. Spectral subtraction, a method skipping frames with low energy/Signal-to-Noise (SN) and noisy speech training models are used to analyze the effect of the phase information and MFCCs in noisy conditions. The NTT database and the JNAS (Japanese Newspaper Article Sentences) database added with stationary/non-stationary noise were used to evaluate our proposed method. MFCCs outperformed the phase information for clean speech. On the other hand, the degradation of the phase information was significantly smaller than that of MFCCs for noisy speech. The individual result of the phase information was even better than that of MFCCs in many cases by clean speech training models. By deleting unreliable frames (frames having low energy/SN), the speaker identification performance was improved significantly. By integrating the phase information with MFCCs, the speaker identification error reduction rate was about 30%-60% compared with the standard MFCC-based method.

Autonomous stabilizer for incompressible photon fluids and solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Ruichao; Owens, Clai; Houck, Andrew; Schuster, David I.; Simon, Jonathan

2017-04-01

We suggest a simple approach to populate photonic quantum materials at nonzero chemical potential and near-zero temperature. Taking inspiration from forced evaporation in cold-atom experiments, the essential ingredients for our low-entropy thermal reservoir are (a) interparticle interactions and (b) energy-dependent loss. The resulting thermal reservoir may then be coupled to a broad class of Hamiltonian systems to produce low-entropy quantum phases. We present an idealized picture of such a reservoir, deriving the scaling of reservoir entropy with system parameters, and then propose several practical implementations using only standard circuit quantum electrodynamics tools, and extract the fundamental performance limits. Finally, we explore, both analytically and numerically, the coupling of such a thermalizer to the paradigmatic Bose-Hubbard chain, where we employ it to stabilize an n =1 Mott phase. In this case, the performance is limited by the interplay of dynamically arrested thermalization of the Mott insulator and finite heat capacity of the thermalizer, characterized by its repumping rate. This work explores an approach to preparation of quantum phases of strongly interacting photons, and provides a potential route to topologically protected phases that are difficult to reach through adiabatic evolution.

Development and validation of a rapid reversed-phase HPLC method for the determination of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor dapivirine from polymeric nanoparticles.

PubMed

das Neves, José; Sarmento, Bruno; Amiji, Mansoor M; Bahia, Maria Fernanda

2010-06-05

The objective of this work was to develop and validate a rapid reversed-phase (RP) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the in vitro pharmaceutical characterization of dapivirine-loaded polymeric nanoparticles. Chromatographic runs were performed on a RP C18 column with a mobile phase comprising acetonitrile-0.5% (w/v) triethanolamine solution in isocratic mode (80:20, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. Dapivirine was detected at a wavelength of 290 nm. The method was shown to be specific, linear in the range of 1-50 microg/ml (R(2)=0.9998), precise at the intra-day and inter-day levels as reflected by the relative standard deviation values (less than 0.85%), accurate (recovery rate of 100.17+/-0.35%), and robust to changes in the mobile phase and column brand. The detection and quantitation limits were 0.08 and 0.24 microg/ml, respectively. The method was successfully used to determine the loading capacity and association efficiency of dapivirine in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-based nanoparticles and its in vitro release. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Testing Method on Stretch-Flangeability of Dual-Phase 980/1180 Steel Grades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madrid, Mykal; Van Tyne, Chester J.; Sadagopan, Sriram; Pavlina, Erik J.; Hu, Jun; Clarke, Kester D.

2018-04-01

Challenging fuel economy and safety standards in the automotive industry have led to the need for materials with higher strength while maintaining levels of formability that meet component manufacturing requirements. Advanced high-strength steels, such as dual-phase steels with tensile strengths of 980 MPa and 1180 MPa, are of interest to address this need. Increasing the strength of these materials typically comes at the expense of ductility, which may result in problems when stamping parts with trimmed or sheared edges, as cracking at the sheared edge may occur at lower strains. Here, hole expansion tests were performed with different punch geometries (conical and flat-bottom) and different edge conditions (sheared and machined) to understand the effects of testing conditions on performance, and these results are discussed in terms of mechanical properties and microstructures.

Paired-ion chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography of labetalol in feeds.

PubMed

Townley, E R; Ross, B

1980-11-01

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method using reverse phase paired-ion chromatography and ultraviolet detection at 280 nm has been developed to determine labetalol, an alpha and beta adrenoceptor blocking agent, in Purina No. 5001 rodent chow. The method is simple and rapid, and demonstrates a separation technique applicable to other acidic and basic drugs. It requires only extraction of the drug with methanol--water--acetic acid (66 + 33 + 1) and separation of insoluble material by filtration before HPLC. Labetalol, is chromatographically separated from soluble feed components by means of a microBondapak C18 column and methanol--water--acetic acid (66 + 33 + 1) mobile phase, 0.005M with respect to sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate paired-ion reagent. Average recovery is 98.7% with a relative standard deviation of +/- 2.3% for the equipment described.

Effects of Testing Method on Stretch-Flangeability of Dual-Phase 980/1180 Steel Grades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madrid, Mykal; Van Tyne, Chester J.; Sadagopan, Sriram; Pavlina, Erik J.; Hu, Jun; Clarke, Kester D.

2018-06-01

Challenging fuel economy and safety standards in the automotive industry have led to the need for materials with higher strength while maintaining levels of formability that meet component manufacturing requirements. Advanced high-strength steels, such as dual-phase steels with tensile strengths of 980 MPa and 1180 MPa, are of interest to address this need. Increasing the strength of these materials typically comes at the expense of ductility, which may result in problems when stamping parts with trimmed or sheared edges, as cracking at the sheared edge may occur at lower strains. Here, hole expansion tests were performed with different punch geometries (conical and flat-bottom) and different edge conditions (sheared and machined) to understand the effects of testing conditions on performance, and these results are discussed in terms of mechanical properties and microstructures.

Separation and identification of neutral cereal lipids by normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography, using evaporative light-scattering and electrospray mass spectrometry for detection.

PubMed

Rocha, João M; Kalo, Paavo J; Ollilainen, Velimatti; Malcata, F Xavier

2010-04-30

A novel method was developed for the analysis of molecular species in neutral lipid classes, using separation by normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography, followed by detection by evaporative light-scattering and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Monoacid standards, i.e. sterol esters, triacylglycerols, fatty acids, diacylglycerols, free sterols and monoacylglycerols, were separated to baseline on microbore 3 microm-silica gel columns. Complete or partial separation of molecular species in each lipid class permitted identification by automatic tandem mass spectrometry of ammonium adducts, produced via positive electrospray ionization. After optimization of the method, separation and identification of molecular species of various lipid classes was comprehensively tested by analysis of neutral lipids from the free lipid extract of maize flour. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of isoniazid and 1-isonicotinyl-2-lactosylhydrazine in isoniazid tablet formulations.

PubMed

Butterfield, A G; Lovering, E G; Sears, R W

1980-02-01

A high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure is presented for the simultaneous determination of isoniazid and 1-isonicotinyl-2-lactosylhydrazine (I) in isoniazid tablet formulations. An aliquot of a diluted aqueous tablet extract is introduced onto a microparticulate cyanopropyl bonded-phase column using a valve-loop injector and chromatographed using a mobile phase of acetonitrile--0.01 M, pH 3.5 aqueous acetate buffer (5:95). Compound I can be determined at levels as low as 0.5% of the isoniazid label claim. The relative standard deviations are 0.4 and 0.7% for the simultaneous determination of isoniazid and I, respectively. Seven commercial tablet formulations contained 93.8--97.0% of the labeled isoniazid amounts and 0.3--5.8% of I, expressed as equivalent isoniazid relative to the labeled isoniazid level.

Benchmark problems for numerical implementations of phase field models

DOE PAGES

Jokisaari, A. M.; Voorhees, P. W.; Guyer, J. E.; ...

2016-10-01

Here, we present the first set of benchmark problems for phase field models that are being developed by the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). While many scientific research areas use a limited set of well-established software, the growing phase field community continues to develop a wide variety of codes and lacks benchmark problems to consistently evaluate the numerical performance of new implementations. Phase field modeling has become significantly more popular as computational power has increased and is now becoming mainstream, driving the need for benchmark problems to validate and verifymore » new implementations. We follow the example set by the micromagnetics community to develop an evolving set of benchmark problems that test the usability, computational resources, numerical capabilities and physical scope of phase field simulation codes. In this paper, we propose two benchmark problems that cover the physics of solute diffusion and growth and coarsening of a second phase via a simple spinodal decomposition model and a more complex Ostwald ripening model. We demonstrate the utility of benchmark problems by comparing the results of simulations performed with two different adaptive time stepping techniques, and we discuss the needs of future benchmark problems. The development of benchmark problems will enable the results of quantitative phase field models to be confidently incorporated into integrated computational materials science and engineering (ICME), an important goal of the Materials Genome Initiative.« less

An on-line push/pull perfusion-based hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction system for high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of alkylphenols in water samples.

PubMed

Chao, Yu-Ying; Jian, Zhi-Xuan; Tu, Yi-Ming; Wang, Hsaio-Wen; Huang, Yeou-Lih

2013-06-07

In this study, we employed a novel on-line method, push/pull perfusion hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction (PPP-HF-LPME), to extract 4-tert-butylphenol, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, 4-n-nonylphenol, and 4-n-octylphenol from river and tap water samples; we then separated and quantified the extracted analytes through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Using this approach, we overcame the problem of fluid loss across the porous HF membrane to the donor phase, permitting on-line coupling of HF-LPME to HPLC. In our PPP-HF-LPME system, we used a push/pull syringe pump as the driving source to perfuse the acceptor phase, while employing a heating mantle and an ultrasonic probe to accelerate mass transfer. We optimized the experimental conditions such as the nature of the HF supported intermediary phase and the acceptor phase, the composition of the donor and acceptor phases, the sample temperature, and the sonication conditions. Our proposed method provided relative standard deviations of 3.1-6.2%, coefficients of determination (r(2)) of 0.9989-0.9998, and limits of detection of 0.03-0.2 ng mL(-1) for the analytes under the optimized conditions. When we applied this method to analyses of river and tap water samples, our results confirmed that this microextraction technique allows reliable monitoring of alkylphenols in water samples.

Monitoring the metering performance of an electronic voltage transformer on-line based on cyber-physics correlation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhu; Li, Hongbin; Tang, Dengping; Hu, Chen; Jiao, Yang

2017-10-01

Metering performance is the key parameter of an electronic voltage transformer (EVT), and it requires high accuracy. The conventional off-line calibration method using a standard voltage transformer is not suitable for the key equipment in a smart substation, which needs on-line monitoring. In this article, we propose a method for monitoring the metering performance of an EVT on-line based on cyber-physics correlation analysis. By the electrical and physical properties of a substation running in three-phase symmetry, the principal component analysis method is used to separate the metering deviation caused by the primary fluctuation and the EVT anomaly. The characteristic statistics of the measured data during operation are extracted, and the metering performance of the EVT is evaluated by analyzing the change in statistics. The experimental results show that the method successfully monitors the metering deviation of a Class 0.2 EVT accurately. The method demonstrates the accurate evaluation of on-line monitoring of the metering performance on an EVT without a standard voltage transformer.

Determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids in raw propolis by silica-supported ionic liquid-based matrix solid phase dispersion extraction high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection.

PubMed

Wang, Zhibing; Sun, Rui; Wang, Yuanpeng; Li, Na; Lei, Lei; Yang, Xiao; Yu, Aimin; Qiu, Fangping; Zhang, Hanqi

2014-10-15

The silica-supported ionic liquid (S-SIL) was prepared by impregnation and used as the dispersion adsorbent of matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) for the simultaneous extraction of eight phenolic acids and flavonoids, including caffeic acid, ferulic acid, morin, luteolin, quercetin, apigenin, chrysin, and kaempferide in raw propolis. High performance liquid chromatography with a Zorbax SB-C18 column (150mm×4.6mm, 3.5μm) was used for separation of the analytes. The mobile phase consisted of 0.2% phosphoric acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile and the flow rate of the mobile phase was 0.5mL/min. The experimental conditions for silica-supported ionic liquid-based matrix solid phase dispersion (S-SIL-based MSPD) were optimized. S-SIL containing 10% [C6MIM]Cl was used as dispersant, 20mL of n-hexane as washing solvent and 15mL of methanol as elution solvent. The ratio of S-SIL to sample was selected to be 4:1. The standard curves showed good linear relationship (r>0.9995). The limits of detection and quantification were in the range of 5.8-22.2ngmL(-1) and 19.2-74.0ngmL(-1), respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of intra-day and inter-day determination were lower than 8.80% and 11.19%, respectively. The recoveries were between 65.51% and 92.32% with RSDs lower than 8.95%. Compared with ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and soxhlet extraction, the present method consumed less sample, organic solvent, and extraction time, although the extraction yields obtained by S-SIL-based MSPD are slightly lower than those obtained by UAE. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Explicit methods in extended phase space for inseparable Hamiltonian problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pihajoki, Pauli

2015-03-01

We present a method for explicit leapfrog integration of inseparable Hamiltonian systems by means of an extended phase space. A suitably defined new Hamiltonian on the extended phase space leads to equations of motion that can be numerically integrated by standard symplectic leapfrog (splitting) methods. When the leapfrog is combined with coordinate mixing transformations, the resulting algorithm shows good long term stability and error behaviour. We extend the method to non-Hamiltonian problems as well, and investigate optimal methods of projecting the extended phase space back to original dimension. Finally, we apply the methods to a Hamiltonian problem of geodesics in a curved space, and a non-Hamiltonian problem of a forced non-linear oscillator. We compare the performance of the methods to a general purpose differential equation solver LSODE, and the implicit midpoint method, a symplectic one-step method. We find the extended phase space methods to compare favorably to both for the Hamiltonian problem, and to the implicit midpoint method in the case of the non-linear oscillator.

Yield enhancement with DFM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paek, Seung Weon; Kang, Jae Hyun; Ha, Naya; Kim, Byung-Moo; Jang, Dae-Hyun; Jeon, Junsu; Kim, DaeWook; Chung, Kun Young; Yu, Sung-eun; Park, Joo Hyun; Bae, SangMin; Song, DongSup; Noh, WooYoung; Kim, YoungDuck; Song, HyunSeok; Choi, HungBok; Kim, Kee Sup; Choi, Kyu-Myung; Choi, Woonhyuk; Jeon, JoongWon; Lee, JinWoo; Kim, Ki-Su; Park, SeongHo; Chung, No-Young; Lee, KangDuck; Hong, YoungKi; Kim, BongSeok

2012-03-01

A set of design for manufacturing (DFM) techniques have been developed and applied to 45nm, 32nm and 28nm logic process technologies. A noble technology combined a number of potential confliction of DFM techniques into a comprehensive solution. These techniques work in three phases for design optimization and one phase for silicon diagnostics. In the DFM prevention phase, foundation IP such as standard cells, IO, and memory and P&R tech file are optimized. In the DFM solution phase, which happens during ECO step, auto fixing of process weak patterns and advanced RC extraction are performed. In the DFM polishing phase, post-layout tuning is done to improve manufacturability. DFM analysis enables prioritization of random and systematic failures. The DFM technique presented in this paper has been silicon-proven with three successful tape-outs in Samsung 32nm processes; about 5% improvement in yield was achieved without any notable side effects. Visual inspection of silicon also confirmed the positive effect of the DFM techniques.

Towards non-invasive 3D hepatotoxicity assays with optical coherence phase microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Leonard J.; Koulovasilopoulos, Andreas; Treskes, Philipp; Hayes, Peter C.; Plevris, John N.; Bagnaninchi, Pierre O.

2015-03-01

Three-dimensional tissue-engineered models are increasingly recognised as more physiologically-relevant than standard 2D cell culture for pre-clinical drug toxicity testing. However, many types of conventional toxicity assays are incompatible with dense 3D tissues. This study investigated the use of optical coherence phase microscopy (OCPM) as a novel approach to assess cell death in 3D tissue culture. For 3D micro-spheroid formation Human hepatic C3A cells were encapsulated in hyaluronic acid gels and cultured in 100μl MEME/10%FBS in 96-well plates. After spheroid formation the 3D liver constructs were exposed to acetaminophen on culture day 8. Acetaminophen hepatotoxicity in 3D cultures was evaluated using standard biochemical assays. An inverted OCPM in common path configuration was developed with a Callisto OCT engine (Thorlabs), centred at 930nm and a custom scanning head. Intensity data were used to perform in-depth microstructural imaging. In addition, phase fluctuations were measured by collecting several successive B scans at the same location, and statistics on the first time derivative of the phase, i.e. time fluctuations, were analysed over the acquisition time interval to retrieve overall cell viability. OCPM intensity (cell cluster size) and phase fluctuation statistics were directly compared with biochemical assays. In this study, we investigated optical coherence phase tomography to assess cell death in a 3d liver model after exposure to a prototypical hepatotoxin, acetaminophen. We showed that OCPM has the potential to assess noninvasively and label-free drug toxicity in 3D tissue models.

Loss-resistant unambiguous phase measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinani, Hossein T.; Berry, Dominic W.

2014-08-01

Entangled multiphoton states have the potential to provide improved measurement accuracy, but are sensitive to photon loss. It is possible to calculate ideal loss-resistant states that maximize the Fisher information, but it is unclear how these could be experimentally generated. Here we propose a set of states that can be obtained by processing the output from parametric down-conversion. Although these states are not optimal, they provide performance very close to that of optimal states for a range of parameters. Moreover, we show how to use sequences of such states in order to obtain an unambiguous phase measurement that beats the standard quantum limit. We consider the optimization of parameters in order to minimize the final phase variance, and find that the optimum parameters are different from those that maximize the Fisher information.

Accurate diblock copolymer phase boundaries at strong segregations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsen, M. W.; Whitmore, M. D.

1996-12-01

We examine the lamellar/cylinder and cylinder/sphere phase boundaries for strongly segregated diblock copolymer melts using self-consistent-field theory (SCFT) and the standard Gaussian chain model. Calculations are performed with and without the conventional unit-cell approximation (UCA). We find that for strongly segregated melts, the UCA simply produces a small constant shift in each of the phase boundaries. Furthermore, the boundaries are found to be linear at strong segregations when plotted versus (χN)-1, which allows for accurate extrapolations to χN=∞. Our calculations using the UCA allow direct comparisons to strong-segregation theory (SST), which is accepted as the χN=∞ limit of SCFT. A significant discrepancy between the SST and SCFT results indicate otherwise, suggesting that the present formulation of SST is incomplete.

An acoustic-convective splitting-based approach for the Kapila two-phase flow model

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

Eikelder, M.F.P. ten, E-mail: m.f.p.teneikelder@tudelft.nl; Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven; Daude, F.

In this paper we propose a new acoustic-convective splitting-based numerical scheme for the Kapila five-equation two-phase flow model. The splitting operator decouples the acoustic waves and convective waves. The resulting two submodels are alternately numerically solved to approximate the solution of the entire model. The Lagrangian form of the acoustic submodel is numerically solved using an HLLC-type Riemann solver whereas the convective part is approximated with an upwind scheme. The result is a simple method which allows for a general equation of state. Numerical computations are performed for standard two-phase shock tube problems. A comparison is made with a non-splittingmore » approach. The results are in good agreement with reference results and exact solutions.« less

The BUME method: a new rapid and simple chloroform-free method for total lipid extraction of animal tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Löfgren, Lars; Forsberg, Gun-Britt; Ståhlman, Marcus

2016-06-01

In this study we present a simple and rapid method for tissue lipid extraction. Snap-frozen tissue (15-150 mg) is collected in 2 ml homogenization tubes. 500 μl BUME mixture (butanol:methanol [3:1]) is added and automated homogenization of up to 24 frozen samples at a time in less than 60 seconds is performed, followed by a 5-minute single-phase extraction. After the addition of 500 μl heptane:ethyl acetate (3:1) and 500 μl 1% acetic acid a 5-minute two-phase extraction is performed. Lipids are recovered from the upper phase by automated liquid handling using a standard 96-tip robot. A second two-phase extraction is performed using 500 μl heptane:ethyl acetate (3:1). Validation of the method showed that the extraction recoveries for the investigated lipids, which included sterols, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids were similar or better than for the Folch method. We also applied the method for lipid extraction of liver and heart and compared the lipid species profiles with profiles generated after Folch and MTBE extraction. We conclude that the BUME method is superior to the Folch method in terms of simplicity, through-put, automation, solvent consumption, economy, health and environment yet delivering lipid recoveries fully comparable to or better than the Folch method.

[Determination of wilforine in honey using solid phase extraction purification and ultra performance liquid chromatography-tanden mas spectrometry].

PubMed

Lei, Meikang; Peng, Fang; Ding, Tao; Zhu, Zitong; Xu, Jiawen; Wu, Xiaoqin

2015-01-01

A method based on solid phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-UPLC-MS/MS) has been proposed for the determination of wilforine residue in honey. After the sample was dissolved with water, concentrated and purified by an HLB solid phase extraction cartridge, the UPLC separation was performed on a Hypersil GOLD C18 column (50 mm x 2.1 mm, 1.9 microm) utilizing a gradient elution program of methanol (containing 0.15% formic acid) and water as mobile phases at a flow rate of 0. 25 mL/min. The determination was carried out with electrospray ion source in the positive mode (ESI) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The mass concentration of wilforine in the range of 0.01-2 microg/L was linearly correlated with the peak area, and the correlation coefficients was greater than 0.998. The limit of quantification (S/N>10) for wilforine was 0.01 microg/kg. The recoveries were 76.1% to 96.2% in the spiked levels of 0.01, 0.05 and 0.5 microg/kg with the relative standard deviations (RSD, n=6) lower than 10%. The results indicate that the method is rapid, sensitive and accurate, and can be applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of wilforine in honey.

[Determination of deoxynivalenol in grain and its products by solid-phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Huang, Juan; Chen, Guosong; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Shen, Chongyu; Lü, Chen; Wu, Bin; Liu, Yan; Chen, Huilan; Ding, Tao

2012-11-01

A method was established for the determination of deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) in grain and its products based on solid-phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The sample was firstly extracted by acetonitrile-water (84:16, v/v). The extract was then cleaned-up by an HLB solid phase extraction cartridge. The separation was carried out on a Phenomenex Kinetex C18 column (100 mm x4. 6 mm, 2.6 microm) with a gradient elution using 0.3% per hundred ammonia solution-acetonitrile as mobile phases. The analysis of deoxynivalenol was performed under electrospray negative ionization mode. The limit of detection (LOD, S/N= 3) and the limit of quantification (LOQ, S/N = 10) were 20 microg/kg and 50 microg/kg, respectively. A good linearity (r > 0.99) was achieved for the target compound over the range of 20-1000 pg/L. The recoveries at the three spiked levels (50, 100, 500 microg/kg) in the blank matrices such as flour, barley, soybean, rice, cornmeal, cassava and wheat, were varied from 75.6% to 111.0% with the relative standard deviations no more than 13. 0%. The method is accurate, efficient, sensitive and practical. The cost of pretreatment is obviously reduced by replacing immunoaffinity columns and Mycosep columns with HLB columns which have the same purification effect.

The ultimate quantum limits on the accuracy of measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yuen, Horace P.

1992-01-01

A quantum generalization of rate-distortion theory from standard communication and information theory is developed for application to determining the ultimate performance limit of measurement systems in physics. For the estimation of a real or a phase parameter, it is shown that the root-mean-square error obtained in a measurement with a single-mode photon level N cannot do better than approximately N exp -1, while approximately exp(-N) may be obtained for multi-mode fields with the same photon level N. Possible ways to achieve the remarkable exponential performance are indicated.

Calibration and Initialization of the NPS Modified Infrared Search and Target Designation (IRSTD) System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-01

level of performance comparable to the original ADM configuration. ’p, OTIC CPY Acesion For NTiS CRA&I UTNY’ TAB [ arinc ,:,cced 0 C yfi.’ hb .vC.Je i...levels below standard. This modified system was found to be operating at a level of performance comparable to the original ADM configuration. 4’ TABLE OF...requirements for systems that function under conditions of emissions control (EMCON). The AN/SAR-8, currently in the Engineering Development Phase , is an

Total quality through computer integrated manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry.

PubMed

Ufret, C M

1995-01-01

The role of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) in the pursue of total quality in pharmaceutical manufacturing is assessed. CIM key objectives, design criteria, and performance measurements, in addition to its scope and implementation in a hierarchical structure, are explored in detail. Key elements for the success of each phase in a CIM project and a brief status of current CIM implementations in the pharmaceutical industry are presented. The role of World Class Manufacturing performance standards and other key issues to achieve full CIM benefits are also addressed.

Conceptual Design of Simulation Models in an Early Development Phase of Lunar Spacecraft Simulator Using SMP2 Standard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hoon Hee; Koo, Cheol Hea; Moon, Sung Tae; Han, Sang Hyuck; Ju, Gwang Hyeok

2013-08-01

The conceptual study for Korean lunar orbiter/lander prototype has been performed in Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Across diverse space programs around European countries, a variety of simulation application has been developed using SMP2 (Simulation Modelling Platform) standard related to portability and reuse of simulation models by various model users. KARI has not only first-hand experience of a development of SMP compatible simulation environment but also an ongoing study to apply the SMP2 development process of simulation model to a simulator development project for lunar missions. KARI has tried to extend the coverage of the development domain based on SMP2 standard across the whole simulation model life-cycle from software design to its validation through a lunar exploration project. Figure. 1 shows a snapshot from a visualization tool for the simulation of lunar lander motion. In reality, a demonstrator prototype on the right-hand side of image was made and tested in 2012. In an early phase of simulator development prior to a kick-off start in the near future, targeted hardware to be modelled has been investigated and indentified at the end of 2012. The architectural breakdown of the lunar simulator at system level was performed and the architecture with a hierarchical tree of models from the system to parts at lower level has been established. Finally, SMP Documents such as Catalogue, Assembly, Schedule and so on were converted using a XML(eXtensible Mark-up Language) converter. To obtain benefits of the suggested approaches and design mechanisms in SMP2 standard as far as possible, the object-oriented and component-based design concepts were strictly chosen throughout a whole model development process.

Influence of control parameters on the joint tracking performance of a coaxial weld vision system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gangl, K. J.; Weeks, J. L.

1985-01-01

The first phase of a series of evaluations of a vision-based welding control sensor for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Robotic Welding System is described. The robotic welding system is presently under development at the Marshall Space Flight Center. This evaluation determines the standard control response parameters necessary for proper trajectory of the welding torch along the joint.

Quantum dynamics of thermalizing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Christopher David; Zaletel, Michael; Mong, Roger S. K.; Refael, Gil

2018-01-01

We introduce a method "DMT" for approximating density operators of 1D systems that, when combined with a standard framework for time evolution (TEBD), makes possible simulation of the dynamics of strongly thermalizing systems to arbitrary times. We demonstrate that the method performs well for both near-equilibrium initial states (Gibbs states with spatially varying temperatures) and far-from-equilibrium initial states, including quenches across phase transitions and pure states.

Classifier Subset Selection for the Stacked Generalization Method Applied to Emotion Recognition in Speech

PubMed Central

Álvarez, Aitor; Sierra, Basilio; Arruti, Andoni; López-Gil, Juan-Miguel; Garay-Vitoria, Nestor

2015-01-01

In this paper, a new supervised classification paradigm, called classifier subset selection for stacked generalization (CSS stacking), is presented to deal with speech emotion recognition. The new approach consists of an improvement of a bi-level multi-classifier system known as stacking generalization by means of an integration of an estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) in the first layer to select the optimal subset from the standard base classifiers. The good performance of the proposed new paradigm was demonstrated over different configurations and datasets. First, several CSS stacking classifiers were constructed on the RekEmozio dataset, using some specific standard base classifiers and a total of 123 spectral, quality and prosodic features computed using in-house feature extraction algorithms. These initial CSS stacking classifiers were compared to other multi-classifier systems and the employed standard classifiers built on the same set of speech features. Then, new CSS stacking classifiers were built on RekEmozio using a different set of both acoustic parameters (extended version of the Geneva Minimalistic Acoustic Parameter Set (eGeMAPS)) and standard classifiers and employing the best meta-classifier of the initial experiments. The performance of these two CSS stacking classifiers was evaluated and compared. Finally, the new paradigm was tested on the well-known Berlin Emotional Speech database. We compared the performance of single, standard stacking and CSS stacking systems using the same parametrization of the second phase. All of the classifications were performed at the categorical level, including the six primary emotions plus the neutral one. PMID:26712757

Analytical Method Development and Validation for the Simultaneous Estimation of Abacavir and Lamivudine by Reversed-phase High-performance Liquid Chromatography in Bulk and Tablet Dosage Forms.

PubMed

Raees Ahmad, Sufiyan Ahmad; Patil, Lalit; Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Rageeb; Imran, Mohammad; Akhtar, Rashid

2018-01-01

A simple rapid, accurate, precise, and reproducible validated reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of Abacavir (ABAC) and Lamivudine (LAMI) in bulk and tablet dosage forms. The quantification was carried out using Symmetry Premsil C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column run in isocratic way using mobile phase comprising methanol: water (0.05% orthophosphoric acid with pH 3) 83:17 v/v and a detection wavelength of 245 nm and injection volume of 20 μl, with a flow rate of 1 ml/min. In the developed method, the retention times of ABAC and LAMI were found to be 3.5 min and 7.4 min, respectively. The method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, accuracy, limits of detection, limits of quantitation, and robustness in accordance with the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The assay of the proposed method was found to be 99% - 101%. The recovery studies were also carried out and mean % recovery was found to be 99% - 101%. The % relative standard deviation from reproducibility was found to be <2%. The proposed method was statistically evaluated and can be applied for routine quality control analysis of ABAC and LAMI in bulk and in tablet dosage form. Attempts were made to develop RP-HPLC method for simultaneous estimation of Abacavir and Lamivudine for the RP-HPLC method. The developed method was validated according to the ICH guidelines. The linearity, precision, range, robustness were within the limits as specified by the ICH guidelines. Hence the method was found to be simple, accurate, precise, economic and reproducible. So the proposed methods can be used for the routine quality control analysis of Abacavir and Lamivudine in bulk drug as well as in formulations. Abbreviations Used: HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography, UV: Ultraviolet, ICH: International Conference on Harmonization, ABAC: Abacavir, LAMI: Lamivudine, HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus, AIDS: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, NRTI: Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, ARV: Antiretroviral, RSD: Relative standard deviation, RT: Retention time, SD: Standard deviation.

Improved separation with the intermittently pressed tubing of multilayer coil in type-I counter-current chromatography.

PubMed

Yang, Yi; Yang, Jiao; Fang, Chen; Wang, Jihui; Gu, Dongyu; Tian, Jing; Ito, Yoichiro

2018-05-25

The intermittently pressed tubing was introduced in type-I counter-current chromatographic system as the separation column to improve the separation performance in the present study. The separations were performed with two different solvent systems composed of 1-butanol-acetic acid-water (4:1:5, v/v) (BAW) and hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-0.1 M HCl (1:1:1:1, v/v) (HEMW) using dipeptides and DNP-amino acids as test samples, respectively. The chromatographic performance was evaluated in terms of retention of the stationary phase (Sf), theoretical plate (N) and peak resolution (Rs). In general, the type-I planetary motion with the multilayer coil of non-modified standard tubing can yield the best separation at a low revolution speed of 200 rpm with lower flow rate. The present results with intermittently pressed tubing indicated that the performance was also optimal at the revolution speed of 200 rpm where the lower flow rate was more beneficial to retention of stationary phase and resolution. In the moderately hydrophobic two-phase solvent system composed of hexane-ethyl acetate-metanol-0.1 M hydrochloric acid (1:1:1:1, v/v), DNP-amino acids were separated with Rs at 1.67 and 1.47, respectively, with 12.66% of stationary phase retention at a flow rate of 0.25 ml/min. In the polar solvent system composed of 1-butanol-acetic acid-water (4:1:5, v/v), dipeptide samples were resolved with Rs at 2.18 and 18.75% of stationary phase retention at a flow rate of 0.25 ml/min. These results indicate that the present system substantially improves the separation efficiency of type-I counter-current chromatographic system. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Coherent beam combining performance in harsh environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombard, L.; Canat, G.; Durecu, A.; Bourdon, P.

2014-03-01

Coherent beam combining (CBC) is a promising solution for high power directed energy weapons. We investigate several particular issues for this application: First, we study the evolution of phase noise spectrum for increasing pump power in 100 W MOPFA. The main variations in the spectrum are located in the low frequency region corresponding to thermal transfer between the fiber core heated by the pump absorption and the fiber environment. The phase noise root mean square evolves linearly with the pump power. Noise spectrum is not shifted to higher frequencies. Second, we investigate the influence of fiber packaging and amplifier packaging on the phase noise and estimate the LOCSET controller bandwidth (BW) requirement in each case. Results show large variation of BW depending on the packaging, and not on the power. Then, we investigate the performances of CBC in harsh environment. For this purpose, we implement CBC of a 20-W fiber amplifier and a passive fiber using the LOCSET technique and simulate harsh environment by applying strong vibrations with a hammering drill on the optical table. The applied vibration spectrum ranges from 1 Hz to ~10 kHz with a standard deviation of 9 m/s2. CBC of the amplifier output and the passive fiber output is performed on a second table, isolated from vibrations. Measurements of the phase difference between both outputs and of the applied vibrations are simultaneously performed. Residual phase error of λ/40 (i.e. > 99 % CBC efficiency) is achieved under strong vibrations at 20 W. The -3 dB bandwidth of the LOCSET controller has been measured to be ~4.5 kHz. Results are in agreement with simulations.

Adaptive estimation of a time-varying phase with coherent states: Smoothing can give an unbounded improvement over filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laverick, Kiarn T.; Wiseman, Howard M.; Dinani, Hossein T.; Berry, Dominic W.

2018-04-01

The problem of measuring a time-varying phase, even when the statistics of the variation is known, is considerably harder than that of measuring a constant phase. In particular, the usual bounds on accuracy, such as the 1 /(4 n ¯) standard quantum limit with coherent states, do not apply. Here, by restricting to coherent states, we are able to analytically obtain the achievable accuracy, the equivalent of the standard quantum limit, for a wide class of phase variation. In particular, we consider the case where the phase has Gaussian statistics and a power-law spectrum equal to κp -1/|ω| p for large ω , for some p >1 . For coherent states with mean photon flux N , we give the quantum Cramér-Rao bound on the mean-square phase error as [psin(π /p ) ] -1(4N /κ ) -(p -1 )/p . Next, we consider whether the bound can be achieved by an adaptive homodyne measurement in the limit N /κ ≫1 , which allows the photocurrent to be linearized. Applying the optimal filtering for the resultant linear Gaussian system, we find the same scaling with N , but with a prefactor larger by a factor of p . By contrast, if we employ optimal smoothing we can exactly obtain the quantum Cramér-Rao bound. That is, contrary to previously considered (p =2 ) cases of phase estimation, here the improvement offered by smoothing over filtering is not limited to a factor of 2 but rather can be unbounded by a factor of p . We also study numerically the performance of these estimators for an adaptive measurement in the limit where N /κ is not large and find a more complicated picture.

Beyond ADA Accessibility Requirements: Meeting Seniors' Needs for Toilet Transfers.

PubMed

Lee, Su Jin; Sanford, Jon; Calkins, Margaret; Melgen, Sarah; Endicott, Sarah; Phillips, Anjanette

2018-04-01

To identify the optimal spatial and dimensional requirements of grab bars that support independent and assisted transfers by older adults and their care providers. Although research has demonstrated that toilet grab bars based on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Standards do not meet the needs of older adults, the specific dimensional requirements for alternative configurations are unknown. A two-phased study with older adults and care providers in residential facilities was conducted to determine the optimal requirements for grab bars. Seniors and caregivers in skilled nursing facilities performed transfers using a mock-up toilet. In Phase 1, participants evaluated three grab bar configurations to identify optimal characteristics for safety, ease of use, comfort, and helpfulness. These characteristics were then validated for using ability-matched samples in Phase 2. The optimal configuration derived in Phase 1 included fold-down grab bars on both sides of the toilet (14" from centerline [CL] of toilet, 32" above the floor, and extended a minimum of 6" in front of the toilet) with one side open and a sidewall 24" from CL of toilet on the other. Phase 2 feedback was significantly positive for independent and one-person transfers and somewhat lower, albeit still positive, for two-person transfers. The study provides substantial evidence that bilateral grab bars are significantly more effective than those that comply with current ADA Accessibility Standards. Findings provide specific spatial and dimensional attributes for grab bar configurations that would be most effective in senior facilities.

Phase Zero Contracting Operations-Strategic and Integrative Planning for Contingency and Expeditionary Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-01

349–372 Phase Zero Contracting Operations (PZCO) FIGURE 4. CONTRACTING PHASE ZERO: PLAN, EXERCISE, REHEARSE, AND SYNCHRONIZE Note. BPA = Blanket...More Robust Construction Supplies; Oce Equipment; Quality of Life; and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation PO/TO/DO/ BPA Small Purchase Standard Vehicles PO...TO/DO/ BPA Small Purchase Standard Vehicles PO/TO/DO/ BPA Small Purchase Standard Vehicles PO/TO/DO/ BPA Small Purchase Food, Water, Billeting, Hygiene

Payload Instrument Design Rules for Safe and Efficient Flight Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montagnon, E.; Ferri, P.

2004-04-01

Payload operations are often being neglected in favour of optimisation of scientific performance of the instrument design. This has major drawbacks in terms of cost, safety, efficiency of operations and finally science return. By taking operational aspects into account in the early phases of the instrument design, with a minimum more cultural than financial or technological additional effort, many problems can be avoided or minimized, with significant benefits to be gained in the mission execution phases. This paper presents possible improvements based on the use of the telemetry and telecommand packet standard, proper sharing of autonomy functions between instrument and platform, and enhanced interface documents.

[Polytrauma Management - Treatment of Severely Injured Patients in ER and OR].

PubMed

von Rüden, Christian; Bühren, Volker; Perl, Mario

2017-10-01

The adequate treatment of severely injured patients is challenging and can only be successfully executed when it starts at the accident site and is continued in all treatment phases including the early rehabilitation phase. Treatment should be performed by an interdisciplinary team guided by a trauma surgeon in order to adequately manage the severe injuries some of which are life-threatening. Treatment of polytrauma patients is a key task of certified trauma centers and must follow standardized guidelines. For a successful therapy of severely injured patients lifetime training at regular intervals in well-established polytrauma concepts is a mandatory requirement. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Dark-field optical coherence microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pache, C.; Villiger, M. L.; Lasser, T.

2010-02-01

Many solutions have been proposed to produce phase quantitative images of biological cell samples. Among these, Spectral Domain Phase Microscopy combines the fast imaging speed and high sensitivity of Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM) in the Fourier domain with the high phase stability of common-path interferometry. We report on a new illumination scheme for OCM that enhances the sensitivity for backscattered light and detects the weak sample signal, otherwise buried by the signal from specular reflection. With the use of a Bessel-like beam, a dark-field configuration was realized. Sensitivity measurements for three different illumination configurations were performed to compare our method to standard OCM and extended focus OCM. Using a well-defined scattering and reflecting object, we demonstrated an attenuation of -40 dB of the DC-component and a relative gain of 30 dB for scattered light, compared to standard OCM. In a second step, we applied this technique, referred to as dark-field Optical Coherence Microscopy (dfOCM), to living cells. Chinese hamster ovarian cells were applied in a drop of medium on a coverslide. The cells of ~15 μm in diameter and even internal cell structures were visualized in the acquired tomograms.

Regulatory Promotion of Emergent CCS Technology

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

Davies, Lincoln; Uchitel, Kirsten; Johnson, David

2014-01-01

Despite the growing inevitability of climate change and the attendant need for mitigation strategies, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) has yet to gain much traction in the United States. Recent regulatory proposals by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), limited in scope to new-build power plants, represent the only significant policy initiative intended to mandate diffusion of CCS technology. Phase I of this Project assessed barriers to CCS deployment as prioritized by the CCS community. That research concluded that there were four primary barriers: (1) cost, (2) lack of a carbon price, (3) liability, and (4) lack of a comprehensivemore » regulatory regime. Phase II of this Project, as presented in this Report, assesses potential regulatory models for CCS and examines where those models address the hurdles to diffusing CCS technology identified in Phase I. It concludes (1) that a CCS-specific but flexible standard, such as a technology performance standard or a very particular type of market-based regulation, likely will promote CCS diffusion, and (2) that these policies cannot work alone, but rather, should be combined with other measures, such as liability limits and a comprehensive CCS regulatory regime.« less

Event-Based control of depth of hypnosis in anesthesia.

PubMed

Merigo, Luca; Beschi, Manuel; Padula, Fabrizio; Latronico, Nicola; Paltenghi, Massimiliano; Visioli, Antonio

2017-08-01

In this paper, we propose the use of an event-based control strategy for the closed-loop control of the depth of hypnosis in anesthesia by using propofol administration and the bispectral index as a controlled variable. A new event generator with high noise-filtering properties is employed in addition to a PIDPlus controller. The tuning of the parameters is performed off-line by using genetic algorithms by considering a given data set of patients. The effectiveness and robustness of the method is verified in simulation by implementing a Monte Carlo method to address the intra-patient and inter-patient variability. A comparison with a standard PID control structure shows that the event-based control system achieves a reduction of the total variation of the manipulated variable of 93% in the induction phase and of 95% in the maintenance phase. The use of event based automatic control in anesthesia yields a fast induction phase with bounded overshoot and an acceptable disturbance rejection. A comparison with a standard PID control structure shows that the technique effectively mimics the behavior of the anesthesiologist by providing a significant decrement of the total variation of the manipulated variable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improved particle position accuracy from off-axis holograms using a Chebyshev model.

PubMed

Öhman, Johan; Sjödahl, Mikael

2018-01-01

Side scattered light from micrometer-sized particles is recorded using an off-axis digital holographic setup. From holograms, a volume is reconstructed with information about both intensity and phase. Finding particle positions is non-trivial, since poor axial resolution elongates particles in the reconstruction. To overcome this problem, the reconstructed wavefront around a particle is used to find the axial position. The method is based on the change in the sign of the curvature around the true particle position plane. The wavefront curvature is directly linked to the phase response in the reconstruction. In this paper we propose a new method of estimating the curvature based on a parametric model. The model is based on Chebyshev polynomials and is fit to the phase anomaly and compared to a plane wave in the reconstructed volume. From the model coefficients, it is possible to find particle locations. Simulated results show increased performance in the presence of noise, compared to the use of finite difference methods. The standard deviation is decreased from 3-39 μm to 6-10 μm for varying noise levels. Experimental results show a corresponding improvement where the standard deviation is decreased from 18 μm to 13 μm.

[Determination of emamectin benzoate residue in vegetables by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection].

PubMed

Zhang, Yan; Wu, Yinliang; Hu, Jiye; Wang, Hongwei; Pan, Canping; Liu, Fengmao

2008-01-01

A method was developed for the determination of emamectin benzoate residue in cabbage and mushroom using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. The sample was extracted with ethyl acetate. Further cleanup was performed on a propylsulfonic acid solid phase extraction cartridge, followed by the derivatization with trifluoroacetic anhydride in the presence of N-methylimidazole. The amount of derivatized emamectin benzoate was determined by fluorescence detector after separation by HPLC. The detection limit was 0.10 microg/kg for cabbage and mushroom samples. The recoveries of emamectin benzoate in cabbage and mushroom samples were 78.6%-84.9%. The inter-day relative standard deviation (RSD) and intra-day RSD were 2.7%-6.0% and 3.1%-8.9%, respectively, at the fortified levels of 1.0-20.0 microg/kg. The calibration curve of emamectin benzoate in vegetables at the concentration range of 0.002 mg/L to 0.10 mg/L was linear (r = 0.9999).

Magnetic graphene dispersive solid phase extraction combining high performance liquid chromatography for determination of fluoroquinolones in foods.

PubMed

He, Xin; Wang, Geng Nan; Yang, Kun; Liu, Hui Zhi; Wu, Xia Jun; Wang, Jian Ping

2017-04-15

In this study, a magnetic graphene-based dispersive solid phase extraction method was developed that was combined with high performance liquid chromatography to determine the residues of fluoroquinolone drugs in foods of animal origin. During the experiments, several parameters possible influencing the extraction performance were optimized (amount of magnetic graphene, sample pH, extraction time and elution solution). This extraction method showed high absorption capacities (>6800ng) and high enrichment factors (68-79-fold) for seven fluoroquinolones. Furthermore, this absorbent could be reused for at least 40 times. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.05-0.3ng/g, and the recoveries from the standards fortified blank samples (bovine milk, chicken muscle and egg) were in the range of 82.4-108.5%. Therefore, this method could be used as a simple and sensitive tool to determine the residues of fluoroquinolones in foods of animal origin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermodynamic efficiency of nonimaging concentrators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shatz, Narkis; Bortz, John; Winston, Roland

2009-08-01

The purpose of a nonimaging concentrator is to transfer maximal flux from the phase space of a source to that of a target. A concentrator's performance can be expressed relative to a thermodynamic reference. We discuss consequences of Fermat's principle of geometrical optics. We review étendue dilution and optical loss mechanisms associated with nonimaging concentrators, especially for the photovoltaic (PV) role. We introduce the concept of optical thermodynamic efficiency which is a performance metric combining the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The optical thermodynamic efficiency is a comprehensive metric that takes into account all loss mechanisms associated with transferring flux from the source to the target phase space, which may include losses due to inadequate design, non-ideal materials, fabrication errors, and less than maximal concentration. As such, this metric is a gold standard for evaluating the performance of nonimaging concentrators. Examples are provided to illustrate the use of this new metric. In particular we discuss concentrating PV systems for solar power applications.

Combining Phase Identification and Statistic Modeling for Automated Parallel Benchmark Generation

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

Jin, Ye; Ma, Xiaosong; Liu, Qing Gary

2015-01-01

Parallel application benchmarks are indispensable for evaluating/optimizing HPC software and hardware. However, it is very challenging and costly to obtain high-fidelity benchmarks reflecting the scale and complexity of state-of-the-art parallel applications. Hand-extracted synthetic benchmarks are time-and labor-intensive to create. Real applications themselves, while offering most accurate performance evaluation, are expensive to compile, port, reconfigure, and often plainly inaccessible due to security or ownership concerns. This work contributes APPRIME, a novel tool for trace-based automatic parallel benchmark generation. Taking as input standard communication-I/O traces of an application's execution, it couples accurate automatic phase identification with statistical regeneration of event parameters tomore » create compact, portable, and to some degree reconfigurable parallel application benchmarks. Experiments with four NAS Parallel Benchmarks (NPB) and three real scientific simulation codes confirm the fidelity of APPRIME benchmarks. They retain the original applications' performance characteristics, in particular the relative performance across platforms.« less

Determination of rifampicin in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection after automatized solid-liquid extraction.

PubMed

Louveau, B; Fernandez, C; Zahr, N; Sauvageon-Martre, H; Maslanka, P; Faure, P; Mourah, S; Goldwirt, L

2016-12-01

A precise and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) quantification method of rifampicin in human plasma was developed and validated using ultraviolet detection after an automatized solid-phase extraction. The method was validated with respect to selectivity, extraction recovery, linearity, intra- and inter-day precision, accuracy, lower limit of quantification and stability. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Chromolith RP 8 column using a mixture of 0.05 m acetate buffer pH 5.7-acetonitrile (35:65, v/v) as mobile phase. The compounds were detected at a wavelength of 335 nm with a lower limit of quantification of 0.05 mg/L in human plasma. Retention times for rifampicin and 6,7-dimethyl-2,3-di(2-pyridyl) quinoxaline used as internal standard were respectively 3.77 and 4.81 min. This robust and exact method was successfully applied in routine for therapeutic drug monitoring in patients treated with rifampicin. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Standards Improvement Project-Phase II. Final rule.

PubMed

2005-01-05

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) through this final rule is continuing to remove and revise provisions of its standards that are outdated, duplicative, unnecessary, or inconsistent, or can be clarified or simplified by being written in plain language. The Agency completed Phase I of the Standards Improvement Project in June 1998. In this Phase II of the Standards Improvement Project, OSHA is again revising or removing a number of health provisions in its standards for general industry, shipyard employment, and construction. The Agency believes that the changes streamline and make more consistent the regulatory requirements in OSHA health and safety standards. In some cases, OSHA has made substantive revisions to requirements because they are outdated, duplicative, unnecessary, or inconsistent with more recently promulgated health standards. The Agency believes these revisions will reduce regulatory requirements for employers without reducing employee protection.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Detect and Avoid System: End-to-End Verification and Validation Simulation Study of Minimum Operations Performance Standards for Integrating Unmanned Aircraft into the National Airspace System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ghatas, Rania W.; Jack, Devin P.; Tsakpinis, Dimitrios; Sturdy, James L.; Vincent, Michael J.; Hoffler, Keith D.; Myer, Robert R.; DeHaven, Anna M.

2017-01-01

As Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) make their way to mainstream aviation operations within the National Airspace System (NAS), research efforts are underway to develop a safe and effective environment for their integration into the NAS. Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems are required to account for the lack of "eyes in the sky" due to having no human on-board the aircraft. The technique, results, and lessons learned from a detailed End-to-End Verification and Validation (E2-V2) simulation study of a DAA system representative of RTCA SC-228's proposed Phase I DAA Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS), based on specific test vectors and encounter cases, will be presented in this paper.

Standard spacecraft economic analysis. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, E. D.; Large, J. P.

1976-01-01

A study of the comparative program costs associated with use of various standardized spacecraft for Air Force space test program missions to be flown on the space shuttle during the 1980-1990 time period is reviewed. The first phase of the study considered a variety of procurement mixes composed of existing or programmed NASA standard spacecraft designs and a Air Force standard spacecraft design. The results were briefed to a joint NASA/Air Force audience on July 11, 1976. The second phase considered additional procurement options using an upgraded version of an existing NASA design. The results of both phases are summarized.

Optimized determination method for trans-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid content in royal jelly by high-performance liquid chromatography with an internal standard.

PubMed

Zhou, Jinhui; Xue, Xiaofeng; Li, Yi; Zhang, Jinzhen; Zhao, Jing

2007-01-01

An optimized reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed to detect the trans-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) content in royal jelly cream and lyophilized powder. The sample was extracted using absolute ethanol. Chromatographic separation of 10-HDA and methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate as the internal standard was performed on a Nova-pak C18 column. The average recoveries were 95.0-99.2% (n = 5) with relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 1.3-2.1% for royal jelly cream and 98.0-100.0% (n = 5) with RSD values of 1.6-3.0% for lyophilized powder, respectively. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.5 and 1.5 mg/kg, respectively, for both royal jelly cream and lyophilized powder. The method was validated for the determination of practical royal jelly products. The concentration of 10-HDA ranged from 1.26 to 2.21% for pure royal jelly cream samples and 3.01 to 6.19% for royal jelly lyophilized powder samples. For 30 royal jelly products, the 10-HDA content varied from not detectable to 0.98%.

Application of non-coherent Doppler data types for deep space navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhaskaran, Shyam

1995-01-01

Recent improvements in computational capability and Deep Space Network technology have renewed interest in examining the possibility of using one-way Doppler data alone to navigate interplanetary spacecraft. The one-way data can be formulated as the standard differenced-count Doppler or as phase measurements, and the data can be received at a single station or differenced if obtained simultaneously at two stations. A covariance analysis is performed which analyzes the accuracy obtainable by combinations of one-way Doppler data and compared with similar results using standard two-way Doppler and range. The sample interplanetary trajectory used was that of the Mars Pathfinder mission to Mars. It is shown that differenced one-way data is capable of determining the angular position of the spacecraft to fairly high accuracy, but has relatively poor sensitivity to the range. When combined with single station data, the position dispersions are roughly an order of magnitude larger in range and comparable in angular position as compared to dispersions obtained with standard data two-way types. It was also found that the phase formulation is less sensitive to data weight variations and data coverage than the differenced-count Doppler formulation.

The application of noncoherent Doppler data types for Deep Space Navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhaskaran, S.

1995-01-01

Recent improvements in computational capability and DSN technology have renewed interest in examining the possibility of using one-way Doppler data alone to navigate interplanetary spacecraft. The one-way data can be formulated as the standard differenced-count Doppler or as phase measurements, and the data can be received at a single station or differenced if obtained simultaneously at two stations. A covariance analysis, which analyzes the accuracy obtainable by combinations of one-way Doppler data, is performed and compared with similar results using standard two-way Doppler and range. The sample interplanetary trajectory used was that of the Mars Pathfinder mission to Mars. It is shown that differenced one-way data are capable of determining the angular position of the spacecraft to fairly high accuracy, but have relatively poor sensitivity to the range. When combined with single-station data, the position dispersions are roughly an order of magnitude larger in range and comparable in angular position as compared to dispersions obtained with standard two-way data types. It was also found that the phase formulation is less sensitive to data weight variations and data coverage than the differenced-count Doppler formulation.

Semi-automated 96-well solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry for the trace analysis of fluprostenol in rat plasma.

PubMed

Gauw, R D; Stoffolano, P J; Kuhlenbeck, D L; Patel, V S; Garver, S M; Baker, T R; Wehmeyer, K R

2000-07-21

Semi-automated 96-well plate solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for sample preparation of fluprostenol, a prostaglandin analog, in rat plasma prior to detection by gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS-MS). A liquid handling system was utilized for all aspects of sample handling prior to SPE including transferring of samples into a 96-well format, preparation of standards as well as addition of internal standard to standards, quality control samples and study samples. SPE was performed in a 96-well plate format using octadecylsilane packing and the effluent from the SPE was dried in a custom-made 96-well apparatus. The sample residue was derivatized sequentially with pentafluorobenzylbromide followed by N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide. The derivatized sample was then analyzed using GC-NCI-MS-MS. The dynamic range for the method was from 7 to 5800 pg/ml with a 0.1-ml plasma sample. The methodology was evaluated over a 4-day period and demonstrated an accuracy of 90-106% with a precision of 2.4-12.9%.

Two complementary reversed-phase separations for comprehensive coverage of the semipolar and nonpolar metabolome.

PubMed

Naser, Fuad J; Mahieu, Nathaniel G; Wang, Lingjue; Spalding, Jonathan L; Johnson, Stephen L; Patti, Gary J

2018-02-01

Although it is common in untargeted metabolomics to apply reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) methods that have been systematically optimized for lipids and central carbon metabolites, here we show that these established protocols provide poor coverage of semipolar metabolites because of inadequate retention. Our objective was to develop an RPLC approach that improved detection of these metabolites without sacrificing lipid coverage. We initially evaluated columns recently released by Waters under the CORTECS line by analyzing 47 small-molecule standards that evenly span the nonpolar and semipolar ranges. An RPLC method commonly used in untargeted metabolomics was considered a benchmarking reference. We found that highly nonpolar and semipolar metabolites cannot be reliably profiled with any single method because of retention and solubility limitations of the injection solvent. Instead, we optimized a multiplexed approach using the CORTECS T3 column to analyze semipolar compounds and the CORTECS C 8 column to analyze lipids. Strikingly, we determined that combining these methods allowed detection of 41 of the total 47 standards, whereas our reference RPLC method detected only 10 of the 47 standards. We then applied credentialing to compare method performance at the comprehensive scale. The tandem method showed more than a fivefold increase in credentialing coverage relative to our RPLC benchmark. Our results demonstrate that comprehensive coverage of metabolites amenable to reversed-phase separation necessitates two reconstitution solvents and chromatographic methods. Thus, we suggest complementing HILIC methods with a dual T3 and C 8 RPLC approach to increase coverage of semipolar metabolites and lipids for untargeted metabolomics. Graphical abstract Analysis of semipolar and nonpolar metabolites necessitates two reversed-phase chromatography (RPLC) methods, which extend metabolome coverage more than fivefold for untargeted profiling. HILIC hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography.

Building America Case Study: Zero Energy Ready Home and the Challenge of Hot Water on Demand, Denver, Colorado

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

"This report outlines the steps a developer can use when looking to create and implement higher performance standards such as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) standards in a community. The report also describes the specific examples of how this process was followed by a developer, Forest City, in the Stapleton community in Denver, Colorado. IBACOS described the steps used to begin to bring the DOE ZERH standard to the Forest City Stapleton community based on 15 years of community-scale development work done by IBACOS. As a result of this prior IBACOS work, the teammore » gained an understanding of the various components that a master developer needs to consider and created strategies for incorporating those components in the initial phases of development to achieve higher performance buildings in the community. An automated scoring system can be used to perform an internal audit that provides a detailed and consistent evaluation of how several homes under construction or builders' floor plans compare with the requirements of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program. This audit can be performed multiple times at specific milestones during construction to allow the builder to make changes as needed throughout construction for the project to meet Zero Energy Ready Home standards. This scoring system also can be used to analyze a builder's current construction practices and design.« less

Generalized Thomas-Fermi equations as the Lampariello class of Emden-Fowler equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosu, Haret C.; Mancas, Stefan C.

2017-04-01

A one-parameter family of Emden-Fowler equations defined by Lampariello's parameter p which, upon using Thomas-Fermi boundary conditions, turns into a set of generalized Thomas-Fermi equations comprising the standard Thomas-Fermi equation for p = 1 is studied in this paper. The entire family is shown to be non integrable by reduction to the corresponding Abel equations whose invariants do not satisfy a known integrability condition. We also discuss the equivalent dynamical system of equations for the standard Thomas-Fermi equation and perform its phase-plane analysis. The results of the latter analysis are similar for the whole class.

Composable Framework Support for Software-FMEA Through Model Execution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kocsis, Imre; Patricia, Andras; Brancati, Francesco; Rossi, Francesco

2016-08-01

Performing Failure Modes and Effect Analysis (FMEA) during software architecture design is becoming a basic requirement in an increasing number of domains; however, due to the lack of standardized early design phase model execution, classic SW-FMEA approaches carry significant risks and are human effort-intensive even in processes that use Model-Driven Engineering.Recently, modelling languages with standardized executable semantics have emerged. Building on earlier results, this paper describes framework support for generating executable error propagation models from such models during software architecture design. The approach carries the promise of increased precision, decreased risk and more automated execution for SW-FMEA during dependability- critical system development.

MesoNAM Verification Phase II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Leela R.

2011-01-01

The 45th Weather Squadron Launch Weather Officers use the 12-km resolution North American Mesoscale model (MesoNAM) forecasts to support launch weather operations. In Phase I, the performance of the model at KSC/CCAFS was measured objectively by conducting a detailed statistical analysis of model output compared to observed values. The objective analysis compared the MesoNAM forecast winds, temperature, and dew point to the observed values from the sensors in the KSC/CCAFS wind tower network. In Phase II, the AMU modified the current tool by adding an additional 15 months of model output to the database and recalculating the verification statistics. The bias, standard deviation of bias, Root Mean Square Error, and Hypothesis test for bias were calculated to verify the performance of the model. The results indicated that the accuracy decreased as the forecast progressed, there was a diurnal signal in temperature with a cool bias during the late night and a warm bias during the afternoon, and there was a diurnal signal in dewpoint temperature with a low bias during the afternoon and a high bias during the late night.

Validated LC-MS-MS Method for Multiresidual Analysis of 13 Illicit Phenethylamines in Amniotic Fluid.

PubMed

Burrai, Lucia; Nieddu, Maria; Carta, Antonio; Trignano, Claudia; Sanna, Raimonda; Boatto, Gianpiero

2016-04-01

A multi-residue analytical method was developed for the determination in amniotic fluid (AF) of 13 illicit phenethylamines, including 12 compounds never investigated in this matrix before. Samples were subject to solid-phase extraction using; hydrophilic-lipophilic balance cartridges which gave good recoveries and low matrix effects on analysis of the extracts. The quantification was performed by liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The water-acetonitrile mobile phase containing 0.1% formic acid, used with a C18 reversed phase column, provided adequate separation, resolution and signal-to-noise ratio for the analytes and the internal standard. The final optimized method was validated according to international guidelines. A monitoring campaign to assess fetal exposure to these 13 substances of abuse has been performed on AF test samples obtained from pregnant women. All mothers (n = 194) reported no use of drugs of abuse during pregnancy, and this was confirmed by the analytical data. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Energetic studies and phase diagram of thioxanthene.

PubMed

Freitas, Vera L S; Monte, Manuel J S; Santos, Luís M N B F; Gomes, José R B; Ribeiro da Silva, Maria D M C

2009-11-19

The molecular stability of thioxanthene, a key species from which very important compounds with industrial relevance are derived, has been studied by a combination of several experimental techniques and computational approaches. The standard (p degrees = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpy of formation of crystalline thioxanthene (117.4 +/- 4.1 kJ x mol(-1)) was determined from the experimental standard molar energy of combustion, in oxygen, measured by rotating-bomb combustion calorimetry at T = 298.15 K. The enthalpy of sublimation was determined by a direct method, using the vacuum drop microcalorimetric technique, and also by an indirect method, using a static apparatus, where the vapor pressures at different temperatures were measured. The latter technique was used for both crystalline and undercooled liquid samples, and the phase diagram of thioxanthene near the triple point was obtained (triple point coordinates T = 402.71 K and p = 144.7 Pa). From the two methods, a mean value for the standard (p degrees = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpy of sublimation, at T = 298.15 K (101.3 +/- 0.8 kJ x mol(-1)), was derived. From the latter value and from the enthalpy of formation of the solid, the standard (p degrees = 0.1 MPa) enthalpy of formation of gaseous thioxanthene was calculated as 218.7 +/- 4.2 kJ x mol(-1). Standard ab initio molecular orbital calculations were performed using the G3(MP2)//B3LYP composite procedure and several homodesmotic reactions in order to derive the standard molar enthalpy of formation of thioxanthene. The ab initio results are in excellent agreement with the experimental data.

Standard spacecraft procurement analysis: A case study in NASA-DoD coordination in space programs. Ph.D. Thesis - Rand Graduate Inst.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, E. D.

1980-01-01

The Space Test Program Standard Satellite (STPSS), a design proposed by the Air Force, and two NASA candidates, the Applications Explorer Mission spacecraft (AEM) and the Multimission Modular Spacecraft (MMS), were considered during the first phase. During the second phase, a fourth candidate was introduced, a larger, more capable AEM (L-AEM), configured by the Boeing Company under NASA sponsorship to meet the specifications jointly agreed upon by NASA and the Air Force. Total program costs for a variety of procurement options, each of which is capable of performing all of the Air Force Space Test Program missions during the 1980-1990 time period, were used as the principal measure for distinguishing among procurement options. Program cost does not provide a basis for choosing among the AEM, STPSS, and MMS spacecraft, given their present designs. The availability of the L-AEM spacecraft, or some very similar design, would provide a basis for minimizing the cost of the Air Force Space Test Program.

Fabrication of flexible gold nanorods polymer metafilm via phase transfer method as SERS substrate for detecting food contaminants.

PubMed

Yang, Nan; You, Ting-Ting; Gao, Yu-Kun; Zhang, Chen-Meng; Yin, Penggang

2018-06-08

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been widely used in detection of food safety due to the nondestructive examination property. Here, we reported a flexible SERS film based on polymer immobilized gold nanorods polymer metafilm. Polystyrene-polyisoprene-polystyrene (SIS), a transparent and flexible along with excellent elasticity polymer was chosen as main support of gold nanorods. A simple phase transfer progress was adopted to mix the gold nanorods with polymer which can further used in most water-insoluble polymers. The SERS film performed satisfactorily while tested in a series of standard Raman probes like crystal violet (CV) and malachite green (MG). Moreover, the excellent reproducibility and elastic properties make the film promising substrates in practical detection. Hence, the MG detection on fish surface and trace thiram detection on orange pericarp were inspected with the detection result of 1 × 10-10 M and 1 × 10-6 M which below the demand of National standard of China, exactly matching the realistic application requirements.

Experimental investigation on phase change materials as heating element for non-electric neonatal incubator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matahari, Rho Natta; Putra, Nandy; Ariantara, Bambang; Amin, Muhammad; Prawiro, Erwin

2017-02-01

High number of preterm births is one of the issues in improving health standard. The effort to help premature babies is hampered by high cost of NICU care in hospital. In addition, uneven distribution of electricity to remote area made it hard to operate the incubator. Utilization of phase change material beeswax to non-electricity incubator as heating element becomes alternative option to save premature babies. The objective of this experiment is to investigate the most efficient mass of beeswax according to Indonesian National Standard to earn over time and ideal temperature of incubator. Experiment was performed using prototype incubator, which utilizes natural convection phenomenon in the heating process of incubator. Utilization of fin is to accelerate heat distribution in the incubator. Result of experiment showed that the most efficient mass of PCM is 3 kg, which has 2.45 hours of running time for maintaining temperature of incubator in range of 32-36 °C.

Dietary antioxidants and flight exercise in female birds affect allocation of nutrients to eggs: how carry-over effects work.

PubMed

Skrip, Megan M; Seeram, Navindra P; Yuan, Tao; Ma, Hang; McWilliams, Scott R

2016-09-01

Physiological challenges during one part of the annual cycle can carry over and affect performance at a subsequent phase, and antioxidants could be one mediator of trade-offs between phases. We performed a controlled experiment with zebra finches to examine how songbirds use nutrition to manage trade-offs in antioxidant allocation between endurance flight and subsequent reproduction. Our treatment groups included (1) a non-supplemented, non-exercised group (control group) fed a standard diet with no exercise beyond that experienced during normal activity in an aviary; (2) a supplemented non-exercised group fed a water- and lipid-soluble antioxidant-supplemented diet with no exercise; (3) a non-supplemented exercised group fed a standard diet and trained to perform daily endurance flight for 6 weeks; and (4) a supplemented exercised group fed an antioxidant-supplemented diet and trained to perform daily flight for 6 weeks. After flight training, birds were paired within treatment groups for breeding. We analyzed eggs for lutein and vitamin E concentrations and the plasma of parents throughout the experiment for non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage. Exercised birds had higher oxidative damage levels than non-exercised birds after flight training, despite supplementation with dietary antioxidants. Supplementation with water-soluble antioxidants decreased the deposition of lipid-soluble antioxidants into eggs and decreased yolk size. Flight exercise also lowered deposition of lutein, but not vitamin E, to eggs. These findings have important implications for future studies of wild birds during migration and other oxidative challenges. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Sensitivity and specificity of the lymphocyte transformation test in drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms causality assessment.

PubMed

Cabañas, R; Calderón, O; Ramírez, E; Fiandor, A; Caballero, T; Heredia, R; Herranz, P; Madero, R; Quirce, S; Bellón, T

2018-03-01

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a severe delayed hypersensitivity reaction. The determination of drug causality is complex. The lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) has been reported positive in more than 50% of DRESS cases. Nevertheless, the sensitivity and specificity of LTT specifically in DRESS have not yet been established. Rechallenge with the culprit drug is contraindicated and cannot be used as gold standard for sensitivity and specificity determination. To estimate the sensitivity and specificity of LTT in a clinically defined series of patients with DRESS. Some 41 patients diagnosed with DRESS were included in the study. The results of the algorithm of the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System were used as the standard for a correct diagnosis of drug causality. A standard LTT was performed with involved drugs in acute or recovery samples. A stimulation index (SI) ≥2 in at least one concentration except for beta-lactams (SI ≥3) and contrast media (SI ≥4) was considered positive. Contingency tables and ROC curves were used for analysis. Sensitivity and specificity of LTT in the recovery phase of DRESS were 73% and 82%, respectively, whereas in the acute phase, they were only 40% and 30%, respectively. Comparison of skin tests and LTT confirmed a higher sensitivity and specificity of LTT in DRESS. LTT showed high sensitivity (S) and specificity (Sp) for anticonvulsants (S 100%, Sp 100%; P = .008), anti-TB drugs (S 87.5%, Sp 100%; P = .004), and beta-lactams (S 73%, Sp 100%; P = .001). ROC curves revealed that the best criteria for LTT positivity for all drugs are SI ≥2 in at least one concentration, increasing overall sensitivity to 80%, and for beta-lactams from 73% to 92%. LTT is a good diagnostic tool for drug causality in DRESS, mainly when performed in the recovery phase. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

SCORPIO: A Scalable Two-Phase Parallel I/O Library With Application To A Large Scale Subsurface Simulator

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

Sreepathi, Sarat; Sripathi, Vamsi; Mills, Richard T

2013-01-01

Inefficient parallel I/O is known to be a major bottleneck among scientific applications employed on supercomputers as the number of processor cores grows into the thousands. Our prior experience indicated that parallel I/O libraries such as HDF5 that rely on MPI-IO do not scale well beyond 10K processor cores, especially on parallel file systems (like Lustre) with single point of resource contention. Our previous optimization efforts for a massively parallel multi-phase and multi-component subsurface simulator (PFLOTRAN) led to a two-phase I/O approach at the application level where a set of designated processes participate in the I/O process by splitting themore » I/O operation into a communication phase and a disk I/O phase. The designated I/O processes are created by splitting the MPI global communicator into multiple sub-communicators. The root process in each sub-communicator is responsible for performing the I/O operations for the entire group and then distributing the data to rest of the group. This approach resulted in over 25X speedup in HDF I/O read performance and 3X speedup in write performance for PFLOTRAN at over 100K processor cores on the ORNL Jaguar supercomputer. This research describes the design and development of a general purpose parallel I/O library, SCORPIO (SCalable block-ORiented Parallel I/O) that incorporates our optimized two-phase I/O approach. The library provides a simplified higher level abstraction to the user, sitting atop existing parallel I/O libraries (such as HDF5) and implements optimized I/O access patterns that can scale on larger number of processors. Performance results with standard benchmark problems and PFLOTRAN indicate that our library is able to maintain the same speedups as before with the added flexibility of being applicable to a wider range of I/O intensive applications.« less

IEC 61511 and the capital project process--a protective management system approach.

PubMed

Summers, Angela E

2006-03-17

This year, the process industry has reached an important milestone in process safety-the acceptance of an internationally recognized standard for safety instrumented systems (SIS). This standard, IEC 61511, documents good engineering practice for the assessment, design, operation, maintenance, and management of SISs. The foundation of the standard is established by several requirements in Part 1, Clauses 5-7, which cover the development of a management system aimed at ensuring that functional safety is achieved. The management system includes a quality assurance process for the entire SIS lifecycle, requiring the development of procedures, identification of resources and acquisition of tools. For maximum benefit, the deliverables and quality control checks required by the standard should be integrated into the capital project process, addressing safety, environmental, plant productivity, and asset protection. Industry has become inundated with a multitude of programs focusing on safety, quality, and cost performance. This paper introduces a protective management system, which builds upon the work process identified in IEC 61511. Typical capital project phases are integrated with the management system to yield one comprehensive program to efficiently manage process risk. Finally, the paper highlights areas where internal practices or guidelines should be developed to improve program performance and cost effectiveness.

GNOSIS: Guidelines for neuro-oncology: Standards for investigational studies—reporting of phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials

PubMed Central

Chang, Susan M.; Reynolds, Sharon L.; Butowski, Nicholas; Lamborn, Kathleen R.; Buckner, Jan C.; Kaplan, Richard S.; Bigner, Darell D.

2005-01-01

We present guidelines to standardize the reporting of phase 1 and phase 2 neuro-oncology trials. The guidelines are also intended to assist with accurate interpretation of results from these trials, to facilitate the peer-review process, and to expedite the publication of important and accurate manuscripts. Our guidelines are summarized in a checklist format that can be used as a framework from which to construct a phase 1 or 2 clinical trial. PMID:16212807

GNOSIS: guidelines for neuro-oncology: standards for investigational studies-reporting of phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials.

PubMed

Chang, Susan M; Reynolds, Sharon L; Butowski, Nicholas; Lamborn, Kathleen R; Buckner, Jan C; Kaplan, Richard S; Bigner, Darell D

2005-10-01

We present guidelines to standardize the reporting of phase 1 and phase 2 neuro-oncology trials. The guidelines are also intended to assist with accurate interpretation of results from these trials, to facilitate the peer-review process, and to expedite the publication of important and accurate manuscripts. Our guidelines are summarized in a checklist format that can be used as a framework from which to construct a phase 1 or 2 clinical trial.

40 CFR 1039.102 - What exhaust emission standards and phase-in allowances apply for my engines in model year 2014...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Requirements § 1039.102 What exhaust emission standards and phase-in allowances apply for my engines in model year 2014 and earlier? The exhaust emission standards of this section apply for 2014 and earlier model years. See § 1039.101 for exhaust emission standards that apply to later model years. See 40 CFR 89.112...

40 CFR 1039.102 - What exhaust emission standards and phase-in allowances apply for my engines in model year 2014...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Requirements § 1039.102 What exhaust emission standards and phase-in allowances apply for my engines in model year 2014 and earlier? The exhaust emission standards of this section apply for 2014 and earlier model years. See § 1039.101 for exhaust emission standards that apply to later model years. See 40 CFR 89.112...

40 CFR 1039.102 - What exhaust emission standards and phase-in allowances apply for my engines in model year 2014...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Requirements § 1039.102 What exhaust emission standards and phase-in allowances apply for my engines in model year 2014 and earlier? The exhaust emission standards of this section apply for 2014 and earlier model years. See § 1039.101 for exhaust emission standards that apply to later model years. See 40 CFR 89.112...

40 CFR 1039.102 - What exhaust emission standards and phase-in allowances apply for my engines in model year 2014...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Requirements § 1039.102 What exhaust emission standards and phase-in allowances apply for my engines in model year 2014 and earlier? The exhaust emission standards of this section apply for 2014 and earlier model years. See § 1039.101 for exhaust emission standards that apply to later model years. See 40 CFR 89.112...

Rubidium frequency standard test program for NAVSTAR GPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koide, F.; Dederich, D. J.

1978-01-01

Test data of the RFS Program in the Production phase and computer automation are presented, as an essential element in the evaluation of the RFS performance in a simulated spacecraft environment. Typical production test data will be discussed for stabilities from 1 to 100,000 seconds averaging time and simulated time error accumulation test. Also, design considerations in developing the RFS test systems for the acceptance test in production are discussed.

NATO Standardization and Licensing Policy-Exploratory Phase. Volume 3. Supplement

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-11-30

Aerospatiale will perform at least half the production of this aircraft.* The concept involves a relatively light- weight advanced interceptor with...a ratio of total thrust to takeoff gross weight of about unity. The technology of the aircraft calls for the use of carbon fiber in selected...presenting a system with operating temperatures, pressure ratios, and thrust-to- weight ratios roughly comparable to U.S. technology. The

Gapped boundary phases of topological insulators via weak coupling

DOE PAGES

Seiberg, Nathan; Witten, Edward

2016-11-04

The standard boundary state of a topological insulator in 3 + 1 dimensions has gapless charged fermions. We present model systems that reproduce this standard gapless boundary state in one phase, but also have gapped phases with topological order. Our models are weakly coupled and all the dynamics is explicit. We rederive some known boundary states of topological insulators and construct new ones. Consistency with the standard spin/charge relation of condensed matter physics places a nontrivial constraint on models

Determination of phenol, m-, o- and p-cresol, p-aminophenol and p-nitrophenol in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Brega, A; Prandini, P; Amaglio, C; Pafumi, E

1990-12-28

A method for the biological monitoring of human exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrocompounds, amines and phenols has been developed. Phenol, cresols, p-aminophenol, p-nitrophenol and their glucorono- or sulpho-conjugates, were quantified by HPLC; 4-chlorphenol was added as internal standard. After enzymatic hydrolysis, the free compounds were extracted with an organic solvent and analyzed by an isocratic HPLC Perkin Elmer system at ambient temperature and at a flow-rate of 1 ml/min. The column was a reversed-phase Pecosphere 3 x 3 C18 Perkin Elmer; the mobile phase was a 30:70:0.1 (v/v/v) methanol-water-orthophosphoric acid mixture and the chromatogram was monitored at 215 nm. Identification was based on retention time and quantification was performed by automatic peak height determination, corrected for the internal standard. The recovery was ca. 95% for phenol and cresols; 90% for p-nitrophenol; 85% for p-aminophenol; the coefficients of variance were less than 6% within analysis (n = 20) and less than 10% between analysis (n = 20). The detection limits, at a signal/noise ratio of 2, were 0.5 mg/l for phenol and cresols and 1 mg/l for p-aminophenol and p-nitrophenol.

A novel device for accurate and efficient testing for vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Maa, April Y; Feuer, William J; Davis, C Quentin; Pillow, Ensa K; Brown, Tara D; Caywood, Rachel M; Chasan, Joel E; Fransen, Stephen R

2016-04-01

To evaluate the performance of the RETeval device, a handheld instrument using flicker electroretinography (ERG) and pupillography on undilated subjects with diabetes, to detect vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR). Performance was measured using a cross-sectional, single armed, non-interventional, multi-site study with Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study 7-standard field, stereo, color fundus photography as the gold standard. The 468 subjects were randomized to a calibration phase (80%), whose ERG and pupillary waveforms were used to formulate an equation correlating with the presence of VTDR, and a validation phase (20%), used to independently validate that equation. The primary outcome was the prevalence-corrected area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the detection of VTDR. The area under the ROC curve was 0.86 for VTDR. With a sensitivity of 83%, the specificity was 78% and the negative predictive value was 99%. The average testing time was 2.3 min. With a VTDR prevalence similar to that in the U.S., the RETeval device will identify about 75% of the population as not having VTDR with 99% accuracy. The device is simple to use, does not require pupil dilation, and has a short testing time. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Solid-phase microextraction fiber development for sampling and analysis of volatile organohalogen compounds in air.

PubMed

Attari, Seyed Ghavameddin; Bahrami, Abdolrahman; Shahna, Farshid Ghorbani; Heidari, Mahmoud

2014-01-01

A green, environmental friendly and sensitive method for determination of volatile organohalogen compounds was described in this paper. The method is based on a homemade sol-gel single-walled carbon nanotube/silica composite coated solid-phase microextraction to develop for sampling and analysis of Carbon tetrachloride, Benzotrichloride, Chloromethyl methyl ether and Trichloroethylene in air. Application of this method was investigated under different laboratory conditions. Predetermined concentrations of each analytes were prepared in a home-made standard chamber and the influences of experimental parameters such as temperature, humidity, extraction time, storage time, desorption temperature, desorption time and the sorbent performance were investigated. Under optimal conditions, the use of single-walled carbon nanotube/silica composite fiber showed good performance, high sensitive and fast sampling of volatile organohalogen compounds from air. For linearity test the regression correlation coefficient was more than 98% for analyte of interest and linear dynamic range for the proposed fiber and the applied Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector technique was from 1 to 100 ngmL(-1). Method detection limits ranged between 0.09 to 0.2 ngmL(-1) and method quantification limits were between 0.25 and 0.7 ngmL(-1). Single-walled carbon nanotube/silica composite fiber was highly reproducible, relative standard deviations were between 4.3 to 11.7 percent.

Effects of methoxy and formyl substituents on the energetics and reactivity of α-naphthalenes: a calorimetric and computational study.

PubMed

Silva, Ana L R; Freitas, Vera L S; Ribeiro da Silva, Maria D M C

2014-07-01

A combined experimental and computational study was developed to evaluate and understand the energetics and reactivity of formyl and methoxy α-naphthalene derivatives. Static bomb combustion calorimetry and the Calvet microcalorimetry were the experimental techniques used to determine the standard (p(o)=0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation, in the liquid phase, ΔfHm(o)(l), and of vaporization, Δl(g)Hm(o), at T=298.15K, respectively, of the two liquid naphthalene derivatives. Those experimental values were used to derive the values of the experimental standard molar enthalpies of formation, in the gaseous phase, ΔfHm(o)(g), of 1-methoxynaphthalene, (-3.0 ± 3.1)kJmol(-1), and of 1-formylnaphthalene, (36.3 ± 4.1)kJ mol(-1). High-level quantum chemical calculations at the composite G3(MP2)//B3LYP level were performed to estimate the values of the ΔfHm(o)(g) of the two compounds studied resulting in values in very good agreement with experimental ones. Natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations were also performed to determine more about the structure and reactivity of this class of compounds. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two-dimensional chromatographic analysis using three second-dimension columns for continuous comprehensive analysis of intact proteins.

PubMed

Zhu, Zaifang; Chen, Huang; Ren, Jiangtao; Lu, Juan J; Gu, Congying; Lynch, Kyle B; Wu, Si; Wang, Zhe; Cao, Chengxi; Liu, Shaorong

2018-03-01

We develop a new two-dimensional (2D) high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) approach for intact protein analysis. Development of 2D HPLC has a bottleneck problem - limited second-dimension (second-D) separation speed. We solve this problem by incorporating multiple second-D columns to allow several second-D separations to be proceeded in parallel. To demonstrate the feasibility of using this approach for comprehensive protein analysis, we select ion-exchange chromatography as the first-dimension and reverse-phase chromatography as the second-D. We incorporate three second-D columns in an innovative way so that three reverse-phase separations can be performed simultaneously. We test this system for separating both standard proteins and E. coli lysates and achieve baseline resolutions for eleven standard proteins and obtain more than 500 peaks for E. coli lysates. This is an indication that the sample complexities are greatly reduced. We see less than 10 bands when each fraction of the second-D effluents are analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), compared to hundreds of SDS-PAGE bands as the original sample is analyzed. This approach could potentially be an excellent and general tool for protein analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapid sensitive validated UPLC-MS method for determination of venlafaxine and its metabolite in rat plasma: Application to pharmacokinetic study.

PubMed

Dubey, Sunil Kumar; Saha, R N; Jangala, Hemanth; Pasha, S

2013-12-01

A new ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/ESI) method for simultaneous determination of venlafaxine (VEN) and its metabolite O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV) in rat plasma has been developed and validated using Venlafaxine d6 as the internal standard. The compounds and internal standard were extracted from plasma by solid phase extraction. The UPLC separation of the analytes was performed on ACQUITY UPLC ® BEH Shield RP18 (1.7 µm, 100 mm×2.1 mm) column, using isocratic elution with mobile phase constituted of water (containing 2 mM ammonium acetate): acetonitrile (20:80, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. All of the analytes were eluted within 1.5 min. The compounds were ionized in the electrospray ionization (ESI) ion source of the mass spectrometer, operating in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and positive ion mode. The precursor to product ion transitions monitored for VEN, ODV and Venlafaxine d6 were m / z 278.3→121.08, 264.2→107.1 and 284.4→121.0, respectively. The developed and validated method was used for the pharmacokinetic study of VEN in rats.

Isolation and purification of an early pregnancy factor-like molecule from culture supernatants obtained from lymphocytes of pregnant women: II. Identification of the molecule as a Fc-receptor-like molecule: a preliminary report.

PubMed

Aranha, C; Bordekar, A; Shahani, S

1998-11-01

Early pregnancy factor (EPF)-like activity from culture supernatants obtained from stimulated lymphocytes of pregnant women was characterized and identified. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay depending on the presence of "Fc" receptors on bovine spermatozoa was used to identify the EPF-like molecule purified by gel filtration and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The results indicated that the crude lymphocyte culture supernatant, the EPF-positive G IV fraction obtained on gel filtration, and the EPF-positive reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography protein readily bound with the different concentrations of aggregated human gamma-globulin in a manner similar to that in which the standard control of aggregated human gamma-globulin binds to the bovine spermatozoa. EPF-like activity synthesized and secreted by lymphocytes during pregnancy may be a Fc-receptor-like molecule.

Solid-phase microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of phenylurea herbicides in aqueous samples.

PubMed

Lin, Hsin-Hang; Sung, Yu-Hsiang; Huang, Shang-Da

2003-09-12

Solid-phase microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was successfully applied to the analysis of nine phenylurea herbicides (metoxuron, monuron, chlorotoluron, isoproturon, monolinuron, metobromuron, buturon, linuron, and chlorbromuron). Polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB, 60 microm) and Carbowax-templated resin (CW-TPR, 50 microm) fibers were selected from four commercial fibers for further study because of their better extraction efficiencies. The parameters of the desorption procedure were studied and optimized. The effects of the properties of analytes and fiber coatings, carryover, duration and temperature of absorption, pH, organic solvent and ionic strength of samples were also investigated. External calibration with an aqueous standard can be used for the analysis of environmental samples (lake water) using either PDMS-DVB or CW-TPR fibers. Good precisions (1.0-5.9%) are achieved for this method, and the detection limits are at the level of 0.5-5.1 ng/ml.

Generalized Grover's Algorithm for Multiple Phase Inversion States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrnes, Tim; Forster, Gary; Tessler, Louis

2018-02-01

Grover's algorithm is a quantum search algorithm that proceeds by repeated applications of the Grover operator and the Oracle until the state evolves to one of the target states. In the standard version of the algorithm, the Grover operator inverts the sign on only one state. Here we provide an exact solution to the problem of performing Grover's search where the Grover operator inverts the sign on N states. We show the underlying structure in terms of the eigenspectrum of the generalized Hamiltonian, and derive an appropriate initial state to perform the Grover evolution. This allows us to use the quantum phase estimation algorithm to solve the search problem in this generalized case, completely bypassing the Grover algorithm altogether. We obtain a time complexity of this case of √{D /Mα }, where D is the search space dimension, M is the number of target states, and α ≈1 , which is close to the optimal scaling.

A study of GPS measurement errors due to noise and multipath interference for CGADS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Axelrad, Penina; MacDoran, Peter F.; Comp, Christopher J.

1996-01-01

This report describes a study performed by the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) on GPS measurement errors in the Codeless GPS Attitude Determination System (CGADS) due to noise and multipath interference. Preliminary simulation models fo the CGADS receiver and orbital multipath are described. The standard FFT algorithms for processing the codeless data is described and two alternative algorithms - an auto-regressive/least squares (AR-LS) method, and a combined adaptive notch filter/least squares (ANF-ALS) method, are also presented. Effects of system noise, quantization, baseband frequency selection, and Doppler rates on the accuracy of phase estimates with each of the processing methods are shown. Typical electrical phase errors for the AR-LS method are 0.2 degrees, compared to 0.3 and 0.5 degrees for the FFT and ANF-ALS algorithms, respectively. Doppler rate was found to have the largest effect on the performance.

Scaling-up vaccine production: implementation aspects of a biomass growth observer and controller.

PubMed

Soons, Zita I T A; van den IJssel, Jan; van der Pol, Leo A; van Straten, Gerrit; van Boxtel, Anton J B

2009-04-01

This study considers two aspects of the implementation of a biomass growth observer and specific growth rate controller in scale-up from small- to pilot-scale bioreactors towards a feasible bulk production process for whole-cell vaccine against whooping cough. The first is the calculation of the oxygen uptake rate, the starting point for online monitoring and control of biomass growth, taking into account the dynamics in the gas-phase. Mixing effects and delays are caused by amongst others the headspace and tubing to the analyzer. These gas phase dynamics are modelled using knowledge of the system in order to reconstruct oxygen consumption. The second aspect is to evaluate performance of the monitoring and control system with the required modifications of the oxygen consumption calculation on pilot-scale. In pilot-scale fed-batch cultivation good monitoring and control performance is obtained enabling a doubled concentration of bulk vaccine compared to standard batch production.

A rapid high-performance liquid-chromatographic method for simultaneously determining the concentrations of TFM and Bayer 73 in water during lampricide treatments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dawson, V.K.

1982-01-01

The high-performance liquid-chromatography (HPLC) procedure requires only minutes per sample, is specific, and is relatively sensitive (limit of detection 18 disposable cartridge. The cartridge adsorbs and retains both the lampricides and the internal standard. The quantitative elution of the three chemicals from the cartridge with a small volume of methanol effectively concentrates the sample and provides sample cleanup. The methanol extract is then analyzed directly by HPLC on an MCH 10 reverse phase column by using a methanol:0.01 mol/L acetate buffer (87:13, v:v) as the mobile phase at 2 mL/min and detected by ultraviolet spectrophotometry at 330 (or 254) nm. A microprocessor data system further facilitates the procedure by quantifying off-scale peaks and yielding results directly in units of concentration (mg/L).

The dream of a one-stop-shop: Meta-analysis on myocardial perfusion CT.

PubMed

Pelgrim, Gert Jan; Dorrius, Monique; Xie, Xueqian; den Dekker, Martijn A M; Schoepf, U Joseph; Henzler, Thomas; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn

2015-12-01

To determine the diagnostic performance of computed tomography (CT) perfusion techniques for the detection of functionally relevant coronary artery disease (CAD) in comparison to reference standards, including invasive coronary angiography (ICA), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PubMed, Web of Knowledge and Embase were searched from January 1, 1998 until July 1, 2014. The search yielded 9475 articles. After duplicate removal, 6041 were screened on title and abstract. The resulting 276 articles were independently analyzed in full-text by two reviewers, and included if the inclusion criteria were met. The articles reporting diagnostic parameters including true positive, true negative, false positive and false negative were subsequently evaluated for the meta-analysis. Results were pooled according to CT perfusion technique, namely snapshot techniques: single-phase rest, single-phase stress, single-phase dual-energy stress and combined coronary CT angiography [rest] and single-phase stress, as well the dynamic technique: dynamic stress CT perfusion. Twenty-two articles were included in the meta-analysis (1507 subjects). Pooled per-patient sensitivity and specificity of single-phase rest CT compared to rest SPECT were 89% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82-94%) and 88% (95% CI, 78-94%), respectively. Vessel-based sensitivity and specificity of single-phase stress CT compared to ICA-based >70% stenosis were 82% (95% CI, 64-92%) and 78% (95% CI, 61-89%). Segment-based sensitivity and specificity of single-phase dual-energy stress CT in comparison to stress MRI were 75% (95% CI, 60-85%) and 95% (95% CI, 80-99%). Segment-based sensitivity and specificity of dynamic stress CT perfusion compared to stress SPECT were 77% (95% CI, 67-85) and 89% (95% CI, 78-95%). For combined coronary CT angiography and single-phase stress CT, vessel-based sensitivity and specificity in comparison to ICA-based >50% stenosis were 84% (95% CI, 67-93%) and 93% (95% CI, 89-96%). This meta-analysis shows considerable variation in techniques and reference standards for CT of myocardial blood supply. While CT seems sensitive and specific for evaluation of hemodynamically relevant CAD, studies so far are limited in size. Standardization of myocardial perfusion CT technique is essential. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inter-Labeler and Intra-Labeler Variability of Condition Severity Classification Models Using Active and Passive Learning Methods

PubMed Central

Nissim, Nir; Shahar, Yuval; Boland, Mary Regina; Tatonetti, Nicholas P; Elovici, Yuval; Hripcsak, George; Moskovitch, Robert

2018-01-01

Background and Objectives Labeling instances by domain experts for classification is often time consuming and expensive. To reduce such labeling efforts, we had proposed the application of active learning (AL) methods, introduced our CAESAR-ALE framework for classifying the severity of clinical conditions, and shown its significant reduction of labeling efforts. The use of any of three AL methods (one well known [SVM-Margin], and two that we introduced [Exploitation and Combination_XA]) significantly reduced (by 48% to 64%) condition labeling efforts, compared to standard passive (random instance-selection) SVM learning. Furthermore, our new AL methods achieved maximal accuracy using 12% fewer labeled cases than the SVM-Margin AL method. However, because labelers have varying levels of expertise, a major issue associated with learning methods, and AL methods in particular, is how to best to use the labeling provided by a committee of labelers. First, we wanted to know, based on the labelers’ learning curves, whether using AL methods (versus standard passive learning methods) has an effect on the Intra-labeler variability (within the learning curve of each labeler) and inter-labeler variability (among the learning curves of different labelers). Then, we wanted to examine the effect of learning (either passively or actively) from the labels created by the majority consensus of a group of labelers. Methods We used our CAESAR-ALE framework for classifying the severity of clinical conditions, the three AL methods and the passive learning method, as mentioned above, to induce the classifications models. We used a dataset of 516 clinical conditions and their severity labeling, represented by features aggregated from the medical records of 1.9 million patients treated at Columbia University Medical Center. We analyzed the variance of the classification performance within (intra-labeler), and especially among (inter-labeler) the classification models that were induced by using the labels provided by seven labelers. We also compared the performance of the passive and active learning models when using the consensus label. Results The AL methods produced, for the models induced from each labeler, smoother Intra-labeler learning curves during the training phase, compared to the models produced when using the passive learning method. The mean standard deviation of the learning curves of the three AL methods over all labelers (mean: 0.0379; range: [0.0182 to 0.0496]), was significantly lower (p = 0.049) than the Intra-labeler standard deviation when using the passive learning method (mean: 0.0484; range: [0.0275 to 0.0724). Using the AL methods resulted in a lower mean Inter-labeler AUC standard deviation among the AUC values of the labelers’ different models during the training phase, compared to the variance of the induced models’ AUC values when using passive learning. The Inter-labeler AUC standard deviation, using the passive learning method (0.039), was almost twice as high as the Inter-labeler standard deviation using our two new AL methods (0.02 and 0.019, respectively). The SVM-Margin AL method resulted in an Inter-labeler standard deviation (0.029) that was higher by almost 50% than that of our two AL methods. The difference in the inter-labeler standard deviation between the passive learning method and the SVM-Margin learning method was significant (p = 0.042). The difference between the SVM-Margin and Exploitation method was insignificant (p = 0.29), as was the difference between the Combination_XA and Exploitation methods (p = 0.67). Finally, using the consensus label led to a learning curve that had a higher mean intra-labeler variance, but resulted eventually in an AUC that was at least as high as the AUC achieved using the gold standard label and that was always higher than the expected mean AUC of a randomly selected labeler, regardless of the choice of learning method (including a passive learning method). Using a paired t-test, the difference between the intra-labeler AUC standard deviation when using the consensus label, versus that value when using the other two labeling strategies, was significant only when using the passive learning method (p = 0.014), but not when using any of the three AL methods. Conclusions The use of AL methods, (a) reduces intra-labeler variability in the performance of the induced models during the training phase, and thus reduces the risk of halting the process at a local minimum that is significantly different in performance from the rest of the learned models; and (b) reduces Inter-labeler performance variance, and thus reduces the dependence on the use of a particular labeler. In addition, the use of a consensus label, agreed upon by a rather uneven group of labelers, might be at least as good as using the gold standard labeler, who might not be available, and certainly better than randomly selecting one of the group’s individual labelers. Finally, using the AL methods when provided by the consensus label reduced the intra-labeler AUC variance during the learning phase, compared to using passive learning. PMID:28456512

Inter-labeler and intra-labeler variability of condition severity classification models using active and passive learning methods.

PubMed

Nissim, Nir; Shahar, Yuval; Elovici, Yuval; Hripcsak, George; Moskovitch, Robert

2017-09-01

Labeling instances by domain experts for classification is often time consuming and expensive. To reduce such labeling efforts, we had proposed the application of active learning (AL) methods, introduced our CAESAR-ALE framework for classifying the severity of clinical conditions, and shown its significant reduction of labeling efforts. The use of any of three AL methods (one well known [SVM-Margin], and two that we introduced [Exploitation and Combination_XA]) significantly reduced (by 48% to 64%) condition labeling efforts, compared to standard passive (random instance-selection) SVM learning. Furthermore, our new AL methods achieved maximal accuracy using 12% fewer labeled cases than the SVM-Margin AL method. However, because labelers have varying levels of expertise, a major issue associated with learning methods, and AL methods in particular, is how to best to use the labeling provided by a committee of labelers. First, we wanted to know, based on the labelers' learning curves, whether using AL methods (versus standard passive learning methods) has an effect on the Intra-labeler variability (within the learning curve of each labeler) and inter-labeler variability (among the learning curves of different labelers). Then, we wanted to examine the effect of learning (either passively or actively) from the labels created by the majority consensus of a group of labelers. We used our CAESAR-ALE framework for classifying the severity of clinical conditions, the three AL methods and the passive learning method, as mentioned above, to induce the classifications models. We used a dataset of 516 clinical conditions and their severity labeling, represented by features aggregated from the medical records of 1.9 million patients treated at Columbia University Medical Center. We analyzed the variance of the classification performance within (intra-labeler), and especially among (inter-labeler) the classification models that were induced by using the labels provided by seven labelers. We also compared the performance of the passive and active learning models when using the consensus label. The AL methods: produced, for the models induced from each labeler, smoother Intra-labeler learning curves during the training phase, compared to the models produced when using the passive learning method. The mean standard deviation of the learning curves of the three AL methods over all labelers (mean: 0.0379; range: [0.0182 to 0.0496]), was significantly lower (p=0.049) than the Intra-labeler standard deviation when using the passive learning method (mean: 0.0484; range: [0.0275-0.0724). Using the AL methods resulted in a lower mean Inter-labeler AUC standard deviation among the AUC values of the labelers' different models during the training phase, compared to the variance of the induced models' AUC values when using passive learning. The Inter-labeler AUC standard deviation, using the passive learning method (0.039), was almost twice as high as the Inter-labeler standard deviation using our two new AL methods (0.02 and 0.019, respectively). The SVM-Margin AL method resulted in an Inter-labeler standard deviation (0.029) that was higher by almost 50% than that of our two AL methods The difference in the inter-labeler standard deviation between the passive learning method and the SVM-Margin learning method was significant (p=0.042). The difference between the SVM-Margin and Exploitation method was insignificant (p=0.29), as was the difference between the Combination_XA and Exploitation methods (p=0.67). Finally, using the consensus label led to a learning curve that had a higher mean intra-labeler variance, but resulted eventually in an AUC that was at least as high as the AUC achieved using the gold standard label and that was always higher than the expected mean AUC of a randomly selected labeler, regardless of the choice of learning method (including a passive learning method). Using a paired t-test, the difference between the intra-labeler AUC standard deviation when using the consensus label, versus that value when using the other two labeling strategies, was significant only when using the passive learning method (p=0.014), but not when using any of the three AL methods. The use of AL methods, (a) reduces intra-labeler variability in the performance of the induced models during the training phase, and thus reduces the risk of halting the process at a local minimum that is significantly different in performance from the rest of the learned models; and (b) reduces Inter-labeler performance variance, and thus reduces the dependence on the use of a particular labeler. In addition, the use of a consensus label, agreed upon by a rather uneven group of labelers, might be at least as good as using the gold standard labeler, who might not be available, and certainly better than randomly selecting one of the group's individual labelers. Finally, using the AL methods: when provided by the consensus label reduced the intra-labeler AUC variance during the learning phase, compared to using passive learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ionic liquid as a mobile phase additive in high-performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous determination of eleven fluorescent whitening agents in paper materials.

PubMed

Wang, Qing; Chen, Xianbo; Qiu, Bin; Zhou, Liang; Zhang, Hui; Xie, Juan; Luo, Yan; Wang, Bin

2016-04-01

In the present study, 11 4,4'-diaminostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid based fluorescent whitening agents with different numbers of sulfonic acid groups were separated by using an ionic liquid as a mobile phase additive in high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The effects of ionic liquid concentration, pH of mobile phase B, and composition of mobile phase A on the separation of fluorescent whitening agents were systematically investigated. The ionic liquid tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate is superior to tetrabutylammomnium bromide for the separation of the fluorescent whitening agents. The optimal separation conditions were an ionic liquid concentration at 8 mM and the pH of mobile phase B at 8.5 with methanol as mobile phase A. The established method exhibited low limits of detection (0.04-0.07 ng/mL) and wide linearity ranges (0.30-20 ng/mL) with high linear correlation coefficients from 0.9994 to 0.9998. The optimized procedure was applied to analyze target analytes in paper samples with satisfactory results. Eleven target analytes were quantified, and the recoveries of spiked paper samples were in the range of 85-105% with the relative standard deviations from 2.1 to 5.1%. The obtained results indicated that the method was efficient for detection of 11 fluorescent whitening agents. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design of C18 Organic Phases with Multiple Embedded Polar Groups for Ultraversatile Applications with Ultrahigh Selectivity.

PubMed

Mallik, Abul K; Qiu, Hongdeng; Oishi, Tomohiro; Kuwahara, Yutaka; Takafuji, Makoto; Ihara, Hirotaka

2015-07-07

For the first time, we synthesized multiple embedded polar groups (EPGs) containing linear C18 organic phases. The new materials were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, (1)H NMR, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT), solid-state (13)C cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR, suspended-state (1)H NMR, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). (29)Si CP/MAS NMR was carried out to investigate the degree of cross-linking of the silane and silane functionality of the modified silica. Solid-state (13)C CP/MAS NMR and suspended-state (1)H NMR spectroscopy indicated a higher alkyl chain order for the phase containing four EPGs than for the phase with three EPGs. To correlate the NMR results with temperature-dependent chromatographic studies, standard reference materials (SRM 869b and SRM 1647e), a column selectivity test mixture for liquid chromatography was employed. A single EPG containing the C18 phase was also prepared in a similar manner to be used as a reference column especially for the separation of basic and polar compounds in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC), respectively. Detailed chromatographic characterization of the new phases was performed in terms of their surface coverage, hydrophobic selectivity, shape selectivity, hydrogen bonding capacity, and ion-exchange capacity at pH 2.7 and 7.6 for RPLC as well as their hydrophilicity, the selectivity for hydrophilic-hydrophobic substituents, the selectivity for the region and configurational differences in hydrophilic substituents, the evaluation of electrostatic interactions, and the evaluation of the acidic-basic nature for HILIC-mode separation. Furthermore, peak shapes for the basic analytes propranolol and amitriptyline were studied as a function of the number of EPGs on the C18 phases in the RPLC. The chromatographic performance of multiple EPGs containing C18 HILIC phases is illustrated by the separation of sulfa drugs, β-blockers, xanthines, nucleic acid bases, nucleosides, and water-soluble vitamins. Both of the phases showed the best performance for the separation of shape-constrained isomers, nonpolar, polar, and basic compounds in RPLC- and HILIC-mode separation of sulfa drugs, and other polar and basic analytes compared to the conventional alkyl phases with and without embedded polar groups and HILIC phases. Surprisingly, one phase would be able to serve the performance of three different types of phases with very high selectivity, and we named this phase the "smart phase". Versatile applications with a single column will reduce the column purchasing cost for the analyst as well as achieve high separation, which is challenging with the commercially available columns.

Validation of Inter-Subject Training for Hidden Markov Models Applied to Gait Phase Detection in Children with Cerebral Palsy.

PubMed

Taborri, Juri; Scalona, Emilia; Palermo, Eduardo; Rossi, Stefano; Cappa, Paolo

2015-09-23

Gait-phase recognition is a necessary functionality to drive robotic rehabilitation devices for lower limbs. Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) represent a viable solution, but they need subject-specific training, making data processing very time-consuming. Here, we validated an inter-subject procedure to avoid the intra-subject one in two, four and six gait-phase models in pediatric subjects. The inter-subject procedure consists in the identification of a standardized parameter set to adapt the model to measurements. We tested the inter-subject procedure both on scalar and distributed classifiers. Ten healthy children and ten hemiplegic children, each equipped with two Inertial Measurement Units placed on shank and foot, were recruited. The sagittal component of angular velocity was recorded by gyroscopes while subjects performed four walking trials on a treadmill. The goodness of classifiers was evaluated with the Receiver Operating Characteristic. The results provided a goodness from good to optimum for all examined classifiers (0 < G < 0.6), with the best performance for the distributed classifier in two-phase recognition (G = 0.02). Differences were found among gait partitioning models, while no differences were found between training procedures with the exception of the shank classifier. Our results raise the possibility of avoiding subject-specific training in HMM for gait-phase recognition and its implementation to control exoskeletons for the pediatric population.

Validation of Inter-Subject Training for Hidden Markov Models Applied to Gait Phase Detection in Children with Cerebral Palsy

PubMed Central

Taborri, Juri; Scalona, Emilia; Palermo, Eduardo; Rossi, Stefano; Cappa, Paolo

2015-01-01

Gait-phase recognition is a necessary functionality to drive robotic rehabilitation devices for lower limbs. Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) represent a viable solution, but they need subject-specific training, making data processing very time-consuming. Here, we validated an inter-subject procedure to avoid the intra-subject one in two, four and six gait-phase models in pediatric subjects. The inter-subject procedure consists in the identification of a standardized parameter set to adapt the model to measurements. We tested the inter-subject procedure both on scalar and distributed classifiers. Ten healthy children and ten hemiplegic children, each equipped with two Inertial Measurement Units placed on shank and foot, were recruited. The sagittal component of angular velocity was recorded by gyroscopes while subjects performed four walking trials on a treadmill. The goodness of classifiers was evaluated with the Receiver Operating Characteristic. The results provided a goodness from good to optimum for all examined classifiers (0 < G < 0.6), with the best performance for the distributed classifier in two-phase recognition (G = 0.02). Differences were found among gait partitioning models, while no differences were found between training procedures with the exception of the shank classifier. Our results raise the possibility of avoiding subject-specific training in HMM for gait-phase recognition and its implementation to control exoskeletons for the pediatric population. PMID:26404309

Retentivity, selectivity and thermodynamic behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on charge-transfer and hypercrosslinked stationary phases under conditions of normal phase high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Jiang, Ping; Lucy, Charles A

2016-03-11

Charge-transfer and hypercrosslinked polystyrene phases offer retention and separation for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and thus have potential for petroleum analysis. The size, shape and planarity selectivity for PAH standards on charge-transfer (DNAP column) and hypercrosslinked polystyrene (HC-Tol and 5HGN columns) phases are different under normal phase liquid chromatography (NPLC). The HC-Tol column behaves like a conventional NPLC column with low retention of PAHs. Retention of PAHs on the DNAP and 5HGN are strong and increases with the number of aromatic rings. The main retention mechanism is through π-π interactions and dipole-induced dipole interaction. Thermodynamics indicates that the retention mechanism of PAHs remains unchanged over the temperature range 20-60°C. In addition, on either DNAP or 5HGN column, both linear and bent PAHs are retained through the same mechanism. But DNAP possesses smaller π-π interaction and higher planarity selectivity than 5HGN for PAHs. This is suggestive that DNAP interacts with PAHs through a disordered phase arrangement, while 5HGN behaves as an ordered adsorption phase. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nature of the octahedral tilting phase transitions in perovskites: A case study of CaMnO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klarbring, Johan; Simak, Sergei I.

2018-01-01

The temperature-induced antiferrodistortive (AFD) structural phase transitions in CaMnO3, a typical perovskite oxide, are studied using first-principles density functional theory calculations. These transitions are caused by tilting of the MnO6 octahedra that are related to unstable phonon modes in the high-symmetry cubic perovskite phase. Transitions due to octahedral tilting in perovskites normally are believed to fit into the standard soft-mode picture of displacive phase transitions. We calculate phonon-dispersion relations and potential-energy landscapes as functions of the unstable phonon modes and argue based on the results that the phase transitions are better described as being of order-disorder type. This means that the cubic phase emerges as a dynamical average when the system hops between local minima on the potential-energy surface. We then perform ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and find explicit evidence of the order-disorder dynamics in the system. Our conclusions are expected to be valid for other perovskite oxides, and we finally suggest how to predict the nature (displacive or order-disorder) of the AFD phase transitions in any perovskite system.

Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES)

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

Greenbaum, Daniel; Costantini, Maria; Van Erp, Annemoon

2013-12-31

The objective of the Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES) was to determine before widespread commercial deployment whether or not the new, energy-efficient, heavy duty diesel engines (2007 and 2010 EPA Emissions Standards Compliant) may generate anticipated toxic emissions that could adversely affect the environment and human health. ACES was planned to take place in three phases. In Phase 1, extensive emissions characterization of four production-intent prototype engine and control systems designed to meet 2007 standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) was conducted at an existing emissions characterization facility: Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). One of the tested enginesmore » was selected (at random, after careful comparison of results) for health testing in Phase 3. In Phase 2, extensive emission characterization of three production-intent prototype engine and control systems meeting the 2010 standards (including more advanced NOx controls to meet the more stringent 2010 NOx standards) was conducted at the same test facility. In Phase 3, one engine/aftertreatment system selected from Phase 1 was further characterized during health effects studies (at an existing inhalation toxicology laboratory: Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, [LRRI]) to form the basis of the ACES safety assessment. The Department of Energy (DOE) award provided funding for emissions characterization in Phases 1 and 2 as well as exposure characterization in Phase 3. The main health analyses in Phase 3 were funded separately and are not reported here.« less

Liquid-liquid and solid-phase extractions of phenols from virgin olive oil and their separation by chromatographic and electrophoretic methods.

PubMed

Bendini, Alessandra; Bonoli, Matteo; Cerretani, Lorenzo; Biguzzi, Barbara; Lercker, Giovanni; Toschi, Tullia Gallina

2003-01-24

The high oxidative stability of virgin olive oil is related to its high monounsaturated/polyunsaturated ratio and to the presence of antioxidant compounds, such as tocopherols and phenols. In this paper, the isolation of phenolic compounds from virgin olive oil, by different methods, was tested and discussed. Particularly liquid-liquid and solid-phase extraction methods were compared, assaying, for the latter, three stationary phases (C8, C18 and Diol) and several elution mixtures. Quantification of phenolic and o-diphenolic substances in the extracts was performed by the traditional Folin-Ciocalteau method and the sodium molybdate reaction, respectively. Furthermore, the quantification of phenolic compounds in the extracts and in a standard mixture was carried out both with diode array and mass spectrometric detection and capillary zone electrophoresis.

A Novel Phase-Shift Control of Semibridgeless Active Rectifier for Wireless Power Transfer

DOE PAGES

Colak, Kerim; Asa, Erdem; Bojarski, Mariusz; ...

2015-05-12

We investigated a novel phase-shift control of a semibridgeless active rectifier (S-BAR) in order to utilize the S-BAR in wireless energy transfer applications. The standard receiver-side rectifier topology is developed by replacing rectifier lower diodes with synchronous switches controlled by a phase-shifted PWM signal. Moreover, theoretical and simulation results showthat with the proposed control technique, the output quantities can be regulated without communication between the receiver and transmitter. In order to confirm the performance of the proposed converter and control, experimental results are provided using 8-, 15-, and 23-cm air gap coreless transformer which has dimension of 76 cm xmore » 76 cm, with 120-V input and the output power range of 0 to 1kW with a maximum efficiency of 94.4%.« less

External quality assessment of medical laboratories in Croatia: preliminary evaluation of post-analytical laboratory testing.

PubMed

Krleza, Jasna Lenicek; Dorotic, Adrijana; Grzunov, Ana

2017-02-15

Proper standardization of laboratory testing requires assessment of performance after the tests are performed, known as the post-analytical phase. A nationwide external quality assessment (EQA) scheme implemented in Croatia in 2014 includes a questionnaire on post-analytical practices, and the present study examined laboratory responses in order to identify current post-analytical phase practices and identify areas for improvement. In four EQA exercises between September 2014 and December 2015, 145-174 medical laboratories across Croatia were surveyed using the Module 11 questionnaire on the post-analytical phase of testing. Based on their responses, the laboratories were evaluated on four quality indicators: turnaround time (TAT), critical values, interpretative comments and procedures in the event of abnormal results. Results were presented as absolute numbers and percentages. Just over half of laboratories (56.3%) monitored TAT. Laboratories varied substantially in how they dealt with critical values. Most laboratories (65-97%) issued interpretative comments with test results. One third of medical laboratories (30.6-33.3%) issued abnormal test results without confirming them in additional testing. Our results suggest that the nationwide post-analytical EQA scheme launched in 2014 in Croatia has yet to be implemented to the full. To close the gaps between existing recommendations and laboratory practice, laboratory professionals should focus on ensuring that TAT is monitored and lists of critical values are established within laboratories. Professional bodies/institutions should focus on clarify and harmonized rules to standardized practices and applied for adding interpretative comments to laboratory test results and for dealing with abnormal test results.

Dicationic polymeric ionic-liquid-based magnetic material as an adsorbent for the magnetic solid-phase extraction of organophosphate pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Jiang, Qiong; Liu, Qin; Chen, Qiliang; Zhao, Wenjie; Xiang, Guoqiang; He, Lijun; Jiang, Xiuming; Zhang, Shusheng

2016-08-01

Magnetic particles modified with a dicationic polymeric ionic liquid are described as a new adsorbent in magnetic solid-phase extraction. They were obtained through the copolymerization of a 1,8-di(3-vinylimidazolium)octane-based ionic liquid with vinyl-modified SiO2 @Fe3 O4 , and were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The modified magnetic particles are effective in the extraction of organophosphate pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Also, they can provide different extraction performance for the selected analytes including fenitrothion, parathion, fenthion, phoxim, phenanthrene, and fluoranthene, where the extraction efficiency is found to be in agreement with the hydrophobicity of analytes. Various factors influencing the extraction efficiency, such as, the amount of adsorbent, extraction, and desorption time, and type and volume of the desorption solvent, were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, a good linearity ranging from 1-100 μg/L is obtained for all analytes, except for parathion (2-200 μg/L), where the correlation coefficients varied from 0.9960 to 0.9998. The limits of detection are 0.2-0.8 μg/L, and intraday and interday relative standard deviations are 1.7-7.4% (n = 5) and 3.8-8.0% (n = 3), respectively. The magnetic solid-phase extraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography can be applied for the detection of trace targets in real water samples with satisfactory relative recoveries and relative standard deviations. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Quantitation of itopride in human serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and its application to a bioequivalence study.

PubMed

Singh, Sonu Sundd; Jain, Manish; Sharma, Kuldeep; Shah, Bhavin; Vyas, Meghna; Thakkar, Purav; Shah, Ruchy; Singh, Shriprakash; Lohray, Brajbhushan

2005-04-25

A new method was developed for determination of itopride in human serum by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection (excitation at 291 nm and emission at 342 nm). The method employed one-step extraction of itopride from serum matrix with a mixture of tert-butyl methyl ether and dichloromethane (70:30, v/v) using etoricoxib as an internal standard. Chromatographic separation was obtained within 12.0 min using a reverse phase YMC-Pack AM ODS column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) and an isocratic mobile phase constituting of a mixture of 0.05% tri-fluoro acetic acid in water and acetonitrile (75:25, v/v) flowing at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The method was linear in the range of 14.0 ng/ml to 1000.0 ng/ml. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 14.0 ng/ml. Average recovery of itopride and the internal standard from the biological matrix was more than 66.04 and 64.57%, respectively. The inter-day accuracy of the drug containing serum samples was more than 97.81% with a precision of 2.31-3.68%. The intra-day accuracy was 96.91% or more with a precision of 5.17-9.50%. Serum samples containing itopride were stable for 180.0 days at -70+/-5 degrees C and for 24.0 h at ambient temperature (25+/-5 degrees C). The method was successfully applied to the bioequivalence study of itopride in healthy, male human subjects.

The Effect of Peer Education upon Breast Self-Examination Behaviors and Self-Esteem among University Students.

PubMed

Ayran, Gulsun; Fırat, Meryem; Kucukakca, Gulden; Cuneydioğlu, Beyazıt; Tahta, Kubra; Avcı, Esra

2017-07-01

The current study was semi-experimentally designed in order to identify the effect of peer education upon breast self-examination (BSE) behaviors and self-esteem among university students. The study was undertaken with 100 female students who studied at Erzincan University. Peer educators were recruited from the 4th year students. The data were collected with a questionnaire form, BSE skill form and Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale in two phases one month before and after the BSE peer education. For the data assessment; percentage distributions, frequency, mean, standard deviation and Simple T test were employed. The mean age of the participant students was 20.45±1.67 year and all of them were single. It was found that during the first data collection phase, only 16 % of the students performed BSE while during the final data collection phase, the rate of the students performing BSE rose to 77 %. During the first data collection phase, students received a mean score of 2.36±4.13 from BSE skill form while during the last data collection phase they had a mean score of 10.70±3.40 from BSE skill form. When the scores obtained from Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale by the students were examined, it was seen that they received a mean score of 1.20±1.34 during the first data collection phase while they had a mean score of 0.84±1.07 during the final data collection phase. Although short-term feedback was obtained, it was noted that students' BSE knowledge and skills increased considerably.

Investigation of folic acid stability in fortified instant noodles by use of capillary electrophoresis and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Hau Fung Cheung, Rodney; Morrison, Paul D; Small, Darryl M; Marriott, Philip J

2008-12-05

A single enzyme treatment with alpha-amylase, prior to the quantification of added folic acid (FA) in fortified instant fried Asian noodles with analysis performed by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with UV detection, is described. The method was validated and optimized for capillary electrophoresis (CE) with separation achieved using a 8 mM phosphate-12 mM borate run buffer with 5% MeOH at pH 9.5. FA was well separated from matrix components with nicotinic acid (NA) employed as an internal standard. In a comparative study, separation of FA was performed using HPLC with a mobile phase consisting of 27% MeOH (v/v) in aqueous potassium phosphate buffer (3.5 mM KH(2)PO(4) and 3.2 mM K(2)HPO(4)), pH 8.5, and containing 5 mM tetrabutylammonium dihydrogen phosphate as an ion-pairing agent. For both methods, excellent results were obtained for various analytical parameters including linearity, accuracy and precision. The limit of detection was calculated to be 2.2 mg/L for CE without sample stacking and 0.10 mg/L with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Sample extraction involved homogenization and enzymatic extraction with alpha-amylase. Results indicated that FA was stable during four main stages of instant fried noodle manufacturing (dough crumbs, cut sheets, steaming and frying).

Analysis of amino acids by HPLC/electrospray negative ion tandem mass spectrometry using 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl chloride (Fmoc-Cl) derivatization.

PubMed

Ziegler, Jörg; Abel, Steffen

2014-12-01

A new method for the determination of amino acids is presented. It combines established methods for the derivatization of primary and secondary amino groups with 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl chloride (Fmoc-Cl) with the subsequent amino acid specific detection of the derivatives by LC-ESI-MS/MS using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The derivatization proceeds within 5 min, and the resulting amino acid derivatives can be rapidly purified from matrix by solid-phase extraction (SPE) on HR-X resin and separated by reversed-phase HPLC. The Fmoc derivatives yield several amino acid specific fragment ions which opened the possibility to select amino acid specific MRM transitions. The method was applied to all 20 proteinogenic amino acids, and the quantification was performed using L-norvaline as standard. A limit of detection as low as 1 fmol/µl with a linear range of up to 125 pmol/µl could be obtained. Intraday and interday precisions were lower than 10 % relative standard deviations for most of the amino acids. Quantification using L-norvaline as internal standard gave very similar results compared to the quantification using deuterated amino acid as internal standards. Using this protocol, it was possible to record the amino acid profiles of only a single root from Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and to compare it with the amino acid profiles of 20 dissected root meristems (200 μm).

[Determination of 49 drugs and 5 metabolites in drinking water samples using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Wang, Shuo; Zhang, Xiangming; Zhang, Jing; Shao, Bing; Li, Shuming

2015-07-01

A method for the determination of 54 drugs in drinking water samples was developed by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI MS/MS). The target drugs in drinking water samples were enriched and cleaned-up by HLB solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges and then eluted with 5 mL methanol. The elute was collected, concentrated under a gentle stream of nitrogen gas, diluted with 0.4 mL 0.1% formic acid solution, and analyzed by UPLC-ESI MS/MS. The separation of the 54 drugs was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC™ BEH C18 column using mobile phases of 0.1% formic acid and methanol by gradient elution. The multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was employed in mass spectrometry acquisition. The matrix-matched external standard calibration was used for quantitation. The results showed that the average recoveries of the drugs in ground water, tap water and surface water were 58.7%-104.4%, 53.1%-109.5%, and 50.7%-118.8%, respectively, and the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSD, n=6) were 0.3%-12.8%, 1.0%-15.5%, and 0.4%-19.3%, respectively. The method quantification limits (MQL) for target compounds were in the range of 0.002-5.000 ng/L. The developed method was applied to analyze the water samples from Beijing. The results showed that 26 drugs were detected in ground water samples.

High-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry in the identification and determination of phase I and phase II drug metabolites

PubMed Central

Kolářová, L.; Nobilis, M.

2008-01-01

Applications of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) techniques coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the identification and determination of phase I and phase II drug metabolites are reviewed with an emphasis on recent papers published predominantly within the last 6 years (2002–2007) reporting the employment of atmospheric pressure ionization techniques as the most promising approach for a sensitive detection, positive identification and quantitation of metabolites in complex biological matrices. This review is devoted to in vitro and in vivo drug biotransformation in humans and animals. The first step preceding an HPLC-MS bioanalysis consists in the choice of suitable sample preparation procedures (biomatrix sampling, homogenization, internal standard addition, deproteination, centrifugation, extraction). The subsequent step is the right optimization of chromatographic conditions providing the required separation selectivity, analysis time and also good compatibility with the MS detection. This is usually not accessible without the employment of the parent drug and synthesized or isolated chemical standards of expected phase I and sometimes also phase II metabolites. The incorporation of additional detectors (photodiode-array UV, fluorescence, polarimetric and others) between the HPLC and MS instruments can result in valuable analytical information supplementing MS results. The relation among the structural changes caused by metabolic reactions and corresponding shifts in the retention behavior in reversed-phase systems is discussed as supporting information for identification of the metabolite. The first and basic step in the interpretation of mass spectra is always the molecular weight (MW) determination based on the presence of protonated molecules [M+H]+ and sometimes adducts with ammonium or alkali-metal ions, observed in the positive-ion full-scan mass spectra. The MW determination can be confirmed by the [M-H]- ion for metabolites providing a signal in negative-ion mass spectra. MS/MS is a worthy tool for further structural characterization because of the occurrence of characteristic fragment ions, either MSn analysis for studying the fragmentation patterns using trap-based analyzers or high mass accuracy measurements for elemental composition determination using time of flight based or Fourier transform mass analyzers. The correlation between typical functional groups found in phase I and phase II drug metabolites and corresponding neutral losses is generalized and illustrated for selected examples. The choice of a suitable ionization technique and polarity mode in relation to the metabolite structure is discussed as well. PMID:18345532

Tailored instructor feedback leads to more effective virtual-reality laparoscopic training.

PubMed

Paschold, M; Huber, T; Zeißig, S R; Lang, H; Kneist, Werner

2014-03-01

Laparoscopic novices begin at different performance levels, and studies on tailored training concepts are warranted. The effect of verbal instructor feedback has been investigated with varying results, and its effectiveness in virtual-reality laparoscopic (VRL) simulations still is unclear. This study aimed to determine whether laparoscopic novices with lower initial performance statuses may profit from training with intensive instructor feedback. A prospective, single-blinded study was performed within a week-long curricular course. In this study, 20 medical students performed a complex bimanual maneuver on a VRL simulator. There was a division in performance levels, with a high-performer group (HPG) that received a better median score and a low-performer group (LPG). During the training phase, only the initial LPG received standardized instructor feedback in a one-to-one setting. The final assessment of skills for both groups involved performing the task without feedback at the end of the course. The HPG and LPG showed significantly different initial performance levels according global and categorized (time, economics, error) scores (p < 0.005). This difference disappeared quickly throughout the instructor feedback phase. The final assessment demonstrated that both groups were at the same level of performance. This is the first study to use a tailored training concept with instructor feedback limited to the LPG. The tailored training was effective and economic for the laparoscopic novices and their teachers.

Factors Associated with Fatality during the Intensive Phase of Anti-Tuberculosis Treatment

PubMed Central

Casals, M.; Caminero, J. A.; García-García, J. M.; Jiménez-Fuentes, M. A.; Medina, J. F.; Millet, J. P.; Ruiz-Manzano, J.; Caylá, J.

2016-01-01

Objective To determine the case-fatality rate (CFR) at the end of the intensive phase of tuberculosis (TB) treatment, and factors associated with fatality. Methods TB patients diagnosed between 2006 and 2013 were followed-up during treatment. We computed the CFR at the end of the intensive phase of TB treatment, and the incidence of death per 100 person-days (pd) of follow-up. We performed survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression, and calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results A total of 5,182 patients were included, of whom 180 (3.5%) died; 87 of these deaths (48.3%) occurred during the intensive phase of treatment, with a CFR of 1.7%. The incidence of death was 0.028/100 pd. The following factors were associated with death during the intensive phase: being >50 years (HR = 36.9;CI:4.8–283.4); being retired (HR = 2.4;CI:1.1–5.1); having visited the emergency department (HR = 3.1;CI:1.2–7.7); HIV infection (HR = 3.4;CI:1.6–7.2); initial standard treatment with 3 drugs (HR = 2.0;CI:1.2–3.3) or non-standard treatments (HR = 2.68;CI:1.36–5.25); comprehension difficulties (HR = 2.8;CI:1.3–6.1); and smear-positive sputum (HR = 2.3-CI:1.0–4.8). Conclusion There is a non-negligible CFR during the intensive phase of TB, whose reduction should be prioritised. The CFR could be a useful indicator for evaluating TB programs. PMID:27487189

Quantitative computer-aided diagnostic algorithm for automated detection of peak lesion attenuation in differentiating clear cell from papillary and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, oncocytoma, and fat-poor angiomyolipoma on multiphasic multidetector computed tomography.

PubMed

Coy, Heidi; Young, Jonathan R; Douek, Michael L; Brown, Matthew S; Sayre, James; Raman, Steven S

2017-07-01

To evaluate the performance of a novel, quantitative computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) algorithm on four-phase multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) to detect peak lesion attenuation to enable differentiation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) from chromophobe RCC (chRCC), papillary RCC (pRCC), oncocytoma, and fat-poor angiomyolipoma (fp-AML). We queried our clinical databases to obtain a cohort of histologically proven renal masses with preoperative MDCT with four phases [unenhanced (U), corticomedullary (CM), nephrographic (NP), and excretory (E)]. A whole lesion 3D contour was obtained in all four phases. The CAD algorithm determined a region of interest (ROI) of peak lesion attenuation within the 3D lesion contour. For comparison, a manual ROI was separately placed in the most enhancing portion of the lesion by visual inspection for a reference standard, and in uninvolved renal cortex. Relative lesion attenuation for both CAD and manual methods was obtained by normalizing the CAD peak lesion attenuation ROI (and the reference standard manually placed ROI) to uninvolved renal cortex with the formula [(peak lesion attenuation ROI - cortex ROI)/cortex ROI] × 100%. ROC analysis and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess diagnostic performance. Bland-Altman analysis was used to compare peak ROI between CAD and manual method. The study cohort comprised 200 patients with 200 unique renal masses: 106 (53%) ccRCC, 32 (16%) oncocytomas, 18 (9%) chRCCs, 34 (17%) pRCCs, and 10 (5%) fp-AMLs. In the CM phase, CAD-derived ROI enabled characterization of ccRCC from chRCC, pRCC, oncocytoma, and fp-AML with AUCs of 0.850 (95% CI 0.732-0.968), 0.959 (95% CI 0.930-0.989), 0.792 (95% CI 0.716-0.869), and 0.825 (95% CI 0.703-0.948), respectively. On Bland-Altman analysis, there was excellent agreement of CAD and manual methods with mean differences between 14 and 26 HU in each phase. A novel, quantitative CAD algorithm enabled robust peak HU lesion detection and discrimination of ccRCC from other renal lesions with similar performance compared to the manual method.

Toward the establishment of standardized in vitro tests for lipid-based formulations. 2. The effect of bile salt concentration and drug loading on the performance of type I, II, IIIA, IIIB, and IV formulations during in vitro digestion.

PubMed

Williams, Hywel D; Anby, Mette U; Sassene, Philip; Kleberg, Karen; Bakala-N'Goma, Jean-Claude; Calderone, Marilyn; Jannin, Vincent; Igonin, Annabel; Partheil, Anette; Marchaud, Delphine; Jule, Eduardo; Vertommen, Jan; Maio, Mario; Blundell, Ross; Benameur, Hassan; Carrière, Frédéric; Müllertz, Anette; Pouton, Colin W; Porter, Christopher J H

2012-11-05

The LFCS Consortium was established to develop standardized in vitro tests for lipid-based formulations (LBFs) and to examine the utility of these tests to probe the fundamental mechanisms that underlie LBF performance. In this publication, the impact of bile salt (sodium taurodeoxycholate, NaTDC) concentration and drug loading on the ability of a range of representative LBFs to generate and sustain drug solubilization and supersaturation during in vitro digestion testing has been explored and a common driver of the potential for drug precipitation identified. Danazol was used as a model poorly water-soluble drug throughout. In general, increasing NaTDC concentrations increased the digestion of the most lipophilic LBFs and promoted lipid (and drug) trafficking from poorly dispersed oil phases to the aqueous colloidal phase (AP(DIGEST)). High NaTDC concentrations showed some capacity to reduce drug precipitation, although, at NaTDC concentrations ≥3 mM, NaTDC effects on either digestion or drug solubilization were modest. In contrast, increasing drug load had a marked impact on drug solubilization. For LBFs containing long-chain lipids, drug precipitation was limited even at drug loads approaching saturation in the formulation and concentrations of solubilized drug in AP(DIGEST) increased with increased drug load. For LBFs containing medium-chain lipids, however, significant precipitation was evident, especially at higher drug loads. Across all formulations a remarkably consistent trend emerged such that the likelihood of precipitation was almost entirely dependent on the maximum supersaturation ratio (SR(M)) attained on initiation of digestion. SR(M) defines the supersaturation "pressure" in the system and is calculated from the maximum attainable concentration in the AP(DIGEST) (assuming zero precipitation), divided by the solubility of the drug in the colloidal phases formed post digestion. For LBFs where phase separation of oil phases did not occur, a threshold value for SR(M) was evident, regardless of formulation composition and drug solubilization reduced markedly above SR(M) > 2.5. The threshold SR(M) may prove to be an effective tool in discriminating between LBFs based on performance.

Guideline for assessing the performance of electric power systems in natural hazard and human threat events

USGS Publications Warehouse

Savage, W.U.; Nishenko, S.P.; Honegger, D.G.; Kempner, L.

2006-01-01

Electric power utilities are familiar with and skilled in preparing for and responding to almost-routine natural hazard events such as strong wind and ice storms and seasonal floods, as well as intentional human acts such as vandalism. Recent extreme weather (hurricanes Katrina and Rita), extremely destructive international earthquakes (in Sumatra and Pakistan), and nation-wide concerns regarding future terrorist attacks have increased the pressure on utilities to take appropriate steps to avoid being overwhelmed by such infrequent and exceedingly severe events. Determining what constitutes the appropriate steps to take requires various levels of understanding of the specific hazards and the risks faced by the utility. The American Lifelines Alliance (www. americanlifelinesalliance.org) has prepared a Guideline that provides clear, concise, and nationally-applicable guidance on determining the scope and level of effort necessary to assess power system performance in the wide range of natural hazard or human threat events. Included in this Guideline are specific procedures to follow and information to consider in performing standardized assessments. With the results of such assessments, utility owners can effectively establish and carry out risk management programs that will lead to achieving appropriate levels of performance in future events. The Guideline incorporates an inquiry-driven process with a two-phase performance assessment that can be applied to power systems of any size. The screening phase enables systems or components that are clearly not at risk to be screened out early. The subsequent analysis phase uses results from the screening phase to prioritize and allocate resources for more detailed assessments of hazard, vulnerability, and system performance. This process helps assure that the scope of the assessment meets the specific performance objectives of the inquiry. A case history is presented to illustrate the type of experience with an inquiry-driven process that was considered in developing the Guideline to meet the diverse needs of utility personnel in engineering, operations, and management. Copyright ASCE 2007.

The efficacy of objective and subjective predictors of driving performance during sleep restriction and circadian misalignment.

PubMed

Kosmadopoulos, Anastasi; Sargent, Charli; Zhou, Xuan; Darwent, David; Matthews, Raymond W; Dawson, Drew; Roach, Gregory D

2017-02-01

Fatigue is a significant contributor to motor-vehicle accidents and fatalities. Shift workers are particularly susceptible to fatigue-related risks as they are often sleep-restricted and required to commute around the clock. Simple assays of performance could provide useful indications of risk in fatigue management, but their effectiveness may be influenced by changes in their sensitivity to sleep loss across the day. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of several neurobehavioral and subjective tasks to sleep restriction (SR) at different circadian phases and their efficacy as predictors of performance during a simulated driving task. Thirty-two volunteers (M±SD; 22.8±2.9 years) were time-isolated for 13-days and participated in one of two 14-h forced desynchrony protocols with sleep opportunities equivalent to 8h/24h (control) or 4h/24h (SR). At regular intervals during wake periods, participants completed a simulated driving task, several neurobehavioral tasks, including the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), and subjective ratings, including a self-assessment measure of ability to perform. Scores transformed into standardized units relative to baseline were folded into circadian phase bins based on core body temperature. Sleep dose and circadian phase effect sizes were derived via mixed models analyses. Predictors of driving were identified with regressions. Performance was most sensitive to sleep restriction around the circadian nadir. The effects of sleep restriction around the circadian nadir were larger for simulated driving and neurobehavioral tasks than for subjective ratings. Tasks did not significantly predict driving performance during the control condition or around the acrophase during the SR condition. The PVT and self-assessed ability were the best predictors of simulated driving across circadian phases during SR. These results show that simple performance measures and self-monitoring explain a large proportion of the variance in driving when fatigue-risk is high. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reversed-phase HPLC analysis of levetiracetam in tablets using monolithic and conventional C18 silica columns.

PubMed

Can, Nafiz O; Arli, Goksel

2010-01-01

Development and validation of an RP-HPLC method for determination of levetiracetam in pharmaceutical tablets is described. The separation and quantification of levetiracetam and caffeine (internal standard) were performed using a single analytical procedure with two different types of stationary phases, conventional Phenomenex Gemini C18 (100 x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) and Merck Chromolith Performance RP18e (100 x 4.6 mm, macropore size 2 mm, micropore size 13 nm) monolithic silica. Five-microliter aliquots of samples were injected into the system and eluted using water-acetonitrile (90 + 10, v/v) mobile phase pumped at the rate of 1 mL/min. The analyte peaks were detected at 200 nm using a diode array detector with adequate resolution. Validation studies were performed using the method recommended by the International Conference on Harmonization, the U.S. Pharmacopeia, and AOAC INTERNATIONAL, which includes accuracy, precision, range, limits, robustness, and system suitability parameters. Levetiracetam and caffeine were detected in about 7 min using the conventional column, whereas less than 5 min was required when the monolithic column was used. Calibration plots had r values close to unity in the range of 0.8-8.0 microg/mL. Assay of levetiracetam in a tablet formulation was demonstrated as an application to real samples.

Particle-laden weakly swirling free jets: Measurements and predictions. Ph.D. Thesis - Pennsylvania State Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bulzan, Daniel L.

1988-01-01

A theoretical and experimental investigation of particle-laden, weakly swirling, turbulent free jets was conducted. Glass particles, having a Sauter mean diameter of 39 microns, with a standard deviation of 15 microns, were used. A single loading ratio (the mass flow rate of particles per unit mass flow rate of air) of 0.2 was used in the experiments. Measurements are reported for three swirl numbers, ranging from 0 to 0.33. The measurements included mean and fluctuating velocities of both phases, and particle mass flux distributions. Measurements were also completed for single-phase non-swirling and swirling jets, as baselines. Measurements were compared with predictions from three types of multiphase flow analysis, as follows: (1) locally homogeneous flow (LHF) where slip between the phases was neglected; (2) deterministic separated flow (DSF), where slip was considered but effects of turbulence/particle interactions were neglected; and (3) stochastic separated flow (SSF), where effects of both interphase slip and turbulence/particle interactions were considered using random sampling for turbulence properties in conjunction with random-walk computations for particle motion. Single-phase weakly swirling jets were considered first. Predictions using a standard k-epsilon turbulence model, as well as two versions modified to account for effects of streamline curvature, were compared with measurements. Predictions using a streamline curvature modification based on the flux Richardson number gave better agreement with measurements for the single-phase swirling jets than the standard k-epsilon model. For the particle-laden jets, the LHF and DSF models did not provide very satisfactory predictions. The LHF model generally overestimated the rate of decay of particle mean axial and angular velocities with streamwise distance, and predicted particle mass fluxes also showed poor agreement with measurements, due to the assumption of no-slip between phases. The DSF model also performed quite poorly for predictions of particle mass flux because turbulent dispersion of the particles was neglected. The SSF model, which accounts for both particle inertia and turbulent dispersion of the particles, yielded reasonably good predictions throughout the flow field for the particle-laden jets.

Hip Preservation Surgery Expectations Survey: A New Method to Measure Patients' Preoperative Expectations.

PubMed

Mancuso, Carol A; Wentzel, Catherine H; Ghomrawi, Hassan M K; Kelly, Bryan T

2017-05-01

To develop a patient-derived expectations survey for hip preservation surgery. Patients were eligible if they were undergoing primary hip surgery and were recruited in person or by telephone. The survey was developed in 3 phases. During phase 1, 64 patients were interviewed preoperatively and asked open-ended questions about their expectations of surgery; a draft survey was assembled by categorizing responses. During phase 2, the survey was administered twice to another group of 50 patients preoperatively to assess test-retest reliability and concordance was measured with weighted kappa values and intraclass correlations. All patients also completed valid standard hip surveys electronically. During phase 3, final items were selected, factor analysis was performed, and a scoring system was developed. In phase 1, 509 expectations were volunteered from which 21 distinct categories were discerned and became the items for the draft survey. In phase 2, the draft survey was completed twice, 4 days apart. In phase 3, all 21 items were retained for the final survey addressing pain, mobility, sports, resumption of active lifestyles, future function, and psychological well-being. An overall score is calculated from the number of items expected and the amount of improvement expected, and ranges from 0 to 100; higher is more expectations. For phase 2 patients, mean scores for both administrations were 82, Cronbach alpha coefficients were 0.88 and 0.91, and the intraclass correlation was 0.92. A higher score (i.e., greater expectations) was associated with worse hip condition measured by standard hip surveys (P ≤ .05). We developed a patient-derived survey that is valid, reliable, and addresses a spectrum of expectations. The survey generates an overall score that is easy to calculate and interpret and offers a practical and comprehensive way to record patients' preoperative expectations. Level II, prognostic study, prospective sample. Copyright © 2016 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-performance liquid chromatography ultraviolet-photodiode array detection method for aflatoxin B1 in cattle feed supplements

PubMed Central

Mochamad, Lazuardi; Hermanto, Bambang

2017-01-01

Aim: The objective of the current study is to determine the concentration of aflatoxin B1 using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a photodiode array (PDA) detector. Materials and Methods: Aflatoxin B1 certified reference grade from Trilogy Analytical Laboratory dissolved acetonitrile (ACN) at 10 µg/mL was using standard assessment. HPLC instruments such as ultraviolet-PDA detector used a Shimadzu LC-6AD pump with DGU-20A5 degasser, communication module-20A, and PDA detector SPD-M20A with FRC-10A fraction collector. The HPLC was set isocratic method at 354 nm with a reverse-phase ODS C18 column (LiChrospher® 100 RP-18; diameter, 5 µm) under a 20°C controlled column chamber. Rheodyne® sample loops were performed in 20 µL capacities. The mobile phase was performed at fraction 63:26:11 H2O: methanol:ACN at pH 6.8. A total of 1 kg of feed contained 10% bread crumbs and 30% concentrated, 40% forage, and 20% soybean dregs were using commercials samples. Samples were extracted by ACN and separated with solid phase extraction ODS 1 mL than elution with mobile phase to collect at drying samples performed. The samples were ready to use after added 1 mL mobile phase than injected into the system of HPLC. Results: We found that the retention time of aflatoxin B1 was approximately 10.858 min. Linearity of 0.01-0.08 µg/mL aflatoxin B1 dissolved in mobile phase was obtained at R2=0.9. These results demonstrate that these methods can be used to analyze aflatoxin B1 and gain 89-99% recovery. The limit of detection of this assay was obtained at 3.5 × 10−6 µg/mL. Conclusion: This method was easy to apply and suitable to analyzing at small concentrations of aflatoxin B1 in formulated product of feed cattle. PMID:28919686

Procedure for and results of simultaneous determination of aromatic hydrocarbons and fatty acid methyl esters in diesel fuels by high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Kamiński, M; Gilgenast, E; Przyjazny, A; Romanik, G

2006-07-28

The content of aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel fuels is regulated by appropriate standards, and a further reduction in the allowed concentration of these hazardous substances in these fuels is expected. The content of aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel fuels is most often determined using standard methods EN-12916 or ASTM D-6591. The content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is determined from a single peak obtained using normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC), a column of the NH2 type, n-heptane as the eluent, refractive index detector (RID) and backflushing of the eluent. However, the methods mentioned above cannot be applied when the fuel contains fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), which lately has become more common. The content of FAME in diesel oils is determined using mid-IR spectrophotometry based on the absorption of carbonyl group. However, no standard procedure for the determination of classes of aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel fuels containing FAME is yet available. The present work describes such a modification of methods EN-12916/ASTM D-6591 that provides a simultaneous determination of individual groups of aromatic hydrocarbons, total content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the FAME content in diesel fuels. The refractive index detector (RID) and n-heptane as the mobile phase are still used, but backflushing of the eluent is applied after the elution of all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Additionally, ultraviolet diode array detection is used for the exact determination of low contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and to confirm the presence of FAME in the analyzed fuel.

Multi-Phase Field Models and Microstructural Evolution with Applications in Fuel Cell Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Ryan Scott

The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has shown tremendous potential as an efficient energy conversion device that may be instrumental in the transition to renewable resources. However, commercialization is hindered by many degradation mechanisms that plague long term stability. In this dissertation, computation methods are used to explore the relationship between the microstructure of the fuel cell anode and performance critical metrics. The phase field method and standard modeling procedures are introduced using a classic model of spinodal decomposition. This is further developed into a complete, multi-phase modeling framework designed for the complex microstructural evolution of SOFC anode systems. High-temperature coarsening of the metallic phase in the state-of-the-art SOFC cermet anode is investigated using our phase field model. A systematic study into the effects of interface properties on microstructural evolution is accomplished by altering the contact angle between constituent phases. It is found that metrics of catalytic activity and conductivity display undesirable minima near the contact angle of conventional SOFC materials. These results suggest that tailoring the interface properties of the constituent phases could lead to a significant increase in the performance and lifetime of SOFCs. Supported-metal catalyst systems are investigated in the first detailed study of their long-term stability and application to SOFC anode design. Porous support structures are numerically sintered to mimic specific fabrication techniques, and these structures are then infiltrated with a nanoscale catalyst phase ranging from 2% to 21% loading. Initially, these systems exhibit enhanced potential for catalytic activity relative to conventional cells. However, extended evolution results in severe degradation, and we show that Ostwald ripening and particle migration are key kinetic processes. Strong geometric heterogeneity in the support structure via a novel approach to nanopore formation is proposed as a potential solution for catalyst stabilization.

[Determination of seven phenoxyacid herbicides in environmental water by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with three phase hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction].

PubMed

Peng, Xiaojun; Pang, Jinshan; Deng, Aihua

2011-12-01

A novel method for the simultaneous determination of seven phenoxyacid herbicides such as dicamba, fluroxypyr, 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA), 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 2,4-dichlorophenoxybutyric acid (2,4-DB) and 4-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) butyric acid (MCPB) in environmental water by three phase hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed. In order to optimize the experimental conditions, the orthogonal test has been used. The effects of extraction solvent, pH of the donor phase and acceptor phase, extraction time, stirring speed and salt concentration on the detection were investigated. The optimal experimental conditions were as follows: octanol as organic solvent, pH 3 of donor phase, pH 12 of acceptor phase, extraction time of 30 min, stirring speed of 400 r/min. The results showed that the proposed method provided a wide linear range for 7 phenoxyacid herbicides with correlation coefficients of 0.995 3 - 0.998 8. The detection limits ranged from 0.2 to 1.0 microg/L. The enrichment factors were in the range of 76.7 - 121. The recoveries were in the range of 68% - 104% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 8.1% for the environmental water samples. The method has the advantages of sensitivity, simplicity, fastness and the use of very small amounts of organic solvent. The method can meet the requirements of the determination of trace phenoxyacid herbicides in the environmental water samples, and the study provided a useful method for the analysis of trace substances in water samples.

Linear programming phase unwrapping for dual-wavelength digital holography.

PubMed

Wang, Zhaomin; Jiao, Jiannan; Qu, Weijuan; Yang, Fang; Li, Hongru; Tian, Ailing; Asundi, Anand

2017-01-20

A linear programming phase unwrapping method in dual-wavelength digital holography is proposed and verified experimentally. The proposed method uses the square of height difference as a convergence standard and theoretically gives the boundary condition in a searching process. A simulation was performed by unwrapping step structures at different levels of Gaussian noise. As a result, our method is capable of recovering the discontinuities accurately. It is robust and straightforward. In the experiment, a microelectromechanical systems sample and a cylindrical lens were measured separately. The testing results were in good agreement with true values. Moreover, the proposed method is applicable not only in digital holography but also in other dual-wavelength interferometric techniques.

Spiral MRI on a 9.4T Vertical-bore Superconducting Magnet Using Unshielded and Self-shielded Gradient Coils

PubMed Central

Kodama, Nao; Setoi, Ayana; Kose, Katsumi

2018-01-01

Spiral MRI sequences were developed for a 9.4T vertical standard bore (54 mm) superconducting magnet using unshielded and self-shielded gradient coils. Clear spiral images with 64-shot scan were obtained with the self-shielded gradient coil, but severe shading artifacts were observed for the spiral-scan images acquired with the unshielded gradient coil. This shading artifact was successfully corrected with a phase-correction technique using reference scans that we developed based on eddy current field measurements. We therefore concluded that spiral imaging sequences can be installed even for unshielded gradient coils if phase corrections are performed using the reference scans. PMID:28367906

Spiral MRI on a 9.4T Vertical-bore Superconducting Magnet Using Unshielded and Self-shielded Gradient Coils.

PubMed

Kodama, Nao; Setoi, Ayana; Kose, Katsumi

2018-04-10

Spiral MRI sequences were developed for a 9.4T vertical standard bore (54 mm) superconducting magnet using unshielded and self-shielded gradient coils. Clear spiral images with 64-shot scan were obtained with the self-shielded gradient coil, but severe shading artifacts were observed for the spiral-scan images acquired with the unshielded gradient coil. This shading artifact was successfully corrected with a phase-correction technique using reference scans that we developed based on eddy current field measurements. We therefore concluded that spiral imaging sequences can be installed even for unshielded gradient coils if phase corrections are performed using the reference scans.

Fluorous Parallel Synthesis of A Hydantoin/Thiohydantoin Library

PubMed Central

Lu, Yimin; Zhang, Wei

2007-01-01

Fluorous tagging strategy is applied to solution-phase parallel synthesis of a library containing hydantoin and thiohydantoin analogs. Two perfluoroalkyl (Rf)-tagged α-amino esters each react with 6 aromatic aldehydes under reductive amination conditions. Twelve amino esters then each react with 10 isocyanates and isothiocyanates in parallel. The resulting 120 ureas and thioureas undergo spontaneous cyclization to form the corresponding hydantoins and thiohydantoins. The intermediate and final product purifications are performed with solid-phase extraction (SPE) over FluoroFlash™ cartridges, no chromatography is required. Using standard instruments and straightforward SPE technique, one chemist accomplished the 120-member library synthesis in less than 5 working days, including starting material synthesis and product analysis. PMID:15789556

Spectrally pure RF photonic source based on a resonant optical hyper-parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, W.; Eliyahu, D.; Matsko, A. B.; Ilchenko, V. S.; Seidel, D.; Maleki, L.

2014-03-01

We demonstrate a free running 10 GHz microresonator-based RF photonic hyper-parametric oscillator characterized with phase noise better than -60 dBc/Hz at 10 Hz, -90 dBc/Hz at 100 Hz, and -150 dBc/Hz at 10 MHz. The device consumes less than 25 mW of optical power. A correlation between the frequency of the continuous wave laser pumping the nonlinear resonator and the generated RF frequency is confirmed. The performance of the device is compared with the performance of a standard optical fiber based coupled opto-electronic oscillator of OEwaves.

High-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry determination of sodium ferulate in human plasma.

PubMed

Yang, Cheng; Tian, Yuan; Zhang, Zunjian; Xu, Fengguo; Chen, Yun

2007-02-19

A selective and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method has been developed for the determination of sodium ferulate in human plasma. The sample preparation was a liquid-liquid extraction and chromatographic separation was achieved with an Agilent ZORBAX SB-C(18) (3.5 microm, 100 mm x 3.0 mm) column, using a mobile phase of methanol-0.05% acetic acid 40:60 (v/v). Standard curves were linear (r(2)=0.9982) over the concentration range of 0.007-4.63 nM/ml and had acceptable accuracy and precision. The within- and between-batch precisions were within 12% relative standard deviation. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.007 nM/ml. The validated HPLC-ESI-MS method has been used successfully to study sodium ferulate pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and bioequivalence in 20 healthy volunteers.

Experimental and computational thermochemical study and solid-phase structure of 5,5-dimethylbarbituric acid.

PubMed

Roux, María Victoria; Notario, Rafael; Foces-Foces, Concepción; Temprado, Manuel; Ros, Francisco; Emel'yanenko, Vladimir N; Verevkin, Sergey P

2010-03-18

This paper reports an experimental and computational thermochemical study on 5,5-dimethylbarbituric acid and the solid-phase structure of the compound. The value of the standard (p(o) = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpy of formation in the gas phase at T = 298.15 K has been determined. The energy of combustion was measured by static bomb combustion calorimetry, and from the result obtained, the standard molar enthalpy of formation in the crystalline state at T = 298.15 K was calculated as -(706.4 +/- 2.2) kJ x mol(-1). The enthalpy of sublimation was determined using a transference (transpiration) method in a saturated NB(2) stream, and a value of the enthalpy of sublimation at T = 298.15 K was derived as (115.8 +/- 0.5) kJ x mol(-1). From these results a value of -(590.6 +/- 2.3) kJ x mol(-1) for the gas-phase enthalpy of formation at T = 298.15 K was determined. Theoretical calculations at the G3 level were performed, and a study on molecular and electronic structure of the compound has been carried out. Calculated enthalpies of formation are in reasonable agreement with the experimental value. 5,5-Dimethylbarbituric acid was characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In the crystal structure, N-H...O=C hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of ribbons connected further by weak C-H...O=C hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network. The molecular and supramolecular structures observed in the solid state were also investigated in the gas phase by DFT calculations.

Validation of a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of free amino acids in rice using l-theanine as the internal standard.

PubMed

Liyanaarachchi, G V V; Mahanama, K R R; Somasiri, H P P S; Punyasiri, P A N

2018-02-01

The study presents the validation results of the method carried out for analysis of free amino acids (FAAs) in rice using l-theanine as the internal standard (IS) with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) reagent using high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection. The detection and quantification limits of the method were in the range 2-16μmol/kg and 3-19μmol/kg respectively. The method had a wide working range from 25 to 600μmol/kg for each individual amino acid, and good linearity with regression coefficients greater than 0.999. Precision measured in terms of repeatability and reproducibility, expressed as percentage relative standard deviation (% RSD) was below 9% for all the amino acids analyzed. The recoveries obtained after fortification at three concentration levels were in the range 75-105%. In comparison to l-norvaline, findings revealed that l-theanine is suitable as an IS and the validated method can be used for FAA determination in rice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of 4-nonylphenol and 4-octylphenol in human blood samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with multi-electrode electrochemical coulometric-array detection.

PubMed

Inoue, K; Yoshimura, Y; Makino, T; Nakazawa, H

2000-11-01

Alkylphenols can affect human health because they disrupt the endocrine system. In this study, an analytical method for determining trace amounts of 4-nonylphenol (NP) and 4-octylphenol (OP) in human blood samples was developed. Reversed-phase HPLC with multi-electrode electrochemical coulometric-array detection was used for the determination of NP and OP in plasma and serum samples prepared with a solid-phase extraction method. The separation was achieved using an isocratic mobile phase of 0.7% phosphoric acid-acetonitrile with a C18 reversed phase column. The detection limits of NP and OP were 1.0 and 0.5 ng ml-1, respectively. The recoveries of NP and OP added to human plasma samples were above 70.0% with a relative standard deviation of less than 15.5%. The method was found to be applicable to the determination of NP and OP in various human blood samples such as serum and plasma.

Single-photon test of hyper-complex quantum theories using a metamaterial.

PubMed

Procopio, Lorenzo M; Rozema, Lee A; Wong, Zi Jing; Hamel, Deny R; O'Brien, Kevin; Zhang, Xiang; Dakić, Borivoje; Walther, Philip

2017-04-21

In standard quantum mechanics, complex numbers are used to describe the wavefunction. Although this has so far proven sufficient to predict experimental results, there is no theoretical reason to choose them over real numbers or generalizations of complex numbers, that is, hyper-complex numbers. Experiments performed to date have proven that real numbers are insufficient, but the need for hyper-complex numbers remains an open question. Here we experimentally probe hyper-complex quantum theories, studying one of their deviations from complex quantum theory: the non-commutativity of phases. We do so by passing single photons through a Sagnac interferometer containing both a metamaterial with a negative refractive index, and a positive phase shifter. To accomplish this we engineered a fishnet metamaterial to have a negative refractive index at 780 nm. We show that the metamaterial phase commutes with other phases with high precision, allowing us to place limits on a particular prediction of hyper-complex quantum theories.

Single-photon test of hyper-complex quantum theories using a metamaterial

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

Procopio, Lorenzo M.; Rozema, Lee A.; Wong, Zi Jing

In standard quantum mechanics, complex numbers are used to describe the wavefunction. Although this has so far proven sufficient to predict experimental results, there is no theoretical reason to choose them over real numbers or generalizations of complex numbers, that is, hyper-complex numbers. Experiments performed to date have proven that real numbers are insufficient, but the need for hyper-complex numbers remains an open question. Here we experimentally probe hyper-complex quantum theories, studying one of their deviations from complex quantum theory: the non-commutativity of phases. We do so by passing single photons through a Sagnac interferometer containing both a metamaterial withmore » a negative refractive index, and a positive phase shifter. In order to accomplish this we engineered a fishnet metamaterial to have a negative refractive index at 780 nm. Here, we show that the metamaterial phase commutes with other phases with high precision, allowing us to place limits on a particular prediction of hyper-complex quantum theories.« less

Single-photon test of hyper-complex quantum theories using a metamaterial

DOE PAGES

Procopio, Lorenzo M.; Rozema, Lee A.; Wong, Zi Jing; ...

2017-04-21

In standard quantum mechanics, complex numbers are used to describe the wavefunction. Although this has so far proven sufficient to predict experimental results, there is no theoretical reason to choose them over real numbers or generalizations of complex numbers, that is, hyper-complex numbers. Experiments performed to date have proven that real numbers are insufficient, but the need for hyper-complex numbers remains an open question. Here we experimentally probe hyper-complex quantum theories, studying one of their deviations from complex quantum theory: the non-commutativity of phases. We do so by passing single photons through a Sagnac interferometer containing both a metamaterial withmore » a negative refractive index, and a positive phase shifter. In order to accomplish this we engineered a fishnet metamaterial to have a negative refractive index at 780 nm. Here, we show that the metamaterial phase commutes with other phases with high precision, allowing us to place limits on a particular prediction of hyper-complex quantum theories.« less

Phase-based, high spatial resolution and distributed, static and dynamic strain sensing using Brillouin dynamic gratings in optical fibers.

PubMed

Bergman, Arik; Langer, Tomi; Tur, Moshe

2017-03-06

A novel technique combining Brillouin phase-shift measurements with Brillouin dynamic gratings (BDGs) reflectometry in polarization-maintaining fibers is presented here for the first time. While a direct measurement of the optical phase in standard BDG setups is impractical due to non-local phase contributions, their detrimental effect is reduced by ~4 orders of magnitude through the coherent addition of Stokes and anti-Stokes reflections from two counter-propagating BDGs in the fiber. The technique advantageously combines the high-spatial-resolution of BDGs reflectometry with the increased tolerance to optical power fluctuations of phasorial measurements, to enhance the performance of fiber-optic strain sensors. We demonstrate a distributed measurement (20cm spatial-resolution) of both static and dynamic (5kHz of vibrations at a sampling rate of 1MHz) strain fields acting on the fiber, in good agreement with theory and (for the static case) with the results of commercial reflectometers.

Single-photon test of hyper-complex quantum theories using a metamaterial

PubMed Central

Procopio, Lorenzo M.; Rozema, Lee A.; Wong, Zi Jing; Hamel, Deny R.; O'Brien, Kevin; Zhang, Xiang; Dakić, Borivoje; Walther, Philip

2017-01-01

In standard quantum mechanics, complex numbers are used to describe the wavefunction. Although this has so far proven sufficient to predict experimental results, there is no theoretical reason to choose them over real numbers or generalizations of complex numbers, that is, hyper-complex numbers. Experiments performed to date have proven that real numbers are insufficient, but the need for hyper-complex numbers remains an open question. Here we experimentally probe hyper-complex quantum theories, studying one of their deviations from complex quantum theory: the non-commutativity of phases. We do so by passing single photons through a Sagnac interferometer containing both a metamaterial with a negative refractive index, and a positive phase shifter. To accomplish this we engineered a fishnet metamaterial to have a negative refractive index at 780 nm. We show that the metamaterial phase commutes with other phases with high precision, allowing us to place limits on a particular prediction of hyper-complex quantum theories. PMID:28429711

Field induced ferromagnetic fraction enlargement in phase separated La_0.5Ca_0.5MnO_3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghivelder, Luis; Freitas, R. S.; Sacanel, J.; Parisi, F.; Levy, P.

2001-03-01

A systematic study of the magnetic and transport properties of a series of phase separated La_0.5Ca_0.5MnO3 compounds is reported. The investigated samples all have the same composition but different grain sizes, which modifies the volume fraction of the coexisting ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic charge-ordered (AFM-CO) phases. Magnetoresistance and magnetization measurements were performed with two different experimental procedures: a standard field-cooled cooling (FC) mode, and a second method in which the field is turned on only while measuring each data point, and switched off while cooling the samples. Magnetization and magnetoresistance measurements display big differences when comparing the data obtained with the different procedures. The overall results are interpret in terms of a field induced FM fraction enlargement. In transport measurements this effect yield a percolative transition. Magnetization data shows evidence for the formation of AFM-CO regions within the FM phase. * e-mail: luisghiv@if.ufrj.br

Auditory phase and frequency discrimination: a comparison of nine procedures.

PubMed

Creelman, C D; Macmillan, N A

1979-02-01

Two auditory discrimination tasks were thoroughly investigated: discrimination of frequency differences from a sinusoidal signal of 200 Hz and discrimination of differences in relative phase of mixed sinusoids of 200 Hz and 400 Hz. For each task psychometric functions were constructed for three observers, using nine different psychophysical measurement procedures. These procedures included yes-no, two-interval forced-choice, and various fixed- and variable-standard designs that investigators have used in recent years. The data showed wide ranges of apparent sensitivity. For frequency discrimination, models derived from signal detection theory for each psychophysical procedure seem to account for the performance differences. For phase discrimination the models do not account for the data. We conclude that for some discriminative continua the assumptions of signal detection theory are appropriate, and underlying sensitivity may be derived from raw data by appropriate transformations. For other continua the models of signal detection theory are probably inappropriate; we speculate that phase might be discriminable only on the basis of comparison or change and suggest some tests of our hypothesis.

Crystalline phases by an improved gradient expansion technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carignano, S.; Mannarelli, M.; Anzuini, F.; Benhar, O.

2018-02-01

We develop an innovative technique for studying inhomogeneous phases with a spontaneous broken symmetry. The method relies on the knowledge of the exact form of the free energy in the homogeneous phase and on a specific gradient expansion of the order parameter. We apply this method to quark matter at vanishing temperature and large chemical potential, which is expected to be relevant for astrophysical considerations. The method is remarkably reliable and fast as compared to performing the full numerical diagonalization of the quark Hamiltonian in momentum space and is designed to improve the standard Ginzburg-Landau expansion close to the phase transition points. For definiteness, we focus on inhomogeneous chiral symmetry breaking, accurately reproducing known results for one-dimensional and two-dimensional modulations and examining novel crystalline structures, as well. Consistently with previous results, we find that the energetically favored modulation is the so-called one-dimensional real-kink crystal. We propose a qualitative description of the pairing mechanism to motivate this result.

Gait Partitioning Methods: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Taborri, Juri; Palermo, Eduardo; Rossi, Stefano; Cappa, Paolo

2016-01-01

In the last years, gait phase partitioning has come to be a challenging research topic due to its impact on several applications related to gait technologies. A variety of sensors can be used to feed algorithms for gait phase partitioning, mainly classifiable as wearable or non-wearable. Among wearable sensors, footswitches or foot pressure insoles are generally considered as the gold standard; however, to overcome some inherent limitations of the former, inertial measurement units have become popular in recent decades. Valuable results have been achieved also though electromyography, electroneurography, and ultrasonic sensors. Non-wearable sensors, such as opto-electronic systems along with force platforms, remain the most accurate system to perform gait analysis in an indoor environment. In the present paper we identify, select, and categorize the available methodologies for gait phase detection, analyzing advantages and disadvantages of each solution. Finally, we comparatively examine the obtainable gait phase granularities, the usable computational methodologies and the optimal sensor placements on the targeted body segments. PMID:26751449

Gait Partitioning Methods: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Taborri, Juri; Palermo, Eduardo; Rossi, Stefano; Cappa, Paolo

2016-01-06

In the last years, gait phase partitioning has come to be a challenging research topic due to its impact on several applications related to gait technologies. A variety of sensors can be used to feed algorithms for gait phase partitioning, mainly classifiable as wearable or non-wearable. Among wearable sensors, footswitches or foot pressure insoles are generally considered as the gold standard; however, to overcome some inherent limitations of the former, inertial measurement units have become popular in recent decades. Valuable results have been achieved also though electromyography, electroneurography, and ultrasonic sensors. Non-wearable sensors, such as opto-electronic systems along with force platforms, remain the most accurate system to perform gait analysis in an indoor environment. In the present paper we identify, select, and categorize the available methodologies for gait phase detection, analyzing advantages and disadvantages of each solution. Finally, we comparatively examine the obtainable gait phase granularities, the usable computational methodologies and the optimal sensor placements on the targeted body segments.

Evaluation of the Turkish translation of the Minimal Standard Terminology for Digestive Endoscopy by development of an endoscopic information system.

PubMed

Atalağ, Koray; Bilgen, Semih; Gür, Gürden; Boyacioğlu, Sedat

2007-09-01

There are very few evaluation studies for the Minimal Standard Terminology for Digestive Endoscopy. This study aims to evaluate the usage of the Turkish translation of Minimal Standard Terminology by developing an endoscopic information system. After elicitation of requirements, database modeling and software development were performed. Minimal Standard Terminology driven forms were designed for rapid data entry. The endoscopic report was rapidly created by applying basic Turkish syntax and grammar rules. Entering free text and also editing of final report were possible. After three years of live usage, data analysis was performed and results were evaluated. The system has been used for reporting of all endoscopic examinations. 15,638 valid records were analyzed, including 11,381 esophagogastroduodenoscopies, 2,616 colonoscopies, 1,079 rectoscopies and 562 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies. In accordance with other previous validation studies, the overall usage of Minimal Standard Terminology terms was very high: 85% for examination characteristics, 94% for endoscopic findings and 94% for endoscopic diagnoses. Some new terms, attributes and allowed values were also added for better clinical coverage. Minimal Standard Terminology has been shown to cover a high proportion of routine endoscopy reports. Good user acceptance proves that both the terms and structure of Minimal Standard Terminology were consistent with usual clinical thinking. However, future work on Minimal Standard Terminology is mandatory for better coverage of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies examinations. Technically new software development methodologies have to be sought for lowering cost of development and the maintenance phase. They should also address integration and interoperability of disparate information systems.

Rapid quantification of iodopropynyl butylcarbamate as the preservative in cosmetic formulations using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Frauen, M; Steinhart, H; Rapp, C; Hintze, U

2001-07-01

A simple, rapid and reproducible method for identification and quantification of iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) in different cosmetic formulations is presented. The determination was carried out using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure on a reversed phase column coupled to a single quadrupole mass spectrometer (MS) via an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface. Detection was performed in the positive selected ion-monitoring mode. In methanol/water extracts from different cosmetic formulations a detection limit between 50 and 100 ng/g could be achieved. A routine analytical procedure could be set up with good quantification reliability (relative standard deviation between 0.9 and 2.9%).

Executive overview and introduction to the SMAP information system life-cycle and documentation standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

An overview of the five volume set of Information System Life-Cycle and Documentation Standards is provided with information on its use. The overview covers description, objectives, key definitions, structure and application of the standards, and document structure decisions. These standards were created to provide consistent NASA-wide structures for coordinating, controlling, and documenting the engineering of an information system (hardware, software, and operational procedures components) phase by phase.

New insights in the electroweak phase transition in the NMSSM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Weicong; Kang, Zhaofeng; Shu, Jing; Wu, Peiwen; Yang, Jin Min

2015-01-01

We perform a detailed semianalytical analysis of the electroweak phase transition (EWPT) property in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric standard model, which serves as a good benchmark model in which the 126 GeV Higgs mixes with a singlet. In this case, a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition (SFOEWPT) is achieved by the tree-level effects, and the phase transition strength γc is determined by the vacua energy gap at T =0 . We make an anatomy of the energy gap at both tree level and loop level and extract out a dimensionless phase transition parameter Rκ≡4 κ vs/Aκ, which can replace Aκ in the parameterization and affect the light CP-odd/even Higgs spectra. We find that SFOEWPT only occurs in Rκ˜-1 and positive Rκ≲O (10 ), which in the non-PQ limit case would prefer either a relatively light CP-odd or CP-even Higgs boson ˜(60 ,100 ) GeV , and therefore serves as a smoking gun signal and requires new search strategies at the LHC.

SU-F-R-21: The Stability of Radiomics Features On 4D FDG-PET/CT Images

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

Ma, C

2016-06-15

Purpose: The aim of our study was to perform a stability analysis of 4D PET-derived features in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) based on six different respiratory phases. Methods: The 4D FDG-PET/CT respiratory phases were labeled as T0%, T17%, T33%,T50%, T67%, T83% phases, with the T0% phase approximately corresponding to the normal end-inspiration. Lesions were manually delineated based on fused PET-CT, using a standardized clinical delineation protocol. Six texture parameters were analyzed. Results: Results showed that the majority of assessed features had a low stability such as Homogeneity (0.385–0.416), Dissimilarity (3.707–3.861), Angular two moments (0.013–0.019), Contrast (39.782–49.562), Entropy(4.683–5.002) and Inversemore » differential moment (0.317–0.362) on different respiratory phases. Conclusion: This study suggest that further research of quantitative PET imaging features is warranted with respect to respiratory motion.« less

First-principles study of the phonon, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of B2-phase AlY under high pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Leini; Jian, Zhang; Ning, Wei

2017-12-01

We have investigated the phonon, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of B2-phase AlY under high pressure by performing density functional theory (DFT). The result of phonon band structure shows B2-phase AlY exhibits dynamical stability. Then, the elastic properties of AlY under high pressure have been discussed. The elastic constants of AlY increase monotonically with the increase of the pressure and all the elastic constants meet the mechanical stability standard under high pressure. By analyzing the Poisson’s ratio ν and the value of B/G of AlY, we first predicted that AlY undergoes transformation from brittleness to ductility at 30 GPa and high pressure can improve the ductility. To obtain the thermodynamic properties of B2-phase AlY, the quasi-harmonic Debye model has been employed. Debye temperature ΘD, thermal expansion coefficient α, heat capacity Cp and Grüneisen parameter γ of B2-phase AlY are systematically explored at pressure of 0-75 GPa and temperature of 0-700 K.

Phase noise analysis of a 10-GHz optical injection-locked vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser-based optoelectronic oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coronel, Juan; Varón, Margarita; Rissons, Angélique

2016-09-01

The optical injection locking (OIL) technique is proposed to reduce the phase noise of a carrier generated for a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)-based optoelectronic oscillator. The OIL technique permits the enhancement of the VCSEL direct modulation bandwidth as well as the stabilization of the optical noise of the laser. A 2-km delay line, 10-GHz optical injection-locked VCSEL-based optoelectronic oscillator (OILVBO) was implemented. The internal noise sources of the optoelectronic oscillator components were characterized and analyzed to understand the noise conversion of the system into phase noise in the oscillator carrier. The implemented OILVBO phase noise was -105.7 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz from the carrier; this value agrees well with the performed simulated analysis. From the computed and measured phase noise curves, it is possible to infer the noise processes that take place inside the OILVBO. As a second measurement of the oscillation quality, a time-domain analysis was done through the Allan's standard deviation measurement, reported for first time for an optoelectronic oscillator using the OIL technique.

The Influence of Educational Experience on the Development of Cognitive Skills as Measured in Formal Tests and Experiments: A Case Study from the Mexican States of Yucatan and Quintana Roo. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Donald W.; Cole, Michael

The major purpose of the research reported was to assess whether developmental changes in performance on standard psychological tests may be more a reflection of educational experience than maturation or traditional socialization practices. The investigation was reported in three phases: 1) description of the general and specific experimental…

40 CFR Appendix E to Subpart B of... - The Standard for Automotive Refrigerant Recycling Equipment Intended for Use With Both CFC-12 and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... liquid phase only. 4.2Seat Leakage Test 4.2.1 Valves, including electrically operated solenoid valves, that are used to isolate CFC-12 and HFC-134a refrigerant circuits, shall have a seat leakage rate not... Leakage Test shall be performed at 1.5 times this pressure at an ambient of 24 °C. 4.3Interlocks 4.3...

Thermodynamics of the Sorption of Benzimidazoles on Octadecyl Silica Gel from Water-Methanol Eluents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafigulin, R. V.; Bulanova, A. V.

2018-02-01

The standard enthalpy and entropy component of transferring benzimidazoles from water-methanol solutions to surfaces of octadecyl silica gel are determined using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP HPLC). The dependences between the enthalpy and polarizability of the molecules of the studied benzimidazoles, the enthalpy and the entropy factor are studied, and the influence of the quantitative composition of the water-methanol solution on the enthalpy are studied.

Weight Measurements and Standards for Soldiers, Phase 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle Training Headquarters (H.E.A.L.T.H.) (1). This program was designed to address weight management needs and non-compliance...and safe lifestyle change to sustain healthy weight and performance on a year-round basis. The H.E.A.L.T.H. website was specifically designed to aid...accessed and utilized via Smartphone devices, e.g. Droid, iphone, Blackberry. The launch of the program on Smartphones has enabled field managers

Tissue Adhesives for Battlefield Hemorrhage Control. Phase II.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-04-01

adhesive, it became necessary to identify and quantify the constituents in the preparation solution to ensure accurate production of the agent...weights. Standard 0.05% concentrated solutions of Blue Dextrin (2000K), g-Globulin (150K), Bovine Serum Albumin (66.3K) and Myoglobin (17.6K). Figure 2...34 of the components. These were used later to identify the constituents when placed together in solution. The HPLC analyses were performed with the

Dimensional reduction of the Standard Model coupled to a new singlet scalar field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brauner, Tomáš; Tenkanen, Tuomas V. I.; Tranberg, Anders; Vuorinen, Aleksi; Weir, David J.

2017-03-01

We derive an effective dimensionally reduced theory for the Standard Model augmented by a real singlet scalar. We treat the singlet as a superheavy field and integrate it out, leaving an effective theory involving only the Higgs and SU(2) L × U(1) Y gauge fields, identical to the one studied previously for the Standard Model. This opens up the possibility of efficiently computing the order and strength of the electroweak phase transition, numerically and nonperturbatively, in this extension of the Standard Model. Understanding the phase diagram is crucial for models of electroweak baryogenesis and for studying the production of gravitational waves at thermal phase transitions.

Chitosan-Coated Cinnamon/Oregano-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles to Augment 5-Fluorouracil Cytotoxicity for Colorectal Cancer: Extract Standardization, Nanoparticle Optimization, and Cytotoxicity Evaluation.

PubMed

Kamel, Kamel M; Khalil, Islam A; Rateb, Mostafa E; Elgendy, Hosieny; Elhawary, Seham

2017-09-13

This study aimed to coat lipid-based nanocarriers with chitosan to encapsulate nutraceuticals, minimize opsonization, and facilitate passive-targeting. Phase one was concerned with standardization according to the World Health Organization. Qualitative analysis using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) investigated the active constituents, especially reported cytotoxic agents. Cinnamaldehyde and rosmarinic acid were selected to be quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography. Phase two was aimed to encapsulate both extracts in solid lipid nanoparticles (core) and chitosan (shell) to gain the advantages of both materials properties. The developed experimental model suggested an optimum formulation with 2% lipid, 2.3% surfactant, and 0.4% chitosan to achieve a particle size of 254.77 nm, polydispersity index of 0.28, zeta potential of +15.26, and entrapment efficiency percentage of 77.3% and 69.1% for cinnamon and oregano, respectively. Phase three was focused on the evaluation of cytotoxic activity unencapsulated/encapsulated cinnamon and oregano extracts with/without 5-fluorouracil on HCT-116 cells. This study confirmed the success of the suggested combination with 5-fluorouracil for treating human colon carcinoma with a low dose leading to decreasing side effects and allowing uninterrupted therapy.