Current good manufacturing practice regulation and investigational new drugs. Direct final rule.

PubMed

2006-01-17

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for human drugs, including biological products, to exempt most investigational "Phase 1" drugs from complying with the requirements in FDA's regulations. FDA will instead exercise oversight of production of these drugs under the agency's general statutory CGMP authority and investigational new drug application (IND) authority. In addition, FDA is making available simultaneously with the publication of this direct final rule, a guidance document setting forth recommendations on approaches to CGMP compliance for the exempted Phase 1 drugs. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is publishing a companion proposed rule, under FDA's usual procedure for notice-and-comment rulemaking, to provide a procedural framework to finalize the rule in the event the agency receives any significant adverse comments and withdraws this direct final rule. The companion proposed rule and direct final rule are substantively identical. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled "INDs--Approaches to Complying With CGMP During Phase 1" to provide further guidance on the subject.

76 FR 2253 - TRICARE; Coverage of National Cancer Institute (NCI) Sponsored Phase I Studies

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-13

... works. Phase II studies usually focus on a particular type of cancer. A Phase III trial tests a new drug... Secretary, DoD. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final rule adds coverage of National Cancer Institute (NCI... evaluate how a new drug should be given (by mouth, injected into the blood, or injected into the muscle...

The Phase Rule in a System Subject to a Pressure Gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podladchikov, Yuri; Connolly, James; Powell, Roger; Aardvark, Alberto

2015-04-01

It can be shown by diligent application of Lagrange's method of undetermined multipliers that the phase rule in a system subject to a pressure gradient is: � + 赑 ≥ ρ. We explore the consequence of this important relationship for natural systems.

Explosive synchronization as a process of explosive percolation in dynamical phase space

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiyun; Zou, Yong; Boccaletti, S.; Liu, Zonghua

2014-01-01

Explosive synchronization and explosive percolation are currently two independent phenomena occurring in complex networks, where the former takes place in dynamical phase space while the latter in configuration space. It has been revealed that the mechanism of EP can be explained by the Achlioptas process, where the formation of a giant component is controlled by a suppressive rule. We here introduce an equivalent suppressive rule for ES. Before the critical point of ES, the suppressive rule induces the presence of multiple, small sized, synchronized clusters, while inducing the abrupt formation of a giant cluster of synchronized oscillators at the critical coupling strength. We also show how the explosive character of ES degrades into a second-order phase transition when the suppressive rule is broken. These results suggest that our suppressive rule can be considered as a dynamical counterpart of the Achlioptas process, indicating that ES and EP can be unified into a same framework. PMID:24903808

[Intersection point rule for the retention value with mobile phase composition and boiling point of the homologues and chlorobenzenes in soil leaching column chromatography].

PubMed

Xu, F; Liang, X; Lin, B; Su, F

1999-03-01

Based on the linear retention equation of the logarithm of the capacity factor (logk') vs. the methanol volume fraction (psi) of aqueous binary mobile phase in soil leaching column chromatography, the intersection point rule for the logk' of homologues and weak polar chlorobenzenes, with psi, as well as with boiling point, has been derived due to existence of the similar interactions among solutes of the same series, stationary phase (soil) and eluent (methanol-water). These rules were testified by experimental data of homologues (n-alkylbenzenes, methylbenzenes) and weak polar chlorobenzenes.

Rule-based programming paradigm: a formal basis for biological, chemical and physical computation.

PubMed

Krishnamurthy, V; Krishnamurthy, E V

1999-03-01

A rule-based programming paradigm is described as a formal basis for biological, chemical and physical computations. In this paradigm, the computations are interpreted as the outcome arising out of interaction of elements in an object space. The interactions can create new elements (or same elements with modified attributes) or annihilate old elements according to specific rules. Since the interaction rules are inherently parallel, any number of actions can be performed cooperatively or competitively among the subsets of elements, so that the elements evolve toward an equilibrium or unstable or chaotic state. Such an evolution may retain certain invariant properties of the attributes of the elements. The object space resembles Gibbsian ensemble that corresponds to a distribution of points in the space of positions and momenta (called phase space). It permits the introduction of probabilities in rule applications. As each element of the ensemble changes over time, its phase point is carried into a new phase point. The evolution of this probability cloud in phase space corresponds to a distributed probabilistic computation. Thus, this paradigm can handle tor deterministic exact computation when the initial conditions are exactly specified and the trajectory of evolution is deterministic. Also, it can handle probabilistic mode of computation if we want to derive macroscopic or bulk properties of matter. We also explain how to support this rule-based paradigm using relational-database like query processing and transactions.

A composite phase diagram of structure H hydrates using Schreinemakers' geometric approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mehta, A.P.; Makogon, T.Y.; Burruss, R.C.; Wendlandt, R.F.; Sloan, E.D.

1996-01-01

A composite phase diagram is presented for Structure H (sH) clathrate hydrates. In this work, we derived the reactions occurring among the various phases along each four-phase (Ice/Liquid water, liquid hydrocarbon, vapor, and hydrate) equilibrium line. A powerful method (though seldom used in chemical engineering) for multicomponent equilibria developed by Schreinemakers is applied to determine the relative location of all quadruple (four-phase) lines emanating from three quintuple (five-phase) points. Experimental evidence validating the approximate phase diagram is also provided. The use of Schreinemakers' rules for the development of the phase diagram is novel for hydrates, but these rules may be extended to resolve the phase space of other more complex systems commonly encountered in chemical engineering.

Atomic clusters and atomic surfaces in icosahedral quasicrystals.

PubMed

Quiquandon, Marianne; Portier, Richard; Gratias, Denis

2014-05-01

This paper presents the basic tools commonly used to describe the atomic structures of quasicrystals with a specific focus on the icosahedral phases. After a brief recall of the main properties of quasiperiodic objects, two simple physical rules are discussed that lead one to eventually obtain a surprisingly small number of atomic structures as ideal quasiperiodic models for real quasicrystals. This is due to the fact that the atomic surfaces (ASs) used to describe all known icosahedral phases are located on high-symmetry special points in six-dimensional space. The first rule is maximizing the density using simple polyhedral ASs that leads to two possible sets of ASs according to the value of the six-dimensional lattice parameter A between 0.63 and 0.79 nm. The second rule is maximizing the number of complete orbits of high symmetry to construct as large as possible atomic clusters similar to those observed in complex intermetallic structures and approximant phases. The practical use of these two rules together is demonstrated on two typical examples of icosahedral phases, i-AlMnSi and i-CdRE (RE = Gd, Ho, Tm).

Application of a swarm-based approach for phase unwrapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da S. Maciel, Lucas; Albertazzi G., Armando, Jr.

2014-07-01

An algorithm for phase unwrapping based on swarm intelligence is proposed. The novel approach is based on the emergent behavior of swarms. This behavior is the result of the interactions between independent agents following a simple set of rules and is regarded as fast, flexible and robust. The rules here were designed with two purposes. Firstly, the collective behavior must result in a reliable map of the unwrapped phase. The unwrapping reliability was evaluated by each agent during run-time, based on the quality of the neighboring pixels. In addition, the rule set must result in a behavior that focuses on wrapped regions. Stigmergy and communication rules were implemented in order to enable each agent to seek less worked areas of the image. The agents were modeled as Finite-State Machines. Based on the availability of unwrappable pixels, each agent assumed a different state in order to better adapt itself to the surroundings. The implemented rule set was able to fulfill the requirements on reliability and focused unwrapping. The unwrapped phase map was comparable to those from established methods as the agents were able to reliably evaluate each pixel quality. Also, the unwrapping behavior, being observed in real time, was able to focus on workable areas as the agents communicated in order to find less traveled regions. The results were very positive for such a new approach to the phase unwrapping problem. Finally, the authors see great potential for future developments concerning the flexibility, robustness and processing times of the swarm-based algorithm.

A novel on-line spatial-temporal k-anonymity method for location privacy protection from sequence rules-based inference attacks.

PubMed

Zhang, Haitao; Wu, Chenxue; Chen, Zewei; Liu, Zhao; Zhu, Yunhong

2017-01-01

Analyzing large-scale spatial-temporal k-anonymity datasets recorded in location-based service (LBS) application servers can benefit some LBS applications. However, such analyses can allow adversaries to make inference attacks that cannot be handled by spatial-temporal k-anonymity methods or other methods for protecting sensitive knowledge. In response to this challenge, first we defined a destination location prediction attack model based on privacy-sensitive sequence rules mined from large scale anonymity datasets. Then we proposed a novel on-line spatial-temporal k-anonymity method that can resist such inference attacks. Our anti-attack technique generates new anonymity datasets with awareness of privacy-sensitive sequence rules. The new datasets extend the original sequence database of anonymity datasets to hide the privacy-sensitive rules progressively. The process includes two phases: off-line analysis and on-line application. In the off-line phase, sequence rules are mined from an original sequence database of anonymity datasets, and privacy-sensitive sequence rules are developed by correlating privacy-sensitive spatial regions with spatial grid cells among the sequence rules. In the on-line phase, new anonymity datasets are generated upon LBS requests by adopting specific generalization and avoidance principles to hide the privacy-sensitive sequence rules progressively from the extended sequence anonymity datasets database. We conducted extensive experiments to test the performance of the proposed method, and to explore the influence of the parameter K value. The results demonstrated that our proposed approach is faster and more effective for hiding privacy-sensitive sequence rules in terms of hiding sensitive rules ratios to eliminate inference attacks. Our method also had fewer side effects in terms of generating new sensitive rules ratios than the traditional spatial-temporal k-anonymity method, and had basically the same side effects in terms of non-sensitive rules variation ratios with the traditional spatial-temporal k-anonymity method. Furthermore, we also found the performance variation tendency from the parameter K value, which can help achieve the goal of hiding the maximum number of original sensitive rules while generating a minimum of new sensitive rules and affecting a minimum number of non-sensitive rules.

A novel on-line spatial-temporal k-anonymity method for location privacy protection from sequence rules-based inference attacks

PubMed Central

Wu, Chenxue; Liu, Zhao; Zhu, Yunhong

2017-01-01

Analyzing large-scale spatial-temporal k-anonymity datasets recorded in location-based service (LBS) application servers can benefit some LBS applications. However, such analyses can allow adversaries to make inference attacks that cannot be handled by spatial-temporal k-anonymity methods or other methods for protecting sensitive knowledge. In response to this challenge, first we defined a destination location prediction attack model based on privacy-sensitive sequence rules mined from large scale anonymity datasets. Then we proposed a novel on-line spatial-temporal k-anonymity method that can resist such inference attacks. Our anti-attack technique generates new anonymity datasets with awareness of privacy-sensitive sequence rules. The new datasets extend the original sequence database of anonymity datasets to hide the privacy-sensitive rules progressively. The process includes two phases: off-line analysis and on-line application. In the off-line phase, sequence rules are mined from an original sequence database of anonymity datasets, and privacy-sensitive sequence rules are developed by correlating privacy-sensitive spatial regions with spatial grid cells among the sequence rules. In the on-line phase, new anonymity datasets are generated upon LBS requests by adopting specific generalization and avoidance principles to hide the privacy-sensitive sequence rules progressively from the extended sequence anonymity datasets database. We conducted extensive experiments to test the performance of the proposed method, and to explore the influence of the parameter K value. The results demonstrated that our proposed approach is faster and more effective for hiding privacy-sensitive sequence rules in terms of hiding sensitive rules ratios to eliminate inference attacks. Our method also had fewer side effects in terms of generating new sensitive rules ratios than the traditional spatial-temporal k-anonymity method, and had basically the same side effects in terms of non-sensitive rules variation ratios with the traditional spatial-temporal k-anonymity method. Furthermore, we also found the performance variation tendency from the parameter K value, which can help achieve the goal of hiding the maximum number of original sensitive rules while generating a minimum of new sensitive rules and affecting a minimum number of non-sensitive rules. PMID:28767687

Robust Strategy for Rocket Engine Health Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santi, L. Michael

2001-01-01

Monitoring the health of rocket engine systems is essentially a two-phase process. The acquisition phase involves sensing physical conditions at selected locations, converting physical inputs to electrical signals, conditioning the signals as appropriate to establish scale or filter interference, and recording results in a form that is easy to interpret. The inference phase involves analysis of results from the acquisition phase, comparison of analysis results to established health measures, and assessment of health indications. A variety of analytical tools may be employed in the inference phase of health monitoring. These tools can be separated into three broad categories: statistical, rule based, and model based. Statistical methods can provide excellent comparative measures of engine operating health. They require well-characterized data from an ensemble of "typical" engines, or "golden" data from a specific test assumed to define the operating norm in order to establish reliable comparative measures. Statistical methods are generally suitable for real-time health monitoring because they do not deal with the physical complexities of engine operation. The utility of statistical methods in rocket engine health monitoring is hindered by practical limits on the quantity and quality of available data. This is due to the difficulty and high cost of data acquisition, the limited number of available test engines, and the problem of simulating flight conditions in ground test facilities. In addition, statistical methods incur a penalty for disregarding flow complexity and are therefore limited in their ability to define performance shift causality. Rule based methods infer the health state of the engine system based on comparison of individual measurements or combinations of measurements with defined health norms or rules. This does not mean that rule based methods are necessarily simple. Although binary yes-no health assessment can sometimes be established by relatively simple rules, the causality assignment needed for refined health monitoring often requires an exceptionally complex rule base involving complicated logical maps. Structuring the rule system to be clear and unambiguous can be difficult, and the expert input required to maintain a large logic network and associated rule base can be prohibitive.

77 FR 35862 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; State of Florida: New Source; Review...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-15

... Resource Management, to EPA in two separate SIP revisions on October 19, 2007, and July 1, 2011. These SIP...) Implementation Rule NSR Update Phase II (hereafter referred to as the ``Ozone Implementation NSR Update'' or ``Phase II Rule'') recognizing nitrogen oxide (NO X ) as an ozone precursor, among other requirements. In...

45 CFR 162.1403 - Operating rules for health care claim status transaction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... the following: (a) Except as specified in paragraph (b) of this section, the following CAQH CORE Phase... II CORE 250: Claim Status Rule, version 2.1.0, March 2011, and CORE v5010 Master Companion Guide, 00510, 1.2, March 2011. (Incorporated by reference in § 162.920). (2) Phase II CORE 270: Connectivity...

Limit of validity of Ostwald's rule of stages in a statistical mechanical model of crystallization.

PubMed

Hedges, Lester O; Whitelam, Stephen

2011-10-28

We have only rules of thumb with which to predict how a material will crystallize, chief among which is Ostwald's rule of stages. It states that the first phase to appear upon transformation of a parent phase is the one closest to it in free energy. Although sometimes upheld, the rule is without theoretical foundation and is not universally obeyed, highlighting the need for microscopic understanding of crystallization controls. Here we study in detail the crystallization pathways of a prototypical model of patchy particles. The range of crystallization pathways it exhibits is richer than can be predicted by Ostwald's rule, but a combination of simulation and analytic theory reveals clearly how these pathways are selected by microscopic parameters. Our results suggest strategies for controlling self-assembly pathways in simulation and experiment.

Neural networks supporting switching, hypothesis testing, and rule application

PubMed Central

Liu, Zhiya; Braunlich, Kurt; Wehe, Hillary S.; Seger, Carol A.

2015-01-01

We identified dynamic changes in recruitment of neural connectivity networks across three phases of a flexible rule learning and set-shifting task similar to the Wisconsin Card Sort Task: switching, rule learning via hypothesis testing, and rule application. During fMRI scanning, subjects viewed pairs of stimuli that differed across four dimensions (letter, color, size, screen location), chose one stimulus, and received feedback. Subjects were informed that the correct choice was determined by a simple unidimensional rule, for example “choose the blue letter.” Once each rule had been learned and correctly applied for 4-7 trials, subjects were cued via either negative feedback or visual cues to switch to learning a new rule. Task performance was divided into three phases: Switching (first trial after receiving the switch cue), hypothesis testing (subsequent trials through the last error trial), and rule application (correct responding after the rule was learned). We used both univariate analysis to characterize activity occurring within specific regions of the brain, and a multivariate method, constrained principal component analysis for fMRI (fMRI-CPCA), to investigate how distributed regions coordinate to subserve different processes. As hypothesized, switching was subserved by a limbic network including the ventral striatum, thalamus, and parahippocampal gyrus, in conjunction with cortical salience network regions including the anterior cingulate and frontoinsular cortex. Activity in the ventral striatum was associated with switching regardless of how switching was cued; visually cued shifts were associated with additional visual cortical activity. After switching, as subjects moved into the hypothesis testing phase, a broad fronto-parietal-striatal network (associated with the cognitive control, dorsal attention, and salience networks) increased in activity. This network was sensitive to rule learning speed, with greater extended activity for the slowest learning speed late in the time course of learning. As subjects shifted from hypothesis testing to rule application, activity in this network decreased and activity in the somatomotor and default mode networks increased. PMID:26197092

Neural networks supporting switching, hypothesis testing, and rule application.

PubMed

Liu, Zhiya; Braunlich, Kurt; Wehe, Hillary S; Seger, Carol A

2015-10-01

We identified dynamic changes in recruitment of neural connectivity networks across three phases of a flexible rule learning and set-shifting task similar to the Wisconsin Card Sort Task: switching, rule learning via hypothesis testing, and rule application. During fMRI scanning, subjects viewed pairs of stimuli that differed across four dimensions (letter, color, size, screen location), chose one stimulus, and received feedback. Subjects were informed that the correct choice was determined by a simple unidimensional rule, for example "choose the blue letter". Once each rule had been learned and correctly applied for 4-7 trials, subjects were cued via either negative feedback or visual cues to switch to learning a new rule. Task performance was divided into three phases: Switching (first trial after receiving the switch cue), hypothesis testing (subsequent trials through the last error trial), and rule application (correct responding after the rule was learned). We used both univariate analysis to characterize activity occurring within specific regions of the brain, and a multivariate method, constrained principal component analysis for fMRI (fMRI-CPCA), to investigate how distributed regions coordinate to subserve different processes. As hypothesized, switching was subserved by a limbic network including the ventral striatum, thalamus, and parahippocampal gyrus, in conjunction with cortical salience network regions including the anterior cingulate and frontoinsular cortex. Activity in the ventral striatum was associated with switching regardless of how switching was cued; visually cued shifts were associated with additional visual cortical activity. After switching, as subjects moved into the hypothesis testing phase, a broad fronto-parietal-striatal network (associated with the cognitive control, dorsal attention, and salience networks) increased in activity. This network was sensitive to rule learning speed, with greater extended activity for the slowest learning speed late in the time course of learning. As subjects shifted from hypothesis testing to rule application, activity in this network decreased and activity in the somatomotor and default mode networks increased. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 10857 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-09

... agent. See Exchange Rule 1088, Phase Out of Intermarket Linkage Rules. \\4\\ A Principal Order is an order for the principal account of an Eligible Market Maker and is not a P/A Order. See Exchange Rule 1088...

76 FR 56848 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.; Order Granting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-14

... Rule Change To Amend FINRA Rule 9251 to Explicitly Protect From Discovery Those Documents That Federal... explicitly protect from discovery those documents that federal law prohibits FINRA from disclosing. The... the discovery phase of a disciplinary proceeding. The rule also explicitly shields certain types of...

75 FR 15480 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-29

....cchwallstreet.com . * * * * * 5615. Exemptions from Certain Corporate Governance Requirements This rule provides the exemptions from the corporate governance rules afforded to certain types of Companies, and sets... governance rules to controlled companies and sets forth the phase-in schedule afforded to Companies ceasing...

Sum Rule for a Schiff-Like Dipole Moment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raduta, A. A.; Budaca, R.

The energy-weighted sum rule for an electric dipole transition operator of a Schiff type differs from the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn (TRK) sum rule by several corrective terms which depend on the number of system components, N. For illustration the formalism was applied to the case of Na clusters. One concludes that the random phase approximation (RPA) results for Na clusters obey the modified TRK sum rule.

Accelerating clinical development of HIV vaccine strategies: methodological challenges and considerations in constructing an optimised multi-arm phase I/II trial design.

PubMed

Richert, Laura; Doussau, Adélaïde; Lelièvre, Jean-Daniel; Arnold, Vincent; Rieux, Véronique; Bouakane, Amel; Lévy, Yves; Chêne, Geneviève; Thiébaut, Rodolphe

2014-02-26

Many candidate vaccine strategies against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are under study, but their clinical development is lengthy and iterative. To accelerate HIV vaccine development optimised trial designs are needed. We propose a randomised multi-arm phase I/II design for early stage development of several vaccine strategies, aiming at rapidly discarding those that are unsafe or non-immunogenic. We explored early stage designs to evaluate both the safety and the immunogenicity of four heterologous prime-boost HIV vaccine strategies in parallel. One of the vaccines used as a prime and boost in the different strategies (vaccine 1) has yet to be tested in humans, thus requiring a phase I safety evaluation. However, its toxicity risk is considered minimal based on data from similar vaccines. We newly adapted a randomised phase II trial by integrating an early safety decision rule, emulating that of a phase I study. We evaluated the operating characteristics of the proposed design in simulation studies with either a fixed-sample frequentist or a continuous Bayesian safety decision rule and projected timelines for the trial. We propose a randomised four-arm phase I/II design with two independent binary endpoints for safety and immunogenicity. Immunogenicity evaluation at trial end is based on a single-stage Fleming design per arm, comparing the observed proportion of responders in an immunogenicity screening assay to an unacceptably low proportion, without direct comparisons between arms. Randomisation limits heterogeneity in volunteer characteristics between arms. To avoid exposure of additional participants to an unsafe vaccine during the vaccine boost phase, an early safety decision rule is imposed on the arm starting with vaccine 1 injections. In simulations of the design with either decision rule, the risks of erroneous conclusions were controlled <15%. Flexibility in trial conduct is greater with the continuous Bayesian rule. A 12-month gain in timelines is expected by this optimised design. Other existing designs such as bivariate or seamless phase I/II designs did not offer a clear-cut alternative. By combining phase I and phase II evaluations in a multi-arm trial, the proposed optimised design allows for accelerating early stage clinical development of HIV vaccine strategies.

Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2016. Final rule.

PubMed

2015-08-06

This final rule updates the prospective payment rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for federal fiscal year (FY) 2016 as required by the statute. As required by section 1886(j)(5) of the Act, this rule includes the classification and weighting factors for the IRF PPS's case-mix groups and a description of the methodologies and data used in computing the prospective payment rates for FY 2016. This final rule also finalizes policy changes, including the adoption of an IRF-specific market basket that reflects the cost structures of only IRF providers, a 1-year phase-in of the revised wage index changes, a 3-year phase-out of the rural adjustment for certain IRFs, and revisions and updates to the quality reporting program (QRP).

Predictions for the Dirac C P -violating phase from sum rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgadillo, Luis A.; Everett, Lisa L.; Ramos, Raymundo; Stuart, Alexander J.

2018-05-01

We explore the implications of recent results relating the Dirac C P -violating phase to predicted and measured leptonic mixing angles within a standard set of theoretical scenarios in which charged lepton corrections are responsible for generating a nonzero value of the reactor mixing angle. We employ a full set of leptonic sum rules as required by the unitarity of the lepton mixing matrix, which can be reduced to predictions for the observable mixing angles and the Dirac C P -violating phase in terms of model parameters. These sum rules are investigated within a given set of theoretical scenarios for the neutrino sector diagonalization matrix for several known classes of charged lepton corrections. The results provide explicit maps of the allowed model parameter space within each given scenario and assumed form of charged lepton perturbations.

78 FR 34693 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-10

... Proposed Rule Change To Amend Rule 1000 To Revise the Manner by Which the Exchange Will Phase Out the... ``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II below, which Items have been prepared... the proposed rule change from interested persons. \\1\\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). \\2\\ 15 U.S.C. 78a. \\3\\ 17...

Final Rule for Revised Carbon Monoxide (CO) Standard for Class I and II Nonhandheld New Nonroad Phase 1 Small Spark-Ignition Engines

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Rule published November 13, 1996, addressing the CO emission difference between oxygenated and nonoxygenated fuels that was not reflected when the Agency previously set the CO standard for these nonhandheld engines in a final rule published July 3, 1995.

76 FR 44645 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-26

... Change To Amend FINRA Rule 9251 to Explicitly Protect From Discovery Those Documents That Federal Law... to amend FINRA Rule 9251 to explicitly protect from discovery those documents that federal law... produce to respondents during the discovery phase of a disciplinary proceeding. The rule also explicitly...

Two-phase flows within systems with ambient pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, R. C.; Braun, M. J.; Wheeler, R. L., III; Mullen, R. L.

1985-01-01

In systems where the design inlet and outlet pressures are maintained above the thermodynamic critical pressure, it is often assumed that two phase flows within the system cannot occur. Designers rely on this simple rule of thumb to circumvent problems associated with a highly compressible two phase flow occurring within the supercritical pressure system along with the uncertainties in rotordynamics, load capacity, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermophysical property variations. The simple rule of thumb is adequate in many low power designs but is inadequate for high performance turbomachines and linear systems, where two phase regions can exist even though outlet pressure is greater than critical pressure. Rotordynamic-fluid-mechanic restoring forces depend on momentum differences, and those for a two phase zone can differ significantly from those for a single-phase zone. Using the Reynolds equation the angular velocity, eccentricity, geometry, and ambient conditions are varied to determine the point of two phase flow incipience.

Medicare program; FY 2014 hospice wage index and payment rate update; hospice quality reporting requirements; and updates on payment reform. final rule.

PubMed

2013-08-07

This final rule updates the hospice payment rates and the wage index for fiscal year (FY) 2014, and continues the phase out of the wage index budget neutrality adjustment factor (BNAF). Including the FY 2014 15 percent BNAF reduction, the total 5 year cumulative BNAF reduction in FY 2014 will be 70 percent. The BNAF phase-out will continue with successive 15 percent reductions in FY 2015 and FY 2016. This final rule also clarifies how hospices are to report diagnoses on hospice claims, and provides updates to the public on hospice payment reform. Additionally, this final rule changes the requirements for the hospice quality reporting program by discontinuing currently reported measures and implementing a Hospice Item Set with seven National Quality Forum (NFQ) endorsed measures beginning July 1, 2014, as proposed. Finally, this final rule will implement the hospice Experience of Care Survey on January 1, 2015, as proposed.

Graphical Representations and Cluster Algorithms for Ice Rule Vertex Models.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shtengel, Kirill; Chayes, L.

2002-03-01

We introduce a new class of polymer models which is closely related to loop models, recently a topic of intensive studies. These particular models arise as graphical representations for ice-rule vertex models. The associated cluster algorithms provide a unification and generalisation of most of the existing algorithms. For many lattices, percolation in the polymer models evidently indicates first order phase transitions in the vertex models. Critical phases can be understood as being susceptible to colour symmetry breaking in the polymer models. The analysis includes, but is certainly not limited to the square lattice six-vertex model. In particular, analytic criteria can be found for low temperature phases in other even coordinated 2D lattices such as the triangular lattice, or higher dimensional lattices such as the hyper-cubic lattices of arbitrary dimensionality. Finally, our approach can be generalised to the vertex models that do not obey the ice rule, such as the eight-vertex model.

Recognition of Handwritten Arabic words using a neuro-fuzzy network

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

Boukharouba, Abdelhak; Bennia, Abdelhak

We present a new method for the recognition of handwritten Arabic words based on neuro-fuzzy hybrid network. As a first step, connected components (CCs) of black pixels are detected. Then the system determines which CCs are sub-words and which are stress marks. The stress marks are then isolated and identified separately and the sub-words are segmented into graphemes. Each grapheme is described by topological and statistical features. Fuzzy rules are extracted from training examples by a hybrid learning scheme comprised of two phases: rule generation phase from data using a fuzzy c-means, and rule parameter tuning phase using gradient descentmore » learning. After learning, the network encodes in its topology the essential design parameters of a fuzzy inference system.The contribution of this technique is shown through the significant tests performed on a handwritten Arabic words database.« less

Use of an Explicit Rule Decreases Procrastination in University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Paul E.; Perrin, Christopher J.; Salo, Allen; Deschaine, Elyssa; Johnson, Beth

2016-01-01

The procrastination behavior of students from a small rural university was decreased by presenting them with a rule indicating that a sooner final due date for a writing assignment would be contingent on procrastination during earlier phases of the paper. A counterbalanced AB BA design was used to measure the effects of the rule-based treatment…

Final Rule for Phase 2 Emission Standards for New Nonroad Spark-Ignition Handheld Engines At or Below 19 Kilowatts and Minor Amendments to Emission Requirements Applicable to Small Spark-Ignition Engines and Marine Spark-Ignition Engines

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Rule summary, rule history, CFR citations and additional resources concerning emissions standards for engines principally used in handheld lawn and garden equipment such as trimmers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws.

Bridging the gap between formal and experience-based knowledge for context-aware laparoscopy.

PubMed

Katić, Darko; Schuck, Jürgen; Wekerle, Anna-Laura; Kenngott, Hannes; Müller-Stich, Beat Peter; Dillmann, Rüdiger; Speidel, Stefanie

2016-06-01

Computer assistance is increasingly common in surgery. However, the amount of information is bound to overload processing abilities of surgeons. We propose methods to recognize the current phase of a surgery for context-aware information filtering. The purpose is to select the most suitable subset of information for surgical situations which require special assistance. We combine formal knowledge, represented by an ontology, and experience-based knowledge, represented by training samples, to recognize phases. For this purpose, we have developed two different methods. Firstly, we use formal knowledge about possible phase transitions to create a composition of random forests. Secondly, we propose a method based on cultural optimization to infer formal rules from experience to recognize phases. The proposed methods are compared with a purely formal knowledge-based approach using rules and a purely experience-based one using regular random forests. The comparative evaluation on laparoscopic pancreas resections and adrenalectomies employs a consistent set of quality criteria on clean and noisy input. The rule-based approaches proved best with noisefree data. The random forest-based ones were more robust in the presence of noise. Formal and experience-based knowledge can be successfully combined for robust phase recognition.

Design rules for phase-change materials in data storage applications.

PubMed

Lencer, Dominic; Salinga, Martin; Wuttig, Matthias

2011-05-10

Phase-change materials can rapidly and reversibly be switched between an amorphous and a crystalline phase. Since both phases are characterized by very different optical and electrical properties, these materials can be employed for rewritable optical and electrical data storage. Hence, there are considerable efforts to identify suitable materials, and to optimize them with respect to specific applications. Design rules that can explain why the materials identified so far enable phase-change based devices would hence be very beneficial. This article describes materials that have been successfully employed and dicusses common features regarding both typical structures and bonding mechanisms. It is shown that typical structural motifs and electronic properties can be found in the crystalline state that are indicative for resonant bonding, from which the employed contrast originates. The occurence of resonance is linked to the composition, thus providing a design rule for phase-change materials. This understanding helps to unravel characteristic properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity which are discussed in the subsequent section. Then, turning to the transition kinetics between the phases, the current understanding and modeling of the processes of amorphization and crystallization are discussed. Finally, present approaches for improved high-capacity optical discs and fast non-volatile electrical memories, that hold the potential to succeed present-day's Flash memory, are presented. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Exploring the Clapeyron Equation and the Phase Rule Using a Mechanical Drawing Toy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darvesh, Katherine V.

2013-01-01

The equilibrium between phases is a key concept from the introductory physical chemistry curriculum. Phase diagrams display which phase is the most stable at a given temperature and pressure. If more than one phase has the lowest Gibbs energy, then those phases are in equilibrium under those conditions. An activity designed to demonstrate the…

TARGET's role in knowledge acquisition, engineering, validation, and documentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levi, Keith R.

1994-01-01

We investigate the use of the TARGET task analysis tool for use in the development of rule-based expert systems. We found TARGET to be very helpful in the knowledge acquisition process. It enabled us to perform knowledge acquisition with one knowledge engineer rather than two. In addition, it improved communication between the domain expert and knowledge engineer. We also found it to be useful for both the rule development and refinement phases of the knowledge engineering process. Using the network in these phases required us to develop guidelines that enabled us to easily translate the network into production rules. A significant requirement for TARGET remaining useful throughout the knowledge engineering process was the need to carefully maintain consistency between the network and the rule representations. Maintaining consistency not only benefited the knowledge engineering process, but also has significant payoffs in the areas of validation of the expert system and documentation of the knowledge in the system.

Evaluating MEDEVAC Force Structure Requirements Using an Updated Army Scenario, Total Army Analysis Admission Data, Monte Carlo Simulation, and Theater Structure.

PubMed

Fulton, Lawrence; Kerr, Bernie; Inglis, James M; Brooks, Matthew; Bastian, Nathaniel D

2015-07-01

In this study, we re-evaluate air ambulance requirements (rules of allocation) and planning considerations based on an Army-approved, Theater Army Analysis scenario. A previous study using workload only estimated a requirement of 0.4 to 0.6 aircraft per admission, a significant bolus over existence-based rules. In this updated study, we estimate requirements for Phase III (major combat operations) using a simulation grounded in previously published work and Phase IV (stability operations) based on four rules of allocation: unit existence rules, workload factors, theater structure (geography), and manual input. This study improves upon previous work by including the new air ambulance mission requirements of Department of Defense 51001.1, Roles and Functions of the Services, by expanding the analysis over two phases, and by considering unit rotation requirements known as Army Force Generation based on Department of Defense policy. The recommendations of this study are intended to inform future planning factors and already provided decision support to the Army Aviation Branch in determining force structure requirements. Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Disambiguating ambiguous biomedical terms in biomedical narrative text: an unsupervised method.

PubMed

Liu, H; Lussier, Y A; Friedman, C

2001-08-01

With the growing use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques for information extraction and concept indexing in the biomedical domain, a method that quickly and efficiently assigns the correct sense of an ambiguous biomedical term in a given context is needed concurrently. The current status of word sense disambiguation (WSD) in the biomedical domain is that handcrafted rules are used based on contextual material. The disadvantages of this approach are (i) generating WSD rules manually is a time-consuming and tedious task, (ii) maintenance of rule sets becomes increasingly difficult over time, and (iii) handcrafted rules are often incomplete and perform poorly in new domains comprised of specialized vocabularies and different genres of text. This paper presents a two-phase unsupervised method to build a WSD classifier for an ambiguous biomedical term W. The first phase automatically creates a sense-tagged corpus for W, and the second phase derives a classifier for W using the derived sense-tagged corpus as a training set. A formative experiment was performed, which demonstrated that classifiers trained on the derived sense-tagged corpora achieved an overall accuracy of about 97%, with greater than 90% accuracy for each individual ambiguous term.

QUEST/Ada (query utility environment for software testing of Ada: The development of a program analysis environment for Ada, task 1, phase 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, David B.

1991-01-01

The results of research and development efforts of the first six months of Task 1, Phase 3 of the project are presented. The goals of Phase 3 are: (1) to further refine the rule base and complete the comparative rule base evaluation; (2) to implement and evaluate a concurrency testing prototype; (3) to convert the complete (unit-level and concurrency) testing prototype to a workstation environment; and (4) to provide a prototype development document to facilitate the transfer of research technology to a working environment. These goals were partially met and the results are summarized.

Innate and genetic nature of circadian rhythms

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

Ehret, C.F.

1979-01-01

The field of Circadian Cybernetics is presented as a major new integrating discipline that deals with biological time constants in the temporal range from minutes to days. The essential generalizations that give the field strong predictive power are presented in the form of 3 sets of rules: (1) The Mode Rules; (2) The Period Rules; and (3) The Phase Rules. Within this context the innate and phylogenetically ubiquitous nature of circadian oscillations is comprehended, along with their responses to a wide variety environmental stimuli.

R-charge conservation and more in factorizable and non-factorizable orbifolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bizet, Nana G. Cabo; Kobayashi, Tatsuo; Peña, Damián K. Mayorga; Parameswaran, Susha L.; Schmitz, Matthias; Zavala, Ivonne

2013-05-01

We consider the string theory origin of R-charge conservation laws in heterotic orbifold compactifications, deriving the corresponding string coupling selection rule for factorizable and non-factorizable orbifolds, with prime ordered and non-prime ordered point groups. R-charge conservation arises due to symmetries among the worldsheet instantons that can mediate the couplings. Among our results is a previously missed non-trivial contribution to the conserved R-charges from the γ-phases in non-prime orbifolds, which weakens the R-charge selection rule. Symmetries among the worldsheet instantons can also lead to additional selection rules for some couplings. We make a similar analysis for Rule 4 or the "torus lattice selection rule". Moreover, we identify a new string selection rule, that we call Rule 6 or the "coset vector selection rule".

A Multicenter Program to Implement the Canadian C-Spine Rule by Emergency Department Triage Nurses.

PubMed

Stiell, Ian G; Clement, Catherine M; Lowe, Maureen; Sheehan, Connor; Miller, Jacqueline; Armstrong, Sherry; Bailey, Brenda; Posselwhite, Kerry; Langlais, Jannick; Ruddy, Karin; Thorne, Susan; Armstrong, Alison; Dain, Catherine; Perry, Jeffrey J; Vaillancourt, Christian

2018-05-02

The Canadian C-Spine Rule has been widely applied by emergency physicians to safely reduce use of cervical spine imaging. Our objective is to evaluate the clinical effect and safety of real-time Canadian C-Spine Rule implementation by emergency department (ED) triage nurses to remove cervical spine immobilization. We conducted this multicenter, 2-phase, prospective cohort program at 9 hospital EDs and included alert trauma patients presenting with neck pain or with cervical spine immobilization. During phase 1, ED nurses were trained and then had to demonstrate competence before being certified. During phase 2, certified nurses were empowered by a medical directive to "clear" the cervical spine of patients, allowing them to remove cervical spine immobilization and to triage to a less acute area. The primary outcomes were clinical effect (cervical spine clearance by nurses) and safety (missed clinically important cervical spine injuries). In phase 1, 312 nurses evaluated 3,098 patients. In phase 2, 180 certified nurses enrolled 1,408 patients (mean age 43.1 years, women 52.3%, collision 56.5%, and cervical spine injury 1.1%). In phase 2 and for the 806 immobilized ambulance patients, the primary outcome of immobilization removal by nurses was 41.1% compared with 0% before the program. The primary safety outcome of cervical spine injuries missed by nurses was 0. Time to discharge was reduced by 26.0% (3.4 versus 4.6 hours) for patients who had immobilization removed. In only 1.3% of cases did nurses indicate their discomfort with applying the Canadian C-Spine Rule. We clearly demonstrated that ED triage nurses can successfully implement the Canadian C-Spine Rule, leading to more rapid and comfortable management of patients without any threat to patient safety. Widespread adoption of this approach should improve care and comfort for trauma patients, and could decrease length of stay in our very crowded EDs. Copyright © 2018 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 44893 - Connect America Fund

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-25

...] Connect America Fund AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Final rule; announcement of... collection associated with the Commission's Universal Service--Connect America Fund, Report and Order, 78 FR... requirements. DATES: The rules associated with the Connect America Phase II challenge process published at 78...

Fusion of GFP and phase contrast images with complex shearlet transform and Haar wavelet-based energy rule.

PubMed

Qiu, Chenhui; Wang, Yuanyuan; Guo, Yanen; Xia, Shunren

2018-03-14

Image fusion techniques can integrate the information from different imaging modalities to get a composite image which is more suitable for human visual perception and further image processing tasks. Fusing green fluorescent protein (GFP) and phase contrast images is very important for subcellular localization, functional analysis of protein and genome expression. The fusion method of GFP and phase contrast images based on complex shearlet transform (CST) is proposed in this paper. Firstly the GFP image is converted to IHS model and its intensity component is obtained. Secondly the CST is performed on the intensity component and the phase contrast image to acquire the low-frequency subbands and the high-frequency subbands. Then the high-frequency subbands are merged by the absolute-maximum rule while the low-frequency subbands are merged by the proposed Haar wavelet-based energy (HWE) rule. Finally the fused image is obtained by performing the inverse CST on the merged subbands and conducting IHS-to-RGB conversion. The proposed fusion method is tested on a number of GFP and phase contrast images and compared with several popular image fusion methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed fusion method can provide better fusion results in terms of subjective quality and objective evaluation. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

GENERAL: Scattering Phase Correction for Semiclassical Quantization Rules in Multi-Dimensional Quantum Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wen-Min; Mou, Chung-Yu; Chang, Cheng-Hung

2010-02-01

While the scattering phase for several one-dimensional potentials can be exactly derived, less is known in multi-dimensional quantum systems. This work provides a method to extend the one-dimensional phase knowledge to multi-dimensional quantization rules. The extension is illustrated in the example of Bogomolny's transfer operator method applied in two quantum wells bounded by step potentials of different heights. This generalized semiclassical method accurately determines the energy spectrum of the systems, which indicates the substantial role of the proposed phase correction. Theoretically, the result can be extended to other semiclassical methods, such as Gutzwiller trace formula, dynamical zeta functions, and semiclassical Landauer-Büttiker formula. In practice, this recipe enhances the applicability of semiclassical methods to multi-dimensional quantum systems bounded by general soft potentials.

A clocking discipline for two-phase digital integrated circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noice, D. C.

1983-09-01

Sooner or later a designer of digital circuits must face the problem of timing verification so he can avoid errors caused by clock skew, critical races, and hazards. Unlike previous verification methods, such as timing simulation and timing analysis, the approach presented here guarantees correct operation despite uncertainty about delays in the circuit. The result is a clocking discipline that deals with timing abstractions only. It is not based on delay calculations; it is only concerned with the correct, synchronous operation at some clock rate. Accordingly, it may be used earlier in the design cycle, which is particularly important to integrated circuit designs. The clocking discipline consists of a notation of clocking types, and composition rules for using the types. Together, the notation and rules define a formal theory of two phase clocking. The notation defines the names and exact characteristics for different signals that are used in a two phase digital system. The notation makes it possible to develop rules for propagating the clocking types through particular circuits.

HyFIS: adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems and their application to nonlinear dynamical systems.

PubMed

Kim, J; Kasabov, N

1999-11-01

This paper proposes an adaptive neuro-fuzzy system, HyFIS (Hybrid neural Fuzzy Inference System), for building and optimising fuzzy models. The proposed model introduces the learning power of neural networks to fuzzy logic systems and provides linguistic meaning to the connectionist architectures. Heuristic fuzzy logic rules and input-output fuzzy membership functions can be optimally tuned from training examples by a hybrid learning scheme comprised of two phases: rule generation phase from data; and rule tuning phase using error backpropagation learning scheme for a neural fuzzy system. To illustrate the performance and applicability of the proposed neuro-fuzzy hybrid model, extensive simulation studies of nonlinear complex dynamic systems are carried out. The proposed method can be applied to an on-line incremental adaptive learning for the prediction and control of nonlinear dynamical systems. Two benchmark case studies are used to demonstrate that the proposed HyFIS system is a superior neuro-fuzzy modelling technique.

New EU ETS Phase 4 rules temporarily puncture waterbed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perino, Grischa

2018-04-01

The new rules of the EU ETS will fundamentally change its character. The long-term cap on emissions will become a function of past and future market outcomes, temporarily puncturing the waterbed and having retroactive impacts on GHG abatement from overlapping policies.

Equations for Scoring Rules When Data Are Missing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, Mark

2006-01-01

A document presents equations for scoring rules in a diagnostic and/or prognostic artificial-intelligence software system of the rule-based inference-engine type. The equations define a set of metrics that characterize the evaluation of a rule when data required for the antecedence clause(s) of the rule are missing. The metrics include a primary measure denoted the rule completeness metric (RCM) plus a number of subsidiary measures that contribute to the RCM. The RCM is derived from an analysis of a rule with respect to its truth and a measure of the completeness of its input data. The derivation is such that the truth value of an antecedent is independent of the measure of its completeness. The RCM can be used to compare the degree of completeness of two or more rules with respect to a given set of data. Hence, the RCM can be used as a guide to choosing among rules during the rule-selection phase of operation of the artificial-intelligence system..

The effect of S-wave arrival times on the accuracy of hypocenter estimation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, J.S.; Shedlock, K.M.; Roecker, S.W.

1990-01-01

We have examined the theoretical basis behind some of the widely accepted "rules of thumb' for obtaining accurate hypocenter estimates that pertain to the use of S phases and illustrate, in a variety of ways, why and when these "rules' are applicable. Most methods used to determine earthquake hypocenters are based on iterative, linearized, least-squares algorithms. We examine the influence of S-phase arrival time data on such algorithms by using the program HYPOINVERSE with synthetic datasets. We conclude that a correctly timed S phase recorded within about 1.4 focal depth's distance from the epicenter can be a powerful constraint on focal depth. Furthermore, we demonstrate that even a single incorrectly timed S phase can result in depth estimates and associated measures of uncertainty that are significantly incorrect. -from Authors

Final Rule for Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles - Phase 2

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Rule to finalize standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that would improve fuel efficiency and cut carbon pollution to reduce the impacts of climate change, while bolstering energy security and spurring manufacturing innovation.

Simulation of groundwater flow and saltwater movement in the Onslow County area, North Carolina: predevelopment-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fine, Jason M.; Kuniansky, Eve L.

2014-01-01

Onslow County, North Carolina, is located within the designated Central Coastal Plain Capacity Use Area (CCPCUA). The CCPCUA was designated by law as a result of groundwater level declines of as much as 200 feet during the past four decades within aquifers in rocks of Cretaceous age in the central Coastal Plain of North Carolina and a depletion of water in storage from increased groundwater withdrawals in the area. The declines and depletion of water in storage within the Cretaceous aquifers increase the potential for saltwater migration—both lateral encroachment and upward leakage of brackish water. Within the CCPCUA, a reduction in groundwater withdrawals over a period of 16 years from 2003 to 2018 is mandated. Under the CCPCUA rules, withdrawals in excess of 100,000 gallons per day from any of the Cretaceous aquifer well systems are subject to water-use reductions of as much as 75 percent. To assess the effects of the CCPCUA rules and to assist with groundwater-management decisions, a numerical model was developed to simulate the groundwater flow and chloride concentrations in the surficial Castle Hayne, Beaufort, Peedee, and Black Creek aquifers in the Onslow County area. The model was used to (1) simulate groundwater flow from 1900 to 2010; (2) assess chloride movement throughout the aquifer system; and (3) create hypothetical scenarios of future groundwater development. After calibration of a groundwater flow model and conversion to a variable-density model, five scenarios were created to simulate future groundwater conditions in the Onslow County area: (1) full implementation of the CCPCUA rules with three phases of withdrawal reductions simulated through 2028; (2) implementation of only phase 1 withdrawal reductions of the CCPCUA rules and simulated through 2028; (3) implementation of only phases 1 and 2 withdrawal reductions of the CCPCUA rules and simulated through 2028; (4) full implementation of the CCPCUA rules with the addition of withdrawals from the Castle Hayne aquifer in Onslow County at the fully permitted amount in the final stress period and simulated through 2028; and (5) full implementation of the CCPCUA rules as in scenario 1 except simulated through 2100. Results from the scenarios give an indication of the water-level recovery in the Black Creek aquifer throughout each phase of the CCPCUA rules in Onslow County. Furthermore, as development of the Castle Hayne aquifers was increased in the scenarios, cones of depression were created around pumping centers. Additionally, the scenarios indicated little to no change in chloride concentrations for the time periods simulated.

A random walk rule for phase I clinical trials.

PubMed

Durham, S D; Flournoy, N; Rosenberger, W F

1997-06-01

We describe a family of random walk rules for the sequential allocation of dose levels to patients in a dose-response study, or phase I clinical trial. Patients are sequentially assigned the next higher, same, or next lower dose level according to some probability distribution, which may be determined by ethical considerations as well as the patient's response. It is shown that one can choose these probabilities in order to center dose level assignments unimodally around any target quantile of interest. Estimation of the quantile is discussed; the maximum likelihood estimator and its variance are derived under a two-parameter logistic distribution, and the maximum likelihood estimator is compared with other nonparametric estimators. Random walk rules have clear advantages: they are simple to implement, and finite and asymptotic distribution theory is completely worked out. For a specific random walk rule, we compute finite and asymptotic properties and give examples of its use in planning studies. Having the finite distribution theory available and tractable obviates the need for elaborate simulation studies to analyze the properties of the design. The small sample properties of our rule, as determined by exact theory, compare favorably to those of the continual reassessment method, determined by simulation.

Modeling pedestrian evacuation by means of game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Dongmei; Zhang, Wenyao; Wang, Binghong

2017-04-01

Pedestrian evacuation is studied based on a modified lattice model. The payoff matrix in this model represents the complicated interactions between selfish individuals, and the mean force imposed on an individual is given by considering the impacts of neighbors, walls, and defector herding. Each passer-by moves to his selected location according to the Fermi function, and the average velocity of pedestrian flow is defined as a function of the motion rule. Two pedestrian types are included: cooperators, who adhere to the evacuation instructions; and defectors, who ignore the rules and act individually. It is observed that the escape time increases as fear degree increases, and the system remains smooth for a low fear degree, but exhibits three stages for a high fear degree. We prove that the fear degree determines the dynamics of this system, and the initial density of cooperators has a negligible impact. The system experiences three phases, a single phase of cooperator, a mixed two-phase pedestrian, and a single phase of defector sequentially as the fear degree upgrades. The phase transition has been proven basically robust to the changes of empty site contribution, wall’s pressure, and noise amplitude in the motion rule. It is further shown that pedestrians derive the greatest benefit from overall cooperation, but are trapped in the worst situation if they are all defectors. Dynamics of pedestrian evacuation.

Using pattern enumeration to accelerate process development and ramp yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Linda; Pang, Jenny; Xu, Jessy; Tsai, Mengfeng; Wang, Amy; Zhang, Yifan; Sweis, Jason; Lai, Ya-Chieh; Ding, Hua

2016-03-01

During a new technology node process setup phase, foundries do not initially have enough product chip designs to conduct exhaustive process development. Different operational teams use manually designed simple test keys to set up their process flows and recipes. When the very first version of the design rule manual (DRM) is ready, foundries enter the process development phase where new experiment design data is manually created based on these design rules. However, these IP/test keys contain very uniform or simple design structures. This kind of design normally does not contain critical design structures or process unfriendly design patterns that pass design rule checks but are found to be less manufacturable. It is desired to have a method to generate exhaustive test patterns allowed by design rules at development stage to verify the gap of design rule and process. This paper presents a novel method of how to generate test key patterns which contain known problematic patterns as well as any constructs which designers could possibly draw based on current design rules. The enumerated test key patterns will contain the most critical design structures which are allowed by any particular design rule. A layout profiling method is used to do design chip analysis in order to find potential weak points on new incoming products so fab can take preemptive action to avoid yield loss. It can be achieved by comparing different products and leveraging the knowledge learned from previous manufactured chips to find possible yield detractors.

78 FR 8104 - First Phase of the Forest Planning Process for the Bio-Region; Correction

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-05

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service First Phase of the Forest Planning Process for the Bio-Region; Correction AGENCY: USDA, Forest Service. ACTION: Notice; correction. SUMMARY: The Department of... rule entitled First Phase of the Forest Planning Process for the Bio-Region. The document contained...

Final Rule for Phase 1 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA and NHTSA, on behalf of the Department of Transportation, have each finalized rules to establish a comprehensive Heavy-Duty National Program that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption for heavy-duty highway vehicles.

Economic Impacts of the Category 3 Marine Rule on Great Lakes Shipping

EPA Science Inventory

This is a scenario-based economic assessment of the impacts of EPA’s Category 3 Marine Diesel Engines Rule on certain cargo movements in the Great Lakes shipping network. During the proposed phase of the rulemaking, Congress recommended that EPA conduct such a study, and EPA wil...

Managerial Innovation: Rules for Successful Implementation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldridge, J. Victor

1980-01-01

The Higher Education Research Institute studied the impact of Exxon Foundation grants from the Resource Allocation and Management Program (RAMP) at 49 private colleges to determine if and how college planning and financial stability were affected by changes in management techniques. Rules for supporting innovations at various phases of a project's…

Study on Transfer Rules of Coal Reservoir Pressure Drop Based on Coalbed Methane Well Drainage Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuhang, X.

2017-12-01

A pumping test was carried out to explore the transfer rules of pressure drop in coal reservoir during the drainage. The experiment was divided into three stages. In the first stage, the pump displacement of 3m3/h was used to reduce the bottom hole flowing pressure and stopped until the continuous gas phase was produced; Undertaking the first stage, in the second stage, when the gas phase was continuously produced, the pump was stopped immediately. As the bottom hole flowing pressure going up without gas phase, pumping started again for a week. In the third stage ,the well pumping was carried out at the bottom hole pressure drop rate of 30Kpa/d after two months' recovery. Combined with the data of regional geology and fractured well, taking the characteristics of macroscopic coal rocks, development of pore and fracture in coal and isothermal adsorption test as the background, the features of reservoir output in each stage of the experiment were analyzed and compared, and then the transfer rules of pressure drop contained in the differences of the output was studied further. In the first and third stage of the experiment, the output of liquid phase was much larger than the space volume of coal reservoir pore and fracture in the range of 100m2. In the second stage, the output of the continuous gas phase appeared around 0.7Mpa when the continuous gas phase appears below the critical desorption pressure of 0.25Mpa during the whole experiment. The results indicate that, the transfer of pressure drop in the coal reservoir of this well is mainly horizontal, and the liquid phase produced in the reservoir mainly comes from the recharge of the reservoir at the far end of the relative high pressure area; the adsorption space of coalbed methane in the coal matrix as well as the main migration channel of fluid in the reservoir doesn't belong to the same pressure system and there exists the communication barrier between them. In addition, the increasing of the effective stress has little influence on the communication between these two systems. The definition of transfer rules in coal reservoir pressure drop, also the understanding of the correlation between the rules and characteristics of the reservoir output has great guiding significance to the establishment of pressure drop system in coalbed methane well as well as the analysis of production problems.

Effect of crystallographic orientations of grains on the global mechanical properties of steel sheets by depth sensing indentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burik, P.; Pesek, L.; Kejzlar, P.; Andrsova, Z.; Zubko, P.

2017-01-01

The main idea of this work is using a physical model to prepare a virtual material with required properties. The model is based on the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties. The macroscopic (global) mechanical properties of steel are highly dependent upon microstructure, crystallographic orientation of grains, distribution of each phase present, etc... We need to know the local mechanical properties of each phase separately in multiphase materials. The grain size is a scale, where local mechanical properties are responsible for the behavior. Nanomechanical testing using depth sensing indentation (DSI) provides a straightforward solution for quantitatively characterizing each of phases in microstructure because it is very powerful technique for characterization of materials in small volumes. The aim of this experimental investigation is: (i) to prove how the mixing rule works for local mechanical properties (indentation hardness HIT) in microstructure scale using the DSI technique on steel sheets with different microstructure; (ii) to compare measured global properties with properties achieved by mixing rule; (iii) to analyze the effect of crystallographic orientations of grains on the mixing rule.

Associative memory in an analog iterated-map neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcus, C. M.; Waugh, F. R.; Westervelt, R. M.

1990-03-01

The behavior of an analog neural network with parallel dynamics is studied analytically and numerically for two associative-memory learning algorithms, the Hebb rule and the pseudoinverse rule. Phase diagrams in the parameter space of analog gain β and storage ratio α are presented. For both learning rules, the networks have large ``recall'' phases in which retrieval states exist and convergence to a fixed point is guaranteed by a global stability criterion. We also demonstrate numerically that using a reduced analog gain increases the probability of recall starting from a random initial state. This phenomenon is comparable to thermal annealing used to escape local minima but has the advantage of being deterministic, and therefore easily implemented in electronic hardware. Similarities and differences between analog neural networks and networks with two-state neurons at finite temperature are also discussed.

Cellular compartmentation follows rules: The Schnepf theorem, its consequences and exceptions: A biological membrane separates a plasmatic from a non-plasmatic phase.

PubMed

Moog, Daniel; Maier, Uwe G

2017-08-01

Is the spatial organization of membranes and compartments within cells subjected to any rules? Cellular compartmentation differs between prokaryotic and eukaryotic life, because it is present to a high degree only in eukaryotes. In 1964, Prof. Eberhard Schnepf formulated the compartmentation rule (Schnepf theorem), which posits that a biological membrane, the main physical structure responsible for cellular compartmentation, usually separates a plasmatic form a non-plasmatic phase. Here we review and re-investigate the Schnepf theorem by applying the theorem to different cellular structures, from bacterial cells to eukaryotes with their organelles and compartments. In conclusion, we can confirm the general correctness of the Schnepf theorem, noting explicit exceptions only in special cases such as endosymbiosis and parasitism. © 2017 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

The Effect of Electronic Structure on the Phases Present in High Entropy Alloys

PubMed Central

Leong, Zhaoyuan; Wróbel, Jan S.; Dudarev, Sergei L.; Goodall, Russell; Todd, Iain; Nguyen-Manh, Duc

2017-01-01

Multicomponent systems, termed High Entropy Alloys (HEAs), with predominantly single solid solution phases are a current area of focus in alloy development. Although different empirical rules have been introduced to understand phase formation and determine what the dominant phases may be in these systems, experimental investigation has revealed that in many cases their structure is not a single solid solution phase, and that the rules may not accurately distinguish the stability of the phase boundaries. Here, a combined modelling and experimental approach that looks into the electronic structure is proposed to improve accuracy of the predictions of the majority phase. To do this, the Rigid Band model is generalised for magnetic systems in prediction of the majority phase most likely to be found. Good agreement is found when the predictions are confronted with data from experiments, including a new magnetic HEA system (CoFeNiV). This also includes predicting the structural transition with varying levels of constituent elements, as a function of the valence electron concentration, n, obtained from the integrated spin-polarised density of states. This method is suitable as a new predictive technique to identify compositions for further screening, in particular for magnetic HEAs. PMID:28059106

The Effect of Electronic Structure on the Phases Present in High Entropy Alloys.

PubMed

Leong, Zhaoyuan; Wróbel, Jan S; Dudarev, Sergei L; Goodall, Russell; Todd, Iain; Nguyen-Manh, Duc

2017-01-06

Multicomponent systems, termed High Entropy Alloys (HEAs), with predominantly single solid solution phases are a current area of focus in alloy development. Although different empirical rules have been introduced to understand phase formation and determine what the dominant phases may be in these systems, experimental investigation has revealed that in many cases their structure is not a single solid solution phase, and that the rules may not accurately distinguish the stability of the phase boundaries. Here, a combined modelling and experimental approach that looks into the electronic structure is proposed to improve accuracy of the predictions of the majority phase. To do this, the Rigid Band model is generalised for magnetic systems in prediction of the majority phase most likely to be found. Good agreement is found when the predictions are confronted with data from experiments, including a new magnetic HEA system (CoFeNiV). This also includes predicting the structural transition with varying levels of constituent elements, as a function of the valence electron concentration, n, obtained from the integrated spin-polarised density of states. This method is suitable as a new predictive technique to identify compositions for further screening, in particular for magnetic HEAs.

Density profiles of the exclusive queuing process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arita, Chikashi; Schadschneider, Andreas

2012-12-01

The exclusive queuing process (EQP) incorporates the exclusion principle into classic queuing models. It is characterized by, in addition to the entrance probability α and exit probability β, a third parameter: the hopping probability p. The EQP can be interpreted as an exclusion process of variable system length. Its phase diagram in the parameter space (α,β) is divided into a convergent phase and a divergent phase by a critical line which consists of a curved part and a straight part. Here we extend previous studies of this phase diagram. We identify subphases in the divergent phase, which can be distinguished by means of the shape of the density profile, and determine the velocity of the system length growth. This is done for EQPs with different update rules (parallel, backward sequential and continuous time). We also investigate the dynamics of the system length and the number of customers on the critical line. They are diffusive or subdiffusive with non-universal exponents that also depend on the update rules.

Phase transition to a two-peak phase in an information-cascade voting experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Shintaro; Hisakado, Masato; Takahashi, Taiki

2012-08-01

Observational learning is an important information aggregation mechanism. However, it occasionally leads to a state in which an entire population chooses a suboptimal option. When this occurs and whether it is a phase transition remain unanswered. To address these questions we perform a voting experiment in which subjects answer a two-choice quiz sequentially with and without information about the prior subjects’ choices. The subjects who could copy others are called herders. We obtain a microscopic rule regarding how herders copy others. Varying the ratio of herders leads to qualitative changes in the macroscopic behavior of about 50 subjects in the experiment. If the ratio is small, the sequence of choices rapidly converges to the correct one. As the ratio approaches 100%, convergence becomes extremely slow and information aggregation almost terminates. A simulation study of a stochastic model for 106 subjects based on the herder’s microscopic rule shows a phase transition to the two-peak phase, where the convergence completely terminates as the ratio exceeds some critical value.

The topological pressure-temperature phase diagram of ritonavir, an extraordinary case of crystalline dimorphism.

PubMed

Céolin, R; Rietveld, I B

2015-01-01

A topological pressure-temperature phase diagram involving the phase relationships of ritonavir forms I and II has been constructed using experimental calorimetric and volumetric data available from the literature. The triple point I-II-liquid is located at a temperature of about 407 K and a pressure as extraordinarily small as 17.5 MPa (175 bar). Thus, the less soluble solid phase (form II) will become metastable on increasing pressure. At room temperature, form I becomes stable around 100 MPa indicating that form II may turn into form I at a relatively low pressure of 1000 bar, which may occur under processing conditions such as mixing or grinding. This case is a good example for which a proper thermodynamic evaluation trumps "rules of thumb" such as the density rule. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

SKOLAR MD: A Model for Self-Directed, In-Context Continuing Medical Education

PubMed Central

Strasberg, Howard R.; Rindfleisch, Thomas C.; Hardy, Steven

2003-01-01

INTRODUCTION SKOLAR has implemented a web-based CME program with which physicians can earn AMA Category 1 credit for self-directed learning. METHODS Physicians researched their questions in SKOLAR and applied for CME. Physician auditors reviewed all requests across two phases of the project. A selection rule set was derived from phase one and used in phase two to flag a subset of requests for detailed review. The selection rule set is described. RESULTS In phase one, SKOLAR received 1039 CME applications. Applicants frequently found their answer (94%) and would apply it clinically (93%). A linear regression analysis comparing time awarded to time requested (capped at actual time spent) had R2=0.79. DISCUSSION We believe that hat this self-directed approach to CME is effective and an important complement to traditional CME programs. However, selective audit of self-directed CME requests is necessary to ensure validity of credits awarded. PMID:14728250

The RiverFish Approach to Business Process Modeling: Linking Business Steps to Control-Flow Patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuliane, Devanir; Oikawa, Marcio K.; Malkowski, Simon; Alcazar, José Perez; Ferreira, João Eduardo

Despite the recent advances in the area of Business Process Management (BPM), today’s business processes have largely been implemented without clearly defined conceptual modeling. This results in growing difficulties for identification, maintenance, and reuse of rules, processes, and control-flow patterns. To mitigate these problems in future implementations, we propose a new approach to business process modeling using conceptual schemas, which represent hierarchies of concepts for rules and processes shared among collaborating information systems. This methodology bridges the gap between conceptual model description and identification of actual control-flow patterns for workflow implementation. We identify modeling guidelines that are characterized by clear phase separation, step-by-step execution, and process building through diagrams and tables. The separation of business process modeling in seven mutually exclusive phases clearly delimits information technology from business expertise. The sequential execution of these phases leads to the step-by-step creation of complex control-flow graphs. The process model is refined through intuitive table and diagram generation in each phase. Not only does the rigorous application of our modeling framework minimize the impact of rule and process changes, but it also facilitates the identification and maintenance of control-flow patterns in BPM-based information system architectures.

Problem Solving Software: What Does It Teach?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffield, Judith A.

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) for teaching problem solving skills. It was conducted in three phases. During the first phase, two pieces of problem solving software, "The King's Rule" and "Safari Search," were identified and analyzed. During the second phase, two groups of six…

An injection-locked OEO based frequency doubler independent of electrical doubler phase noise deteriorating rule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Zhengyang; Zheng, Xiaoping; Li, Shangyuan; Yan, Haozhe; Xiao, Xuedi; Xue, Xiaoxiao

2018-06-01

We propose an injection-locked optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) based wide-band frequency doubler, which is free from phase noise deterioration in electrical doubler, by using a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DPMZM). Through adjusting the optical phase shifts in different arms of the DPMZM, the doubling signal oscillates in the OEO loop while the fundamental signal takes on phase modulation over the light and vanishes at photo-detector (PD) output. By controlling power of fundamental signal the restriction of phase-noise deterioration rule in electrical doubler is totally canceled. Experimental results show that the doubler output has a better phase noise value of, for example, -117 dBc/Hz @ 10 kHz at 6 GHz with an improvement more than 17 dB and 23 dB compared with that of fundamental input and electrical doubler, respectively. Besides, the stability of this doubler output can reach to 1 . 5 × 10-14 at 1000 s averaging time. The frequency range of doubling signal is limited by the bandwidth of electrical amplifier in OEO loop.

76 FR 51439 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; National Stock Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-18

...., International Securities Exchange LLC, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, New York Stock Exchange LLC, NYSE Amex LLC... Pause Pilot rules of the Markets to include all remaining NMS stocks (``Phase III Securities'').\\9\\ The... Organizations; National Stock Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule...

Common ground: An environmental ethic for Los Alamos National Laboratory

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

Menlove, F.L.

1991-01-01

Three predominant philosophies have characterized American business ethical thinking over the past several decades. The first phase is the ethics of self-interest'' which argues that maximizing self-interest coincidentally maximizes the common good. The second phase is legality ethics.'' Proponents argue that what is important is knowing the rules and following them scrupulously. The third phase might be called stake-holder ethics.'' A central tenant is that everyone affected by a decision has a moral hold on the decision maker. This paper will discuss one recent initiative of the Los Alamos National Laboratory to move beyond rules and regulations toward an environmentalmore » ethic that integrates the values of stakeholder ethics'' into the Laboratory's historical culture and value systems. These Common Ground Principles are described. 11 refs.« less

Prediction of Phase Formation in Nanoscale Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Min; Lv, Bailin

2016-01-01

In a dynamic nonequilibrium process, the effective heat of formation allows the heat of formation to be calculated as a function of concentrations of the reacting atoms. In this work, we used the effective heat of formation rule to predict the formation and size of compound phases in a nanoscale Sn-Ag-Cu lead-free solder. We calculated the formation enthalpy and effective formation enthalpy of compounds in the Sn-Ag, Sn-Cu, and Ag-Cu systems by using the Miedema model and effective heat of formation. Our results show that, considering the surface effect of the nanoparticle, the effective heat of formation rule successfully predicts the phase formation and sizes of Ag3Sn and Cu6Sn5 compounds, which agrees well with experimental data.

Rules for Phase Shifts of Quantum Oscillations in Topological Nodal-Line Semimetals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cequn; Wang, C. M.; Wan, Bo; Wan, Xiangang; Lu, Hai-Zhou; Xie, X. C.

2018-04-01

Nodal-line semimetals are topological semimetals in which band touchings form nodal lines or rings. Around a loop that encloses a nodal line, an electron can accumulate a nontrivial π Berry phase, so the phase shift in the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation may give a transport signature for the nodal-line semimetals. However, different experiments have reported contradictory phase shifts, in particular, in the WHM nodal-line semimetals (W =Zr /Hf , H =Si /Ge , M =S /Se /Te ). For a generic model of nodal-line semimetals, we present a systematic calculation for the SdH oscillation of resistivity under a magnetic field normal to the nodal-line plane. From the analytical result of the resistivity, we extract general rules to determine the phase shifts for arbitrary cases and apply them to ZrSiS and Cu3 PdN systems. Depending on the magnetic field directions, carrier types, and cross sections of the Fermi surface, the phase shift shows rich results, quite different from those for normal electrons and Weyl fermions. Our results may help explore transport signatures of topological nodal-line semimetals and can be generalized to other topological phases of matter.

ORTHO-PARA SELECTION RULES IN THE GAS-PHASE CHEMISTRY OF INTERSTELLAR AMMONIA

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

Faure, A.; Hily-Blant, P.; Le Gal, R.

The ortho-para chemistry of ammonia in the cold interstellar medium is investigated using a gas-phase chemical network. Branching ratios for the primary reaction chain involved in the formation and destruction of ortho- and para-NH{sub 3} were derived using angular momentum rules based on the conservation of the nuclear spin. We show that the 'anomalous' ortho-to-para ratio of ammonia ({approx}0.7) observed in various interstellar regions is in fact consistent with nuclear spin selection rules in a para-enriched H{sub 2} gas. This ratio is found to be independent of temperature in the range 5-30 K. We also predict an ortho-to-para ratio ofmore » {approx}2.3 for NH{sub 2}. We conclude that a low ortho-to-para ratio of H{sub 2} naturally drives the ortho-to-para ratios of nitrogen hydrides below the statistical values.« less

26 CFR 1.861-13T - Transition rules for interest expenses (temporary regulations).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...-in fraction is the general phase-in amount over the current year average debt level of the affiliated... pro rata by the relative amount of interest expense that is directly allocated. (b) General phase-in... does not exceed the general phase-in amount, as defined in paragraph (b)(2) of this section. (2...

26 CFR 1.861-13T - Transition rules for interest expenses (temporary regulations).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...-in fraction is the general phase-in amount over the current year average debt level of the affiliated... pro rata by the relative amount of interest expense that is directly allocated. (b) General phase-in... does not exceed the general phase-in amount, as defined in paragraph (b)(2) of this section. (2...

40 CFR 790.50 - Submission of study plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Submission of study plans. 790.50..., Enforcement, and Modification of Test Rules § 790.50 Submission of study plans. (a) Who must submit study... of a single phase test rule as described in § 790.40(b)(1) must submit study plans for those tests...

40 CFR 790.50 - Submission of study plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Submission of study plans. 790.50..., Enforcement, and Modification of Test Rules § 790.50 Submission of study plans. (a) Who must submit study... of a single phase test rule as described in § 790.40(b)(1) must submit study plans for those tests...

77 FR 14297 - Connect America Fund; a National Broadband Plan for Our Future; Establishing Just and Reasonable...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-09

... Reduction Act requirements, and finds good cause to delete certain rules that are now obsolete. DATES... Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) requirements, and finds good cause to delete certain rules that are now... CAF phase I support,'' but excludes Interstate Common Line Support (ICLS) on the basis that it...

Strong disorder real-space renormalization for the many-body-localized phase of random Majorana models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monthus, Cécile

2018-03-01

For the many-body-localized phase of random Majorana models, a general strong disorder real-space renormalization procedure known as RSRG-X (Pekker et al 2014 Phys. Rev. X 4 011052) is described to produce the whole set of excited states, via the iterative construction of the local integrals of motion (LIOMs). The RG rules are then explicitly derived for arbitrary quadratic Hamiltonians (free-fermions models) and for the Kitaev chain with local interactions involving even numbers of consecutive Majorana fermions. The emphasis is put on the advantages of the Majorana language over the usual quantum spin language to formulate unified RSRG-X rules.

Phase transitions in the q -voter model with noise on a duplex clique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chmiel, Anna; Sznajd-Weron, Katarzyna

2015-11-01

We study a nonlinear q -voter model with stochastic noise, interpreted in the social context as independence, on a duplex network. To study the role of the multilevelness in this model we propose three methods of transferring the model from a mono- to a multiplex network. They take into account two criteria: one related to the status of independence (LOCAL vs GLOBAL) and one related to peer pressure (AND vs OR). In order to examine the influence of the presence of more than one level in the social network, we perform simulations on a particularly simple multiplex: a duplex clique, which consists of two fully overlapped complete graphs (cliques). Solving numerically the rate equation and simultaneously conducting Monte Carlo simulations, we provide evidence that even a simple rearrangement into a duplex topology may lead to significant changes in the observed behavior. However, qualitative changes in the phase transitions can be observed for only one of the considered rules: LOCAL&AND. For this rule the phase transition becomes discontinuous for q =5 , whereas for a monoplex such behavior is observed for q =6 . Interestingly, only this rule admits construction of realistic variants of the model, in line with recent social experiments.

A Rule-Based System Implementing a Method for Translating FOL Formulas into NL Sentences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mpagouli, Aikaterini; Hatzilygeroudis, Ioannis

In this paper, we mainly present the implementation of a system that translates first order logic (FOL) formulas into natural language (NL) sentences. The motivation comes from an intelligent tutoring system teaching logic as a knowledge representation language, where it is used as a means for feedback to the students-users. FOL to NL conversion is achieved by using a rule-based approach, where we exploit the pattern matching capabilities of rules. So, the system consists of rule-based modules corresponding to the phases of our translation methodology. Facts are used in a lexicon providing lexical and grammatical information that helps in producing the NL sentences. The whole system is implemented in Jess, a java-implemented rule-based programming tool. Experimental results confirm the success of our choices.

The expert explorer: a tool for hospital data visualization and adverse drug event rules validation.

PubMed

Băceanu, Adrian; Atasiei, Ionuţ; Chazard, Emmanuel; Leroy, Nicolas

2009-01-01

An important part of adverse drug events (ADEs) detection is the validation of the clinical cases and the assessment of the decision rules to detect ADEs. For that purpose, a software called "Expert Explorer" has been designed by Ideea Advertising. Anonymized datasets have been extracted from hospitals into a common repository. The tool has 3 main features. (1) It can display hospital stays in a visual and comprehensive way (diagnoses, drugs, lab results, etc.) using tables and pretty charts. (2) It allows designing and executing dashboards in order to generate knowledge about ADEs. (3) It finally allows uploading decision rules obtained from data mining. Experts can then review the rules, the hospital stays that match the rules, and finally give their advice thanks to specialized forms. Then the rules can be validated, invalidated, or improved (knowledge elicitation phase).

77 FR 28423 - Final Rule To Implement the 1997 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-14

...The EPA is revising the rules for implementing the 1997 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) to address certain limited portions of the rules vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This final rule assigns Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) classifications and associated state planning and control requirements to selected ozone nonattainment areas. This final rule also addresses three vacated provisions of the 1997 8-hour NAAQS--Phase 1 Implementation Rule (April 30, 2004) that provided exemptions from the anti-backsliding requirements relating to nonattainment area New Source Review (NSR), CAA section 185 penalty fees, and contingency measures, as these three requirements applied for the 1-hour standard. This rule also reinstates the 1-hour contingency measures as applicable requirements that must be retained until the area attains the 1997 8- hour ozone standard. Finally, this rule deletes an obsolete provision that stayed the EPA's authority to revoke the 1-hour ozone standard pending the Agency's issuance of a final rule that revises or reinstates its revocation authority and considers and addresses certain other issues. That rule has now been issued.

Conway's Game of Life is a near-critical metastable state in the multiverse of cellular automata.

PubMed

Reia, Sandro M; Kinouchi, Osame

2014-05-01

Conway's cellular automaton Game of Life has been conjectured to be a critical (or quasicritical) dynamical system. This criticality is generally seen as a continuous order-disorder transition in cellular automata (CA) rule space. Life's mean-field return map predicts an absorbing vacuum phase (ρ = 0) and an active phase density, with ρ = 0.37, which contrasts with Life's absorbing states in a square lattice, which have a stationary density of ρ(2D) ≈ 0.03. Here, we study and classify mean-field maps for 6144 outer-totalistic CA and compare them with the corresponding behavior found in the square lattice. We show that the single-site mean-field approach gives qualitative (and even quantitative) predictions for most of them. The transition region in rule space seems to correspond to a nonequilibrium discontinuous absorbing phase transition instead of a continuous order-disorder one. We claim that Life is a quasicritical nucleation process where vacuum phase domains invade the alive phase. Therefore, Life is not at the "border of chaos," but thrives on the "border of extinction."

Phase collapse and revival of a 1-mode Bose-Einstein condensate induced by an off-resonant optical probe field and superselection rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arruda, L. G. E.; Prataviera, G. A.; de Oliveira, M. C.

2018-02-01

Phase collapse and revival for Bose-Einstein condensates are nonlinear phenomena appearing due to atomic collisions. While it has been observed in a general setting involving many modes, for one-mode condensates its occurrence is forbidden by the particle number superselection rule (SSR), which arises because there is no phase reference available. We consider a single mode atomic Bose-Einstein condensate interacting with an off-resonant optical probe field. We show that the condensate phase revival time is dependent on the atom-light interaction, allowing optical control on the atomic collapse and revival dynamics. Incoherent effects over the condensate phase are included by considering a continuous photo-detection over the probe field. We consider conditioned and unconditioned photo-counting events and verify that no extra control upon the condensate is achieved by the probe photo-detection, while further inference of the atomic system statistics is allowed leading to a useful test of the SSR on particle number and its imposition on the kind of physical condensate state.

Conway's game of life is a near-critical metastable state in the multiverse of cellular automata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reia, Sandro M.; Kinouchi, Osame

2014-05-01

Conway's cellular automaton Game of Life has been conjectured to be a critical (or quasicritical) dynamical system. This criticality is generally seen as a continuous order-disorder transition in cellular automata (CA) rule space. Life's mean-field return map predicts an absorbing vacuum phase (ρ =0) and an active phase density, with ρ =0.37, which contrasts with Life's absorbing states in a square lattice, which have a stationary density of ρ2D≈0.03. Here, we study and classify mean-field maps for 6144 outer-totalistic CA and compare them with the corresponding behavior found in the square lattice. We show that the single-site mean-field approach gives qualitative (and even quantitative) predictions for most of them. The transition region in rule space seems to correspond to a nonequilibrium discontinuous absorbing phase transition instead of a continuous order-disorder one. We claim that Life is a quasicritical nucleation process where vacuum phase domains invade the alive phase. Therefore, Life is not at the "border of chaos," but thrives on the "border of extinction."

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.

The solid-solution region for the langasite-type Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 crystal as determined by a lever rule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Hengyu; Uda, Satoshi; Maeda, Kensaku; Nozawa, Jun; Koizumi, Haruhiko; Fujiwara, Kozo

2015-04-01

A lever rule was applied to data concerning the compositions and proportions of secondary phases coexisting with a Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 (CTGS) matrix to determine the boundary compositions of the solid-solution region for CTGS at 1320 °C, as a means of ascertaining the solid-solution for the langasite-type phase in the quaternary CaO-Ta2O5-Ga2O3-SiO2 system. The compositions and proportions of secondary phases were assessed by electron probe micro-analysis as well as through back-scattered electron images. The experimental results showed that the narrow solid-solution region for CTGS is located in a Ta-poor, Ga-poor and Si-rich region relative to its stoichiometric composition.

Use of an explicit rule decreases procrastination in university students.

PubMed

Johnson, Paul E; Perrin, Christopher J; Salo, Allen; Deschaine, Elyssa; Johnson, Beth

2016-06-01

The procrastination behavior of students from a small rural university was decreased by presenting them with a rule indicating that a sooner final due date for a writing assignment would be contingent on procrastination during earlier phases of the paper. A counterbalanced AB BA design was used to measure the effects of the rule-based treatment across 2 introductory psychology classes (N = 33). Overall, participants engaged in less procrastination, missed fewer deadlines, and produced higher quality writing in the treatment condition. © 2016 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

77 FR 33498 - Joint Industry Plans; Order Approving, on a Pilot Basis, the National Market System Plan To...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-06

... pilot program, which was implemented through a series of rule filings by the Exchanges and FINRA. This... as a one-year pilot program in two Phases. Phase I of the Plan would be implemented immediately...

14 CFR 135.338 - Qualifications: Flight instructors (aircraft) and flight instructors (simulator).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) Has satisfactorily completed the training phases for the aircraft, including recurrent training, that... satisfactorily completed the appropriate training phases for the aircraft, including recurrent training, that are... AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Training § 135.338 Qualifications: Flight...

Programming molecular self-assembly of intrinsically disordered proteins containing sequences of low complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Joseph R.; Carroll, Nick J.; Rubinstein, Michael; Chilkoti, Ashutosh; López, Gabriel P.

2017-06-01

Dynamic protein-rich intracellular structures that contain phase-separated intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) composed of sequences of low complexity (SLC) have been shown to serve a variety of important cellular functions, which include signalling, compartmentalization and stabilization. However, our understanding of these structures and our ability to synthesize models of them have been limited. We present design rules for IDPs possessing SLCs that phase separate into diverse assemblies within droplet microenvironments. Using theoretical analyses, we interpret the phase behaviour of archetypal IDP sequences and demonstrate the rational design of a vast library of multicomponent protein-rich structures that ranges from uniform nano-, meso- and microscale puncta (distinct protein droplets) to multilayered orthogonally phase-separated granular structures. The ability to predict and program IDP-rich assemblies in this fashion offers new insights into (1) genetic-to-molecular-to-macroscale relationships that encode hierarchical IDP assemblies, (2) design rules of such assemblies in cell biology and (3) molecular-level engineering of self-assembled recombinant IDP-rich materials.

Unbiased estimation in seamless phase II/III trials with unequal treatment effect variances and hypothesis-driven selection rules.

PubMed

Robertson, David S; Prevost, A Toby; Bowden, Jack

2016-09-30

Seamless phase II/III clinical trials offer an efficient way to select an experimental treatment and perform confirmatory analysis within a single trial. However, combining the data from both stages in the final analysis can induce bias into the estimates of treatment effects. Methods for bias adjustment developed thus far have made restrictive assumptions about the design and selection rules followed. In order to address these shortcomings, we apply recent methodological advances to derive the uniformly minimum variance conditionally unbiased estimator for two-stage seamless phase II/III trials. Our framework allows for the precision of the treatment arm estimates to take arbitrary values, can be utilised for all treatments that are taken forward to phase III and is applicable when the decision to select or drop treatment arms is driven by a multiplicity-adjusted hypothesis testing procedure. © 2016 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2016 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of the influence of dominance rules for the assembly line design problem under consideration of product design alternatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oesterle, Jonathan; Lionel, Amodeo

2018-06-01

The current competitive situation increases the importance of realistically estimating product costs during the early phases of product and assembly line planning projects. In this article, several multi-objective algorithms using difference dominance rules are proposed to solve the problem associated with the selection of the most effective combination of product and assembly lines. The list of developed algorithms includes variants of ant colony algorithms, evolutionary algorithms and imperialist competitive algorithms. The performance of each algorithm and dominance rule is analysed by five multi-objective quality indicators and fifty problem instances. The algorithms and dominance rules are ranked using a non-parametric statistical test.

Sum rule for rate and CP asymmetry in B+ →K+π0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gronau, Michael; Rosner, Jonathan L.

2007-01-01

A sum rule relating the ratio Rc = 2 Γ (B+ →K+π0) / Γ (B+ →K0π+) and the CP asymmetry ACP (B+ →K+π0) is proved to first order in the ratio of tree to penguin amplitudes. The sum rule explains why it is possible to have Rc consistent with 1 together with a small CP asymmetry in B+ →K+π0. The measured ratio ACP (B+ →K+π0) /ACP (B0 →K+π-) rules out a small strong phase difference between a color-suppressed and a color-favored tree amplitude contributing to B+ →K+π0 as favored by QCD factorization.

Optical Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rules.

PubMed

Barnett, Stephen M; Loudon, Rodney

2012-01-06

The Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule is a fundamental consequence of the position-momentum commutation relation for an atomic electron and it provides an important constraint on the transition matrix elements for an atom. Analogously, the commutation relations for the electromagnetic field operators in a magnetodielectric medium constrain the properties of the dispersion relations for the medium through four sum rules for the allowed phase and group velocities for polaritons propagating through the medium. These rules apply to all bulk media including the metamaterials designed to provide negative refractive indices. An immediate consequence of this is that it is not possible to construct a medium in which all the polariton modes for a given wavelength lie in the negative-index region.

Optical Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn Sum Rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnett, Stephen M.; Loudon, Rodney

2012-01-01

The Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule is a fundamental consequence of the position-momentum commutation relation for an atomic electron and it provides an important constraint on the transition matrix elements for an atom. Analogously, the commutation relations for the electromagnetic field operators in a magnetodielectric medium constrain the properties of the dispersion relations for the medium through four sum rules for the allowed phase and group velocities for polaritons propagating through the medium. These rules apply to all bulk media including the metamaterials designed to provide negative refractive indices. An immediate consequence of this is that it is not possible to construct a medium in which all the polariton modes for a given wavelength lie in the negative-index region.

Attesting Adios! Airways' XBRL Filings: A Case Study on Performing Agreed-Upon Procedures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farewell, Stephanie; Debreceny, Roger

2012-01-01

On 30 January 2009, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released Rule 33-9002. This rule phased in the required use of XBRL. The accuracy of mapping financial statement line items to the US GAAP taxonomy and the tagging of the financial statement facts are of fundamental importance to the accuracy of the XBRL instance document. Currently,…

Intelligent Diagnostic Assistant for Complicated Skin Diseases through C5's Algorithm.

PubMed

Jeddi, Fatemeh Rangraz; Arabfard, Masoud; Kermany, Zahra Arab

2017-09-01

Intelligent Diagnostic Assistant can be used for complicated diagnosis of skin diseases, which are among the most common causes of disability. The aim of this study was to design and implement a computerized intelligent diagnostic assistant for complicated skin diseases through C5's Algorithm. An applied-developmental study was done in 2015. Knowledge base was developed based on interviews with dermatologists through questionnaires and checklists. Knowledge representation was obtained from the train data in the database using Excel Microsoft Office. Clementine Software and C5's Algorithms were applied to draw the decision tree. Analysis of test accuracy was performed based on rules extracted using inference chains. The rules extracted from the decision tree were entered into the CLIPS programming environment and the intelligent diagnostic assistant was designed then. The rules were defined using forward chaining inference technique and were entered into Clips programming environment as RULE. The accuracy and error rates obtained in the training phase from the decision tree were 99.56% and 0.44%, respectively. The accuracy of the decision tree was 98% and the error was 2% in the test phase. Intelligent diagnostic assistant can be used as a reliable system with high accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and agreement.

Space station program phase B definition: Nuclear reactor-powered space station cost and schedules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

Tabulated data are presented on the costs, schedules, and technical characteristics for the space station phases C and D program. The work breakdown structure, schedule data, program ground rules, program costs, cost-estimating rationale, funding schedules, and supporting data are included.

The National Geographic Names Data Base: Phase II instructions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Orth, Donald J.; Payne, Roger L.

1987-01-01

not recorded on topographic maps be added. The systematic collection of names from other sources, including maps, charts, and texts, is termed Phase II. In addition, specific types of features not compiled during Phase I are encoded and added to the data base. Other names of importance to researchers and users, such as historical and variant names, are also included. The rules and procedures for Phase II research, compilation, and encoding are contained in this publication.

Product-sum universality and Rushbrooke inequality in explosive percolation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabbir, M. M. H.; Hassan, M. K.

2018-05-01

We study explosive percolation (EP) on an Erdös-Rényi network for product rule (PR) and sum rule (SR). Initially, it was claimed that EP describes discontinuous phase transition; now it is well accepted as a probabilistic model for thermal continuous phase transition (CPT). However, no model for CPT is complete unless we know how to relate its observable quantities with those of thermal CPT. To this end, we define entropy and specific heat, redefine susceptibility, and show that they behave exactly like their thermal counterparts. We obtain the critical exponents ν ,α ,β , and γ numerically and find that both PR and SR belong to the same universality class and obey Rushbrooke inequality.

An update of the federal drinking water regs

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

Pontius, F.W.

1995-02-01

Previous reviews have summarized the regulations promulgated for volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), fluoride, surface water treatment, total coliform bacteria, lead and copper, and Phase 2 and Phase 5 synthetic organic contaminants (SOCs) and inorganic contaminants (IOCs). Current developments related to these rules and anticipated new rules are reviewed in this article. Current numerical drinking water standards and best available technology (BAT) are summarized. The status of all current, proposed, and anticipated regulations is also summarized. Dates for anticipated agency actions are based on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) published regulatory agenda and on information released by the agency throughmore » December 1994; these dates can change as the agency reconsiders its regulatory policies.« less

Zweig-rule-satisfying inelastic rescattering in B decays to pseudoscalar mesons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Łach, P.; Żenczykowski, P.

2002-09-01

We discuss all contributions from Zweig-rule-satisfying SU(3)-symmetric inelastic final state interaction (FSI)-induced corrections in B decays to ππ, πK, KK¯, πη(η'), and Kη(η'). We show how all of these FSI corrections lead to a simple redefinition of the amplitudes, permitting the use of a simple diagram-based description, in which, however, weak phases may enter in a modified way. The inclusion of FSI corrections admitted by the present data allows an arbitrary relative phase between the penguin and tree short-distance amplitudes. The FSI-induced error of the method, in which the value of the weak phase γ is to be determined by combining future results from B+,B0d,B0s decays to Kπ, is estimated to be of the order of 5° for γ~50°-60°.

Spectromicroscopic insights for rational design of redox-based memristive devices

PubMed Central

Baeumer, Christoph; Schmitz, Christoph; Ramadan, Amr H. H.; Du, Hongchu; Skaja, Katharina; Feyer, Vitaliy; Müller, Philipp; Arndt, Benedikt; Jia, Chun-Lin; Mayer, Joachim; De Souza, Roger A.; Michael Schneider, Claus; Waser, Rainer; Dittmann, Regina

2015-01-01

The demand for highly scalable, low-power devices for data storage and logic operations is strongly stimulating research into resistive switching as a novel concept for future non-volatile memory devices. To meet technological requirements, it is imperative to have a set of material design rules based on fundamental material physics, but deriving such rules is proving challenging. Here, we elucidate both switching mechanism and failure mechanism in the valence-change model material SrTiO3, and on this basis we derive a design rule for failure-resistant devices. Spectromicroscopy reveals that the resistance change during device operation and failure is indeed caused by nanoscale oxygen migration resulting in localized valence changes between Ti4+ and Ti3+. While fast reoxidation typically results in retention failure in SrTiO3, local phase separation within the switching filament stabilizes the retention. Mimicking this phase separation by intentionally introducing retention-stabilization layers with slow oxygen transport improves retention times considerably. PMID:26477940

Inflexibility and independence: Phase transitions in the majority-rule model.

PubMed

Crokidakis, Nuno; de Oliveira, Paulo Murilo Castro

2015-12-01

In this work we study opinion formation in a population participating in a public debate with two distinct choices. We consider three distinct mechanisms of social interactions and individuals' behavior: conformity, nonconformity, and inflexibility. The conformity is ruled by the majority-rule dynamics, whereas the nonconformity is introduced in the population as an independent behavior, implying the failure of attempted group influence. Finally, the inflexible agents are introduced in the population with a given density. These individuals present a singular behavior, in a way that their stubbornness makes them reluctant to change their opinions. We consider these effects separately and all together, with the aim to analyze the critical behavior of the system. We perform numerical simulations in some lattice structures and for distinct population sizes. Our results suggest that the different formulations of the model undergo order-disorder phase transitions in the same universality class as the Ising model. Some of our results are complemented by analytical calculations.

Zero-field magnetic response functions in Landau levels

PubMed Central

Gao, Yang; Niu, Qian

2017-01-01

We present a fresh perspective on the Landau level quantization rule; that is, by successively including zero-field magnetic response functions at zero temperature, such as zero-field magnetization and susceptibility, the Onsager’s rule can be corrected order by order. Such a perspective is further reinterpreted as a quantization of the semiclassical electron density in solids. Our theory not only reproduces Onsager’s rule at zeroth order and the Berry phase and magnetic moment correction at first order but also explains the nature of higher-order corrections in a universal way. In applications, those higher-order corrections are expected to curve the linear relation between the level index and the inverse of the magnetic field, as already observed in experiments. Our theory then provides a way to extract the correct value of Berry phase as well as the magnetic susceptibility at zero temperature from Landau level fan diagrams in experiments. Moreover, it can be used theoretically to calculate Landau levels up to second-order accuracy for realistic models. PMID:28655849

Petitions for Reconsideration of Phase 2 GHG Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicles

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA has received petitions for reconsideration or reconsideration of the October 25, 2016 final rulemaking entitled Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles—Phase 2 Final Rule (81 FR 73,478)

76 FR 10524 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Ejection Mitigation; Phase-In Reporting Requirements...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-25

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 49 CFR Parts 571 and 585 [Docket No. NHTSA-2011-0004] RIN 2127-AK23 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Ejection Mitigation; Phase-In Reporting Requirements; Incorporation by Reference Correction In rule document 2011-547...

Evaluation of a multi-arm multi-stage Bayesian design for phase II drug selection trials - an example in hemato-oncology.

PubMed

Jacob, Louis; Uvarova, Maria; Boulet, Sandrine; Begaj, Inva; Chevret, Sylvie

2016-06-02

Multi-Arm Multi-Stage designs aim at comparing several new treatments to a common reference, in order to select or drop any treatment arm to move forward when such evidence already exists based on interim analyses. We redesigned a Bayesian adaptive design initially proposed for dose-finding, focusing our interest in the comparison of multiple experimental drugs to a control on a binary criterion measure. We redesigned a phase II clinical trial that randomly allocates patients across three (one control and two experimental) treatment arms to assess dropping decision rules. We were interested in dropping any arm due to futility, either based on historical control rate (first rule) or comparison across arms (second rule), and in stopping experimental arm due to its ability to reach a sufficient response rate (third rule), using the difference of response probabilities in Bayes binomial trials between the treated and control as a measure of treatment benefit. Simulations were then conducted to investigate the decision operating characteristics under a variety of plausible scenarios, as a function of the decision thresholds. Our findings suggest that one experimental treatment was less efficient than the control and could have been dropped from the trial based on a sample of approximately 20 instead of 40 patients. In the simulation study, stopping decisions were reached sooner for the first rule than for the second rule, with close mean estimates of response rates and small bias. According to the decision threshold, the mean sample size to detect the required 0.15 absolute benefit ranged from 63 to 70 (rule 3) with false negative rates of less than 2 % (rule 1) up to 6 % (rule 2). In contrast, detecting a 0.15 inferiority in response rates required a sample size ranging on average from 23 to 35 (rules 1 and 2, respectively) with a false positive rate ranging from 3.6 to 0.6 % (rule 3). Adaptive trial design is a good way to improve clinical trials. It allows removing ineffective drugs and reducing the trial sample size, while maintaining unbiased estimates. Decision thresholds can be set according to predefined fixed error decision rates. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01342692 .

Rosetta Phase II: Measuring and Interpreting Cultural Differences in Cognition

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-31

approaches are used to capture culture. First, anthropology and psychiatry adopt research methods that focus on specific groups or individuals...Classical anthropology provides information about behaviors, customs, social roles, and social rules based on extended and intense observation of single...This training goes beyond rules and procedures so that military personnel can see events through the eyes of adversaries or host nationals. They must

CHIRALITY AND MAGNETIC CONFIGURATIONS OF SOLAR FILAMENTS

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

Ouyang, Y.; Zhou, Y. H.; Chen, P. F.

It has been revealed that the magnetic topology in the solar atmosphere displays hemispheric preference, i.e., helicity is mainly negative/positive in the northern/southern hemispheres, respectively. However, the strength of the hemispheric rule and its cyclic variation are controversial. In this paper, we apply a new method based on the filament drainage to 571 erupting filaments from 2010 May to 2015 December in order to determine the filament chirality and its hemispheric preference. It is found that 91.6% of our sample of erupting filaments follows the hemispheric rule of helicity sign. It is also found that the strength of the hemisphericmore » preference of the quiescent filaments decreases slightly from ∼97% in the rising phase to ∼85% in the declining phase of solar cycle 24, whereas the strength of the intermediate filaments keeps a high value around 96 ± 4% at all times. Only the active-region filaments show significant variations. Their strength of the hemispheric rule rises from ∼63% to ∼95% in the rising phase, and keeps a high value of 82% ± 5% during the declining phase. Furthermore, during a half-year period around the solar maximum, their hemispheric preference totally vanishes. Additionally, we also diagnose the magnetic configurations of the filaments based on our indirect method and find that in our sample of erupting events, 89% are inverse-polarity filaments with a flux rope magnetic configuration, whereas 11% are normal-polarity filaments with a sheared arcade configuration.« less

Chirality and Magnetic Configurations of Solar Filaments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouyang, Y.; Zhou, Y. H.; Chen, P. F.; Fang, C.

2017-01-01

It has been revealed that the magnetic topology in the solar atmosphere displays hemispheric preference, I.e., helicity is mainly negative/positive in the northern/southern hemispheres, respectively. However, the strength of the hemispheric rule and its cyclic variation are controversial. In this paper, we apply a new method based on the filament drainage to 571 erupting filaments from 2010 May to 2015 December in order to determine the filament chirality and its hemispheric preference. It is found that 91.6% of our sample of erupting filaments follows the hemispheric rule of helicity sign. It is also found that the strength of the hemispheric preference of the quiescent filaments decreases slightly from ˜97% in the rising phase to ˜85% in the declining phase of solar cycle 24, whereas the strength of the intermediate filaments keeps a high value around 96 ± 4% at all times. Only the active-region filaments show significant variations. Their strength of the hemispheric rule rises from ˜63% to ˜95% in the rising phase, and keeps a high value of 82% ± 5% during the declining phase. Furthermore, during a half-year period around the solar maximum, their hemispheric preference totally vanishes. Additionally, we also diagnose the magnetic configurations of the filaments based on our indirect method and find that in our sample of erupting events, 89% are inverse-polarity filaments with a flux rope magnetic configuration, whereas 11% are normal-polarity filaments with a sheared arcade configuration.

Heuristic rule for binary superlattice coassembly: mixed plastic mesophases of hard polyhedral nanoparticles.

PubMed

Khadilkar, Mihir R; Escobedo, Fernando A

2014-10-17

Sought-after ordered structures of mixtures of hard anisotropic nanoparticles can often be thermodynamically unfavorable due to the components' geometric incompatibility to densely pack into regular lattices. A simple compatibilization rule is identified wherein the particle sizes are chosen such that the order-disorder transition pressures of the pure components match (and the entropies of the ordered phases are similar). Using this rule with representative polyhedra from the truncated-cube family that form pure-component plastic crystals, Monte Carlo simulations show the formation of plastic-solid solutions for all compositions and for a wide range of volume fractions.

Nonsynchronous updating in the multiverse of cellular automata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reia, Sandro M.; Kinouchi, Osame

2015-04-01

In this paper we study updating effects on cellular automata rule space. We consider a subset of 6144 order-3 automata from the space of 262144 bidimensional outer-totalistic rules. We compare synchronous to asynchronous and sequential updatings. Focusing on two automata, we discuss how update changes destroy typical structures of these rules. Besides, we show that the first-order phase transition in the multiverse of synchronous cellular automata, revealed with the use of a recently introduced control parameter, seems to be robust not only to changes in update schema but also to different initial densities.

Nonsynchronous updating in the multiverse of cellular automata.

PubMed

Reia, Sandro M; Kinouchi, Osame

2015-04-01

In this paper we study updating effects on cellular automata rule space. We consider a subset of 6144 order-3 automata from the space of 262144 bidimensional outer-totalistic rules. We compare synchronous to asynchronous and sequential updatings. Focusing on two automata, we discuss how update changes destroy typical structures of these rules. Besides, we show that the first-order phase transition in the multiverse of synchronous cellular automata, revealed with the use of a recently introduced control parameter, seems to be robust not only to changes in update schema but also to different initial densities.

QUEST/Ada (Query Utility Environment for Software Testing of Ada): The development of a prgram analysis environment for Ada, task 1, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, David B.

1990-01-01

The results of research and development efforts are described for Task one, Phase two of a general project entitled The Development of a Program Analysis Environment for Ada. The scope of this task includes the design and development of a prototype system for testing Ada software modules at the unit level. The system is called Query Utility Environment for Software Testing of Ada (QUEST/Ada). The prototype for condition coverage provides a platform that implements expert system interaction with program testing. The expert system can modify data in the instrument source code in order to achieve coverage goals. Given this initial prototype, it is possible to evaluate the rule base in order to develop improved rules for test case generation. The goals of Phase two are the following: (1) to continue to develop and improve the current user interface to support the other goals of this research effort (i.e., those related to improved testing efficiency and increased code reliable); (2) to develop and empirically evaluate a succession of alternative rule bases for the test case generator such that the expert system achieves coverage in a more efficient manner; and (3) to extend the concepts of the current test environment to address the issues of Ada concurrency.

Energy Conversion Alternatives Study (ECAS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

ECAS compared various advanced energy conversion systems that can use coal or coal-derived fuels for baseload electric power generation. It was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 consisted of parametric studies. From these results, 11 concepts were selected for further study in Phase 2. For each of the Phase 2 systems and a common set of ground rules, performance, cost, environmental intrusion, and natural resource requirements were estimated. In addition, the contractors defined the state of the associated technology, identified the advances required, prepared preliminary research and development plans, and assessed other factors that would affect the implementation of each type of powerplant. The systems studied in Phase 2 include steam systems with atmospheric- and pressurized-fluidized-bed boilers; combined cycle gas turbine/steam systems with integrated gasifiers or fired by a semiclean, coal derived fuel; a potassium/steam system with a pressurized-fluidized-bed boiler; a closed-cycle gas turbine/organic system with a high-temperature, atmospheric-fluidized-bed furnace; a direct-coal-fired, open- cycle magnetohydrodynamic/steam system; and a molten-carbonate fuel cell/steam system with an integrated gasifier. The sensitivity of the results to changes in the ground rules and the impact of uncertainties in capital cost estimates were also examined.

A Simplified Micromechanical Modeling Approach to Predict the Tensile Flow Curve Behavior of Dual-Phase Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nanda, Tarun; Kumar, B. Ravi; Singh, Vishal

2017-11-01

Micromechanical modeling is used to predict material's tensile flow curve behavior based on microstructural characteristics. This research develops a simplified micromechanical modeling approach for predicting flow curve behavior of dual-phase steels. The existing literature reports on two broad approaches for determining tensile flow curve of these steels. The modeling approach developed in this work attempts to overcome specific limitations of the existing two approaches. This approach combines dislocation-based strain-hardening method with rule of mixtures. In the first step of modeling, `dislocation-based strain-hardening method' was employed to predict tensile behavior of individual phases of ferrite and martensite. In the second step, the individual flow curves were combined using `rule of mixtures,' to obtain the composite dual-phase flow behavior. To check accuracy of proposed model, four distinct dual-phase microstructures comprising of different ferrite grain size, martensite fraction, and carbon content in martensite were processed by annealing experiments. The true stress-strain curves for various microstructures were predicted with the newly developed micromechanical model. The results of micromechanical model matched closely with those of actual tensile tests. Thus, this micromechanical modeling approach can be used to predict and optimize the tensile flow behavior of dual-phase steels.

Abstract rule learning in 11- and 14-month-old infants.

PubMed

Koulaguina, Elena; Shi, Rushen

2013-02-01

This study tests the hypothesis that distributional information can guide infants in the generalization of word order movement rules at the initial stage of language acquisition. Participants were 11- and 14-month-old infants. Stimuli were sentences in Russian, a language that was unknown to our infants. During training the word order of each sentence was transformed following a consistent pattern (e.g., ABC-BAC). During the test phase infants heard novel sentences that respected the trained rule and ones that violated the trained rule (i.e., a different transformation such as ABC-ACB). Stimuli words had highly variable phonological and morphological shapes. The cue available was the positional information of words and their non-adjacent relations across sentences. We found that 14-month-olds, but not 11-month-olds, showed evidence of abstract rule generalization to novel instances. The implications of this finding to early syntactic acquisition are discussed.

Increasing Complexity in Rule-Based Clinical Decision Support: The Symptom Assessment and Management Intervention.

PubMed

Lobach, David F; Johns, Ellis B; Halpenny, Barbara; Saunders, Toni-Ann; Brzozowski, Jane; Del Fiol, Guilherme; Berry, Donna L; Braun, Ilana M; Finn, Kathleen; Wolfe, Joanne; Abrahm, Janet L; Cooley, Mary E

2016-11-08

Management of uncontrolled symptoms is an important component of quality cancer care. Clinical guidelines are available for optimal symptom management, but are not often integrated into the front lines of care. The use of clinical decision support (CDS) at the point-of-care is an innovative way to incorporate guideline-based symptom management into routine cancer care. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a rule-based CDS system to enable management of multiple symptoms in lung cancer patients at the point-of-care. This study was conducted in three phases involving a formative evaluation, a system evaluation, and a contextual evaluation of clinical use. In Phase 1, we conducted iterative usability testing of user interface prototypes with patients and health care providers (HCPs) in two thoracic oncology clinics. In Phase 2, we programmed complex algorithms derived from clinical practice guidelines into a rules engine that used Web services to communicate with the end-user application. Unit testing of algorithms was conducted using a stack-traversal tree-spanning methodology to identify all possible permutations of pathways through each algorithm, to validate accuracy. In Phase 3, we evaluated clinical use of the system among patients and HCPs in the two clinics via observations, structured interviews, and questionnaires. In Phase 1, 13 patients and 5 HCPs engaged in two rounds of formative testing, and suggested improvements leading to revisions until overall usability scores met a priori benchmarks. In Phase 2, symptom management algorithms contained between 29 and 1425 decision nodes, resulting in 19 to 3194 unique pathways per algorithm. Unit testing required 240 person-hours, and integration testing required 40 person-hours. In Phase 3, both patients and HCPs found the system usable and acceptable, and offered suggestions for improvements. A rule-based CDS system for complex symptom management was systematically developed and tested. The complexity of the algorithms required extensive development and innovative testing. The Web service-based approach allowed remote access to CDS knowledge, and could enable scaling and sharing of this knowledge to accelerate availability, and reduce duplication of effort. Patients and HCPs found the system to be usable and useful. ©David F Lobach, Ellis B Johns, Barbara Halpenny, Toni-Ann Saunders, Jane Brzozowski, Guilherme Del Fiol, Donna L Berry, Ilana M Braun, Kathleen Finn, Joanne Wolfe, Janet L Abrahm, Mary E Cooley. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (http://medinform.jmir.org), 08.11.2016.

Critical edge between frozen extinction and chaotic life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monetti, Roberto A.; Albano, Ezequiel V.

1995-12-01

The cellular automata ``game of life'' (GL) proposed by J. Conway simulates the dynamic evolution of a society of living organisms. It has been extensively studied in order to understand the emergence of complexity and diversity from a set of local rules. More recently, the capability of GL to self-oranize into a critical state has opened an interesting debate. In this work we adopt a different approach: by introducing stochastic rules in the GL it is found that ``life'' exhibits a very rich critical behavior. Discontinuous (first-order) irreversible phase transitions (IPT's) between an extinct phase and a steady state supporting life are found. A precise location of the critical edge is achieved by means of an epidemic analysis, which also allows us to determine dynamic critical exponents. Furthermore, by means of a damage spreading study we conclude that the living phase is chaotic. The edge of the frozen-chaotic transition coincides with that of the IPT's life extinction. Close to the edge, fractal spreading of the damage is observed; however, deep inside the living phase such spreading becomes homogeneous. (c) 1995 The American Physical Society

Evaluation of the grand-canonical partition function using expanded Wang-Landau simulations. III. Impact of combining rules on mixtures properties

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

Desgranges, Caroline; Delhommelle, Jerome

2014-03-14

Combining rules, such as the Lorentz-Berthelot rules, are routinely used to calculate the thermodynamic properties of mixtures using molecular simulations. Here we extend the expanded Wang-Landau simulation approach to determine the impact of the combining rules on the value of the partition function of binary systems, and, in turn, on the phase coexistence and thermodynamics of these mixtures. We study various types of mixtures, ranging from systems of rare gases to biologically and technologically relevant mixtures, such as water-urea and water-carbon dioxide. Comparing the simulation results to the experimental data on mixtures of rare gases allows us to rank themore » performance of combining rules. We find that the widely used Lorentz-Berthelot rules exhibit the largest deviations from the experimental data, both for the bulk and at coexistence, while the Kong and Waldman-Hagler provide much better alternatives. In particular, in the case of aqueous solutions of urea, we show that the use of the Lorentz-Berthelot rules has a strong impact on the Gibbs free energy of the solute, overshooting the value predicted by the Waldman-Hagler rules by 7%. This result emphasizes the importance of the combining rule for the determination of hydration free energies using molecular simulations.« less

Phase selection during crystallization of undercooled liquid eutectic lead-tin alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fecht, H. J.

1991-01-01

During rapid solidification substantial amounts of undercooling are in general required for formation of metastable phases. Crystallization at varying levels of undercooling and melting of metastable phases were studied during slow cooling and heating of emulsified PB-Sn alloys. Besides the experimental demonstration of the reversibility of metastable phase equilibra, two different principal solidification paths have been identified and compared with the established metastable phase diagram and predictions from classical nucleation theory. The results suggest that the most probable solidification path is described by the 'step rule' resulting in the formation of metastable phases at low undercooling, whereas the stable eutectic phase mixture crystallizes without metastable phase formation at high undercooling.

Research and development for Onboard Navigation (ONAV) ground based expert/trainer system: ONAV entry expert system code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bochsler, Daniel C.

1988-01-01

A complete listing is given of the expert system rules for the Entry phase of the Onboard Navigation (ONAV) Ground Based Expert Trainer System for aircraft/space shuttle navigation. These source listings appear in the same format as utilized and required by the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) expert system shell which is the basis for the ONAV entry system. A schematic overview is given of how the rules are organized. These groups result from a partitioning of the rules according to the overall function which a given set of rules performs. This partitioning was established and maintained according to that established in the knowledge specification document. In addition, four other groups of rules are specified. The four groups (control flow, operator inputs, output management, and data tables) perform functions that affect all the other functional rule groups. As the name implies, control flow ensures that the rule groups are executed in the order required for proper operation; operator input rules control the introduction into the CLIPS fact base of various kinds of data required by the expert system; output management rules control the updating of the ONAV expert system user display screen during execution of the system; and data tables are static information utilized by many different rule sets gathered in one convenient place.

Optimal two-phase sampling design for comparing accuracies of two binary classification rules.

PubMed

Xu, Huiping; Hui, Siu L; Grannis, Shaun

2014-02-10

In this paper, we consider the design for comparing the performance of two binary classification rules, for example, two record linkage algorithms or two screening tests. Statistical methods are well developed for comparing these accuracy measures when the gold standard is available for every unit in the sample, or in a two-phase study when the gold standard is ascertained only in the second phase in a subsample using a fixed sampling scheme. However, these methods do not attempt to optimize the sampling scheme to minimize the variance of the estimators of interest. In comparing the performance of two classification rules, the parameters of primary interest are the difference in sensitivities, specificities, and positive predictive values. We derived the analytic variance formulas for these parameter estimates and used them to obtain the optimal sampling design. The efficiency of the optimal sampling design is evaluated through an empirical investigation that compares the optimal sampling with simple random sampling and with proportional allocation. Results of the empirical study show that the optimal sampling design is similar for estimating the difference in sensitivities and in specificities, and both achieve a substantial amount of variance reduction with an over-sample of subjects with discordant results and under-sample of subjects with concordant results. A heuristic rule is recommended when there is no prior knowledge of individual sensitivities and specificities, or the prevalence of the true positive findings in the study population. The optimal sampling is applied to a real-world example in record linkage to evaluate the difference in classification accuracy of two matching algorithms. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Semiclassical theory of Landau levels and magnetic breakdown in topological metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandradinata, A.; Glazman, Leonid

2018-04-01

The Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rule lies at the heart of the semiclassical theory of a Bloch electron in a magnetic field. This rule is predictive of Landau levels and de Haas-van Alphen oscillations for conventional metals, as well as for a host of topological metals which have emerged in the recent intercourse between band theory, crystalline symmetries, and topology. The essential ingredients in any quantization rule are connection formulas that match the semiclassical (WKB) wave function across regions of strong quantum fluctuations. Here, we propose (a) a multicomponent WKB wave function that describes transport within degenerate-band subspaces, and (b) the requisite connection formulas for saddle points and type-II Dirac points, where tunneling respectively occurs within the same band, and between distinct bands. (a) and (b) extend previous works by incorporating phase corrections that are subleading in powers of the field; these corrections include the geometric Berry phase, and account for the orbital magnetic moment and the Zeeman coupling. A comprehensive symmetry analysis is performed for such phase corrections occurring in closed orbits, which is applicable to solids in any (magnetic) space group. We have further formulated a graph-theoretic description of semiclassical orbits. This allows us to systematize the construction of quantization rules for a large class of closed orbits (with or without tunneling), as well as to formulate the notion of a topological invariant in semiclassical magnetotransport—as a quantity that is invariant under continuous deformations of the graph. Landau levels in the presence of tunneling are generically quasirandom, i.e., disordered on the scale of nearest-neighbor level spacings but having longer-ranged correlations; we develop a perturbative theory to determine Landau levels in such quasirandom spectra.

Vapor-liquid equilibria for hydrogen fluoride + 1,1-difluoroethane at 288.23 and 298.35 K

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

Lee, J.; Kim, H.; Lim, J.S.

1997-07-01

Isothermal vapor-liquid equilibria for hydrogen fluoride + 1,1-difluoroethane at 288.23 and 298.35 K were measured using a circulation type apparatus equipped with an equilibrium view cell. The compositions of both vapor and liquid phases were analyzed by an on-line gas chromatographic method. They were compared with PTx equilibrium data measured by the total pressure method. The experimental data were correlated with Anderko`s equation of state using the Wong-Sandler mixing rule as well as the van der Waals one-fluid mixing rule. The Wong-Sandler mixing rule gives better results, and the relevant parameters are presented.

Increasing complexity with quantum physics.

PubMed

Anders, Janet; Wiesner, Karoline

2011-09-01

We argue that complex systems science and the rules of quantum physics are intricately related. We discuss a range of quantum phenomena, such as cryptography, computation and quantum phases, and the rules responsible for their complexity. We identify correlations as a central concept connecting quantum information and complex systems science. We present two examples for the power of correlations: using quantum resources to simulate the correlations of a stochastic process and to implement a classically impossible computational task.

76 FR 33589 - Standards Improvement Project-Phase III

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-08

... rule: I. Background A. Introduction B. Regulatory History II. Legal Considerations III. Summary and... without diminishing worker protections. B. Regulatory History The Standards Improvement Project (SIP...

77 FR 20582 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; State of Florida: New Source Review Prevention...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-05

... Management to EPA in two separate SIP revisions on October 19, 2007, and July 1, 2011. These SIP revisions... Rule NSR Update Phase II (hereafter referred to as the ``Ozone Implementation NSR Update'' or ``Phase..., Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61...

78 FR 32224 - Availability of Version 3.1.2 of the Connect America Fund Phase II Cost Model; Additional...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-29

... Version 3.1.2 of the Connect America Fund Phase II Cost Model; Additional Discussion Topics in Connect America Cost Model Virtual Workshop AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Proposed rule... America Cost Model (CAM v3.1.2), which allows Commission staff and interested parties to calculate costs...

76 FR 31685 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Critical Habitat for the Riverside Fairy...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-01

... and hot, dry summers), where shallow depressions become seasonally wet or inundated following winter... dry for the remainder of the year. Throughout this proposed revised critical habitat rule, the term... ephemeral wetlands, the wet phase typically occurs between the months of October to May, and the dry phase...

76 FR 11844 - Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee; Transport Airplane and Engine Issue Area-Phase 2 of Low...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-03

... new designs, the working group should state the rationale and not repeat the information previously... design changes, or would an operational rule be sufficient? In responding, the working group should... the public that the ARAC working group has completed activity for Phase 1 of the task and will begin...

75 FR 31513 - Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-03

...EPA is tailoring the applicability criteria that determine which stationary sources and modification projects become subject to permitting requirements for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and title V programs of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act). This rulemaking is necessary because without it PSD and title V requirements would apply, as of January 2, 2011, at the 100 or 250 tons per year (tpy) levels provided under the CAA, greatly increasing the number of required permits, imposing undue costs on small sources, overwhelming the resources of permitting authorities, and severely impairing the functioning of the programs. EPA is relieving these resource burdens by phasing in the applicability of these programs to GHG sources, starting with the largest GHG emitters. This rule establishes two initial steps of the phase-in. The rule also commits the agency to take certain actions on future steps addressing smaller sources, but excludes certain smaller sources from PSD and title V permitting for GHG emissions until at least April 30, 2016.

Autonomous change of behavior for environmental context: An intermittent search model with misunderstanding search pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murakami, Hisashi; Gunji, Yukio-Pegio

2017-07-01

Although foraging patterns have long been predicted to optimally adapt to environmental conditions, empirical evidence has been found in recent years. This evidence suggests that the search strategy of animals is open to change so that animals can flexibly respond to their environment. In this study, we began with a simple computational model that possesses the principal features of an intermittent strategy, i.e., careful local searches separated by longer steps, as a mechanism for relocation, where an agent in the model follows a rule to switch between two phases, but it could misunderstand this rule, i.e., the agent follows an ambiguous switching rule. Thanks to this ambiguity, the agent's foraging strategy can continuously change. First, we demonstrate that our model can exhibit an optimal change of strategy from Brownian-type to Lévy-type depending on the prey density, and we investigate the distribution of time intervals for switching between the phases. Moreover, we show that the model can display higher search efficiency than a correlated random walk.

Communicating eating-related rules. Suggestions are more effective than restrictions.

PubMed

Stok, F Marijn; de Vet, Emely; de Wit, John B F; Renner, Britta; de Ridder, Denise T D

2015-03-01

A common social influence technique for curbing unhealthy eating behavior is to communicate eating-related rules (e.g. 'you should not eat unhealthy food'). Previous research has shown that such restrictive rules sometimes backfire and actually increase unhealthy consumption. In the current studies, we aimed to investigate if a milder form of social influence, a suggested rule, is more successful in curbing intake of unhealthy food. We also investigated how both types of rules affected psychological reactance. Students (N = 88 in Study 1, N = 51 in Study 2) completed a creativity task while a bowl of M&M's was within reach. Consumption was either explicitly forbidden (restrictive rule) or mildly discouraged (suggested rule). In the control condition, consumption was either explicitly allowed (Study 1) or M&M's were not provided (Study 2). Measures of reactance were assessed after the creativity task. Subsequently, a taste test was administered where all participants were allowed to consume M&M's. Across both studies, consumption during the creativity task did not differ between the restrictive- and suggested-rule-conditions, indicating that both are equally successful in preventing initial consumption. Restrictive-rule-condition participants reported higher reactance and consumed more in the free-eating taste-test phase than suggested-rule-condition participants and control-group participants, indicating a negative after-effect of restriction. RESULTS show that there are more and less effective ways to communicate eating-related rules. A restrictive rule, as compared to a suggested rule, induced psychological reactance and led to greater unhealthy consumption when participants were allowed to eat freely. It is important to pay attention to the way in which eating-related rules are communicated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fractional Quantum Hall Effect in Infinite-Layer Systems

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

Naud, J. D.; Pryadko, Leonid P.; Sondhi, S. L.

2000-12-18

Stacked two dimensional electron systems in transverse magnetic fields exhibit three dimensional fractional quantum Hall phases. We analyze the simplest such phases and find novel bulk properties, e.g., irrational braiding. These phases host ''one and a half'' dimensional surface phases in which motion in one direction is chiral. We offer a general analysis of conduction in the latter by combining sum rule and renormalization group arguments, and find that when interlayer tunneling is marginal or irrelevant they are chiral semimetals that conduct only at T>0 or with disorder.

Superradiant phase transitions with three-level systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baksic, Alexandre; Nataf, Pierre; Ciuti, Cristiano

2013-02-01

We determine the phase diagram of N identical three-level systems interacting with a single photonic mode in the thermodynamical limit (N→∞) by accounting for the so-called diamagnetic term and the inequalities imposed by the Thomas-Reich-Kuhn (TRK) oscillator strength sum rule. The key role of transitions between excited levels and the occurrence of first-order phase transitions is discussed. We show that, in contrast to two-level systems, in the three-level case the TRK inequalities do not always prevent a superradiant phase transition in the presence of a diamagnetic term.

Application of neural based estimation algorithm for gait phases of above knee prosthesis.

PubMed

Tileylioğlu, E; Yilmaz, A

2015-01-01

In this study, two gait phase estimation methods which utilize a rule based quantization and an artificial neural network model respectively are developed and applied for the microcontroller based semi-active knee prosthesis in order to respond user demands and adapt environmental conditions. In this context, an experimental environment in which gait data collected synchronously from both inertial and image based measurement systems has been set up. The inertial measurement system that incorporates MEM accelerometers and gyroscopes is used to perform direct motion measurement through the microcontroller, while the image based measurement system is employed for producing the verification data and assessing the success of the prosthesis. Embedded algorithms dynamically normalize the input data prior to gait phase estimation. The real time analyses of two methods revealed that embedded ANN based approach performs slightly better in comparison with the rule based algorithm and has advantage of being easily-scalable, thus able to accommodate additional input parameters considering the microcontroller constraints.

Feedback-induced phase transitions in active heterogeneous conductors.

PubMed

Ocko, Samuel A; Mahadevan, L

2015-04-03

An active conducting medium is one where the resistance (conductance) of the medium is modified by the current (flow) and in turn modifies the flow, so that the classical linear laws relating current and resistance, e.g., Ohm's law or Darcy's law, are modified over time as the system itself evolves. We consider a minimal model for this feedback coupling in terms of two parameters that characterize the way in which addition or removal of matter follows a simple local (or nonlocal) feedback rule corresponding to either flow-seeking or flow-avoiding behavior. Using numerical simulations and a continuum mean field theory, we show that flow-avoiding feedback causes an initially uniform system to become strongly heterogeneous via a tunneling (channel-building) phase separation; flow-seeking feedback leads to an immuring (wall-building) phase separation. Our results provide a qualitative explanation for the patterning of active conducting media in natural systems, while suggesting ways to realize complex architectures using simple rules in engineered systems.

An Integrated Children Disease Prediction Tool within a Special Social Network.

PubMed

Apostolova Trpkovska, Marika; Yildirim Yayilgan, Sule; Besimi, Adrian

2016-01-01

This paper proposes a social network with an integrated children disease prediction system developed by the use of the specially designed Children General Disease Ontology (CGDO). This ontology consists of children diseases and their relationship with symptoms and Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL rules) that are specially designed for predicting diseases. The prediction process starts by filling data about the appeared signs and symptoms by the user which are after that mapped with the CGDO ontology. Once the data are mapped, the prediction results are presented. The phase of prediction executes the rules which extract the predicted disease details based on the SWRL rule specified. The motivation behind the development of this system is to spread knowledge about the children diseases and their symptoms in a very simple way using the specialized social networking website www.emama.mk.

Evaluation of a rule base for decision making in general practice.

PubMed Central

Essex, B; Healy, M

1994-01-01

BACKGROUND. Decision making in general practice relies heavily on judgmental expertise. It should be possible to codify this expertise into rules and principles. AIM. A study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness, of rules from a rule base designed to improve students' and trainees' management decisions relating to patients seen in general practice. METHOD. The rule base was developed after studying decisions about and management of thousands of patients seen in one general practice over an eight year period. Vignettes were presented to 93 fourth year medical students and 179 general practitioner trainees. They recorded their perception and management of each case before and after being presented with a selection of relevant rules. Participants also commented on their level of agreement with each of the rules provided with the vignettes. A panel of five independent assessors then rated as good, acceptable or poor, the participants' perception and management of each case before and after seeing the rules. RESULTS. Exposure to a few selected rules of thumb improved the problem perception and management decisions of both undergraduates and trainees. The degree of improvement was not related to previous experience or to the stated level of agreement with the proposed rules. The assessors identified difficulties students and trainees experienced in changing their perceptions and management decisions when the rules suggested options they had not considered. CONCLUSION. The rules developed to improve decision making skills in general practice are effective when used with vignettes. The next phase is to transform the rule base into an expert system to train students and doctors to acquire decision making skills. It could also be used to provide decision support when confronted with difficult management decisions in general practice. PMID:8204334

Complexity, Training Paradigm Design, and the Contribution of Memory Subsystems to Grammar Learning

PubMed Central

Ettlinger, Marc; Wong, Patrick C. M.

2016-01-01

Although there is variability in nonnative grammar learning outcomes, the contributions of training paradigm design and memory subsystems are not well understood. To examine this, we presented learners with an artificial grammar that formed words via simple and complex morphophonological rules. Across three experiments, we manipulated training paradigm design and measured subjects' declarative, procedural, and working memory subsystems. Experiment 1 demonstrated that passive, exposure-based training boosted learning of both simple and complex grammatical rules, relative to no training. Additionally, procedural memory correlated with simple rule learning, whereas declarative memory correlated with complex rule learning. Experiment 2 showed that presenting corrective feedback during the test phase did not improve learning. Experiment 3 revealed that structuring the order of training so that subjects are first exposed to the simple rule and then the complex improved learning. The cumulative findings shed light on the contributions of grammatical complexity, training paradigm design, and domain-general memory subsystems in determining grammar learning success. PMID:27391085

Molecular Dynamics Evaluation of Dielectric-Constant Mixing Rules for H2O-CO2 at Geologic Conditions

PubMed Central

Mountain, Raymond D.; Harvey, Allan H.

2015-01-01

Modeling of mineral reaction equilibria and aqueous-phase speciation of C-O-H fluids requires the dielectric constant of the fluid mixture, which is not known from experiment and is typically estimated by some rule for mixing pure-component values. In order to evaluate different proposed mixing rules, we use molecular dynamics simulation to calculate the dielectric constant of a model H2O–CO2 mixture at temperatures of 700 K and 1000 K at pressures up to 3 GPa. We find that theoretically based mixing rules that depend on combining the molar polarizations of the pure fluids systematically overestimate the dielectric constant of the mixture, as would be expected for mixtures of nonpolar and strongly polar components. The commonly used semiempirical mixing rule due to Looyenga works well for this system at the lower pressures studied, but somewhat underestimates the dielectric constant at higher pressures and densities, especially at the water-rich end of the composition range. PMID:26664009

Molecular Dynamics Evaluation of Dielectric-Constant Mixing Rules for H2O-CO2 at Geologic Conditions.

PubMed

Mountain, Raymond D; Harvey, Allan H

2015-10-01

Modeling of mineral reaction equilibria and aqueous-phase speciation of C-O-H fluids requires the dielectric constant of the fluid mixture, which is not known from experiment and is typically estimated by some rule for mixing pure-component values. In order to evaluate different proposed mixing rules, we use molecular dynamics simulation to calculate the dielectric constant of a model H 2 O-CO 2 mixture at temperatures of 700 K and 1000 K at pressures up to 3 GPa. We find that theoretically based mixing rules that depend on combining the molar polarizations of the pure fluids systematically overestimate the dielectric constant of the mixture, as would be expected for mixtures of nonpolar and strongly polar components. The commonly used semiempirical mixing rule due to Looyenga works well for this system at the lower pressures studied, but somewhat underestimates the dielectric constant at higher pressures and densities, especially at the water-rich end of the composition range.

Medicare program; competitive acquisition for certain durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) and other issues. Final rule.

PubMed

2007-04-10

This final rule establishes competitive bidding programs for certain Medicare Part B covered items of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) throughout the United States in accordance with sections 1847(a) and (b) of the Social Security Act. These competitive bidding programs, which will be phased in over several years, utilize bids submitted by DMEPOS suppliers to establish applicable payment amounts under Medicare Part B.

Atlantis: An Open Architecture for Synergy of Process-Centered Environments and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-04-01

revision phase would be followed, after which a second review would be scheduled , and so forth, until the review succeeds. 2.3 Realization of the...normal rules, when Summit rules are inferred they are enqueued in a separate Summit queue and are scheduled for execution only after local forward... scheduling and activating activities according to the defined process; reac- tively triggering activities based on state changes; monitoring the process

[Remarks Prepared for Delivery to the National School Boards Association.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bond, Julian

The history of the twenty-five year period since the Brown v. Board of Education decision can be divided into three phases. The first phase was from '54 to '64, during which the Court applied its rule of "all deliberate speed." The focus was on desegregating the dual systems of the South, the products of de jure segregation, and all…

Gradient Scouting in Reversed-Phase HPLC Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alcazar, A.; Jurado, J. M.; Gonzalez, A. G.

2011-01-01

Gradient scouting is the best way to decide the most suitable elution mode in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). A simple rule for this decision involves the evaluation of the ratio [delta]t/t[subscript G] (where [delta]t is the difference in the retention time between the last and the first peak and t[subscript G] is…

Co-evolutionary data mining for fuzzy rules: automatic fitness function creation phase space, and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, James F., III; Blank, Joseph A.

2003-03-01

An approach is being explored that involves embedding a fuzzy logic based resource manager in an electronic game environment. Game agents can function under their own autonomous logic or human control. This approach automates the data mining problem. The game automatically creates a cleansed database reflecting the domain expert's knowledge, it calls a data mining function, a genetic algorithm, for data mining of the data base as required and allows easy evaluation of the information extracted. The co-evolutionary fitness functions, chromosomes and stopping criteria for ending the game are discussed. Genetic algorithm and genetic program based data mining procedures are discussed that automatically discover new fuzzy rules and strategies. The strategy tree concept and its relationship to co-evolutionary data mining are examined as well as the associated phase space representation of fuzzy concepts. The overlap of fuzzy concepts in phase space reduces the effective strategies available to adversaries. Co-evolutionary data mining alters the geometric properties of the overlap region known as the admissible region of phase space significantly enhancing the performance of the resource manager. Procedures for validation of the information data mined are discussed and significant experimental results provided.

Developmental changes in automatic rule-learning mechanisms across early childhood.

PubMed

Mueller, Jutta L; Friederici, Angela D; Männel, Claudia

2018-06-27

Infants' ability to learn complex linguistic regularities from early on has been revealed by electrophysiological studies indicating that 3-month-olds, but not adults, can automatically detect non-adjacent dependencies between syllables. While different ERP responses in adults and infants suggest that both linguistic rule learning and its link to basic auditory processing undergo developmental changes, systematic investigations of the developmental trajectories are scarce. In the present study, we assessed 2- and 4-year-olds' ERP indicators of pitch discrimination and linguistic rule learning in a syllable-based oddball design. To test for the relation between auditory discrimination and rule learning, ERP responses to pitch changes were used as predictor for potential linguistic rule-learning effects. Results revealed that 2-year-olds, but not 4-year-olds, showed ERP markers of rule learning. Although, 2-year-olds' rule learning was not dependent on differences in pitch perception, 4-year-old children demonstrated a dependency, such that those children who showed more pronounced responses to pitch changes still showed an effect of rule learning. These results narrow down the developmental decline of the ability for automatic linguistic rule learning to the age between 2 and 4 years, and, moreover, point towards a strong modification of this change by auditory processes. At an age when the ability of automatic linguistic rule learning phases out, rule learning can still be observed in children with enhanced auditory responses. The observed interrelations are plausible causes for age-of-acquisition effects and inter-individual differences in language learning. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of EMERGE, a Medical Decision Making Aid for Analysis of Chest Pain

PubMed Central

Hudson, Donna L.; Cohen, Moses E.; Deedwania, Prakash C.; Watson, Patricia E.

1983-01-01

EMERGE, a rule-based medical decision making aid for analysis of chest pain in the emergency room, was evaluated using retrospective patient data. The analysis consisted of two phases. In the initial phase, patient cases were run in order to make minor modifications and adjustments in the criteria used for determination of admission. In the second phase, patient cases were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the EMERGE system in arriving at the proper conclusion.

FPGA chip performance improvement with gate shrink through alternating PSM 90nm process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Chun-Chi; Shieh, Ming-Feng; Liu, Erick; Lin, Benjamin; Ho, Jonathan; Wu, Xin; Panaite, Petrisor; Chacko, Manoj; Zhang, Yunqiang; Lei, Wen-Kang

2005-11-01

In the post-physical verification space called 'Mask Synthesis' a key component of design-for-manufacturing (DFM), double-exposure based, dark-field, alternating PSM (Alt-PSM) is being increasingly applied at the 90nm node in addition with other mature resolution enhancement techniques (RETs) such as optical proximity correction (OPC) and sub-resolution assist features (SRAF). Several high-performance IC manufacturers already use alt-PSM technology in 65nm production. At 90nm having strong control over the lithography process is a critical component in meeting targeted yield goals. However, implementing alt-PSM in production has been challenging due to several factors such as phase conflict errors, mask manufacturing, and the increased production cost due to the need for two masks in the process. Implementation of Alt-PSM generally requires phase compliance rules and proper phase topology in the layout and this has been successful for the technology node with these rules implemented. However, this may not be true for a mature, production process technology, in this case 90 nm. Especially, in the foundry-fabless business model where the foundry provides a standard set of design rules to its customers for a given process technology, and where not all the foundry customers require Alt-PSM in their tapeout flow. With minimum design changes, design houses usually are motivated by higher product performance for the existing designs. What follows is an in-depth review of the motivation to apply alt-PSM on a production FPGA, the DFM challenges to each partner faced, its effect on the tapeout flow, and how design, manufacturing, and EDA teams worked together to resolve phase conflicts, tapeout the chip, and finally verify the silicon results in production.

Oscillation Rules as the Pacific Cools

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-12-13

The latest image of sea-surface height measurements from NASA U.S./French Jason-1 oceanography satellite shows the Pacific Ocean remains locked in a strong, cool phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

Summary of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act State Authorization Rule Checklist 179

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Land Disposal Restrictions -- Phase IV: Treatment Standards for Wood Preserving Wastes, Treatment Standards for Metal Wastes, Zinc Micronutrient Fertilizers, Carbamate Treatment Standards, and K088 Treatment Standards

Final Report: Identification and Manipulation of Novel Topological Phases

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-09

ps at TG and then exhibits a marked change in temperature dependence below TG [Fig. 4(d)]. A sharp rise in relaxation time at TN typically signifies...description, which predicts sharp first-order MITs like in V2O3.28 Although our measurements do not rule out gaps beginning to form in microscopically...Sr2IrO4 defies a strictMott-Hubbard description.We rule out the possibility of a disorder broadened TMIT in our samples based on their sharp magnetic

Intelligent virtual teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takács, Ondřej; Kostolányová, Kateřina

2016-06-01

This paper describes the Virtual Teacher that uses a set of rules to automatically adapt the way of teaching. These rules compose of two parts: conditions on various students' properties or learning situation; conclusions that specify different adaptation parameters. The rules can be used for general adaptation of each subject or they can be specific to some subject. The rule based system of Virtual Teacher is dedicated to be used in pedagogical experiments in adaptive e-learning and is therefore designed for users without education in computer science. The Virtual Teacher was used in dissertation theses of two students, who executed two pedagogical experiments. This paper also describes the phase of simulating and modeling of the theoretically prepared adaptive process in the modeling tool, which has all the required parameters and has been created especially for the occasion. The experiments are being conducted on groups of virtual students and by using a virtual study material.

Developing Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for shampoos - The basis for comparable Life Cycle Assessments.

PubMed

Golsteijn, Laura; Lessard, Lindsay; Campion, Jean-Florent; Capelli, Alexandre; D'Enfert, Virginie; King, Henry; Kremer, Joachim; Krugman, Michael; Orliac, Hélène; Furnemont, Severine Roullet; Schuh, Werner; Stalmans, Mark; O'Hanlon, Natasha Williams; Coroama, Manuela

2018-06-05

In 2013, the European Commission launched the Environmental Footprint Rules pilot phase. This initiative aims at setting specific rules for life cycle assessment (LCA: raw material sourcing, production, logistics, use- and disposal phase) studies within one product category, so called product environmental footprint category rules (PEFCR), as well as for organisations, so called organisational environmental footprint sector rules (OEFSR). Such specific rules for measuring environmental performance throughout the life cycle should facilitate the comparability between LCA studies, and provide principles for communicating the environmental performance, such as transparency, reliability, completeness, and clarity. Cosmetics Europe, the association representing the cosmetics industry in the EU, completed a voluntary study into the development of PEFCR for shampoo, generally following the guidelines and methodology developed by the European Commission for its own pilot projects. The study assessed the feasibility and relevance of establishing PEFCR for shampoo. Specifically, the study defines a large number of modelling assumptions and default values relevant for shampoo (e.g. for the functional unit, the system boundaries, default transport distances, rinsing water volumes, temperature differences, life cycle inventory data sources etc) that can be modified as appropriate, according to specificities of individual products, manufacturing companies and countries. The results of the study may be used to support internal decision-making (e.g. to identify 'hotspots' with high environmental impact and opportunities for improvement) or to meet information requests from commercial partners, consumers, media or authorities on product environmental characteristics. In addition, the shampoo study also highlighted many of the challenges and limitations of the current PEF methodology, namely its complexity and resource intensiveness. It highlighted two areas where improvements are much needed: (1) data quality and availability, and (2) impact assessment methodologies and robustness. Many of the learnings are applicable to other rinse-off cosmetic products such as shower gels, liquid soaps, bath products and hair conditioners. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Comparison of futility monitoring guidelines using completed phase III oncology trials.

PubMed

Zhang, Qiang; Freidlin, Boris; Korn, Edward L; Halabi, Susan; Mandrekar, Sumithra; Dignam, James J

2017-02-01

Futility (inefficacy) interim monitoring is an important component in the conduct of phase III clinical trials, especially in life-threatening diseases. Desirable futility monitoring guidelines allow timely stopping if the new therapy is harmful or if it is unlikely to demonstrate to be sufficiently effective if the trial were to continue to its final analysis. There are a number of analytical approaches that are used to construct futility monitoring boundaries. The most common approaches are based on conditional power, sequential testing of the alternative hypothesis, or sequential confidence intervals. The resulting futility boundaries vary considerably with respect to the level of evidence required for recommending stopping the study. We evaluate the performance of commonly used methods using event histories from completed phase III clinical trials of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, Cancer and Leukemia Group B, and North Central Cancer Treatment Group. We considered published superiority phase III trials with survival endpoints initiated after 1990. There are 52 studies available for this analysis from different disease sites. Total sample size and maximum number of events (statistical information) for each study were calculated using protocol-specified effect size, type I and type II error rates. In addition to the common futility approaches, we considered a recently proposed linear inefficacy boundary approach with an early harm look followed by several lack-of-efficacy analyses. For each futility approach, interim test statistics were generated for three schedules with different analysis frequency, and early stopping was recommended if the interim result crossed a futility stopping boundary. For trials not demonstrating superiority, the impact of each rule is summarized as savings on sample size, study duration, and information time scales. For negative studies, our results show that the futility approaches based on testing the alternative hypothesis and repeated confidence interval rules yielded less savings (compared to the other two rules). These boundaries are too conservative, especially during the first half of the study (<50% of information). The conditional power rules are too aggressive during the second half of the study (>50% of information) and may stop a trial even when there is a clinically meaningful treatment effect. The linear inefficacy boundary with three or more interim analyses provided the best results. For positive studies, we demonstrated that none of the futility rules would have stopped the trials. The linear inefficacy boundary futility approach is attractive from statistical, clinical, and logistical standpoints in clinical trials evaluating new anti-cancer agents.

32 CFR 2004.20 - National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) [201(a)].

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... phases of the contracting process. (b) As a general rule, procedures for safeguarding classified information by contractors and recommendations for changes shall be addressed through the NISPOM coordination...

Replicating receptive fields of simple and complex cells in primary visual cortex in a neuronal network model with temporal and population sparseness and reliability.

PubMed

Tanaka, Takuma; Aoyagi, Toshio; Kaneko, Takeshi

2012-10-01

We propose a new principle for replicating receptive field properties of neurons in the primary visual cortex. We derive a learning rule for a feedforward network, which maintains a low firing rate for the output neurons (resulting in temporal sparseness) and allows only a small subset of the neurons in the network to fire at any given time (resulting in population sparseness). Our learning rule also sets the firing rates of the output neurons at each time step to near-maximum or near-minimum levels, resulting in neuronal reliability. The learning rule is simple enough to be written in spatially and temporally local forms. After the learning stage is performed using input image patches of natural scenes, output neurons in the model network are found to exhibit simple-cell-like receptive field properties. When the output of these simple-cell-like neurons are input to another model layer using the same learning rule, the second-layer output neurons after learning become less sensitive to the phase of gratings than the simple-cell-like input neurons. In particular, some of the second-layer output neurons become completely phase invariant, owing to the convergence of the connections from first-layer neurons with similar orientation selectivity to second-layer neurons in the model network. We examine the parameter dependencies of the receptive field properties of the model neurons after learning and discuss their biological implications. We also show that the localized learning rule is consistent with experimental results concerning neuronal plasticity and can replicate the receptive fields of simple and complex cells.

Clinical prediction rule for delayed hemothorax after minor thoracic injury: a multicentre derivation and validation study

PubMed Central

Émond, Marcel; Guimont, Chantal; Chauny, Jean-Marc; Daoust, Raoul; Bergeron, Éric; Vanier, Laurent; Moore, Lynne; Plourde, Miville; Kuimi, Batomen; Boucher, Valérie; Allain-Boulé, Nadine; Le Sage, Natalie

2017-01-01

Background: About 75% of patients with minor thoracic injury are discharged after an emergency department visit. However, complications such as delayed hemothorax can occur. We sought to derive and validate a clinical decision rule to predict hemothorax in patients discharged from the emergency department. Methods: We conducted a 6-year prospective cohort study in 4 university-affiliated emergency departments. Patients aged 16 years or older presenting with a minor thoracic injury were assessed at 5 time points (initial visit and 7, 14, 30 and 90 d after the injury). Radiologists' reports were reviewed for the presence of hemothorax. We used log-binomial regression models to identify predictors of hemothorax. Results: A total of 1382 patients were included: 830 in the derivation phase and 552 in the validation phase. Of these, 151 (10.9%) had hemothorax at the 14-day follow-up. Patients 65 years of age or older represented 25.3% (210/830) and 23.7% (131/552) of the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. The final clinical decision rule included a combination of age (> 70 yr, 2 points; 45-70 yr, 1 point), fracture of any high to mid thorax rib (ribs 3-9, 2 points) and presence of 3 or more rib fractures (1 point). Twenty (30.8%) of the 65 high-risk patients (score ≥ 4) experienced hemothorax during the follow-up period. The clinical decision rule had a high specificity (90.7%, 95% confidence interval 87.7%-93.1%) in this high-risk group, thus guiding appropriate post-emergency care. Interpretation: One patient out of every 10 presented with delayed hemothorax after discharge from the emergency department. Implementation of this validated clinical decision rule for minor thoracic injury could guide emergency discharge plans. PMID:28611156

Instability of quantum equilibrium in Bohm's dynamics

PubMed Central

Colin, Samuel; Valentini, Antony

2014-01-01

We consider Bohm's second-order dynamics for arbitrary initial conditions in phase space. In principle, Bohm's dynamics allows for ‘extended’ non-equilibrium, with initial momenta not equal to the gradient of phase of the wave function (as well as initial positions whose distribution departs from the Born rule). We show that extended non-equilibrium does not relax in general and is in fact unstable. This is in sharp contrast with de Broglie's first-order dynamics, for which non-standard momenta are not allowed and which shows an efficient relaxation to the Born rule for positions. On this basis, we argue that, while de Broglie's dynamics is a tenable physical theory, Bohm's dynamics is not. In a world governed by Bohm's dynamics, there would be no reason to expect to see an effective quantum theory today (even approximately), in contradiction with observation. PMID:25383020

Chiral dynamics in the low-temperature phase of QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Bastian B.; Francis, Anthony; Meyer, Harvey B.; Robaina, Daniel

2014-09-01

We investigate the low-temperature phase of QCD and the crossover region with two light flavors of quarks. The chiral expansion around the point (T,m=0) in the temperature vs quark-mass plane indicates that a sharp real-time excitation exists with the quantum numbers of the pion. An exact sum rule is derived for the thermal modification of the spectral function associated with the axial charge density; the (dominant) pion pole contribution obeys the sum rule. We determine the two parameters of the pion dispersion relation using lattice QCD simulations and test the applicability of the chiral expansion. The time-dependent correlators are also analyzed using the maximum entropy method, yielding consistent results. Finally, we test the predictions of the chiral expansion around the point (T=0,m=0) for the temperature dependence of static observables.

Interplay of defect doping and Bernal-Fowler rules: A simulation study of the dynamics on ice lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köster, K. W.; Klocke, T.; Wieland, F.; Böhmer, R.

2017-10-01

Protonic defects on ice lattices induced by doping with acids such as HCl and HF or bases such as KOH can facilitate order-disorder transitions. In laboratory experiments KOH doping is efficient in promoting the ordering transition from hexagonal ice I to ice XI, but it is ineffective for other known ice phases, for which HCl can trigger hydrogen ordering. Aiming at understanding these differences, random-walk simulations of the defect diffusion are performed on two- and three-dimensional ice lattices under the constraints imposed by the Bernal-Fowler ice rules. Effective defect diffusion coefficients are calculated for a range of dopants, concentrations, and ice phases. The interaction of different defects, incorporated by different dopants, is investigated to clarify the particular motion-enhancing role played by complementary defect pairs.

The Role of Negative Priming in Preschoolers' Flexible Rule Use on the Dimensional Change Card Sort Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Ulrich; Dick, Anthony Steven; Gela, Katherine; Overton, Willis F.; Zelazo, Philip David

2006-01-01

Four experiments examined the development of negative priming (NP) in 3-5-year-old children using as a measure of children's executive function (EF) the dimensional change card sort (DCCS) task. In the NP version of the DCCS, the values of the sorting dimension that is relevant during the preswitch phase are removed during the postswitch phase.…

Extension of the Expiration Date for State Disability Examiner Authority To Make Fully Favorable Quick Disability Determinations and Compassionate Allowance Determinations. Final rule.

PubMed

2016-10-24

We are extending, until December 28, 2018, the expiration date of our disability examiner authority (DEA) rule, which authorizes State agency disability examiners to make fully favorable determinations without the approval of a State agency medical or psychological consultant in claims that we consider under our quick disability determination (QDD) and compassionate allowance (CAL) processes. This is our last extension of this rule because we will phase out the use of DEA during the extension period under section 832 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA). This extension provides us the time necessary to take all of the administrative actions we need to take in order to reinstate uniform use of medical and psychological consultants. The current rule will expire on November 11, 2016. In this final rule, we are changing the November 11, 2016 expiration or "sunset" date to December 28, 2018, extending the authority for 2 years and 1 month. This is the final extension of our DEA rule. On December 28, 2018, at the conclusion of this extension, the authority for this test will terminate. We are making no other changes.

Autonomous Flight Safety System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrell, Bob; Santuro, Steve; Simpson, James; Zoerner, Roger; Bull, Barton; Lanzi, Jim

2004-01-01

Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS) is an independent flight safety system designed for small to medium sized expendable launch vehicles launching from or needing range safety protection while overlying relatively remote locations. AFSS replaces the need for a man-in-the-loop to make decisions for flight termination. AFSS could also serve as the prototype for an autonomous manned flight crew escape advisory system. AFSS utilizes onboard sensors and processors to emulate the human decision-making process using rule-based software logic and can dramatically reduce safety response time during critical launch phases. The Range Safety flight path nominal trajectory, its deviation allowances, limit zones and other flight safety rules are stored in the onboard computers. Position, velocity and attitude data obtained from onboard global positioning system (GPS) and inertial navigation system (INS) sensors are compared with these rules to determine the appropriate action to ensure that people and property are not jeopardized. The final system will be fully redundant and independent with multiple processors, sensors, and dead man switches to prevent inadvertent flight termination. AFSS is currently in Phase III which includes updated algorithms, integrated GPS/INS sensors, large scale simulation testing and initial aircraft flight testing.

Towards computerizing intensive care sedation guidelines: design of a rule-based architecture for automated execution of clinical guidelines

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Computerized ICUs rely on software services to convey the medical condition of their patients as well as assisting the staff in taking treatment decisions. Such services are useful for following clinical guidelines quickly and accurately. However, the development of services is often time-consuming and error-prone. Consequently, many care-related activities are still conducted based on manually constructed guidelines. These are often ambiguous, which leads to unnecessary variations in treatments and costs. The goal of this paper is to present a semi-automatic verification and translation framework capable of turning manually constructed diagrams into ready-to-use programs. This framework combines the strengths of the manual and service-oriented approaches while decreasing their disadvantages. The aim is to close the gap in communication between the IT and the medical domain. This leads to a less time-consuming and error-prone development phase and a shorter clinical evaluation phase. Methods A framework is proposed that semi-automatically translates a clinical guideline, expressed as an XML-based flow chart, into a Drools Rule Flow by employing semantic technologies such as ontologies and SWRL. An overview of the architecture is given and all the technology choices are thoroughly motivated. Finally, it is shown how this framework can be integrated into a service-oriented architecture (SOA). Results The applicability of the Drools Rule language to express clinical guidelines is evaluated by translating an example guideline, namely the sedation protocol used for the anaesthetization of patients, to a Drools Rule Flow and executing and deploying this Rule-based application as a part of a SOA. The results show that the performance of Drools is comparable to other technologies such as Web Services and increases with the number of decision nodes present in the Rule Flow. Most delays are introduced by loading the Rule Flows. Conclusions The framework is an effective solution for computerizing clinical guidelines as it allows for quick development, evaluation and human-readable visualization of the Rules and has a good performance. By monitoring the parameters of the patient to automatically detect exceptional situations and problems and by notifying the medical staff of tasks that need to be performed, the computerized sedation guideline improves the execution of the guideline. PMID:20082700

Predicting the need for CT imaging in children with minor head injury using an ensemble of Naive Bayes classifiers.

PubMed

Klement, William; Wilk, Szymon; Michalowski, Wojtek; Farion, Ken J; Osmond, Martin H; Verter, Vedat

2012-03-01

Using an automatic data-driven approach, this paper develops a prediction model that achieves more balanced performance (in terms of sensitivity and specificity) than the Canadian Assessment of Tomography for Childhood Head Injury (CATCH) rule, when predicting the need for computed tomography (CT) imaging of children after a minor head injury. CT is widely considered an effective tool for evaluating patients with minor head trauma who have potentially suffered serious intracranial injury. However, its use poses possible harmful effects, particularly for children, due to exposure to radiation. Safety concerns, along with issues of cost and practice variability, have led to calls for the development of effective methods to decide when CT imaging is needed. Clinical decision rules represent such methods and are normally derived from the analysis of large prospectively collected patient data sets. The CATCH rule was created by a group of Canadian pediatric emergency physicians to support the decision of referring children with minor head injury to CT imaging. The goal of the CATCH rule was to maximize the sensitivity of predictions of potential intracranial lesion while keeping specificity at a reasonable level. After extensive analysis of the CATCH data set, characterized by severe class imbalance, and after a thorough evaluation of several data mining methods, we derived an ensemble of multiple Naive Bayes classifiers as the prediction model for CT imaging decisions. In the first phase of the experiment we compared the proposed ensemble model to other ensemble models employing rule-, tree- and instance-based member classifiers. Our prediction model demonstrated the best performance in terms of AUC, G-mean and sensitivity measures. In the second phase, using a bootstrapping experiment similar to that reported by the CATCH investigators, we showed that the proposed ensemble model achieved a more balanced predictive performance than the CATCH rule with an average sensitivity of 82.8% and an average specificity of 74.4% (vs. 98.1% and 50.0% for the CATCH rule respectively). Automatically derived prediction models cannot replace a physician's acumen. However, they help establish reference performance indicators for the purpose of developing clinical decision rules so the trade-off between prediction sensitivity and specificity is better understood. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Towards computerizing intensive care sedation guidelines: design of a rule-based architecture for automated execution of clinical guidelines.

PubMed

Ongenae, Femke; De Backere, Femke; Steurbaut, Kristof; Colpaert, Kirsten; Kerckhove, Wannes; Decruyenaere, Johan; De Turck, Filip

2010-01-18

Computerized ICUs rely on software services to convey the medical condition of their patients as well as assisting the staff in taking treatment decisions. Such services are useful for following clinical guidelines quickly and accurately. However, the development of services is often time-consuming and error-prone. Consequently, many care-related activities are still conducted based on manually constructed guidelines. These are often ambiguous, which leads to unnecessary variations in treatments and costs.The goal of this paper is to present a semi-automatic verification and translation framework capable of turning manually constructed diagrams into ready-to-use programs. This framework combines the strengths of the manual and service-oriented approaches while decreasing their disadvantages. The aim is to close the gap in communication between the IT and the medical domain. This leads to a less time-consuming and error-prone development phase and a shorter clinical evaluation phase. A framework is proposed that semi-automatically translates a clinical guideline, expressed as an XML-based flow chart, into a Drools Rule Flow by employing semantic technologies such as ontologies and SWRL. An overview of the architecture is given and all the technology choices are thoroughly motivated. Finally, it is shown how this framework can be integrated into a service-oriented architecture (SOA). The applicability of the Drools Rule language to express clinical guidelines is evaluated by translating an example guideline, namely the sedation protocol used for the anaesthetization of patients, to a Drools Rule Flow and executing and deploying this Rule-based application as a part of a SOA. The results show that the performance of Drools is comparable to other technologies such as Web Services and increases with the number of decision nodes present in the Rule Flow. Most delays are introduced by loading the Rule Flows. The framework is an effective solution for computerizing clinical guidelines as it allows for quick development, evaluation and human-readable visualization of the Rules and has a good performance. By monitoring the parameters of the patient to automatically detect exceptional situations and problems and by notifying the medical staff of tasks that need to be performed, the computerized sedation guideline improves the execution of the guideline.

Toward multiscale modelings of grain-fluid systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chareyre, Bruno; Yuan, Chao; Montella, Eduard P.; Salager, Simon

2017-06-01

Computationally efficient methods have been developed for simulating partially saturated granular materials in the pendular regime. In contrast, one hardly avoid expensive direct resolutions of 2-phase fluid dynamics problem for mixed pendular-funicular situations or even saturated regimes. Following previous developments for single-phase flow, a pore-network approach of the coupling problems is described. The geometry and movements of phases and interfaces are described on the basis of a tetrahedrization of the pore space, introducing elementary objects such as bridge, meniscus, pore body and pore throat, together with local rules of evolution. As firmly established local rules are still missing on some aspects (entry capillary pressure and pore-scale pressure-saturation relations, forces on the grains, or kinetics of transfers in mixed situations) a multi-scale numerical framework is introduced, enhancing the pore-network approach with the help of direct simulations. Small subsets of a granular system are extracted, in which multiphase scenario are solved using the Lattice-Boltzman method (LBM). In turns, a global problem is assembled and solved at the network scale, as illustrated by a simulated primary drainage.

Factores relacionados con la elección de una especialidad en médicos residentes mexicanos.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Cirlos, Carlos; Naveja-Romero, José de Jesús; Leenen, Iwin; Sánchez-Mendiola, Melchor

2017-01-01

This study explored choice factors in four specialties in Mexico. Mixed methods design. Qualitative phase: four focus groups with first-year residents, to obtain information of how specialty choice was done. With this information a web-based cross-sectional questionnaire was applied to residents registered in the 1st year of Postgraduate Studies Division, UNAM. 32 residents participated in qualitative phase and for the quantitative phase, the survey was answered by 35 surgical, 28 gynecology, 61 internal medicine and 62 pediatric residents. The specialty choice decision was done during the last years of the medical career. The majority of the resident choice was a subspecialty after the general residency. The type of patient was more crucial to choose pediatrics while a good academic program was for internal medicine. Negative models and bullying were decisive to rule out surgery as well as a not well-known hospital was to rule out pediatrics. The specialty choice is done during undergraduate training, with the intention of doing a subspecialty. Demographic and personality traits were identified. Copyright: © 2017 SecretarÍa de Salud

The effects of display and autopilot functions on pilot workload for Single Pilot Instrument Flight Rule (SPIFR) operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoh, Roger H.; Smith, James C.; Hinton, David A.

1987-01-01

An analytical and experimental research program was conducted to develop criteria for pilot interaction with advanced controls and displays in single pilot instrument flight rules (SPIFR) operations. The analytic phase reviewed fundamental considerations for pilot workload taking into account existing data, and using that data to develop a divided attention SPIFR pilot workload model. The pilot model was utilized to interpret the two experimental phases. The first experimental phase was a flight test program that evaluated pilot workload in the presence of current and near-term displays and autopilot functions. The second experiment was conducted on a King Air simulator, investigating the effects of co-pilot functions in the presence of very high SPIFR workload. The results indicate that the simplest displays tested were marginal for SPIFR operations. A moving map display aided the most in mental orientation, but had inherent deficiencies as a stand alone replacement for an HSI. Autopilot functions were highly effective for reducing pilot workload. The simulator tests showed that extremely high workload situations can be adequately handled when co-pilot functions are provided.

EDRN Breast and Ovary Cancer CVC, Study 3: Phase 3 Validation of screening decision rules in preclinical UKCTOCS serial samples — EDRN Public Portal

Cancer.gov

We will collaborate with investigators from University College London to test a screening decision rule in preclinical serial samples from the U.K. Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS) to learn if the panel can do better than CA125 alone. The UKCTOCS is an ideal setting for retrospective validation of an early detection marker panel and decision rule because it offers serial samples collected annually and use of imaging in women with rising CA125. Multi-modal strategies using serum markers HE4, MSLN, MMP7, and CA125 will be compared to strategies relying exclusively on CA125 and transvaginal sonography (TVS).

Effect of commercial and military performance requirements for transport category aircraft on space shuttle booster design and operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bithell, R. A.; Pence, W. A., Jr.

1972-01-01

The effect of two sets of performance requirements, commercial and military, on the design and operation of the space shuttle booster is evaluated. Critical thrust levels are established according to both sets of operating rules for the takeoff, cruise, and go-around flight modes, and the effect on engine requirements determined. Both flyback and ferry operations are considered. The impact of landing rules on potential shuttle flyback and ferry bases is evaluated. Factors affecting reserves are discussed, including winds, temperature, and nonstandard flight operations. Finally, a recommended set of operating rules is proposed for both flyback and ferry operations that allows adequate performance capability and safety margins without compromising design requirements for either flight phase.

EPA releases hold on reformulated gas and CFC regulations

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

Begley, R.; Kirschner, E.

1993-02-03

The Environmental Protection Agency has released the White House-instituted hold and review on the Bush Administration's last-minute rules and proposals. Of the 32 actions, EPA administrator Carol Browner has held back only one, which proposed a fee system for discharges to water. Any changes in the future were deemed to best be considered either in the comment period for proposals or with new proposed addendums for final rules, said Browner. Although a proposal concerning standards for reformulated gasoline was approved for publication, Browner emphasizes that the EPA can modify or drop provisions for ethanol mixtures and remains committed to negotiatedmore » rulemaking procedures. The proposed rule includes measures - set out by Bush last October - to grant ethanol a waiver from gasoline vapor pressure limits, resulting in a 30% market share for northern cities in violation of ozone limits. Ethanol could take a 20% share in southern cities. Under the ethanol waiver, refiners would have to offset the increased emissions from ethanol at a cost of at least $250 million, according to the American Petroleum Institute, API, state air pollution regulators, and environmentalists say the proposal violates a regulatory negotiation. Regarding the one-week delay, API says, The lengthy rule-making process already has drastically reduced the lead time available to refiners, who must begin selling this fuel on January 1, 1995'. Also released is the ozone-depleter phase-out proposal. In addition to chlorofluorocarbons, the Bush EPA slated methyl bromide for phase-outby the year 2000.« less

Reinforcement Learning of Linking and Tracing Contours in Recurrent Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Brosch, Tobias; Neumann, Heiko; Roelfsema, Pieter R.

2015-01-01

The processing of a visual stimulus can be subdivided into a number of stages. Upon stimulus presentation there is an early phase of feedforward processing where the visual information is propagated from lower to higher visual areas for the extraction of basic and complex stimulus features. This is followed by a later phase where horizontal connections within areas and feedback connections from higher areas back to lower areas come into play. In this later phase, image elements that are behaviorally relevant are grouped by Gestalt grouping rules and are labeled in the cortex with enhanced neuronal activity (object-based attention in psychology). Recent neurophysiological studies revealed that reward-based learning influences these recurrent grouping processes, but it is not well understood how rewards train recurrent circuits for perceptual organization. This paper examines the mechanisms for reward-based learning of new grouping rules. We derive a learning rule that can explain how rewards influence the information flow through feedforward, horizontal and feedback connections. We illustrate the efficiency with two tasks that have been used to study the neuronal correlates of perceptual organization in early visual cortex. The first task is called contour-integration and demands the integration of collinear contour elements into an elongated curve. We show how reward-based learning causes an enhancement of the representation of the to-be-grouped elements at early levels of a recurrent neural network, just as is observed in the visual cortex of monkeys. The second task is curve-tracing where the aim is to determine the endpoint of an elongated curve composed of connected image elements. If trained with the new learning rule, neural networks learn to propagate enhanced activity over the curve, in accordance with neurophysiological data. We close the paper with a number of model predictions that can be tested in future neurophysiological and computational studies. PMID:26496502

Quantifying The Food And Drug Administration's rulemaking delays highlights the need for transparency.

PubMed

Hwang, Thomas J; Avorn, Jerry; Carpenter, Daniel; Kesselheim, Aaron S

2014-02-01

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) frequently uses its rulemaking process to establish or modify the way it regulates drugs, medical devices, and other medical products. The federal agency's rulemaking is controversial because of its perceived complexity, lack of transparency, and lengthy duration. To shed light on the FDA's rulemaking process, we examined the evolution of significant rules that the agency published during 2000-12 for drugs, devices, and other medical products. We found that the rules' median time to finalization was 7.3 years, with the pre-rule phase and postreview deliberation within the FDA accounting for the majority of that time. Rules that involved mandatory cost-benefit analyses were associated with an additional delay of approximately two years. We also found that longer review times were significantly associated with a reduction in the stringency of final rules, compared to the originally proposed versions. We recommend improving FDA's rulemaking by allocating additional resources to increase efficiency and by embarking on initiatives to promote transparency by the FDA and other parts of the executive branch.

An agent-based method for simulating porous fluid-saturated structures with indistinguishable components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashani, Jamal; Pettet, Graeme John; Gu, YuanTong; Zhang, Lihai; Oloyede, Adekunle

2017-10-01

Single-phase porous materials contain multiple components that intermingle up to the ultramicroscopic level. Although the structures of the porous materials have been simulated with agent-based methods, the results of the available methods continue to provide patterns of distinguishable solid and fluid agents which do not represent materials with indistinguishable phases. This paper introduces a new agent (hybrid agent) and category of rules (intra-agent rule) that can be used to create emergent structures that would more accurately represent single-phase structures and materials. The novel hybrid agent carries the characteristics of system's elements and it is capable of changing within itself, while also responding to its neighbours as they also change. As an example, the hybrid agent under one-dimensional cellular automata formalism in a two-dimensional domain is used to generate patterns that demonstrate the striking morphological and characteristic similarities with the porous saturated single-phase structures where each agent of the ;structure; carries semi-permeability property and consists of both fluid and solid in space and at all times. We conclude that the ability of the hybrid agent to change locally provides an enhanced protocol to simulate complex porous structures such as biological tissues which could facilitate models for agent-based techniques and numerical methods.

Phase space quantum mechanics - Direct

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

Nasiri, S.; Sobouti, Y.; Taati, F.

2006-09-15

Conventional approach to quantum mechanics in phase space (q,p), is to take the operator based quantum mechanics of Schroedinger, or an equivalent, and assign a c-number function in phase space to it. We propose to begin with a higher level of abstraction, in which the independence and the symmetric role of q and p is maintained throughout, and at once arrive at phase space state functions. Upon reduction to the q- or p-space the proposed formalism gives the conventional quantum mechanics, however, with a definite rule for ordering of factors of noncommuting observables. Further conceptual and practical merits of themore » formalism are demonstrated throughout the text.« less

Spectral sum rules for confining large-N theories

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

Cherman, Aleksey; McGady, David A.; Yamazaki, Masahito

2016-06-17

We consider asymptotically-free four-dimensional large-$N$ gauge theories with massive fermionic and bosonic adjoint matter fields, compactified on squashed three-spheres, and examine their regularized large-$N$ confined-phase spectral sums. The analysis is done in the limit of vanishing ’t Hooft coupling, which is justified by taking the size of the compactification manifold to be small compared to the inverse strong scale Λ ₋1. We find our results motivate us to conjecture some universal spectral sum rules for these large $N$ gauge theories.

Model of Collective Fish Behavior with Hydrodynamic Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filella, Audrey; Nadal, François; Sire, Clément; Kanso, Eva; Eloy, Christophe

2018-05-01

Fish schooling is often modeled with self-propelled particles subject to phenomenological behavioral rules. Although fish are known to sense and exploit flow features, these models usually neglect hydrodynamics. Here, we propose a novel model that couples behavioral rules with far-field hydrodynamic interactions. We show that (1) a new "collective turning" phase emerges, (2) on average, individuals swim faster thanks to the fluid, and (3) the flow enhances behavioral noise. The results of this model suggest that hydrodynamic effects should be considered to fully understand the collective dynamics of fish.

Ising versus S U (2) 2 string-net ladder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidal, Julien

2018-03-01

We consider the string-net model obtained from S U (2) 2 fusion rules. These fusion rules are shared by two different sets of anyon theories. In this paper, we study the competition between the two corresponding non-Abelian quantum phases in the ladder geometry. A detailed symmetry analysis shows that the nontrivial low-energy sector corresponds to the transverse-field cluster model that displays a critical point described by the s o (2) 1 conformal field theory. Other sectors are obtained by freezing spins in this model.

Visual artificial grammar learning: comparative research on humans, kea (Nestor notabilis) and pigeons (Columba livia)

PubMed Central

Stobbe, Nina; Westphal-Fitch, Gesche; Aust, Ulrike; Fitch, W. Tecumseh

2012-01-01

Artificial grammar learning (AGL) provides a useful tool for exploring rule learning strategies linked to general purpose pattern perception. To be able to directly compare performance of humans with other species with different memory capacities, we developed an AGL task in the visual domain. Presenting entire visual patterns simultaneously instead of sequentially minimizes the amount of required working memory. This approach allowed us to evaluate performance levels of two bird species, kea (Nestor notabilis) and pigeons (Columba livia), in direct comparison to human participants. After being trained to discriminate between two types of visual patterns generated by rules at different levels of computational complexity and presented on a computer screen, birds and humans received further training with a series of novel stimuli that followed the same rules, but differed in various visual features from the training stimuli. Most avian and all human subjects continued to perform well above chance during this initial generalization phase, suggesting that they were able to generalize learned rules to novel stimuli. However, detailed testing with stimuli that violated the intended rules regarding the exact number of stimulus elements indicates that neither bird species was able to successfully acquire the intended pattern rule. Our data suggest that, in contrast to humans, these birds were unable to master a simple rule above the finite-state level, even with simultaneous item presentation and despite intensive training. PMID:22688635

Does Bertrand's rule apply to macronutrients?

PubMed Central

Raubenheimer, D; Lee, K.P; Simpson, S.J

2005-01-01

It has been known for over a century that the dose–response curve for many micronutrients is non-monotonic, having an initial stage of increasing benefits with increased intake, followed by increasing costs as excesses become toxic. This phenomenon, termed Bertrand's rule, is widely assumed not to apply to caloric macronutrients. To date this assumption has been safe, owing to the considerable methodological challenges involved in coaxing animals to over-ingest macronutrients in a way that enables the effects of specific food components to be isolated. Here we report an experiment which overcomes these difficulties, to test whether the second phase (incurring costs with excessive intake) applies to carbohydrate intake by the generalist-feeding caterpillar Spodoptera littoralis. The results showed that excess carbohydrate intake caused increased mortality, thus extending Bertrand's rule to macronutrients. PMID:16243690

[On the improvement of everyday life behavior of chronic schizophrenic patients; from the viewpoint of "play-like behavior"].

PubMed

Maruta, N

2000-01-01

In this study, the author examined the behavioral patterns of chronic schizophrenic inpatients to follow the process of the amelioration of abulic symptoms such as loss of interest, poverty of thought, lack of sociality, and poor communication. In everyday life in the ward, abulic patients had difficulties in accomplishing not only the basic habitual acts such as getting up or going to bed regularly, exchanging greetings, cleaning teeth, bathing, and washing clothes, but also their assigned duties on the ward. Furthermore, they were unable to behave according to the rules for inpatients, express their emotions appropriately, or build normal interpersonal relationship. The author found that five inpatients achieved some spontaneous behaviors of their own choices in the process of improvement in the above-mentioned habitual acts. As these spontaneous behaviors proceeded through several phases, obvious improvements in their behavioral patterns in everyday life were also observed. The initial phase of transient spontaneous behavior was followed by the second phase of continual spontaneous behavior. Finally, in the interview sessions, the patients became to express pleasurable emotions and physical feelings when they performed their own acts of continual spontaneous behavior. This phenomenon seemed valuable in the therapeutic context because schizophrenic patients are considered seldom capable of having positive feelings toward their own experiences. Therefore, these pleasurable continual spontaneous behaviors may be called "play-like behavior", as confirmed by comparison with the properties of "play" as defined by Caillois. In considering schizophrenic autism, Minkowski described "activité autiste" as an intrinsic quality of the way of life in schizophrenic patients. The manifestation of such quality in spontaneous behaviors can be regarded as having two meanings; an aspect of pathological acting out and a sign of recovery to realistic behaviors. Therapists should consider both aspects when conducting therapies. Although the patients regained the habits and norms of everyday life during hospitalization, the rules involved in "play-like" behavior seemed to contradict some rules in the habitual acts or assigned duties in their daily lives because within "play-like" behavior, freedom predominates over rules. The rules in "play-like" behavior are acquired mostly by mimicking other people. These rules are not fixed laws with penalties but are changeable rules depending on the circumstances of the behavioral process. From this viewpoint, "play-like" behavior allows the patients to acquire practical rules and to understand the relative nature of the rules. Most of the "play-like" behaviors originate from the preferences of the individual patients, which may be something that they have already experienced, something that they have longed for, or something that gives them self-fulfillment. These qualities contribute to the acquisition of experiences that they find pleasurable. For the patients, recalling each "play-like" behavior in the interview sessions enables them to grasp the whole picture of their behaviors, to reinforce their attachment to these behaviors as their own experiences, and to promote the dynamic process between behavior and thought. In this sense, psychotherapy incorporating the aspect of "play-like" behavior seems to prepare the schizophrenic patients to improve their way of thinking. To nurture "play-like" behavior helps the chronic schizophrenic patients to recover will power, independence and sociality, and contributes to the improvement of clinical symptoms and of daily life activities.

Study on stress-strain response of multi-phase TRIP steel under cyclic loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dan, W. J.; Hu, Z. G.; Zhang, W. G.; Li, S. H.; Lin, Z. Q.

2013-12-01

The stress-strain response of multi-phase TRIP590 sheet steel is studied in cyclic loading condition at room temperature based on a cyclic phase transformation model and a multi-phase mixed kinematic hardening model. The cyclic martensite transformation model is proposed based on the shear-band intersection, where the repeat number, strain amplitude and cyclic frequency are used to control the phase transformation process. The multi-phase mixed kinematic hardening model is developed based on the non-linear kinematic hardening rule of per-phase. The parameters of transformation model are identified with the relationship between the austenite volume fraction and the repeat number. The parameters in Kinematic hardening model are confirmed by the experimental hysteresis loops in different strain amplitude conditions. The responses of hysteresis loop and stress amplitude are evaluated by tension-compression data.

Autonomous Flight Safety System September 27, 2005, Aircraft Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, James C.

2005-01-01

This report describes the first aircraft test of the Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS). The test was conducted on September 27, 2005, near Kennedy Space Center (KSC) using a privately-owned single-engine plane and evaluated the performance of several basic flight safety rules using real-time data onboard a moving aerial vehicle. This test follows the first road test of AFSS conducted in February 2005 at KSC. AFSS is a joint KSC and Wallops Flight Facility (WEF) project that is in its third phase of development. AFSS is an independent subsystem intended for use with Expendable Launch Vehicles that uses tracking data from redundant onboard sensors to autonomously make flight termination decisions using software-based rules implemented on redundant flight processors. The goals of this project are to increase capabilities by allowing launches from locations that do not have or cannot afford extensive ground-based range safety assets, to decrease range costs, and to decrease reaction time for special situations. The mission rules are configured for each operation by the responsible Range Safety authorities and can be loosely categorized in four major categories: Parameter Threshold Violations, Physical Boundary Violations present position and instantaneous impact point (TIP), Gate Rules static and dynamic, and a Green-Time Rule. Examples of each of these rules were evaluated during this aircraft test.

Medicare program; FY 2015 hospice wage index and payment rate update; hospice quality reporting requirements and process and appeals for Part D payment for drugs for beneficiaries enrolled in hospice. Final rule.

PubMed

2014-08-22

This final rule will update the hospice payment rates and the wage index for fiscal year (FY) 2015 and continue the phase-out of the wage index budget neutrality adjustment factor (BNAF). This rule provides an update on hospice payment reform analyses, potential definitions of "terminal illness'' and "related conditions,'' and information on potential processes and appeals for Part D payment for drugs while beneficiaries are under a hospice election. This rule will specify timeframes for filing the notice of election and the notice of termination/revocation; add the attending physician to the hospice election form, and require hospices to document changes to the attending physician; require hospices to complete their hospice aggregate cap determinations within 5 months after the cap year ends, and remit any overpayments; and update the hospice quality reporting program. In addition, this rule will provide guidance on determining hospice eligibility; information on the delay in the implementation of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM); and will further clarify how hospices are to report diagnoses on hospice claims. Finally, the rule will make a technical regulations text change.

Phase transitions in Nowak Sznajd opinion dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wołoszyn, Maciej; Stauffer, Dietrich; Kułakowski, Krzysztof

2007-05-01

The Nowak modification of the Sznajd opinion dynamics model on the square lattice assumes that with probability β the opinions flip due to mass-media advertising from down to up, and vice versa. Besides, with probability α the Sznajd rule applies that a neighbour pair agreeing in its two opinions convinces all its six neighbours of that opinion. Our Monte Carlo simulations and mean-field theory find sharp phase transitions in the parameter space.

Associative memory in phasing neuron networks

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

Nair, Niketh S; Bochove, Erik J.; Braiman, Yehuda

2014-01-01

We studied pattern formation in a network of coupled Hindmarsh-Rose model neurons and introduced a new model for associative memory retrieval using networks of Kuramoto oscillators. Hindmarsh-Rose Neural Networks can exhibit a rich set of collective dynamics that can be controlled by their connectivity. Specifically, we showed an instance of Hebb's rule where spiking was correlated with network topology. Based on this, we presented a simple model of associative memory in coupled phase oscillators.

Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) phase 1. Volume 3: Project cost estimates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The laser atmospheric wind sounder (LAWS) cost modeling activities were initiated in phase 1 to establish the ground rules and cost model that would apply to both phase 1 and phase 2 cost analyses. The primary emphasis in phase 1 was development of a cost model for a LAWS instrument for the Japanese Polar Orbiting Platform (JPOP). However, the Space Station application was also addressed in this model, and elements were included, where necessary, to account for Space Station unique items. The cost model presented in the following sections defines the framework for all LAWS cost modeling. The model is consistent with currently available detail, and can be extended to account for greater detail as the project definition progresses.

Superradiant phase transition in a model of three-level-Λ systems interacting with two bosonic modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayn, Mathias; Emary, Clive; Brandes, Tobias

2012-12-01

We consider an ensemble of three-level particles in Lambda configuration interacting with two bosonic modes. The Hamiltonian has the form of a generalized Dicke model. We show that in the thermodynamic limit this model supports a superradiant quantum phase transition. Remarkably, this can be both a first- and a second-order phase transition. A connection of the phase diagram to the symmetries of the Hamiltonian is also given. In addition, we show that this model can describe atoms interacting with an electromagnetic field in which the microscopic Hamiltonian includes a diamagnetic contribution. Even though the parameters of the atomic system respect the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule, the system still shows a superradiant phase transition.

Method to integrate clinical guidelines into the electronic health record (EHR) by applying the archetypes approach.

PubMed

Garcia, Diego; Moro, Claudia Maria Cabral; Cicogna, Paulo Eduardo; Carvalho, Deborah Ribeiro

2013-01-01

Clinical guidelines are documents that assist healthcare professionals, facilitating and standardizing diagnosis, management, and treatment in specific areas. Computerized guidelines as decision support systems (DSS) attempt to increase the performance of tasks and facilitate the use of guidelines. Most DSS are not integrated into the electronic health record (EHR), ordering some degree of rework especially related to data collection. This study's objective was to present a method for integrating clinical guidelines into the EHR. The study developed first a way to identify data and rules contained in the guidelines, and then incorporate rules into an archetype-based EHR. The proposed method tested was anemia treatment in the Chronic Kidney Disease Guideline. The phases of the method are: data and rules identification; archetypes elaboration; rules definition and inclusion in inference engine; and DSS-EHR integration and validation. The main feature of the proposed method is that it is generic and can be applied toany type of guideline.

Caudal Regulates the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Pair-Rule Waves in Tribolium

PubMed Central

El-Sherif, Ezzat; Zhu, Xin; Fu, Jinping; Brown, Susan J.

2014-01-01

In the short-germ beetle Tribolium castaneum, waves of pair-rule gene expression propagate from the posterior end of the embryo towards the anterior and eventually freeze into stable stripes, partitioning the anterior-posterior axis into segments. Similar waves in vertebrates are assumed to arise due to the modulation of a molecular clock by a posterior-to-anterior frequency gradient. However, neither a molecular candidate nor a functional role has been identified to date for such a frequency gradient, either in vertebrates or elsewhere. Here we provide evidence that the posterior gradient of Tc-caudal expression regulates the oscillation frequency of pair-rule gene expression in Tribolium. We show this by analyzing the spatiotemporal dynamics of Tc-even-skipped expression in strong and mild knockdown of Tc-caudal, and by correlating the extension, level and slope of the Tc-caudal expression gradient to the spatiotemporal dynamics of Tc-even-skipped expression in wild type as well as in different RNAi knockdowns of Tc-caudal regulators. Further, we show that besides its absolute importance for stripe generation in the static phase of the Tribolium blastoderm, a frequency gradient might serve as a buffer against noise during axis elongation phase in Tribolium as well as vertebrates. Our results highlight the role of frequency gradients in pattern formation. PMID:25329152

Differential Contributions of Ventral and Dorsal Striatum to Early and Late Phases of Cognitive Set Reconfiguration

PubMed Central

Sleezer, Brianna J.; Hayden, Benjamin Y.

2017-01-01

Flexible decision-making, a defining feature of human cognition, is typically thought of as a canonical pFC function. Recent work suggests that the striatum may participate as well; however, its role in this process is not well understood. We recorded activity of neurons in both the ventral (VS) and dorsal (DS) striatum while rhesus macaques performed a version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, a classic test of flexibility. Our version of the task involved a trial-and-error phase before monkeys could identify the correct rule on each block. We observed changes in firing rate in both regions when monkeys switched rules. Specifically, VS neurons demonstrated switch-related activity early in the trial-and-error period when the rule needed to be updated, and a portion of these neurons signaled information about the switch context (i.e., whether the switch was intradimensional or extradimensional). Neurons in both VS and DS demonstrated switch-related activity at the end of the trial-and-error period, immediately before the rule was fully established and maintained, but these signals did not carry any information about switch context. We also observed associative learning signals (i.e., specific responses to options associated with rewards in the presentation period before choice) that followed the same pattern as switch signals (early in VS, later in DS). Taken together, these results endorse the idea that the striatum participates directly in cognitive set reconfiguration and suggest that single neurons in the striatum may contribute to a functional handoff from the VS to the DS during reconfiguration processes. PMID:27417204

Neural coding of syntactic structure in learned vocalizations in the songbird.

PubMed

Fujimoto, Hisataka; Hasegawa, Taku; Watanabe, Dai

2011-07-06

Although vocal signals including human languages are composed of a finite number of acoustic elements, complex and diverse vocal patterns can be created from combinations of these elements, linked together by syntactic rules. To enable such syntactic vocal behaviors, neural systems must extract the sequence patterns from auditory information and establish syntactic rules to generate motor commands for vocal organs. However, the neural basis of syntactic processing of learned vocal signals remains largely unknown. Here we report that the basal ganglia projecting premotor neurons (HVC(X) neurons) in Bengalese finches represent syntactic rules that generate variable song sequences. When vocalizing an alternative transition segment between song elements called syllables, sparse burst spikes of HVC(X) neurons code the identity of a specific syllable type or a specific transition direction among the alternative trajectories. When vocalizing a variable repetition sequence of the same syllable, HVC(X) neurons not only signal the initiation and termination of the repetition sequence but also indicate the progress and state-of-completeness of the repetition. These different types of syntactic information are frequently integrated within the activity of single HVC(X) neurons, suggesting that syntactic attributes of the individual neurons are not programmed as a basic cellular subtype in advance but acquired in the course of vocal learning and maturation. Furthermore, some auditory-vocal mirroring type HVC(X) neurons display transition selectivity in the auditory phase, much as they do in the vocal phase, suggesting that these songbirds may extract syntactic rules from auditory experience and apply them to form their own vocal behaviors.

Vol. 58 No. 90 Wednesday, May 12, 1993 p 28094 (Proposed Rule)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This action proposes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) program for evaluating and regulating substitutes for the ozone-depleting chemicals being phased out under the stratospheric ozone protection provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

10 CFR 2.1011 - Management of electronic information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

....1011 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION RULES OF PRACTICE FOR DOMESTIC LICENSING PROCEEDINGS AND...-license application phase. The LSN Administrator shall have the responsibility to— (1) Identify technical... Application Presiding Officer relative to the resolution of any disputes regarding LSN availability, including...

Materials science: Clockwork at the atomic scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ležaić, Marjana

2016-05-01

Design rules for exotic materials known as polar metals have been put into practice in thin films. The findings will motivate studies of how a phenomenon called screening can be manipulated to generate new phases in metals. See Letter p.68

76 FR 23713 - Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-28

... Location Accuracy Requirements AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Final rule; announcement... contained in regulations concerning wireless E911 location accuracy requirements. The information collection... standards for wireless Enhanced 911 (E911) Phase II location accuracy and reliability to satisfy these...

Design Rule for Colloidal Crystals of DNA-Functionalized Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Veracoechea, Francisco J.; Mladek, Bianca M.; Tkachenko, Alexei V.; Frenkel, Daan

2011-07-01

We report a Monte Carlo simulation study of the phase behavior of colloids coated with long, flexible DNA chains. We find that an important change occurs in the phase diagram when the number of DNAs per colloid is decreased below a critical value. In this case, the triple point disappears and the condensed phase that coexists with the vapor is always liquid. Our simulations thus explain why, in the dilute solutions typically used in experiments, colloids coated with a small number of DNA strands cannot crystallize. We understand this behavior in terms of the discrete nature of DNA binding.

X-ray light curves of active galactic nuclei are phase incoherent

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krolik, Julian; Done, Chris; Madejski, Grzegorz

1993-01-01

We compute the Fourier phase spectra for the light curves of five low-luminosity active galactic nuclei observed by EXOSAT. There is no statistically significant phase coherence in any of them. This statement is equivalent, subject to a technical caveat, to a demonstration that their fluctuation statistics are Gaussian. Models in which the X-ray output is controlled wholly by a unitary process undergoing a nonlinear limit cycle are therefore ruled out, while models with either a large number of randomly excited independent oscillation modes or nonlinearly interacting spatially dependent oscillations are favored. We also demonstrate how the degree of phase coherence in light curve fluctuations influences the application of causality bounds on internal length scales.

On the polymorphism of benzocaine; a low-temperature structural phase transition for form (II).

PubMed

Chan, Eric J; Rae, A David; Welberry, T Richard

2009-08-01

A low-temperature structural phase transition has been observed for form (II) of benzocaine (BZC). Lowering the temperature doubles the b-axis repeat and changes the space group from P2(1)2(1)2(1) to P112(1) with gamma now 99.37 degrees. The structure is twinned, the twin rule corresponding to a 2(1) screw rotation parallel to a. The phase transition is associated with a sequential displacement parallel to a of zigzag bi-layers of ribbons perpendicular to b*. No similar phase transition was observed for form (I) and this was attributed to the different packing symmetries of the two room-temperature polymorphic forms.

Phase equilibrium of methane and nitrogen at low temperatures - Application to Titan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kouvaris, Louis C.; Flasar, F. M.

1991-01-01

Since the vapor phase composition of Titan's methane-nitrogen lower atmosphere is uniquely determined as a function of the Gibbs phase rule, these data are presently computed via integration of the Gibbs-Duhem equation. The thermodynamic consistency of published measurements and calculations of the vapor phase composition is then examined, and the saturated mole fraction of gaseous methane is computed as a function of altitude up to the 700-mbar level. The mole fraction is found to lie approximately halfway between that computed from Raoult's law, for a gas in equilibrium with an ideal solution of liquid nitrogen and methane, and that for a gas in equilibrium with pure liquid methane.

Unifying hydrotropy under Gibbs phase rule.

PubMed

Shimizu, Seishi; Matubayasi, Nobuyuki

2017-09-13

The task of elucidating the mechanism of solubility enhancement using hydrotropes has been hampered by the wide variety of phase behaviour that hydrotropes can exhibit, encompassing near-ideal aqueous solution, self-association, micelle formation, and micro-emulsions. Instead of taking a field guide or encyclopedic approach to classify hydrotropes into different molecular classes, we take a rational approach aiming at constructing a unified theory of hydrotropy based upon the first principles of statistical thermodynamics. Achieving this aim can be facilitated by the two key concepts: (1) the Gibbs phase rule as the basis of classifying the hydrotropes in terms of the degrees of freedom and the number of variables to modulate the solvation free energy; (2) the Kirkwood-Buff integrals to quantify the interactions between the species and their relative contributions to the process of solubilization. We demonstrate that the application of the two key concepts can in principle be used to distinguish the different molecular scenarios at work under apparently similar solubility curves observed from experiments. In addition, a generalization of our previous approach to solutes beyond dilution reveals the unified mechanism of hydrotropy, driven by a strong solute-hydrotrope interaction which overcomes the apparent per-hydrotrope inefficiency due to hydrotrope self-clustering.

Electrophysiological evidence of statistical learning of long-distance dependencies in 8-month-old preterm and full-term infants.

PubMed

Kabdebon, C; Pena, M; Buiatti, M; Dehaene-Lambertz, G

2015-09-01

Using electroencephalography, we examined 8-month-old infants' ability to discover a systematic dependency between the first and third syllables of successive words, concatenated into a monotonous speech stream, and to subsequently generalize this regularity to new items presented in isolation. Full-term and preterm infants, while exposed to the stream, displayed a significant entrainment (phase-locking) to the syllabic and word frequencies, demonstrating that they were sensitive to the word unit. The acquisition of the systematic dependency defining words was confirmed by the significantly different neural responses to rule-words and part-words subsequently presented during the test phase. Finally, we observed a correlation between syllabic entrainment during learning and the difference in phase coherence between the test conditions (rule-words vs part-words) suggesting that temporal processing of the syllable unit might be crucial in linguistic learning. No group difference was observed suggesting that non-adjacent statistical computations are already robust at 8 months, even in preterm infants, and thus develop during the first year of life, earlier than expected from behavioral studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Data Augmentation to Facilitate Conduct of Phase I–II Clinical Trials with Delayed Outcomes

PubMed Central

Jin, Ick Hoon; Liu, Suyu; Thall, Peter F.; Yuan, Ying

2014-01-01

A practical impediment in adaptive clinical trials is that outcomes must be observed soon enough to apply decision rules to choose treatments for new patients. For example, if outcomes take up to six weeks to evaluate and the accrual rate is one patient per week, on average three new patients will be accrued while waiting to evaluate the outcomes of the previous three patients. The question is how to treat the new patients. This logistical problem persists throughout the trial. Various ad hoc practical solutions are used, none entirely satisfactory. We focus on this problem in phase I–II clinical trials that use binary toxicity and efficacy, defined in terms of event times, to choose doses adaptively for successive cohorts. We propose a general approach to this problem that treats late-onset outcomes as missing data, uses data augmentation to impute missing outcomes from posterior predictive distributions computed from partial follow-up times and complete outcome data, and applies the design’s decision rules using the completed data. We illustrate the method with two cancer trials conducted using a phase I–II design based on efficacy-toxicity trade-offs, including a computer stimulation study. PMID:25382884

Energetic study of 4(3H)-pyrimidinone: aromaticity of reactions, hydrogen bond rules, and support for an anomeric effect.

PubMed

Galvão, Tiago L P; Rocha, Inês M; Ribeiro da Silva, Maria D M C; Ribeiro da Silva, Manuel A V

2014-05-08

4(3H)-Pyrimidinone is observed in nature in equilibrium with other tautomeric forms, mimicking the tautomeric equilibrium in pyrimidine nucleobases. In this work, the enthalpy of formation in the gaseous phase of 4(3H)-pyrimidinone was derived from the combination of the enthalpy of formation in the crystalline phase, obtained by static bomb combustion calorimetry, and the enthalpy of sublimation, obtained by Knudsen effusion. The gaseous phase enthalpy of formation of 4(3H)-pyrimidinone was interpreted in terms of isodesmic reactions that consider the enthalpic effects of hydroxypyridines and pyrimidine. After comparison of the experimental and computational results, the same type of isodesmic reactions was used to study the substituent effects of the hydroxyl functional group of 2-, 4-, and 5-hydroxypyrimidines. The influence of aromaticity on the energetics of hydroxypyrimidines was evaluated using the variation of nucleus-independent chemical shifts for several reactions. The influence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds was investigated using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules and the geometric rule of Baker and Hubbard to identify hydrogen bonds. The energetic results obtained were also interpreted in terms of an in plane anomeric effect in the pyrimidine ring.

Striatal degeneration impairs language learning: evidence from Huntington's disease.

PubMed

De Diego-Balaguer, R; Couette, M; Dolbeau, G; Dürr, A; Youssov, K; Bachoud-Lévi, A-C

2008-11-01

Although the role of the striatum in language processing is still largely unclear, a number of recent proposals have outlined its specific contribution. Different studies report evidence converging to a picture where the striatum may be involved in those aspects of rule-application requiring non-automatized behaviour. This is the main characteristic of the earliest phases of language acquisition that require the online detection of distant dependencies and the creation of syntactic categories by means of rule learning. Learning of sequences and categorization processes in non-language domains has been known to require striatal recruitment. Thus, we hypothesized that the striatum should play a prominent role in the extraction of rules in learning a language. We studied 13 pre-symptomatic gene-carriers and 22 early stage patients of Huntington's disease (pre-HD), both characterized by a progressive degeneration of the striatum and 21 late stage patients Huntington's disease (18 stage II, two stage III and one stage IV) where cortical degeneration accompanies striatal degeneration. When presented with a simplified artificial language where words and rules could be extracted, early stage Huntington's disease patients (stage I) were impaired in the learning test, demonstrating a greater impairment in rule than word learning compared to the 20 age- and education-matched controls. Huntington's disease patients at later stages were impaired both on word and rule learning. While spared in their overall performance, gene-carriers having learned a set of abstract artificial language rules were then impaired in the transfer of those rules to similar artificial language structures. The correlation analyses among several neuropsychological tests assessing executive function showed that rule learning correlated with tests requiring working memory and attentional control, while word learning correlated with a test involving episodic memory. These learning impairments significantly correlated with the bicaudate ratio. The overall results support striatal involvement in rule extraction from speech and suggest that language acquisition requires several aspects of memory and executive functions for word and rule learning.

Targeted training of the decision rule benefits rule-guided behavior in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Ell, Shawn W

2013-12-01

The impact of Parkinson's disease (PD) on rule-guided behavior has received considerable attention in cognitive neuroscience. The majority of research has used PD as a model of dysfunction in frontostriatal networks, but very few attempts have been made to investigate the possibility of adapting common experimental techniques in an effort to identify the conditions that are most likely to facilitate successful performance. The present study investigated a targeted training paradigm designed to facilitate rule learning and application using rule-based categorization as a model task. Participants received targeted training in which there was no selective-attention demand (i.e., stimuli varied along a single, relevant dimension) or nontargeted training in which there was selective-attention demand (i.e., stimuli varied along a relevant dimension as well as an irrelevant dimension). Following training, all participants were tested on a rule-based task with selective-attention demand. During the test phase, PD patients who received targeted training performed similarly to control participants and outperformed patients who did not receive targeted training. As a preliminary test of the generalizability of the benefit of targeted training, a subset of the PD patients were tested on the Wisconsin card sorting task (WCST). PD patients who received targeted training outperformed PD patients who did not receive targeted training on several WCST performance measures. These data further characterize the contribution of frontostriatal circuitry to rule-guided behavior. Importantly, these data also suggest that PD patient impairment, on selective-attention-demanding tasks of rule-guided behavior, is not inevitable and highlight the potential benefit of targeted training.

The Interferometric Measurement of Phase Mismatch in Potential Second Harmonic Generators.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinofsky, Edward Lawrence

This dissertation combines aspects of lasers, nonlinear optics and interferometry to measure the linear optical properties involved in phase matched second harmonic generation, (SHG). A new measuring technique has been developed to rapidly analyze the phase matching performance of potential SHGs. The data taken is in the form of interferograms produced by the self referencing nonlinear Fizeau interferometer (NLF), and correctly predicts when phase matched SHG will occur in the sample wedge. Data extracted from the interferograms produced by the NLF, allows us to predict both phase matching temperatures for noncritically phase matchable crystals and crystal orientation for angle tuned crystals. Phase matching measurements can be made for both Type I and Type II configurations. Phase mismatch measurements were made at the fundamental wavelength of 1.32 (mu)m, for: calcite, lithium niobate, and gadolinium molybdate (GMO). Similar measurements were made at 1.06 (mu)m. for calcite. Phase matched SHG was demonstrated in calcite, lithium niobate and KTP, while phase matching by temperature tuning is ruled out for GMO.

Application Development for Optimizing Patient Placement on Aeromedical Evacuation Flights: Proof-of-Concept

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-12

outcomes. This study included three phases: knowledge elicitation, establishment of rule-based, logic requirements, and the development of the POC iOS ...establish the logic needed for a mobile app prior to programming for iOS platforms. The study team selected Microsoft Excel because it enabled the...distribution of these plans would streamline the plan development process. Thus, as a proof-of-concept, the study team conducted a multi-phased effort

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2016 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model; and Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

PubMed

2015-11-05

This final rule will update Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health agencies (HHAs), effective for episodes ending on or after January 1, 2016. As required by the Affordable Care Act, this rule implements the 3rd year of the 4-year phase-in of the rebasing adjustments to the HH PPS payment rates. This rule updates the HH PPS case-mix weights using the most current, complete data available at the time of rulemaking and provides a clarification regarding the use of the "initial encounter'' seventh character applicable to certain ICD-10-CM code categories. This final rule will also finalize reductions to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rate in CY 2016, CY 2017, and CY 2018 of 0.97 percent in each year to account for estimated case-mix growth unrelated to increases in patient acuity (nominal case-mix growth) between CY 2012 and CY 2014. In addition, this rule implements a HH value-based purchasing (HHVBP) model, beginning January 1, 2016, in which all Medicare-certified HHAs in selected states will be required to participate. Finally, this rule finalizes minor changes to the home health quality reporting program and minor technical regulations text changes.

Human Chronotypes from a Theoretical Perspective

PubMed Central

Kramer, Achim; Herzel, Hanspeter

2013-01-01

The endogenous circadian timing system has evolved to synchronize an organism to periodically recurring environmental conditions. Those external time cues are called Zeitgebers. When entrained by a Zeitgeber, the intrinsic oscillator adopts a fixed phase relation to the Zeitgeber. Here, we systematically study how the phase of entrainment depends on clock and Zeitgeber properties. We combine numerical simulations of amplitude-phase models with predictions from analytically tractable models. In this way we derive relations between the phase of entrainment to the mismatch between the endogenous and Zeitgeber period, the Zeitgeber strength, and the range of entrainment. A core result is the “180° rule” asserting that the phase varies over a range of about 180° within the entrainment range. The 180° rule implies that clocks with a narrow entrainment range (“strong oscillators”) exhibit quite flexible entrainment phases. We argue that this high sensitivity of the entrainment phase contributes to the wide range of human chronotypes. PMID:23544070

Ferromagnetic quantum criticality: New aspects from the phase diagram of LaCrGe3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taufour, Valentin; Kaluarachchi, Udhara S.; Bud'ko, Sergey L.; Canfield, Paul C.

2018-05-01

Recent theoretical and experimental studies have shown that ferromagnetic quantum criticality is always avoided in clean systems. Two possibilities have been identified. In the first scenario, the ferromagnetic transition becomes of the first order at a tricritical point before being suppressed. A wing structure phase diagram is observed indicating the possibility of a new type of quantum critical point under magnetic field. In a second scenario, a transition to a modulated magnetic phase occurs. Our recent studies on the compound LaCrGe3 illustrate a third scenario where not only a new magnetic phase occurs, but also a change of order of the transition at a tricritical point leading to a wing-structure phase diagram. Careful experimental study of the phase diagram near the tricritical point also illustrates new rules near this type of point.

The Geometric Phase of Stock Trading.

PubMed

Altafini, Claudio

2016-01-01

Geometric phases describe how in a continuous-time dynamical system the displacement of a variable (called phase variable) can be related to other variables (shape variables) undergoing a cyclic motion, according to an area rule. The aim of this paper is to show that geometric phases can exist also for discrete-time systems, and even when the cycles in shape space have zero area. A context in which this principle can be applied is stock trading. A zero-area cycle in shape space represents the type of trading operations normally carried out by high-frequency traders (entering and exiting a position on a fast time-scale), while the phase variable represents the cash balance of a trader. Under the assumption that trading impacts stock prices, even zero-area cyclic trading operations can induce geometric phases, i.e., profits or losses, without affecting the stock quote.

Statistical aspects of the TNK-S2B trial of tenecteplase versus alteplase in acute ischemic stroke: an efficient, dose-adaptive, seamless phase II/III design.

PubMed

Levin, Bruce; Thompson, John L P; Chakraborty, Bibhas; Levy, Gilberto; MacArthur, Robert; Haley, E Clarke

2011-08-01

TNK-S2B, an innovative, randomized, seamless phase II/III trial of tenecteplase versus rt-PA for acute ischemic stroke, terminated for slow enrollment before regulatory approval of use of phase II patients in phase III. (1) To review the trial design and comprehensive type I error rate simulations and (2) to discuss issues raised during regulatory review, to facilitate future approval of similar designs. In phase II, an early (24-h) outcome and adaptive sequential procedure selected one of three tenecteplase doses for phase III comparison with rt-PA. Decision rules comparing this dose to rt-PA would cause stopping for futility at phase II end, or continuation to phase III. Phase III incorporated two co-primary hypotheses, allowing for a treatment effect at either end of the trichotomized Rankin scale. Assuming no early termination, four interim analyses and one final analysis of 1908 patients provided an experiment-wise type I error rate of <0.05. Over 1,000 distribution scenarios, each involving 40,000 replications, the maximum type I error in phase III was 0.038. Inflation from the dose selection was more than offset by the one-half continuity correction in the test statistics. Inflation from repeated interim analyses was more than offset by the reduction from the clinical stopping rules for futility at the first interim analysis. Design complexity and evolving regulatory requirements lengthened the review process. (1) The design was innovative and efficient. Per protocol, type I error was well controlled for the co-primary phase III hypothesis tests, and experiment-wise. (2a) Time must be allowed for communications with regulatory reviewers from first design stages. (2b) Adequate type I error control must be demonstrated. (2c) Greater clarity is needed on (i) whether this includes demonstration of type I error control if the protocol is violated and (ii) whether simulations of type I error control are acceptable. (2d) Regulatory agency concerns that protocols for futility stopping may not be followed may be allayed by submitting interim analysis results to them as these analyses occur.

Economic Impacts of the Category 3 Marine Rule on Great ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This is a scenario-based economic assessment of the impacts of EPA’s Category 3 Marine Diesel Engines Rule on certain cargo movements in the Great Lakes shipping network. During the proposed phase of the rulemaking, Congress recommended that EPA conduct such a study, and EPA will docket the final peer-reviewed product at EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0121. The objective is to assess how the requirement to switch to cleaner, more expensive fuel will affect certain shippers and operators on the Great Lakes, including the likelihood of cargo movements shifting away from marine transport.

[Artificial cycle therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion for irregular menstruation].

PubMed

Wu, Jie; Yang, Lijie; Chen, Yajie; Li, Qing; Chen, Lin

2015-03-01

Through the discussion on TCM physiological characters of females in follicular, ovulatory, luteal and menstrual phases and treatment principles, the clinical application of artificial cycle therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion was introduced for irregular menstruation and the typical cases were attached. It is suggested that the menstrual cycle follows the growth-consumption rule of yin, yang, qi and blood. The corresponding treatment principles should be applied in accordance with the change rule of menstrual cycle. Hence, it is worth to adopt the artificial cycle therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion for irregular menstruation in clinical application.

Estimation of traffic impacts at work zones : state of the practice.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-01-01

Assessing the safety and mobility impacts of work zones across the project development phases of road construction and maintenance projects is an emphasis area of the Federal Highway Administration's Final Rule on Work Zone Safety and Mobility1 (Fina...

Direct Final Rule for Exhaust Emission Standards for 2012 and Later Model Year Snowmobiles

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

In this action removing the NOX component from the Phase 3 emission standard calculation and deferring action on the 2012 CO and HC emission standards portion of the court’s remand to a separate rulemaking action.

Human Systems Integration (HSI) Associated Development Activities in Japan

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-12

machine learning and data mining methods. The continuous effort ( KAIZEN ) to improve the analysis phases are illustrated in Figure 14. Although there...model Extraction of a workflow Extraction of a control rule Variation analysis and improvement Plant operation KAIZEN Fig. 14

Employment, Production and Consumption model: Patterns of phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavička, H.; Lin, L.; Novotný, J.

2010-04-01

We have simulated the model of Employment, Production and Consumption (EPC) using Monte Carlo. The EPC model is an agent based model that mimics very basic rules of industrial economy. From the perspective of physics, the nature of the interactions in the EPC model represents multi-agent interactions where the relations among agents follow the key laws for circulation of capital and money. Monte Carlo simulations of the stochastic model reveal phase transition in the model economy. The two phases are the phase with full unemployment and the phase with nearly full employment. The economy switches between these two states suddenly as a reaction to a slight variation in the exogenous parameter, thus the system exhibits strong non-linear behavior as a response to the change of the exogenous parameters.

Interstellar Alcohols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Charnley, S. B.; Kress, M. E.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Millar, T. J.

1995-01-01

We have investigated the gas-phase chemistry in dense cores where ice mantles containing ethanol and other alcohols have been evaporated. Model calculations show that methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol drive a chemistry leading to the formation of several large ethers and esters. Of these molecules, methyl ethyl ether (CH3OC2H5) and diethyl ether (C2H5)2O attain the highest abundances and should be present in detectable quantities within cores rich in ethanol and methanol. Gas-phase reactions act to destroy evaporated ethanol and a low observed abundance of gas-phase C,H,OH does not rule out a high solid-phase abundance. Grain surface formation mechanisms and other possible gas-phase reactions driven by alcohols are discussed, as are observing strategies for the detection of these large interstellar molecules.

Phase synchronization of delta and theta oscillations increase during the detection of relevant lexical information.

PubMed

Brunetti, Enzo; Maldonado, Pedro E; Aboitiz, Francisco

2013-01-01

During monitoring of the discourse, the detection of the relevance of incoming lexical information could be critical for its incorporation to update mental representations in memory. Because, in these situations, the relevance for lexical information is defined by abstract rules that are maintained in memory, a central aspect to elucidate is how an abstract level of knowledge maintained in mind mediates the detection of the lower-level semantic information. In the present study, we propose that neuronal oscillations participate in the detection of relevant lexical information, based on "kept in mind" rules deriving from more abstract semantic information. We tested our hypothesis using an experimental paradigm that restricted the detection of relevance to inferences based on explicit information, thus controlling for ambiguities derived from implicit aspects. We used a categorization task, in which the semantic relevance was previously defined based on the congruency between a kept in mind category (abstract knowledge), and the lexical semantic information presented. Our results show that during the detection of the relevant lexical information, phase synchronization of neuronal oscillations selectively increases in delta and theta frequency bands during the interval of semantic analysis. These increments occurred irrespective of the semantic category maintained in memory, had a temporal profile specific for each subject, and were mainly induced, as they had no effect on the evoked mean global field power. Also, recruitment of an increased number of pairs of electrodes was a robust observation during the detection of semantic contingent words. These results are consistent with the notion that the detection of relevant lexical information based on a particular semantic rule, could be mediated by increasing the global phase synchronization of neuronal oscillations, which may contribute to the recruitment of an extended number of cortical regions.

Medicare and Medicaid programs; CY 2015 Home Health Prospective Payment System rate update; Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements; and survey and enforcement requirements for home health agencies. Final rule.

PubMed

2014-11-06

This final rule updates Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health agencies (HHAs), effective for episodes ending on or after January 1, 2015. As required by the Affordable Care Act, this rule implements the second year of the four-year phase-in of the rebasing adjustments to the HH PPS payment rates. This rule provides information on our efforts to monitor the potential impacts of the rebasing adjustments and the Affordable Care Act mandated face-to-face encounter requirement. This rule also implements: Changes to simplify the face-to-face encounter regulatory requirements; changes to the HH PPS case-mix weights; changes to the home health quality reporting program requirements; changes to simplify the therapy reassessment timeframes; a revision to the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) personnel qualifications; minor technical regulations text changes; and limitations on the reviewability of the civil monetary penalty provisions. Finally, this rule also discusses Medicare coverage of insulin injections under the HH PPS, the delay in the implementation of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), and a HH value-based purchasing (HH VBP) model.

Beyond Atomic Sizes and Hume-Rothery Rules: Understanding and Predicting High-Entropy Alloys

DOE PAGES

Troparevsky, M. Claudia; Morris, James R.; Daene, Markus; ...

2015-09-03

High-entropy alloys constitute a new class of materials that provide an excellent combination of strength, ductility, thermal stability, and oxidation resistance. Although they have attracted extensive attention due to their potential applications, little is known about why these compounds are stable or how to predict which combination of elements will form a single phase. Here, we present a review of the latest research done on these alloys focusing on the theoretical models devised during the last decade. We discuss semiempirical methods based on the Hume-Rothery rules and stability criteria based on enthalpies of mixing and size mismatch. To provide insightsmore » into the electronic and magnetic properties of high-entropy alloys, we show the results of first-principles calculations of the electronic structure of the disordered solid-solution phase based on both Korringa Kohn Rostoker coherent potential approximation and large supercell models of example face-centered cubic and body-centered cubic systems. Furthermore, we discuss in detail a model based on enthalpy considerations that can predict which elemental combinations are most likely to form a single-phase high-entropy alloy. The enthalpies are evaluated via first-principles high-throughput density functional theory calculations of the energies of formation of binary compounds, and therefore it requires no experimental or empirically derived input. Finally, the model correctly accounts for the specific combinations of metallic elements that are known to form single-phase alloys while rejecting similar combinations that have been tried and shown not to be single phase.« less

Adaptive time-variant models for fuzzy-time-series forecasting.

PubMed

Wong, Wai-Keung; Bai, Enjian; Chu, Alice Wai-Ching

2010-12-01

A fuzzy time series has been applied to the prediction of enrollment, temperature, stock indices, and other domains. Related studies mainly focus on three factors, namely, the partition of discourse, the content of forecasting rules, and the methods of defuzzification, all of which greatly influence the prediction accuracy of forecasting models. These studies use fixed analysis window sizes for forecasting. In this paper, an adaptive time-variant fuzzy-time-series forecasting model (ATVF) is proposed to improve forecasting accuracy. The proposed model automatically adapts the analysis window size of fuzzy time series based on the prediction accuracy in the training phase and uses heuristic rules to generate forecasting values in the testing phase. The performance of the ATVF model is tested using both simulated and actual time series including the enrollments at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and the Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index (TAIEX). The experiment results show that the proposed ATVF model achieves a significant improvement in forecasting accuracy as compared to other fuzzy-time-series forecasting models.

Scaling and modeling of turbulent suspension flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, C. P.

1989-01-01

Scaling factors determining various aspects of particle-fluid interactions and the development of physical models to predict gas-solid turbulent suspension flow fields are discussed based on two-fluid, continua formulation. The modes of particle-fluid interactions are discussed based on the length and time scale ratio, which depends on the properties of the particles and the characteristics of the flow turbulence. For particle size smaller than or comparable with the Kolmogorov length scale and concentration low enough for neglecting direct particle-particle interaction, scaling rules can be established in various parameter ranges. The various particle-fluid interactions give rise to additional mechanisms which affect the fluid mechanics of the conveying gas phase. These extra mechanisms are incorporated into a turbulence modeling method based on the scaling rules. A multiple-scale two-phase turbulence model is developed, which gives reasonable predictions for dilute suspension flow. Much work still needs to be done to account for the poly-dispersed effects and the extension to dense suspension flows.

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

Song, Gian; Sun, Zhiqian; Poplawsky, Jonathan D.

The microstructures of a hierarchical-precipitate-strengthened ferritic alloy are characterized, using transmission-electron microscopy (TEM) and atom-probe tomography (APT). The alloy shows duplex precipitates. The primary precipitate with an average edge length of 90 nm consists of NiAl- and Ni2TiAl-type phases, while the secondary precipitate with an average radius of 2 nm is a NiAl-type phase. Based on the APT results, the volume fractions of the primary and secondary precipitates were calculated, using the lever rule to be 17.3 and 2.3 %, respectively.

Statistical metrology—measurement and modeling of variation for advanced process development and design rule generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boning, Duane S.; Chung, James E.

1998-11-01

Advanced process technology will require more detailed understanding and tighter control of variation in devices and interconnects. The purpose of statistical metrology is to provide methods to measure and characterize variation, to model systematic and random components of that variation, and to understand the impact of variation on both yield and performance of advanced circuits. Of particular concern are spatial or pattern-dependencies within individual chips; such systematic variation within the chip can have a much larger impact on performance than wafer-level random variation. Statistical metrology methods will play an important role in the creation of design rules for advanced technologies. For example, a key issue in multilayer interconnect is the uniformity of interlevel dielectric (ILD) thickness within the chip. For the case of ILD thickness, we describe phases of statistical metrology development and application to understanding and modeling thickness variation arising from chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP). These phases include screening experiments including design of test structures and test masks to gather electrical or optical data, techniques for statistical decomposition and analysis of the data, and approaches to calibrating empirical and physical variation models. These models can be integrated with circuit CAD tools to evaluate different process integration or design rule strategies. One focus for the generation of interconnect design rules are guidelines for the use of "dummy fill" or "metal fill" to improve the uniformity of underlying metal density and thus improve the uniformity of oxide thickness within the die. Trade-offs that can be evaluated via statistical metrology include the improvements to uniformity possible versus the effect of increased capacitance due to additional metal.

Non-Condon nonequilibrium Fermi’s golden rule rates from the linearized semiclassical method

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

Sun, Xiang; Geva, Eitan

2016-08-14

The nonequilibrium Fermi’s golden rule describes the transition between a photoexcited bright donor electronic state and a dark acceptor electronic state, when the nuclear degrees of freedom start out in a nonequilibrium state. In a previous paper [X. Sun and E. Geva, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 12, 2926 (2016)], we proposed a new expression for the nonequilibrium Fermi’s golden rule within the framework of the linearized semiclassical approximation and based on the Condon approximation, according to which the electronic coupling between donor and acceptor is assumed constant. In this paper we propose a more general expression, which is applicable tomore » the case of non-Condon electronic coupling. We test the accuracy of the new non-Condon nonequilibrium Fermi’s golden rule linearized semiclassical expression on a model where the donor and acceptor potential energy surfaces are parabolic and identical except for shifts in the equilibrium energy and geometry, and the coupling between them is linear in the nuclear coordinates. Since non-Condon effects may or may not give rise to conical intersections, both possibilities are examined by considering the following: (1) A modified Garg-Onuchic-Ambegaokar model for charge transfer in the condensed phase, where the donor-acceptor coupling is linear in the primary-mode coordinate, and for which non-Condon effects do not give rise to a conical intersection; (2) the linear vibronic coupling model for electronic transitions in gas phase molecules, where non-Condon effects give rise to conical intersections. We also present a comprehensive comparison between the linearized semiclassical expression and a progression of more approximate expressions, in both normal and inverted regions, and over a wide range of initial nonequilibrium states, temperatures, and frictions.« less

Parental perceptions of teen driving: Restrictions, worry and influence.

PubMed

Jewett, Amy; Shults, Ruth A; Bhat, Geeta

2016-12-01

Parents play a critical role in preventing crashes among teens. Research of parental perceptions and concerns regarding teen driving safety is limited. We examined results from the 2013 Summer ConsumerStyles survey that queried parents about restrictions placed on their teen drivers, their perceived level of "worry" about their teen driver's safety, and influence of parental restrictions regarding their teen's driving. We produced frequency distributions for the number of restrictions imposed, parental "worry," and influence of rules regarding their teen's driving, reported by teen's driving license status (learning to drive or obtained a driver's license). Response categories were dichotomized because of small cell sizes, and we ran separate log-linear regression models to explore whether imposing all four restrictions on teen drivers was associated with either worry intensity ("a lot" versus "somewhat, not very much or not at all") or perceived influence of parental rules ("a lot" versus "somewhat, not very much or not at all"). Among the 456 parent respondents, 80% reported having restrictions for their teen driver regarding use of safety belts, drinking and driving, cell phones, and text messaging while driving. However, among the 188 parents of licensed teens, only 9% reported having a written parent-teen driving agreement, either currently or in the past. Worrying "a lot" was reported less frequently by parents of newly licensed teens (36%) compared with parents of learning teens (61%). Parents report having rules and restrictions for their teen drivers, but only a small percentage formalize the rules and restrictions in a written parent-teen driving agreement. Parents worry less about their teen driver's safety during the newly licensed phase, when crash risk is high as compared to the learning phase. Further research is needed into how to effectively support parents in supervising and monitoring their teen driver. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Spin-Orbit Dimers and Noncollinear Phases in d1 Cubic Double Perovskites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romhányi, Judit; Balents, Leon; Jackeli, George

2017-05-01

We formulate and study a spin-orbital model for a family of cubic double perovskites with d1 ions occupying a frustrated fcc sublattice. A variational approach and a complementary analytical analysis reveal a rich variety of phases emerging from the interplay of Hund's rule and spin-orbit coupling. The phase digram includes noncollinear ordered states, with or without a net moment, and, remarkably, a large window of a nonmagnetic disordered spin-orbit dimer phase. The present theory uncovers the physical origin of the unusual amorphous valence bond state experimentally suggested for Ba2B Mo O6 (B =Y , Lu) and predicts possible ordered patterns in Ba2B Os O6 (B =Na , Li) compounds.

Nanoelectronic programmable synapses based on phase change materials for brain-inspired computing.

PubMed

Kuzum, Duygu; Jeyasingh, Rakesh G D; Lee, Byoungil; Wong, H-S Philip

2012-05-09

Brain-inspired computing is an emerging field, which aims to extend the capabilities of information technology beyond digital logic. A compact nanoscale device, emulating biological synapses, is needed as the building block for brain-like computational systems. Here, we report a new nanoscale electronic synapse based on technologically mature phase change materials employed in optical data storage and nonvolatile memory applications. We utilize continuous resistance transitions in phase change materials to mimic the analog nature of biological synapses, enabling the implementation of a synaptic learning rule. We demonstrate different forms of spike-timing-dependent plasticity using the same nanoscale synapse with picojoule level energy consumption.

On the origin independence of the Verdet tensor†

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caputo, M. C.; Coriani, S.; Pelloni, S.; Lazzeretti, P.

2013-07-01

The condition for invariance under a translation of the coordinate system of the Verdet tensor and the Verdet constant, calculated via quantum chemical methods using gaugeless basis sets, is expressed by a vanishing sum rule involving a third-rank polar tensor. The sum rule is, in principle, satisfied only in the ideal case of optimal variational electronic wavefunctions. In general, it is not fulfilled in non-variational calculations and variational calculations allowing for the algebraic approximation, but it can be satisfied for reasons of molecular symmetry. Group-theoretical procedures have been used to determine (i) the total number of non-vanishing components and (ii) the unique components of both the polar tensor appearing in the sum rule and the axial Verdet tensor, for a series of symmetry groups. Test calculations at the random-phase approximation level of accuracy for water, hydrogen peroxide and ammonia molecules, using basis sets of increasing quality, show a smooth convergence to zero of the sum rule. Verdet tensor components calculated for the same molecules converge to limit values, estimated via large basis sets of gaugeless Gaussian functions and London orbitals.

76 FR 53763 - Immigration Benefits Business Transformation, Increment I

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-29

...The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its regulations to enable U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to migrate from a paper file-based, non-integrated systems environment to an electronic customer-focused, centralized case management environment for benefit processing. This transformation process will allow USCIS to streamline benefit processing, eliminate the capture and processing of redundant data, and reduce the number of and automate its forms. This transformation process will be a phased multi-year initiative to restructure USCIS business processes and related information technology systems. DHS is removing references to form numbers, form titles, expired regulatory provisions, and descriptions of internal procedures, many of which will change during transformation. DHS is also finalizing interim rules that permitted submission of benefit requests with an electronic signature when such requests are submitted in an electronic format rather than on a paper form and that removed references to filing locations for immigration benefits. In addition, in this rule DHS is publishing the final rule for six other interim rules published during the past several years, most of which received no public comments.

Renormalisation group corrections to neutrino mixing sum rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gehrlein, J.; Petcov, S. T.; Spinrath, M.; Titov, A. V.

2016-11-01

Neutrino mixing sum rules are common to a large class of models based on the (discrete) symmetry approach to lepton flavour. In this approach the neutrino mixing matrix U is assumed to have an underlying approximate symmetry form Ũν, which is dictated by, or associated with, the employed (discrete) symmetry. In such a setup the cosine of the Dirac CP-violating phase δ can be related to the three neutrino mixing angles in terms of a sum rule which depends on the symmetry form of Ũν. We consider five extensively discussed possible symmetry forms of Ũν: i) bimaximal (BM) and ii) tri-bimaximal (TBM) forms, the forms corresponding to iii) golden ratio type A (GRA) mixing, iv) golden ratio type B (GRB) mixing, and v) hexagonal (HG) mixing. For each of these forms we investigate the renormalisation group corrections to the sum rule predictions for δ in the cases of neutrino Majorana mass term generated by the Weinberg (dimension 5) operator added to i) the Standard Model, and ii) the minimal SUSY extension of the Standard Model.

Medicare Program; Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System--Update for Fiscal Year Beginning October 1, 2015 (FY 2016). Final rule.

PubMed

2015-08-05

This final rule updates the prospective payment rates for Medicare inpatient hospital services provided by inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) (which are freestanding IPFs and psychiatric units of an acute care hospital or critical access hospital). These changes are applicable to IPF discharges occurring during fiscal year (FY) 2016 (October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016). This final rule also implements: a new 2012-based IPF market basket; an updated IPF labor-related share; a transition to new Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) designations in the FY 2016 IPF Prospective Payment System (PPS) wage index; a phase-out of the rural adjustment for IPF providers whose status changes from rural to urban as a result of the wage index CBSA changes; and new quality measures and reporting requirements under the IPF quality reporting program. This final rule also reminds IPFs of the October 1, 2015 implementation of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), and updates providers on the status of IPF PPS refinements.

Medicare Program; FY 2016 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

PubMed

2015-08-06

This final rule will update the hospice payment rates and the wage index for fiscal year (FY) 2016 (October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016), including implementing the last year of the phase-out of the wage index budget neutrality adjustment factor (BNAF). Effective on January 1, 2016, this rule also finalizes our proposals to differentiate payments for routine home care (RHC) based on the beneficiary's length of stay and implement a service intensity add-on (SIA) payment for services provided in the last 7 days of a beneficiary's life, if certain criteria are met. In addition, this rule will implement changes to the aggregate cap calculation mandated by the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act), align the cap accounting year for both the inpatient cap and the hospice aggregate cap with the federal fiscal year starting in FY 2017, make changes to the hospice quality reporting program, clarify a requirement for diagnosis reporting on the hospice claim, and discuss recent hospice payment reform research and analyses.

EDRN Breast and Ovary Cancer CVC, Study 4: Phase 3 Validation of Ovarian Cancer Serum Markers in Preclinical WHI Samples — EDRN Public Portal

Cancer.gov

The WHI offers an opportunity to evaluate ovarian cancer markers and screening decision rules developed and validated in EDRN CVC Studies 2 and 3 in women who were not being screened. It is particularly well suited to validation of risk markers, since many serum samples were drawn well before clinical diagnosis of cancer in the WHI cohorts. A strategy is needed to identify from among the general population of women over the age of 50 those at high-risk for a diagnosis of ovarian/fallopian tube cancer so that they can be referred for appropriate surveillance, imaging or surgical consult. Tools to identify high-risk women will be investigated including serum markers CA125, HE4, MSLN, and MMP7 and epidemiologic risk factors. We will optimize decision rules using stored serum samples from the WHI OS and conduct a simulated prospective validation using stored serum samples from the WHI CT. Decision rules to select women for ovarian cancer screening will be investigated as well as decision rules for use in ovarian cancer screening.

Strehl ratio: a tool for optimizing optical nulls and singularities.

PubMed

Hénault, François

2015-07-01

In this paper a set of radial and azimuthal phase functions are reviewed that have a null Strehl ratio, which is equivalent to generating a central extinction in the image plane of an optical system. The study is conducted in the framework of Fraunhofer scalar diffraction, and is oriented toward practical cases where optical nulls or singularities are produced by deformable mirrors or phase plates. The identified solutions reveal unexpected links with the zeros of type-J Bessel functions of integer order. They include linear azimuthal phase ramps giving birth to an optical vortex, azimuthally modulated phase functions, and circular phase gratings (CPGs). It is found in particular that the CPG radiometric efficiency could be significantly improved by the null Strehl ratio condition. Simple design rules for rescaling and combining the different phase functions are also defined. Finally, the described analytical solutions could also serve as starting points for an automated searching software tool.

Ferromagnetic quantum criticality: New aspects from the phase diagram of LaCrGe 3

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

Taufour, Valentin; Kaluarachchi, Udhara S.; Bud'ko, Sergey L.

Some Recent theoretical and experimental studies have shown that ferromagnetic quantum criticality is always avoided in clean systems. Two possibilities have been identified. In the first scenario, the ferromagnetic transition becomes of the first order at a tricritical point before being suppressed. A wing structure phase diagram is observed indicating the possibility of a new type of quantum critical point under magnetic field. In a second scenario, a transition to a modulated magnetic phase occurs. Our earlier studies on the compound LaCrGe 3 illustrate a third scenario where not only a new magnetic phase occurs, but also a change ofmore » order of the transition at a tricritical point leading to a wing-structure phase diagram. Careful experimental study of the phase diagram near the tricritical point also illustrates new rules near this type of point.« less

Piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of PZT/P(VDF-TrFE) composites with constituent phases poled in parallel or antiparallel directions.

PubMed

Ng, K L; Chan, H L; Choy, C L

2000-01-01

Composites of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) powder dispersed in a vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene copolymer [P(VDF-TrFE)] matrix have been prepared by compression molding. Three groups of polarized samples have been prepared by poling: only the ceramic phase, the ceramic and polymer phases in parallel directions, and the two phases in antiparallel directions. The measured permittivities of the unpoled composites are consistent with the predictions of the Bruggeman model. The changes in the pyroelectric and piezoelectric coefficients of the poled composites with increasing ceramic volume fraction can be described by modified linear mixture rules. When the ceramic and copolymer phases are poled in the same direction, their pyroelectric activities reinforce while their piezoelectric activities partially cancel. However, when the ceramic and copolymer phases are poled in opposite directions, their piezoelectric activities reinforce while their pyroelectric activities partially cancel.

Surface Plasmons Carry the Pancharatnam-Berry Geometric Phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, Salman; Saastamoinen, Kimmo; Saastamoinen, Toni; Vartiainen, Ismo; Friberg, Ari T.; Visser, Taco D.

2017-12-01

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are electromagnetic surface waves that travel along the boundary of a metal and a dielectric medium. They can be generated when freely propagating light is scattered by structural metallic features such as gratings or slits. In plasmonics, SPPs are manipulated, amplified, or routed before being converted back into light by a second scattering event. In this process, the light acquires a dynamic phase and perhaps an additional geometric phase associated with polarization changes. We examine the possibility that SPPs mediate the Pancharatnam-Berry phase, which follows from a closed path of successive in-phase polarization-state transformations on the Poincaré sphere and demonstrate that this is indeed the case. The geometric phase is shown to survive the light →SPP →light process and, moreover, its magnitude agrees with Pancharatnam's rule. Our findings are fundamental in nature and highly relevant for photonics applications.

The Geometric Phase of Stock Trading

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Geometric phases describe how in a continuous-time dynamical system the displacement of a variable (called phase variable) can be related to other variables (shape variables) undergoing a cyclic motion, according to an area rule. The aim of this paper is to show that geometric phases can exist also for discrete-time systems, and even when the cycles in shape space have zero area. A context in which this principle can be applied is stock trading. A zero-area cycle in shape space represents the type of trading operations normally carried out by high-frequency traders (entering and exiting a position on a fast time-scale), while the phase variable represents the cash balance of a trader. Under the assumption that trading impacts stock prices, even zero-area cyclic trading operations can induce geometric phases, i.e., profits or losses, without affecting the stock quote. PMID:27556642

Phase Transitions of the Polariton Condensate in 2D Dirac Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ki Hoon; Lee, Changhee; Min, Hongki; Chung, Suk Bum

2018-04-01

For the quantum well in an optical microcavity, the interplay of the Coulomb interaction and the electron-photon (e -ph) coupling can lead to the hybridizations of the exciton and the cavity photon known as polaritons, which can form the Bose-Einstein condensate above a threshold density. Additional physics due to the nontrivial Berry phase comes into play when the quantum well consists of the gapped two-dimensional Dirac material such as the transition metal dichalcogenide MoS2 or WSe2 . Specifically, in forming the polariton, the e -ph coupling from the optical selection rule due to the Berry phase can compete against the Coulomb electron-electron (e -e ) interaction. We find that this competition gives rise to a rich phase diagram for the polariton condensate involving both topological and symmetry breaking phase transitions, with the former giving rise to the quantum anomalous Hall and the quantum spin Hall phases.

Phase Transitions of the Polariton Condensate in 2D Dirac Materials.

PubMed

Lee, Ki Hoon; Lee, Changhee; Min, Hongki; Chung, Suk Bum

2018-04-13

For the quantum well in an optical microcavity, the interplay of the Coulomb interaction and the electron-photon (e-ph) coupling can lead to the hybridizations of the exciton and the cavity photon known as polaritons, which can form the Bose-Einstein condensate above a threshold density. Additional physics due to the nontrivial Berry phase comes into play when the quantum well consists of the gapped two-dimensional Dirac material such as the transition metal dichalcogenide MoS_{2} or WSe_{2}. Specifically, in forming the polariton, the e-ph coupling from the optical selection rule due to the Berry phase can compete against the Coulomb electron-electron (e-e) interaction. We find that this competition gives rise to a rich phase diagram for the polariton condensate involving both topological and symmetry breaking phase transitions, with the former giving rise to the quantum anomalous Hall and the quantum spin Hall phases.

Ferromagnetic quantum criticality: New aspects from the phase diagram of LaCrGe 3

DOE PAGES

Taufour, Valentin; Kaluarachchi, Udhara S.; Bud'ko, Sergey L.; ...

2017-08-25

Some Recent theoretical and experimental studies have shown that ferromagnetic quantum criticality is always avoided in clean systems. Two possibilities have been identified. In the first scenario, the ferromagnetic transition becomes of the first order at a tricritical point before being suppressed. A wing structure phase diagram is observed indicating the possibility of a new type of quantum critical point under magnetic field. In a second scenario, a transition to a modulated magnetic phase occurs. Our earlier studies on the compound LaCrGe 3 illustrate a third scenario where not only a new magnetic phase occurs, but also a change ofmore » order of the transition at a tricritical point leading to a wing-structure phase diagram. Careful experimental study of the phase diagram near the tricritical point also illustrates new rules near this type of point.« less

Optical image encryption system using nonlinear approach based on biometric authentication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Gaurav; Sinha, Aloka

2017-07-01

A nonlinear image encryption scheme using phase-truncated Fourier transform (PTFT) and natural logarithms is proposed in this paper. With the help of the PTFT, the input image is truncated into phase and amplitude parts at the Fourier plane. The phase-only information is kept as the secret key for the decryption, and the amplitude distribution is modulated by adding an undercover amplitude random mask in the encryption process. Furthermore, the encrypted data is kept hidden inside the face biometric-based phase mask key using the base changing rule of logarithms for secure transmission. This phase mask is generated through principal component analysis. Numerical experiments show the feasibility and the validity of the proposed nonlinear scheme. The performance of the proposed scheme has been studied against the brute force attacks and the amplitude-phase retrieval attack. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the enhanced system performance with desired advantages in comparison to the linear cryptosystem.

38 CFR 36.4361 - Acceptable ownership arrangements and documentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... owners, lenders and the holders, insurers and guarantors of the first mortgage on any unit, current... available to prospective purchasers current copies of the declaration, bylaws, other rules governing the... amendments which annex additional phases to the condominium regime in accordance with a general plan of...

40 CFR 799.1053 - Trichlorobenzenes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...-trichlorobenzenes. Testing shall be conducted with mysid shrimp (Mysidopis bahia) to develop data on the acute... invertebrate (mysid shrimp, Mysidopis bahia) acute toxicity testing for 1,2,3- and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzenes... after the effective date of the final Phase II rule. (5) Mysid shrimp chronic toxicity testing—(i...

Hemispheric Preference and Cyclic Variation of Solar Filament Chirality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazra, Soumitra; Mahajan, Sushant S.; Douglas, William; Martens, Petrus C.

2017-08-01

Although the hemispheric preference of magnetic topological features in the solar atmosphere is a well-established fact, strength and cyclic variation of the hemispheric rule is a debatable issue. In this work, we study the chirality of 3480 solar filaments from 2000 to 2016. We determine the chirality of filaments manually and compare with the results obtained from the Advanced Automated Filament Detection and Characterization Code (AAFDCC). We find that 83% of our manually determined filaments follow the hemispheric chirality rule, while 58% of automatically determined filamentsfollow the same. We also compare our result with an other manually compiled list by Pevtsov et al. (2003). We find that our list matches Pevtsovs manually compiled list with 90% accuracy. We also find that the hemispheric chirality rule does not vary from cycle to cycle. However, the strength of the hemispheric preference decreases at the end and beginning phase of the solar cycle.

General Rule of Negative Effective Ueff System & Materials Design of High-Tc Superconductors by ab initio Calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi; Nakanishi, Akitaka; Uede, Hiroki; Takawashi, Yuki; Fukushima, Tetsuya; Sato, Kazunori

2014-03-01

Based upon ab initio electronic structure calculation, I will discuss the general rule of negative effective U system by (1) exchange-correlation-induced negative effective U caused by the stability of the exchange-correlation energy in Hund's rule with high-spin ground states of d5 configuration, and (2) charge-excitation-induced negative effective U caused by the stability of chemical bond in the closed-shell of s2, p6, and d10 configurations. I will show the calculated results of negative effective U systems such as hole-doped CuAlO2 and CuFeS2. Based on the total energy calculations of antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic states, I will discuss the magnetic phase diagram and superconductivity upon hole doping. I also discuss the computational materials design method of high-Tc superconductors by ab initio calculation to go beyond LDA and multi-scale simulations.

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2018 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update and CY 2019 Case-Mix Adjustment Methodology Refinements; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model; and Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

PubMed

2017-11-07

This final rule updates the home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) payment rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor, effective for home health episodes of care ending on or after January 1, 2018. This rule also: Updates the HH PPS case-mix weights using the most current, complete data available at the time of rulemaking; implements the third year of a 3-year phase-in of a reduction to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment to account for estimated case-mix growth unrelated to increases in patient acuity (that is, nominal case-mix growth) between calendar year (CY) 2012 and CY 2014; and discusses our efforts to monitor the potential impacts of the rebasing adjustments that were implemented in CY 2014 through CY 2017. In addition, this rule finalizes changes to the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model and to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP). We are not finalizing the implementation of the Home Health Groupings Model (HHGM) in this final rule.

Complex-energy approach to sum rules within nuclear density functional theory

DOE PAGES

Hinohara, Nobuo; Kortelainen, Markus; Nazarewicz, Witold; ...

2015-04-27

The linear response of the nucleus to an external field contains unique information about the effective interaction, correlations governing the behavior of the many-body system, and properties of its excited states. To characterize the response, it is useful to use its energy-weighted moments, or sum rules. By comparing computed sum rules with experimental values, the information content of the response can be utilized in the optimization process of the nuclear Hamiltonian or nuclear energy density functional (EDF). But the additional information comes at a price: compared to the ground state, computation of excited states is more demanding. To establish anmore » efficient framework to compute energy-weighted sum rules of the response that is adaptable to the optimization of the nuclear EDF and large-scale surveys of collective strength, we have developed a new technique within the complex-energy finite-amplitude method (FAM) based on the quasiparticle random- phase approximation. The proposed sum-rule technique based on the complex-energy FAM is a tool of choice when optimizing effective interactions or energy functionals. The method is very efficient and well-adaptable to parallel computing. As a result, the FAM formulation is especially useful when standard theorems based on commutation relations involving the nuclear Hamiltonian and external field cannot be used.« less

Online Phase Detection Using Wearable Sensors for Walking with a Robotic Prosthesis

PubMed Central

Goršič, Maja; Kamnik, Roman; Ambrožič, Luka; Vitiello, Nicola; Lefeber, Dirk; Pasquini, Guido; Munih, Marko

2014-01-01

This paper presents a gait phase detection algorithm for providing feedback in walking with a robotic prosthesis. The algorithm utilizes the output signals of a wearable wireless sensory system incorporating sensorized shoe insoles and inertial measurement units attached to body segments. The principle of detecting transitions between gait phases is based on heuristic threshold rules, dividing a steady-state walking stride into four phases. For the evaluation of the algorithm, experiments with three amputees, walking with the robotic prosthesis and wearable sensors, were performed. Results show a high rate of successful detection for all four phases (the average success rate across all subjects >90%). A comparison of the proposed method to an off-line trained algorithm using hidden Markov models reveals a similar performance achieved without the need for learning dataset acquisition and previous model training. PMID:24521944

Spurious symptom reduction in fault monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shontz, William D.; Records, Roger M.; Choi, Jai J.

1993-01-01

Previous work accomplished on NASA's Faultfinder concept suggested that the concept was jeopardized by spurious symptoms generated in the monitoring phase. The purpose of the present research was to investigate methods of reducing the generation of spurious symptoms during in-flight engine monitoring. Two approaches for reducing spurious symptoms were investigated. A knowledge base of rules was constructed to filter known spurious symptoms and a neural net was developed to improve the expectation values used in the monitoring process. Both approaches were effective in reducing spurious symptoms individually. However, the best results were obtained using a hybrid system combining the neural net capability to improve expectation values with the rule-based logic filter.

An English language interface for constrained domains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Page, Brenda J.

1989-01-01

The Multi-Satellite Operations Control Center (MSOCC) Jargon Interpreter (MJI) demonstrates an English language interface for a constrained domain. A constrained domain is defined as one with a small and well delineated set of actions and objects. The set of actions chosen for the MJI is from the domain of MSOCC Applications Executive (MAE) Systems Test and Operations Language (STOL) directives and contains directives for signing a cathode ray tube (CRT) on or off, calling up or clearing a display page, starting or stopping a procedure, and controlling history recording. The set of objects chosen consists of CRTs, display pages, STOL procedures, and history files. Translation from English sentences to STOL directives is done in two phases. In the first phase, an augmented transition net (ATN) parser and dictionary are used for determining grammatically correct parsings of input sentences. In the second phase, grammatically typed sentences are submitted to a forward-chaining rule-based system for interpretation and translation into equivalent MAE STOL directives. Tests of the MJI show that it is able to translate individual clearly stated sentences into the subset of directives selected for the prototype. This approach to an English language interface may be used for similarly constrained situations by modifying the MJI's dictionary and rules to reflect the change of domain.

Creation of Excitons Excited by Light with a Spatial Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syouji, Atsushi; Saito, Shingo; Otomo, Akira

2017-12-01

When light is absorbed into matter, its degrees of freedom (i.e., energy, polarization, and phase) are transferred to the matter and conserved. In this study, we demonstrate that elementary excitations in matter, which are one-photon-forbidden transition states, become allowed states because of the phase conservation across the entire cross section of excitation light. In particular, when 1S orthoexcitons of the yellow series in the semiconductor cuprous oxide (Cu2O) were resonantly excited by light with a spatial mode, an increase in the Γ 3 - -phonon-emission peak intensity of the excitons was detected depending on the spatial mode. Using group-theory-based analysis, we show that the irreducible representation of a one-photon-forbidden exciton, which is one of the orthoexcitons, can be transmuted to an allowed state by taking the direct product with the polar vector produced from the spatial mode of the light. Although the transition process of the exciton is locally characterized by the usual quadrupole interaction, the phase conservation at each position at which the sample is irradiated causes the exciton to be in the same spatial-mode state. That causes a change in the transition selection rule. The selection rule relaxation due to the spatial mode of the light was also applied for paraexciton creation.

Syntactic learning by mere exposure - An ERP study in adult learners

PubMed Central

Mueller, Jutta L; Oberecker, Regine; Friederici, Angela D

2009-01-01

Background Artificial language studies have revealed the remarkable ability of humans to extract syntactic structures from a continuous sound stream by mere exposure. However, it remains unclear whether the processes acquired in such tasks are comparable to those applied during normal language processing. The present study compares the ERPs to auditory processing of simple Italian sentences in native and non-native speakers after brief exposure to Italian sentences of a similar structure. The sentences contained a non-adjacent dependency between an auxiliary and the morphologically marked suffix of the verb. Participants were presented four alternating learning and testing phases. During learning phases only correct sentences were presented while during testing phases 50 percent of the sentences contained a grammatical violation. Results The non-native speakers successfully learned the dependency and displayed an N400-like negativity and a subsequent anteriorily distributed positivity in response to rule violations. The native Italian group showed an N400 followed by a P600 effect. Conclusion The presence of the P600 suggests that native speakers applied a grammatical rule. In contrast, non-native speakers appeared to use a lexical form-based processing strategy. Thus, the processing mechanisms acquired in the language learning task were only partly comparable to those applied by competent native speakers. PMID:19640301

Syntactic learning by mere exposure--an ERP study in adult learners.

PubMed

Mueller, Jutta L; Oberecker, Regine; Friederici, Angela D

2009-07-29

Artificial language studies have revealed the remarkable ability of humans to extract syntactic structures from a continuous sound stream by mere exposure. However, it remains unclear whether the processes acquired in such tasks are comparable to those applied during normal language processing. The present study compares the ERPs to auditory processing of simple Italian sentences in native and non-native speakers after brief exposure to Italian sentences of a similar structure. The sentences contained a non-adjacent dependency between an auxiliary and the morphologically marked suffix of the verb. Participants were presented four alternating learning and testing phases. During learning phases only correct sentences were presented while during testing phases 50 percent of the sentences contained a grammatical violation. The non-native speakers successfully learned the dependency and displayed an N400-like negativity and a subsequent anteriorily distributed positivity in response to rule violations. The native Italian group showed an N400 followed by a P600 effect. The presence of the P600 suggests that native speakers applied a grammatical rule. In contrast, non-native speakers appeared to use a lexical form-based processing strategy. Thus, the processing mechanisms acquired in the language learning task were only partly comparable to those applied by competent native speakers.

The Effect of Cu:Ag Atomic Ratio on the Properties of Sputtered Cu–Ag Alloy Thin Films

PubMed Central

Hsieh, Janghsing; Hung, Shunyang

2016-01-01

Cu–Ag thin films with various atomic ratios were prepared using a co-sputtering technique, followed by rapid thermal annealing at various temperatures. The films’ structural, mechanical, and electrical properties were then characterized using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), FESEM, nano-indentation, and TEM as functions of compositions and annealing conditions. In the as-deposited condition, the structure of these films transformed from a one-phase to a dual-phase state, and the resistivity shows a twin-peak pattern, which can be explained in part by Nordheim’s Rule and the miscibility gap of Cu–Ag alloy. After being annealed, the films’ resistivity followed the mixture rule in general, mainly due to the formation of a dual-phase structure containing Ag-rich and Cu-rich phases. The surface morphology and structure also varied as compositions and annealing conditions changed. The recrystallization of these films varied depending on Ag–Cu compositions. The annealed films composed of 40 at % to 60 at % Cu had higher hardness and lower roughness than those with other compositions. Particularly, the Cu50Ag50 film had the highest hardness after being annealed. From the dissolution testing, it was found that the Cu-ion concentration was about 40 times higher than that of Ag. The galvanic effect and over-saturated state could be the cause of the accelerated Cu dissolution and the reduced dissolution of the Ag. PMID:28774033

78 FR 56706 - HHS Retrospective Review 2013 Request for Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-13

... burdens for American businesses and consumers when developing rules; expand opportunities for public... driven by real science.'' On May 10, 2012, the President issued a second Executive Order on retrospective... seeks suggestions from the public regarding new ideas for our next phase of retrospective review. We...

Correlational correction to plasmon dispersion

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

Kalman, G.; Golden, K.I.

The authors question the suggestion that plasmon dispersion increases for small values of the coupling over its random-phase-approximation value, and conclude that, contrary to what has been stated in the literature, it does not: high-frequency-moment sum-rule and Kramers-Kronig arguments, when properly treated, do not entail such a consequence.

Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate Matter: Revision of Federal Implementation Plan Requirements for Texas (81 FR 78954)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA proposes withdrawing the federal implementation plan provisions that require affected electricity generating units (EGUs) in Texas to participate in Phase 2 of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule trading programs for annual emissions of SO2 and NOx.

REAGENTLESS FIELD-USABLE FIXED-SITE AND PORTABLE ANALYZER FOR TRIHALOMETHANE (THM) CONCENTRATIONS IN DRINKING WATER - PHASE I

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental Protection Agency rules stipulate that corrective action be taken for drinking water distribution systems that exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) 80μg/L.  Real-time, or even periodic, monitoring of drinking water i...

Adaptive Neurons For Artificial Neural Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tawel, Raoul

1990-01-01

Training time decreases dramatically. In improved mathematical model of neural-network processor, temperature of neurons (in addition to connection strengths, also called weights, of synapses) varied during supervised-learning phase of operation according to mathematical formalism and not heuristic rule. Evidence that biological neural networks also process information at neuronal level.

76 FR 18737 - Defense Transportation Regulation, Part IV

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-05

... III business rules include the elimination of the Domestic and International Local Move (dLM and iLM) and Intra-Country Move (iCM) Tender of Service. Requirements for Domestic Local Moves (dLM) can be met...'' and the 400NG solicitation. In addition, Phase III development efforts will incorporate International...

10 CFR 2.643 - Acceptance and docketing of application for limited work authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Acceptance and docketing of application for limited work authorization. 2.643 Section 2.643 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION RULES OF PRACTICE FOR DOMESTIC LICENSING... Construct Certain Utilization Facilities; and Advance Issuance of Limited Work Authorizations Phased...

76 FR 43230 - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System-Cooling Water Intake Structures at Existing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-20

... Facilities and Phase I Facilities AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Proposed rule...) of the Clean Water Act for all existing power generating facilities and existing manufacturing and industrial facilities. EPA requested that public comments on the proposal be submitted on or before July 19...

Final Rule for Phase 2 Emission Standards for New Nonroad Spark-Ignition Nonhandheld Engines At or Below 19 Kilowatts

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Emission regulations to control emissions from new nonroad spark-ignition nonhandheld engines at or below 19 kilowatts (25 horsepower). These engines are used principally in lawn and garden equipment in applications such as lawnmowers and garden tractors.

Grassmann phase space theory and the Jaynes-Cummings model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalton, B. J.; Garraway, B. M.; Jeffers, J.; Barnett, S. M.

2013-07-01

The Jaynes-Cummings model of a two-level atom in a single mode cavity is of fundamental importance both in quantum optics and in quantum physics generally, involving the interaction of two simple quantum systems—one fermionic system (the TLA), the other bosonic (the cavity mode). Depending on the initial conditions a variety of interesting effects occur, ranging from ongoing oscillations of the atomic population difference at the Rabi frequency when the atom is excited and the cavity is in an n-photon Fock state, to collapses and revivals of these oscillations starting with the atom unexcited and the cavity mode in a coherent state. The observation of revivals for Rydberg atoms in a high-Q microwave cavity is key experimental evidence for quantisation of the EM field. Theoretical treatments of the Jaynes-Cummings model based on expanding the state vector in terms of products of atomic and n-photon states and deriving coupled equations for the amplitudes are a well-known and simple method for determining the effects. In quantum optics however, the behaviour of the bosonic quantum EM field is often treated using phase space methods, where the bosonic mode annihilation and creation operators are represented by c-number phase space variables, with the density operator represented by a distribution function of these variables. Fokker-Planck equations for the distribution function are obtained, and either used directly to determine quantities of experimental interest or used to develop c-number Langevin equations for stochastic versions of the phase space variables from which experimental quantities are obtained as stochastic averages. Phase space methods have also been developed to include atomic systems, with the atomic spin operators being represented by c-number phase space variables, and distribution functions involving these variables and those for any bosonic modes being shown to satisfy Fokker-Planck equations from which c-number Langevin equations are often developed. However, atomic spin operators satisfy the standard angular momentum commutation rules rather than the commutation rules for bosonic annihilation and creation operators, and are in fact second order combinations of fermionic annihilation and creation operators. Though phase space methods in which the fermionic operators are represented directly by c-number phase space variables have not been successful, the anti-commutation rules for these operators suggest the possibility of using Grassmann variables—which have similar anti-commutation properties. However, in spite of the seminal work by Cahill and Glauber and a few applications, the use of phase space methods in quantum optics to treat fermionic systems by representing fermionic annihilation and creation operators directly by Grassmann phase space variables is rather rare. This paper shows that phase space methods using a positive P type distribution function involving both c-number variables (for the cavity mode) and Grassmann variables (for the TLA) can be used to treat the Jaynes-Cummings model. Although it is a Grassmann function, the distribution function is equivalent to six c-number functions of the two bosonic variables. Experimental quantities are given as bosonic phase space integrals involving the six functions. A Fokker-Planck equation involving both left and right Grassmann differentiations can be obtained for the distribution function, and is equivalent to six coupled equations for the six c-number functions. The approach used involves choosing the canonical form of the (non-unique) positive P distribution function, in which the correspondence rules for the bosonic operators are non-standard and hence the Fokker-Planck equation is also unusual. Initial conditions, such as those above for initially uncorrelated states, are discussed and used to determine the initial distribution function. Transformations to new bosonic variables rotating at the cavity frequency enable the six coupled equations for the new c-number functions-that are also equivalent to the canonical Grassmann distribution function-to be solved analytically, based on an ansatz from an earlier paper by Stenholm. It is then shown that the distribution function is exactly the same as that determined from the well-known solution based on coupled amplitude equations. In quantum-atom optics theories for many atom bosonic and fermionic systems are needed. With large atom numbers, treatments must often take into account many quantum modes—especially for fermions. Generalisations of phase space distribution functions of phase space variables for a few modes to phase space distribution functionals of field functions (which represent the field operators, c-number fields for bosons, Grassmann fields for fermions) are now being developed for large systems. For the fermionic case, the treatment of the simple two mode problem represented by the Jaynes-Cummings model is a useful test case for the future development of phase space Grassmann distribution functional methods for fermionic applications in quantum-atom optics.

Two-phase flows and heat transfer within systems with ambient pressure above the thermodynamic critical pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, R. C.; Braun, M. J.; Mullen, R. L.

1986-01-01

In systems where the design inlet and outlet pressures P sub amb are maintained above the thermodynamic critical pressure P sub c, it is often assumed that heat and mass transfer are governed by single-phase relations and that two-phase flows cannot occur. This simple rule of thumb is adequate in many low-power designs but is inadequate for high-performance turbomachines, boilers, and other systems where two-phase regions can exist even though P sub amb P sub c. Heat and mass transfer and rotordynamic-fluid-mechanic restoring forces depend on momentum differences, and those for a two-phase zone can differ significantly from those for a single-phase zone. By using a laminar, variable-property bearing code and a rotating boiler code, pressure and temperature surfaces were determined that illustrate nesting of a two-phase region within a supercritical pressure region. The method of corresponding states is applied to bearings with reasonable rapport.

Two-phase flows and heat transfer within systems with ambient pressure above the thermodynamic critical pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, R. C.; Braun, M. J.; Mullen, R. L.

1986-01-01

In systems where the design inlet and outlet pressure P sub amb are maintained above the thermodynamic critical pressure P sub c, it is often assumed that heat and mass transfer are governed by single-phase relations and that two-phase flows cannot occur. This simple rule of thumb is adequate in many low-power designs but is inadequate for high-performance turbomachines, boilers, and other systems where two-phase regions can exist even though P sub amb P sub c. Heat and mass transfer and rotordynamic-fluid-mechanic restoring forces depend on momentum differences, and those for a two-phase zone can differ significantly from those for a single-phase zone. By using a laminar, variable-property bearing code and a rotating boiler code, pressure and temperature surfaces were determined that illustrate nesting of a two-phase region within a supercritical pressure region. The method of corresponding states is applied to bearings with reasonable rapport.

[Biomechanical characteristics of the wiping reflex cycle].

PubMed

Berkinblit, M B; Zharkova, I S; Fel'dman, A G; Fukson, O I

1984-01-01

Multijoint goal-directed hindlimb movements in response to chemical stimulation delivered to different skin sites on the medial back surface (wiping reflex-WR) were filmed and analysed in spinal or intact frogs Rana temporaria. Each WR cycle was divisible into five phases (flexion, lifting, aiming, wiping and extension) usually separated from each other by postural interruptions. One or several of the phases might spontaneously be reduced or deleted at all (e. g. the extension phase), although the WR was still effective. Such a reduction was, as a rule, observed in intact frogs while spinal ones usually exhibited the maximum phase sequence. It is suggested that the central spinal generator of the WR is formed of separate functional blocks each of which specifies a certain interjoint coordination and brings the joints to the central-conditioned equilibrium positions.

Rehabilitation of Seven (7) Hydrocarbon Contaminated Sites in a Brackish Water/Lagoon Environment in South Trinidad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammed, Avryl; Ramnath, Kelvin; Dyal, Shyam; Lalla, Francesca; Roopchand, Jaipersad

2007-12-01

The Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited operates in a wide diversity of tropical habitats in South Trinidad one of which is a brackish water environment known as the Godineau Swamp. Historically this field was operated by predecessor multinational companies, who at that time employed operational practices based on the absence of legal requirements, that were not environmentally considerate. Following a detailed environmental audit of the field (also known as the Oropouche Field), seven (7) contaminated sites were found, that presented a risk to the lagoon and its associated mangrove swamp ecology. Remediation of the seven (7) sites was done in two (2) phases; phase 1 being sampling and characterization of the waste inclusive of migration and phase 2 the actual on-site soil remediation. Phase 1 conducted during the period December 2004 to February 2005, indicated a total of 19,484 m3 of contaminated material with TPH being the main contaminant. The average concentration of TPH was 3.25%. Phase 2 remediation was initiated in October 2005 and involved the following three (3) aspects to achieve a TPH concentration of less than 1%: ▪ Preparation of waste remediation sites adjacent to contaminated sites and excavation and spreading onto cells ▪ Bioremediation onsite using naturally occurring bacteria and rototilling ▪ Rehabilitation and closure of the site following accepted lab results. The benefits of conducting this project in the petroleum industry are to ensure compliance to the national Sensitive Areas Rules and Draft Waste Management Rules, conformance to ISO 14001 Certification requirements and conservation of biodiversity in the mangrove swamp.

Clinical Studies of Real-Time Monitoring of Lithotripter Performance Using Passive Acoustic Sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leighton, T. G.; Fedele, F.; Coleman, A. J.; McCarthy, C.; Ryves, S.; Hurrell, A. M.; De Stefano, A.; White, P. R.

2008-09-01

This paper describes the development and clinical testing of a passive device which monitors the passive acoustic emissions generated within the patient's body during Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL). Designed and clinically tested so that it can be operated by a nurse, the device analyses the echoes generated in the body in response to each ESWL shock, and so gives real time shock-by-shock feedback on whether the stone was at the focus of the lithotripter, and if so whether the previous shock contributed to stone fragmentation when that shock reached the focus. A shock is defined as being `effective' if these two conditions are satisfied. Not only can the device provide real-time feedback to the operator, but the trends in shock `effectiveness' can inform treatment. In particular, at any time during the treatment (once a statistically significant number of shocks have been delivered), the percentage of shocks which were `effective' provides a treatment score TS(t) which reflects the effectiveness of the treatment up to that point. The TS(t) figure is automatically delivered by the device without user intervention. Two clinical studies of the device were conducted, the ethics guidelines permitting only use of the value of TS(t) obtained at the end of treatment (this value is termed the treatment score TS0). The acoustically-derived treatment score was compared with the treatment score CTS2 given by the consultant urologist at the three-week patient's follow-up appointment. In the first clinical study (phase 1), records could be compared for 30 out of the 118 patients originally recruited, and the results of phase 1 were used to refine the parameter values (the `rules') with which the acoustic device provides its treatment score. These rules were tested in phase 2, for which records were compared for 49 of the 85 patients recruited. Considering just the phase 2 results (since the phase 1 data were used to draw up the `rules' under which phase 2 operated), comparison of the opinion of the urologist at follow-up with the acoustically derived judgment identified a good correlation (kappa = 0.94), the device demonstrating a sensitivity of 91.7% (in that it correctly predicted 11 of the 12 treatments which the urologist stated had been `successful' at the 3-week follow-up), and a specificity of 100% (in that it correctly predicted all of the 37 treatments which the urologist stated had been `unsuccessful' at the 3-week follow-up). The `gold standard' opinion of the urologist (CTS2) correlated poorly (kappa = 0.38) with the end-of-treatment opinion of the radiographer (CTS1). This is due to the limited resolution of the lithotripter X-Ray fluoroscopy system. If the results of phase 1 and phase 2 are pooled to form a dataset against which retrospectively to test the rules drawn up in phase 1, when compared with the gold standard CTS2, over the two clinical trials (79 patients) the device-derived scored (TS0) correctly predicted the clinical effectiveness of the treatment for 78 for the 79 patients (the error occurred on a difficult patient with a high body mass index). In comparison, using the currently available technology the in-theatre clinician (the radiographer) provided a treatment score CTS1 which correctly predicted the outcome of only 61 of the 79 therapies. In particular the passive acoustic device correctly predicted 18 of the 19 treatments that were successful (i.e. 94.7 sensitivity), whilst the current technology enabled the in-theatre radiographer to predict only 7 of the 19 successful treatments (i.e. 36.8 sensitivity). The real-time capabilities of the device were used in a preliminary examination of the effect of ventilation.

Time-dependent variational approach in terms of squeezed coherent states: Implication to semi-classical approximation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsue, Yasuhiko

1994-01-01

A general framework for time-dependent variational approach in terms of squeezed coherent states is constructed with the aim of describing quantal systems by means of classical mechanics including higher order quantal effects with the aid of canonicity conditions developed in the time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory. The Maslov phase occurring in a semi-classical quantization rule is investigated in this framework. In the limit of a semi-classical approximation in this approach, it is definitely shown that the Maslov phase has a geometric nature analogous to the Berry phase. It is also indicated that this squeezed coherent state approach is a possible way to go beyond the usual WKB approximation.

Fuzzy CMAC With incremental Bayesian Ying-Yang learning and dynamic rule construction.

PubMed

Nguyen, M N

2010-04-01

Inspired by the philosophy of ancient Chinese Taoism, Xu's Bayesian ying-yang (BYY) learning technique performs clustering by harmonizing the training data (yang) with the solution (ying). In our previous work, the BYY learning technique was applied to a fuzzy cerebellar model articulation controller (FCMAC) to find the optimal fuzzy sets; however, this is not suitable for time series data analysis. To address this problem, we propose an incremental BYY learning technique in this paper, with the idea of sliding window and rule structure dynamic algorithms. Three contributions are made as a result of this research. First, an online expectation-maximization algorithm incorporated with the sliding window is proposed for the fuzzification phase. Second, the memory requirement is greatly reduced since the entire data set no longer needs to be obtained during the prediction process. Third, the rule structure dynamic algorithm with dynamically initializing, recruiting, and pruning rules relieves the "curse of dimensionality" problem that is inherent in the FCMAC. Because of these features, the experimental results of the benchmark data sets of currency exchange rates and Mackey-Glass show that the proposed model is more suitable for real-time streaming data analysis.

Translating expert system rules into Ada code with validation and verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becker, Lee; Duckworth, R. James; Green, Peter; Michalson, Bill; Gosselin, Dave; Nainani, Krishan; Pease, Adam

1991-01-01

The purpose of this ongoing research and development program is to develop software tools which enable the rapid development, upgrading, and maintenance of embedded real-time artificial intelligence systems. The goals of this phase of the research were to investigate the feasibility of developing software tools which automatically translate expert system rules into Ada code and develop methods for performing validation and verification testing of the resultant expert system. A prototype system was demonstrated which automatically translated rules from an Air Force expert system was demonstrated which detected errors in the execution of the resultant system. The method and prototype tools for converting AI representations into Ada code by converting the rules into Ada code modules and then linking them with an Activation Framework based run-time environment to form an executable load module are discussed. This method is based upon the use of Evidence Flow Graphs which are a data flow representation for intelligent systems. The development of prototype test generation and evaluation software which was used to test the resultant code is discussed. This testing was performed automatically using Monte-Carlo techniques based upon a constraint based description of the required performance for the system.

Investigating the Impacts of Design Heuristics on Idea Initiation and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kramer, Julia; Daly, Shanna R.; Yilmaz, Seda; Seifert, Colleen M.; Gonzalez, Richard

2015-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of engineering students' use of Design Heuristics as part of a team project in an undergraduate engineering design course. Design Heuristics are an empirically derived set of cognitive "rules of thumb" for use in concept generation. We investigated heuristic use in the initial concept generation phase,…

78 FR 2354 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Arkansas; Prevention of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-11

...) Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program updates the Arkansas SIP to incorporate by reference (IBR) requirements for the Federal PSD permitting program under EPA's November 29, 2005 Phase 2 8-hour Ozone Implementation rule. The November 6, 2012 proposed SIP revision to the Arkansas NSR PSD program...

78 FR 19596 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Arkansas; Prevention of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-02

...) Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program updates the Arkansas SIP to incorporate by reference (IBR) requirements for the federal PSD permitting program under EPA's November 29, 2005 Phase 2 8-hour Ozone Implementation rule. The November 6, 2012, SIP revision to the Arkansas NSR PSD program provides...

NHEXAS PHASE I REGION 5 STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR PROPER USE AND MAINTENANCE OF LABORATORY NOTEBOOKS (NHX/SOP-120-001)

EPA Science Inventory

This procedure describes in detail the rules and regulations governing the proper use and maintenance of laboratory notebooks. The purpose of laboratory notebooks was to provide a permanent legal record of experimental procedures and results. Thus, the laboratory notebook served ...

Cut income taxes with reorganization planning.

PubMed

Miller, J E

1985-04-01

It is necessary to plan when reorganizing a corporate structure, to minimize taxes at the tax-exempt parent organization level and avoid unexpected tax consequences at year-end. With an awareness of the income tax rules, proper debt structuring during the reorganization phase is possible and should enable the financial manager to minimize total income tax.

RG flows and bifurcations

DOE PAGES

Gukov, Sergei

2017-03-29

Interpreting RG flows as dynamical systems in the space of couplings we produce a variety of constraints, global (topological) as well as local. These constraints, in turn, rule out some of the proposed RG flows and also predict new phases and fixed points, surprisingly, even in familiar theories such as model, QED3, or QCD4.

78 FR 18865 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Proposal Adequacy Checklist (DFARS Case 2011...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-28

..., applicable CLIN, Work Breakdown Structure, rationale for estimate, applicable history, and time-phasing... price adjustments, not just those based on indices. Checklist item 45 (final rule item 35) is modified to read ``If the offeror is proposing Performance-Based Payments did the offeror comply with FAR...

Information Performances and Illative Sequences: Sequential Organization of Explanations of Chemical Phase Equilibrium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Nathaniel James Swanton

2009-01-01

While there is consensus that conceptual change is surprisingly difficult, many competing theories of conceptual change co-exist in the literature. This dissertation argues that this discord is partly the result of an inadequate account of the unwritten rules of human social interaction that underlie the field's preferred…

Nested sparse grid collocation method with delay and transformation for subsurface flow and transport problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Qinzhuo; Zhang, Dongxiao; Tchelepi, Hamdi

2017-06-01

In numerical modeling of subsurface flow and transport problems, formation properties may not be deterministically characterized, which leads to uncertainty in simulation results. In this study, we propose a sparse grid collocation method, which adopts nested quadrature rules with delay and transformation to quantify the uncertainty of model solutions. We show that the nested Kronrod-Patterson-Hermite quadrature is more efficient than the unnested Gauss-Hermite quadrature. We compare the convergence rates of various quadrature rules including the domain truncation and domain mapping approaches. To further improve accuracy and efficiency, we present a delayed process in selecting quadrature nodes and a transformed process for approximating unsmooth or discontinuous solutions. The proposed method is tested by an analytical function and in one-dimensional single-phase and two-phase flow problems with different spatial variances and correlation lengths. An additional example is given to demonstrate its applicability to three-dimensional black-oil models. It is found from these examples that the proposed method provides a promising approach for obtaining satisfactory estimation of the solution statistics and is much more efficient than the Monte-Carlo simulations.

Attentional effects on rule extraction and consolidation from speech.

PubMed

López-Barroso, Diana; Cucurell, David; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; de Diego-Balaguer, Ruth

2016-07-01

Incidental learning plays a crucial role in the initial phases of language acquisition. However the knowledge derived from implicit learning, which is based on prediction-based mechanisms, may become explicit. The role that attention plays in the formation of implicit and explicit knowledge of the learned material is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role that attention plays in the acquisition of non-adjacent rule learning from speech. In addition, we also tested whether the amount of attention during learning changes the representation of the learned material after a 24h delay containing sleep. For that, we developed an experiment run on two consecutive days consisting on the exposure to an artificial language that contained non-adjacent dependencies (rules) between words whereas different conditions were established to manipulate the amount of attention given to the rules (target and non-target conditions). Furthermore, we used both indirect and direct measures of learning that are more sensitive to implicit and explicit knowledge, respectively. Whereas the indirect measures indicated that learning of the rules occurred regardless of attention, more explicit judgments after learning showed differences in the type of learning reached under the two attention conditions. 24 hours later, indirect measures showed no further improvements during additional language exposure and explicit judgments indicated that only the information more robustly learned in the previous day, was consolidated. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Attentional effects on rule extraction and consolidation from speech

PubMed Central

López-Barroso, Diana; Cucurell, David; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; de Diego-Balaguer, Ruth

2016-01-01

Incidental learning plays a crucial role in the initial phases of language acquisition. However the knowledge derived from implicit learning, which is based on prediction-based mechanisms, may become explicit. The role that attention plays in the formation of implicit and explicit knowledge of the learned material is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role that attention plays in the acquisition of non-adjacent rule learning from speech. In addition, we also tested whether the amount of attention during learning changes the representation of the learned material after a 24 h delay containing sleep. For that, we developed an experiment run on two consecutive days consisting on the exposure to an artificial language that contained non-adjacent dependencies (rules) between words whereas different conditions were established to manipulate the amount of attention given to the rules (target and non-target conditions). Furthermore, we used both indirect and direct measures of learning that are more sensitive to implicit and explicit knowledge, respectively. Whereas the indirect measures indicated that learning of the rules occurred regardless of attention, more explicit judgments after learning showed differences in the type of learning reached under the two attention conditions. 24 hours later, indirect measures showed no further improvements during additional language exposure and explicit judgments indicated that only the information more robustly learned in the previous day, was consolidated. PMID:27031495

Brain signatures of early lexical and morphological learning of a new language.

PubMed

Havas, Viktória; Laine, Matti; Rodríguez Fornells, Antoni

2017-07-01

Morphology is an important part of language processing but little is known about how adult second language learners acquire morphological rules. Using a word-picture associative learning task, we have previously shown that a brief exposure to novel words with embedded morphological structure (suffix for natural gender) is enough for language learners to acquire the hidden morphological rule. Here we used this paradigm to study the brain signatures of early morphological learning in a novel language in adults. Behavioural measures indicated successful lexical (word stem) and morphological (gender suffix) learning. A day after the learning phase, event-related brain potentials registered during a recognition memory task revealed enhanced N400 and P600 components for stem and suffix violations, respectively. An additional effect observed with combined suffix and stem violations was an enhancement of an early N2 component, most probably related to conflict-detection processes. Successful morphological learning was also evident in the ERP responses to the subsequent rule-generalization task with new stems, where violation of the morphological rule was associated with an early (250-400ms) and late positivity (750-900ms). Overall, these findings tend to converge with lexical and morphosyntactic violation effects observed in L1 processing, suggesting that even after a short exposure, adult language learners can acquire both novel words and novel morphological rules. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nested subcritical flows within supercritical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, R. C.; Braun, M. J.; Wheeler, R. L., III; Mullen, R. L.

1985-01-01

In supercritical systems the design inlet and outlet pressures are maintained above the thermaodynamic critical pressure P sub C. Designers rely on this simple rule of thumb to circumvent problems associated with a subcritical pressure regime nested within the supercritical pressure system along with the uncertainties in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermophysical property variations. The simple rule of thumb is adequate in many low-power designs but is inadequate for high-performance turbomachines and linear systems, where nested two-phase regions can exist. Examples for a free-jet expansion with backpressure greater than P sub C and a rotor (bearing) with ambient pressure greater than P sub C illustrate the existence of subcritical pressure regimes nested within supercritical systems.

Gaps, Pseudogaps, and the Nature of Charge in Holographic Fermion Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanacore, Garrett; Phillips, Philip

Building on prior holographic constructions of Fermi arcs and Mott physics, we investigate the landscape of gapped and gapless strongly-correlated phases resulting from bulk fermion interactions in gauge/gravity duality. We test a proposed connection between bulk chiral symmetry and gapless boundary states, and discuss implications for discrete symmetry breaking in pseudogapped systems like the cuprate superconductors. Numerical methods are used to treat gravitational backreaction of bulk fermions, allowing more rigorous investigation of the existence of holographic Fermi surfaces and their adherence to Luttinger's rule. We use these techniques to study deviations from Luttinger's rule in holography, testing a recent claim that momentum-deconfined charges are at the heart of the Mott state.

Grassmann phase space theory and the Jaynes–Cummings model

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

Dalton, B.J., E-mail: bdalton@swin.edu.au; Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria 3122; Garraway, B.M.

2013-07-15

The Jaynes–Cummings model of a two-level atom in a single mode cavity is of fundamental importance both in quantum optics and in quantum physics generally, involving the interaction of two simple quantum systems—one fermionic system (the TLA), the other bosonic (the cavity mode). Depending on the initial conditions a variety of interesting effects occur, ranging from ongoing oscillations of the atomic population difference at the Rabi frequency when the atom is excited and the cavity is in an n-photon Fock state, to collapses and revivals of these oscillations starting with the atom unexcited and the cavity mode in a coherentmore » state. The observation of revivals for Rydberg atoms in a high-Q microwave cavity is key experimental evidence for quantisation of the EM field. Theoretical treatments of the Jaynes–Cummings model based on expanding the state vector in terms of products of atomic and n-photon states and deriving coupled equations for the amplitudes are a well-known and simple method for determining the effects. In quantum optics however, the behaviour of the bosonic quantum EM field is often treated using phase space methods, where the bosonic mode annihilation and creation operators are represented by c-number phase space variables, with the density operator represented by a distribution function of these variables. Fokker–Planck equations for the distribution function are obtained, and either used directly to determine quantities of experimental interest or used to develop c-number Langevin equations for stochastic versions of the phase space variables from which experimental quantities are obtained as stochastic averages. Phase space methods have also been developed to include atomic systems, with the atomic spin operators being represented by c-number phase space variables, and distribution functions involving these variables and those for any bosonic modes being shown to satisfy Fokker–Planck equations from which c-number Langevin equations are often developed. However, atomic spin operators satisfy the standard angular momentum commutation rules rather than the commutation rules for bosonic annihilation and creation operators, and are in fact second order combinations of fermionic annihilation and creation operators. Though phase space methods in which the fermionic operators are represented directly by c-number phase space variables have not been successful, the anti-commutation rules for these operators suggest the possibility of using Grassmann variables—which have similar anti-commutation properties. However, in spite of the seminal work by Cahill and Glauber and a few applications, the use of phase space methods in quantum optics to treat fermionic systems by representing fermionic annihilation and creation operators directly by Grassmann phase space variables is rather rare. This paper shows that phase space methods using a positive P type distribution function involving both c-number variables (for the cavity mode) and Grassmann variables (for the TLA) can be used to treat the Jaynes–Cummings model. Although it is a Grassmann function, the distribution function is equivalent to six c-number functions of the two bosonic variables. Experimental quantities are given as bosonic phase space integrals involving the six functions. A Fokker–Planck equation involving both left and right Grassmann differentiations can be obtained for the distribution function, and is equivalent to six coupled equations for the six c-number functions. The approach used involves choosing the canonical form of the (non-unique) positive P distribution function, in which the correspondence rules for the bosonic operators are non-standard and hence the Fokker–Planck equation is also unusual. Initial conditions, such as those above for initially uncorrelated states, are discussed and used to determine the initial distribution function. Transformations to new bosonic variables rotating at the cavity frequency enable the six coupled equations for the new c-number functions–that are also equivalent to the canonical Grassmann distribution function–to be solved analytically, based on an ansatz from an earlier paper by Stenholm. It is then shown that the distribution function is exactly the same as that determined from the well-known solution based on coupled amplitude equations. In quantum–atom optics theories for many atom bosonic and fermionic systems are needed. With large atom numbers, treatments must often take into account many quantum modes—especially for fermions. Generalisations of phase space distribution functions of phase space variables for a few modes to phase space distribution functionals of field functions (which represent the field operators, c-number fields for bosons, Grassmann fields for fermions) are now being developed for large systems. For the fermionic case, the treatment of the simple two mode problem represented by the Jaynes–Cummings model is a useful test case for the future development of phase space Grassmann distribution functional methods for fermionic applications in quantum–atom optics. -- Highlights: •Novel phase space theory of the Jaynes–Cummings model using Grassmann variables. •Fokker–Planck equations solved analytically. •Results agree with the standard quantum optics treatment. •Grassmann phase space theory applicable to fermion many-body problems.« less

Knowledge base rule partitioning design for CLIPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mainardi, Joseph D.; Szatkowski, G. P.

1990-01-01

This describes a knowledge base (KB) partitioning approach to solve the problem of real-time performance using the CLIPS AI shell when containing large numbers of rules and facts. This work is funded under the joint USAF/NASA Advanced Launch System (ALS) Program as applied research in expert systems to perform vehicle checkout for real-time controller and diagnostic monitoring tasks. The Expert System advanced development project (ADP-2302) main objective is to provide robust systems responding to new data frames of 0.1 to 1.0 second intervals. The intelligent system control must be performed within the specified real-time window, in order to meet the demands of the given application. Partitioning the KB reduces the complexity of the inferencing Rete net at any given time. This reduced complexity improves performance but without undo impacts during load and unload cycles. The second objective is to produce highly reliable intelligent systems. This requires simple and automated approaches to the KB verification & validation task. Partitioning the KB reduces rule interaction complexity overall. Reduced interaction simplifies the V&V testing necessary by focusing attention only on individual areas of interest. Many systems require a robustness that involves a large number of rules, most of which are mutually exclusive under different phases or conditions. The ideal solution is to control the knowledge base by loading rules that directly apply for that condition, while stripping out all rules and facts that are not used during that cycle. The practical approach is to cluster rules and facts into associated 'blocks'. A simple approach has been designed to control the addition and deletion of 'blocks' of rules and facts, while allowing real-time operations to run freely. Timing tests for real-time performance for specific machines under R/T operating systems have not been completed but are planned as part of the analysis process to validate the design.

Optimized face recognition algorithm using radial basis function neural networks and its practical applications.

PubMed

Yoo, Sung-Hoon; Oh, Sung-Kwun; Pedrycz, Witold

2015-09-01

In this study, we propose a hybrid method of face recognition by using face region information extracted from the detected face region. In the preprocessing part, we develop a hybrid approach based on the Active Shape Model (ASM) and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) algorithm. At this step, we use a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera to acquire a facial image by using AdaBoost and then Histogram Equalization (HE) is employed to improve the quality of the image. ASM extracts the face contour and image shape to produce a personal profile. Then we use a PCA method to reduce dimensionality of face images. In the recognition part, we consider the improved Radial Basis Function Neural Networks (RBF NNs) to identify a unique pattern associated with each person. The proposed RBF NN architecture consists of three functional modules realizing the condition phase, the conclusion phase, and the inference phase completed with the help of fuzzy rules coming in the standard 'if-then' format. In the formation of the condition part of the fuzzy rules, the input space is partitioned with the use of Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering. In the conclusion part of the fuzzy rules, the connections (weights) of the RBF NNs are represented by four kinds of polynomials such as constant, linear, quadratic, and reduced quadratic. The values of the coefficients are determined by running a gradient descent method. The output of the RBF NNs model is obtained by running a fuzzy inference method. The essential design parameters of the network (including learning rate, momentum coefficient and fuzzification coefficient used by the FCM) are optimized by means of Differential Evolution (DE). The proposed P-RBF NNs (Polynomial based RBF NNs) are applied to facial recognition and its performance is quantified from the viewpoint of the output performance and recognition rate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Limits of 'patient-centredness': valuing contextually specific communication patterns.

PubMed

Mole, Tom B; Begum, Hasna; Cooper-Moss, Nicola; Wheelhouse, Rebecca; MacKeith, Pieter; Sanders, Tom; Wass, Valerie

2016-03-01

Globally, doctor-patient communication is becoming synonymous with high-quality health care in the 21st century. However, what is meant by 'good communication' and whether there is consensus internationally remain unclear. Here, we characterise understandings of 'good communication' in future doctors from medical schools in three contextually contrasting continents. Given locally specific socio-cultural influences, we hypothesised that there would be a lack of global consensus on what constitutes 'good communication'. A standardised two-phase methodology was applied in turn to each of three medical schools in the UK, Egypt and India (n = 107 subjects), respectively, in which students were asked: 'What is good communication?' Phase I involved exploratory focus groups to define preliminary themes (mean number of participants per site: 17). Phase II involved thematic confirmation and expansion in one-to-one semi-structured interviews (mean number of participants per site: 18; mean hours of dialogue captured per site: 55). Findings were triangulated and analysed using grounded theory. The overarching theme that emerged from medical students was that 'good communication' requires adherence to certain 'rules of communication'. A shared rule that doctors must communicate effectively despite perceived disempowerment emerged across all sites. However, contradictory culturally specific rules about communication were identified in relation to three major domains: family; gender, and emotional expression. Egyptian students perceived emotional aspects of Western doctors' communication strikingly negatively, viewing these doctors as problematically cold and unresponsive. Contradictory perceptions of 'good communication' in future doctors are found cross-continentally and may contribute to prevalent cultural misunderstandings in medicine. The lack of global consensus on what defines good communication challenges prescriptively taught Western 'patient-centredness' and questions assumptions about international transferability. Health care professionals must be educated openly about flexible, context-specific communication patterns so that they can avoid cultural incompetence and tailor behaviours in ways that optimise therapeutic outcomes wherever they work around the globe. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Classical topological paramagnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondesan, R.; Ringel, Z.

2017-05-01

Topological phases of matter are one of the hallmarks of quantum condensed matter physics. One of their striking features is a bulk-boundary correspondence wherein the topological nature of the bulk manifests itself on boundaries via exotic massless phases. In classical wave phenomena, analogous effects may arise; however, these cannot be viewed as equilibrium phases of matter. Here, we identify a set of rules under which robust equilibrium classical topological phenomena exist. We write simple and analytically tractable classical lattice models of spins and rotors in two and three dimensions which, at suitable parameter ranges, are paramagnetic in the bulk but nonetheless exhibit some unusual long-range or critical order on their boundaries. We point out the role of simplicial cohomology as a means of classifying, writing, and analyzing such models. This opens an experimental route for studying strongly interacting topological phases of spins.

Load partitioning in Ai{sub 2}0{sub 3-}Al composites with three- dimensional periodic architecture.

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

Young, M. L.; Rao, R.; Almer, J. D.

2009-05-01

Interpenetrating composites are created by infiltration of liquid aluminum into three-dimensional (3-D) periodic Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} preforms with simple tetragonal symmetry produced by direct-write assembly. Volume-averaged lattice strains in the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase of the composite are measured by synchrotron X-ray diffraction for various uniaxial compression stresses up to -350MPa. Load transfer, found by diffraction to occur from the metal phase to the ceramic phase, is in general agreement with simple rule-of-mixture models and in better agreement with more complex, 3-D finite-element models that account for metal plasticity and details of the geometry of both phases. Spatially resolved diffractionmore » measurements show variations in load transfer at two different positions within the composite.« less

First Principles Study on Topological-Phase Transition in Ferroelectric Oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamauchi, Kunihiko; Barone, Paolo; Picozzi, Silvia

Graphene is known as a 2D topological insulator with zero energy gap and Dirac cone. In this study, we theoretically designed a honeycomb structure of Au ions embedded in a ferroelectric host oxide, in order to exploit structural distortions to control topological properties. We show that the polar structural distortion induces the emergence of spin-valley coupling, together with a topological transition from a quantum spin-Hall insulating phase to a trivial band insulator. The phase transition also affects the Berry curvature and spin-valley selection rules. Analogously to graphene, the microscopic origin of this topological phase is ascribed to a spin-valley-sublattice coupling, which arises from the interplay between trigonal crystal field and an ``effective'' spin-orbit interaction due to virtual excitations between eg and t2g states of transition-metal ions.

Association between finger tapping, attention, memory, and cognitive diagnosis in elderly patients.

PubMed

Rabinowitz, Israel; Lavner, Yizhar

2014-08-01

This study examined the association between spontaneous finger tapping and cognitive function, with a detailed analysis of the two main phases of finger tapping, the touch-phase and the off-phase. 170 elderly patients (83 men, 87 women; M age = 82.1 yr., SD = 6.2) underwent cognitive assessment including the Mini-Mental State Examination, a forward digit span test, and 15 sec. of finger tapping. Results indicated a significant increase in the length and variability of the finger-touch phase among participants with mild cognitive impairment or dementia compared to participants with no cognitive impairment, suggesting a relationship between finger tapping and attention, short-term memory, and cognitive diagnosis. Pattern classification analyses on the finger tapping parameters indicated a specificity of 0.91 and sensitivity of 0.52 for ruling out cognitive impairment.

Two distinct superconducting phases in LiFeAs

PubMed Central

Nag, P. K.; Schlegel, R.; Baumann, D.; Grafe, H.-J.; Beck, R.; Wurmehl, S.; Büchner, B.; Hess, C.

2016-01-01

A non-trivial temperature evolution of superconductivity including a temperature-induced phase transition between two superconducting phases or even a time-reversal symmetry breaking order parameter is in principle expected in multiband superconductors such as iron-pnictides. Here we present scanning tunnelling spectroscopy data of LiFeAs which reveal two distinct superconducting phases: at = 18 K a partial superconducting gap opens, evidenced by subtle, yet clear features in the tunnelling spectra, i.e. particle-hole symmetric coherence peak and dip-hump structures. At Tc = 16 K, these features substantiate dramatically and become characteristic of full superconductivity. Remarkably, the distance between the dip-hump structures and the coherence peaks remains practically constant in the whole temperature regimeT ≤ . This rules out the connection of the dip-hump structures to an antiferromagnetic spin resonance. PMID:27297474

A comparative study of Sm networks in Al-10 at.%Sm glass and associated crystalline phases

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

Lv, Xiaobao; Ye, Zhuo; Sun, Yang

Here, the Al–Sm system is selected as a model system to study the transition process from liquid and amorphous to crystalline states. In recent work, we have shown that, in addition to long-range translational periodicity, crystal structures display well-defined short-range local atomic packing motifs that transcends liquid, amorphous and crystalline states. In this paper, we investigate the longer range spatial packing of these short-range motifs by studying the interconnections of Sm–Sm networks in different amorphous and crystalline samples obtained from molecular dynamics simulations. In our analysis, we concentrate on Sm–Sm distances in the range ~5.0–7.2 Å, corresponding to Sm atomsmore » in the second and third shells of Sm-centred clusters. We discover a number of empirical rules characterising the evolution of Sm networks from the liquid and amorphous states to associated metastable crystalline phases experimentally observed in the initial stages of devitrification of different amorphous samples. As direct simulation of glass formation is difficult because of the vast difference between experimental quench rates and what is achievable on the computer, we hope these rules will be helpful in building a better picture of structural evolution during glass formation as well as a more detailed description of phase selection and growth during devitrification.« less

A comparative study of Sm networks in Al-10 at.%Sm glass and associated crystalline phases

DOE PAGES

Lv, Xiaobao; Ye, Zhuo; Sun, Yang; ...

2018-04-03

Here, the Al–Sm system is selected as a model system to study the transition process from liquid and amorphous to crystalline states. In recent work, we have shown that, in addition to long-range translational periodicity, crystal structures display well-defined short-range local atomic packing motifs that transcends liquid, amorphous and crystalline states. In this paper, we investigate the longer range spatial packing of these short-range motifs by studying the interconnections of Sm–Sm networks in different amorphous and crystalline samples obtained from molecular dynamics simulations. In our analysis, we concentrate on Sm–Sm distances in the range ~5.0–7.2 Å, corresponding to Sm atomsmore » in the second and third shells of Sm-centred clusters. We discover a number of empirical rules characterising the evolution of Sm networks from the liquid and amorphous states to associated metastable crystalline phases experimentally observed in the initial stages of devitrification of different amorphous samples. As direct simulation of glass formation is difficult because of the vast difference between experimental quench rates and what is achievable on the computer, we hope these rules will be helpful in building a better picture of structural evolution during glass formation as well as a more detailed description of phase selection and growth during devitrification.« less

Failsafe automation of Phase II clinical trial interim monitoring for stopping rules.

PubMed

Day, Roger S

2010-02-01

In Phase II clinical trials in cancer, preventing the treatment of patients on a study when current data demonstrate that the treatment is insufficiently active or too toxic has obvious benefits, both in protecting patients and in reducing sponsor costs. Considerable efforts have gone into experimental designs for Phase II clinical trials with flexible sample size, usually implemented by early stopping rules. The intended benefits will not ensue, however, if the design is not followed. Despite the best intentions, failures can occur for many reasons. The main goal is to develop an automated system for interim monitoring, as a backup system supplementing the protocol team, to ensure that patients are protected. A secondary goal is to stimulate timely recording of patient assessments. We developed key concepts and performance needs, then designed, implemented, and deployed a software solution embedded in the clinical trials database system. The system has been in place since October 2007. One clinical trial tripped the automated monitor, resulting in e-mails that initiated statistician/investigator review in timely fashion. Several essential contributing activities still require human intervention, institutional policy decisions, and institutional commitment of resources. We believe that implementing the concepts presented here will provide greater assurance that interim monitoring plans are followed and that patients are protected from inadequate response or excessive toxicity. This approach may also facilitate wider acceptance and quicker implementation of new interim monitoring algorithms.

Optimization of Boiling Water Reactor Loading Pattern Using Two-Stage Genetic Algorithm

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

Kobayashi, Yoko; Aiyoshi, Eitaro

2002-10-15

A new two-stage optimization method based on genetic algorithms (GAs) using an if-then heuristic rule was developed to generate optimized boiling water reactor (BWR) loading patterns (LPs). In the first stage, the LP is optimized using an improved GA operator. In the second stage, an exposure-dependent control rod pattern (CRP) is sought using GA with an if-then heuristic rule. The procedure of the improved GA is based on deterministic operators that consist of crossover, mutation, and selection. The handling of the encoding technique and constraint conditions by that GA reflects the peculiar characteristics of the BWR. In addition, strategies suchmore » as elitism and self-reproduction are effectively used in order to improve the search speed. The LP evaluations were performed with a three-dimensional diffusion code that coupled neutronic and thermal-hydraulic models. Strong axial heterogeneities and constraints dependent on three dimensions have always necessitated the use of three-dimensional core simulators for BWRs, so that optimization of computational efficiency is required. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated by successfully generating LPs for an actual BWR plant in two phases. One phase is only LP optimization applying the Haling technique. The other phase is an LP optimization that considers the CRP during reactor operation. In test calculations, candidates that shuffled fresh and burned fuel assemblies within a reasonable computation time were obtained.« less

Logic Learning Machine and standard supervised methods for Hodgkin's lymphoma prognosis using gene expression data and clinical variables.

PubMed

Parodi, Stefano; Manneschi, Chiara; Verda, Damiano; Ferrari, Enrico; Muselli, Marco

2018-03-01

This study evaluates the performance of a set of machine learning techniques in predicting the prognosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma using clinical factors and gene expression data. Analysed samples from 130 Hodgkin's lymphoma patients included a small set of clinical variables and more than 54,000 gene features. Machine learning classifiers included three black-box algorithms ( k-nearest neighbour, Artificial Neural Network, and Support Vector Machine) and two methods based on intelligible rules (Decision Tree and the innovative Logic Learning Machine method). Support Vector Machine clearly outperformed any of the other methods. Among the two rule-based algorithms, Logic Learning Machine performed better and identified a set of simple intelligible rules based on a combination of clinical variables and gene expressions. Decision Tree identified a non-coding gene ( XIST) involved in the early phases of X chromosome inactivation that was overexpressed in females and in non-relapsed patients. XIST expression might be responsible for the better prognosis of female Hodgkin's lymphoma patients.

Insulator Surface Charge as a Function of Pressure: Theory and Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogue, Michael D.; Calle, Carlos I.; Mucciolo, Eduardo; Hintze, Paul

2005-01-01

A two-phase equilibrium model was developed to explain the discontinuous surface charge decay versus atmospheric pressure of insulators that had been charged triboelectrically. The two-phase model is an electrostatic form of the Langmuir Isotherm for ions adsorbed on a surface in equilibrium with ions in the gas phase. In this paper, the model was extended to account for vibrational states of the adsorbed surface ions via the vibrational partition function. An analysis is performed that rules out Paschen discharge as the cause of the discharge observed. Also, a numerical simulation is performed using NWChem to calculate the adsorption energies of ions on insulator surfaces for comparison to curve fit adsorption energies developed from the model and experimental data.

Parental perceptions of teen driving: Restrictions, worry and influence☆

PubMed Central

Jewett, Amy; Shults, Ruth A.; Bhat, Geeta

2016-01-01

Introduction Parents play a critical role in preventing crashes among teens. Research of parental perceptions and concerns regarding teen driving safety is limited. We examined results from the 2013 Summer ConsumerStyles survey that queried parents about restrictions placed on their teen drivers, their perceived level of “worry” about their teen driver’s safety, and influence of parental restrictions regarding their teen’s driving. Methods We produced frequency distributions for the number of restrictions imposed, parental “worry,” and influence of rules regarding their teen’s driving, reported by teen’s driving license status (learning to drive or obtained a driver’s license). Response categories were dichotomized because of small cell sizes, and we ran separate log-linear regression models to explore whether imposing all four restrictions on teen drivers was associated with either worry intensity (“a lot” versus “somewhat, not very much or not at all”) or perceived influence of parental rules (“a lot” versus “somewhat, not very much or not at all”). Results Among the 456 parent respondents, 80% reported having restrictions for their teen driver regarding use of safety belts, drinking and driving, cell phones, and text messaging while driving. However, among the 188 parents of licensed teens, only 9% reported having a written parent-teen driving agreement, either currently or in the past. Worrying “a lot” was reported less frequently by parents of newly licensed teens (36%) compared with parents of learning teens (61%). Conclusions and Practical Applications Parents report having rules and restrictions for their teen drivers, but only a small percentage formalize the rules and restrictions in a written parent-teen driving agreement. Parents worry less about their teen driver’s safety during the newly licensed phase, when crash risk is high as compared to the learning phase. Further research is needed into how to effectively support parents in supervising and monitoring their teen driver. PMID:27846995

Simplified Mortality Score for the Intensive Care Unit (SMS-ICU): protocol for the development and validation of a bedside clinical prediction rule.

PubMed

Granholm, Anders; Perner, Anders; Krag, Mette; Hjortrup, Peter Buhl; Haase, Nicolai; Holst, Lars Broksø; Marker, Søren; Collet, Marie Oxenbøll; Jensen, Aksel Karl Georg; Møller, Morten Hylander

2017-03-09

Mortality prediction scores are widely used in intensive care units (ICUs) and in research, but their predictive value deteriorates as scores age. Existing mortality prediction scores are imprecise and complex, which increases the risk of missing data and decreases the applicability bedside in daily clinical practice. We propose the development and validation of a new, simple and updated clinical prediction rule: the Simplified Mortality Score for use in the Intensive Care Unit (SMS-ICU). During the first phase of the study, we will develop and internally validate a clinical prediction rule that predicts 90-day mortality on ICU admission. The development sample will comprise 4247 adult critically ill patients acutely admitted to the ICU, enrolled in 5 contemporary high-quality ICU studies/trials. The score will be developed using binary logistic regression analysis with backward stepwise elimination of candidate variables, and subsequently be converted into a point-based clinical prediction rule. The general performance, discrimination and calibration of the score will be evaluated, and the score will be internally validated using bootstrapping. During the second phase of the study, the score will be externally validated in a fully independent sample consisting of 3350 patients included in the ongoing Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis in the Intensive Care Unit trial. We will compare the performance of the SMS-ICU to that of existing scores. We will use data from patients enrolled in studies/trials already approved by the relevant ethical committees and this study requires no further permissions. The results will be reported in accordance with the Transparent Reporting of multivariate prediction models for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) statement, and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Grain size dependent phase stabilities and presence of a monoclinic (Pm) phase in the morphotropic phase boundary region of (1-x)Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3-xPbTiO3 piezoceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Upadhyay, Ashutosh; Singh, Akhilesh Kumar

2015-04-01

Results of the room temperature structural studies on (1-x)Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3-xPbTiO3 ceramics using Rietveld analysis of the powder x-ray diffraction data in the composition range 0.28 ≤ x ≤ 0.45 are presented. The morphotropic phase boundary region exhibits coexistence of monoclinic (space group Pm) and tetragonal (space group P4 mm) phases in the composition range 0.33 ≤ x ≤ 0.40. The structure is nearly single phase monoclinic (space group Pm) in the composition range 0.28 ≤ x ≤ 0.32. The structure for the compositions with x ≥ 0.45 is found to be predominantly tetragonal with space group P4 mm. Rietveld refinement of the structure rules out the coexistence of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases in the morphotropic phase boundary region reported by earlier authors. The Rietveld structure analysis for the sample x = .35 calcined at various temperatures reveals that phase fraction of the coexisting phases in the morphotropic phase boundary region varies with grain size. The structural parameters of the two coexisting phases also change slightly with changing grain size.

Forced phase-locked states and information retrieval in a two-layer network of oscillatory neurons with directional connectivity

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

Kazantsev, Victor; Pimashkin, Alexey; Department of Neurodynamics and Neurobiology, Nizhny Novgorod State University, 23 Gagarin Ave., 603950 Nizhny Novgorod

We propose two-layer architecture of associative memory oscillatory network with directional interlayer connectivity. The network is capable to store information in the form of phase-locked (in-phase and antiphase) oscillatory patterns. The first (input) layer takes an input pattern to be recognized and their units are unidirectionally connected with all units of the second (control) layer. The connection strengths are weighted using the Hebbian rule. The output (retrieved) patterns appear as forced-phase locked states of the control layer. The conditions are found and analytically expressed for pattern retrieval in response on incoming stimulus. It is shown that the system is capablemore » to recover patterns with a certain level of distortions or noises in their profiles. The architecture is implemented with the Kuramoto phase model and using synaptically coupled neural oscillators with spikes. It is found that the spiking model is capable to retrieve patterns using the spiking phase that translates memorized patterns into the spiking phase shifts at different time scales.« less

The optical gap in VO2 insulating phases is dominated by Coulomb repulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendriks, Christopher; Walter, Eric; Krakauer, Henry; Huffman, Tyler; Qazilbash, Mumtaz

Under doping, tensile strain or heating, vanadium dioxide (VO2) transforms from an insulating monoclinic (M1) to a metallic rutile (R) phase, progressing through intermediate insulating triclinic (T) and magnetic (M2) phases. Broadband optical spectroscopy data have been obtained on the T and M2 phases in the same sample. While only half the V atoms are dimerized in M2 compared to M1 and T, the measured optical gap is essentially unaltered by the first-order structural phase transition between them. Moreover, the optical interband features in the T and M2 phases are remarkably similar to those previously observed in the well-studied M1 phase. This shows that the electronic structure is insensitive to the lattice structure. Our ab-initio HSE optical conductivity calculations on the insulating phases of VO2 are in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements. We will discuss the choice of α, the fraction of exact exchange. As the energy gap is insensitive to the different lattice structures of the three insulating phases, we rule out Peierls effects as the dominant contributor to the opening of the gap. Rather, the energy gap arises from intra-atomic Coulomb correlations. Supported by ONR.

78 FR 9100 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX BX Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-07

... of investors and the public interest. Although the Limit Up-Limit Down Plan will be operational... pilot for at least through the phased implementation of the Plan is operational will help to protect... determine whether Rule 11890 is necessary once the Plan is operational and, if so, whether improvements can...

78 FR 9086 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; EDGX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-07

... of investors and the public interest. Although the Limit Up-Limit Down Plan will be operational... Pilot for at least through the phased implementation of the Plan is operational will help to protect... whether Rule 11.13 is necessary once the Plan is operational and, if so, whether improvements can be made...

78 FR 9076 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-07

... of investors and the public interest. Although the Limit Up-Limit Down Plan will be operational... pilot for at least through the phased implementation of the Plan is operational will help to protect... whether Rule 52.4 is necessary once the Plan is operational and, if so, whether improvements can be made...

Evaluation of funnel traps for estimating tree mortality and associated population phase of spruce beetle in Utah

Treesearch

E. Matthew Hansen; Barbara J. Bentz; A. Steven Munson; James C. Vandygriff; David L. Turner

2006-01-01

Although funnel traps are routinely used to manage bark beetles, little is known regarding the relationship between trap captures of spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) and mortality of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) within a 10 ha block of the trap. Using recursive partitioning tree analyses, rules...

76 FR 51082 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-17

...., International Securities Exchange LLC, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, New York Stock Exchange LLC, NYSE Amex LLC... include all remaining National Market System (``NMS'') stocks (``Phase III Securities'').\\9\\ The new pilot... executions, so that the rule will continue to operate in the same manner after changes to the single stock...

75 FR 47269 - Pilot Program for Waiver of Patent Owner's Statement in Ex Parte Reexamination Proceedings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-05

... expected to form a portion of the data used in the decision making processes in phases II and III. Dated... likely to improve efficiency. Such changes may include internal procedural changes, rule making that... notice will take effect on August 5, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert A. Clarke, Kenneth M...

Design and Characterization of a Secure Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Prototype

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

during the thesis process. Thank you to Mr. Dave Prentice of AFRL for providing the Aeroflex IFR 6000 baseband signals, upon which many design decisions...35 25 Example Aeroflex IFR 6000 signal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 26...Global Positioning System HDL hardware description language I in-phase IFR Instrument Flight Rules IP Internet Protocol IP intellectual property IPSec

Modular space station phase B extension program cost and schedules. Volume 1: Cost and schedule estimating process and results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frassinelli, G. J.

1972-01-01

Cost estimates and funding schedules are presented for a given configuration and costing ground rules. Cost methodology is described and the cost evolution from a baseline configuration to a selected configuration is given, emphasizing cases in which cost was a design driver. Programmatic cost avoidance techniques are discussed.

USE OF ROUGH SETS AND SPECTRAL DATA FOR BUILDING PREDICTIVE MODELS OF REACTION RATE CONSTANTS

EPA Science Inventory

A model for predicting the log of the rate constants for alkaline hydrolysis of organic esters has been developed with the use of gas-phase min-infrared library spectra and a rule-building software system based on the mathematical theory of rough sets. A diverse set of 41 esters ...

75 FR 32773 - Auction of 218-219 MHz Service and Phase II 220 MHz Service Licenses Scheduled for December 7...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-09

... licenses included in Auction 89 using the Commission's standard simultaneous multiple-round auction format... sequential bidding rounds. The initial bidding schedule will be announced in a public notice to be released.... For Auction 89, the Bureau proposes to employ a simultaneous stopping rule approach. A simultaneous...

An Experiment in Physical Chemistry: Polymorphism and Phase Stability in Acetaminophen (Paracetamol)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myrick, Michael L.; Baranowski, Megan; Profeta, Luisa T. M.

2010-01-01

Differential scanning calorimetry analyses of two easily prepared polymorphs of acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) are recorded. The density of the forms can be found in the literature. Rules for heats of transition, heats of fusion, and density, as well as methods for determining the solid-solid transition temperature between the forms,…

Integration and Interoperability of Special Operations Forces and Conventional Forces in Irregular Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-12

Phasing Model ......................................................................................................9 Figure 2. The Continuum of...the communist periphery. In a high-intensity conflict, doctrine at the time called for conventional forces to fight the traditional, linear fight...operations and proximity of cross component forces in a non- linear battlespace – Rigid business rules, translator applications, or manual workarounds to

Phase Evaluation in Al2O3 Fiber-Reinforced Ti2AlC During Sintering in the 1300 degrees C-1500 degrees C Temperature Range

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

composition: 97% Al2O3 and 3% SiO2] fibers. In both cases, the fibers were chopped with a razor blade into 5 cm lengths. Mixing of the powder and...the presence of XRD amorphous Ti- aluminides (see below) or other phases cannot be ruled out at this juncture. When the XRD spectrum of the as-received...not shown). No peaks belonging to any Ti- aluminide were found suggesting them to be amorphous or at most nano-crystalline. A typical TEM micrograph of

[Incidence of irritant dermatosis among employees of the shipbuilding industry].

PubMed

Heise, H; Kühne, G; Kröger, D

1983-10-01

Irritant dermatosis is a non-specific reactive change on the skin. In most cases it represents the summated effects induced by various agents. Not only the shortened recovery phases of the skin but also a dispositional factor are important. Such changes, which are relatively common in some vocations but are usually only slight, cannot, as a rule, be regarded as signs of illness. Nevertheless, attention should be drawn to the necessity of intensive skin care and observation of the recovery phases because the frequency of irritant dermatosis can increase with increasing length of employment.

Deciding alternative left turn signal phases using expert systems

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

Chang, E.C.P.

1988-01-01

The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) conducted a study to investigate the feasibility of applying artificial intelligence (AI) technology and expert systems (ES) design concepts to a traffic engineering problem. Prototype systems were developed to analyze user input, evaluate various reasoning, and suggest suitable left turn phase treatment. These systems were developed using AI programming tools on IBM PC/XT/AT-compatible microcomputers. Two slightly different systems were designed using AI languages; another was built with a knowledge engineering tool. These systems include the PD PROLOG and TURBO PROLOG AI programs, as well as the INSIGHT Production Rule Language.

Primary and secondary precipitates in a hierarchical-precipitate-strengthened ferritic alloy

DOE PAGES

Song, Gian; Sun, Zhiqian; Poplawsky, Jonathan D.; ...

2017-02-27

The microstructures of a hierarchical-precipitate-strengthened ferritic alloy are characterized, using transmission-electron microscopy (TEM) and atom-probe tomography (APT). The alloy shows duplex precipitates. The primary precipitate with an average edge length of 90 nm consists of NiAl- and Ni2TiAl-type phases, while the secondary precipitate with an average radius of 2 nm is a NiAl-type phase. Based on the APT results, the volume fractions of the primary and secondary precipitates were calculated, using the lever rule to be 17.3 and 2.3 %, respectively.

Progress in vacuum susceptibilities and their applications to the chiral phase transition of QCD

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

Cui, Zhu-Fang, E-mail: phycui@nju.edu.cn; State Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, CAS, Beijing, 100190; Hou, Feng-Yao

2015-07-15

The QCD vacuum condensates and various vacuum susceptibilities are all important parameters which characterize the nonperturbative properties of the QCD vacuum. In the QCD sum rules external field formula, various QCD vacuum susceptibilities play important roles in determining the properties of hadrons. In this paper, we review the recent progress in studies of vacuum susceptibilities together with their applications to the chiral phase transition of QCD. The results of the tensor, the vector, the axial–vector, the scalar, and the pseudo-scalar vacuum susceptibilities are shown in detail in the framework of Dyson–Schwinger equations.

A neoHebbian framework for episodic memory; role of dopamine-dependent late LTP

PubMed Central

Grace, Anthony A.; Duzel, Emrah

2011-01-01

According to the Hebb rule, the change in the strength of a synapse depends only on the local interaction of presynaptic and postsynaptic events. Studies at many types of synapses indicate that the early phase of long-term potentiation (LTP) has Hebbian properties. However, it is now clear that the Hebb rule does not account for late LTP; this requires an additional signal that is non-local. For novel information and motivational events such as rewards, this signal at hippocampal CA1 synapses is mediated by the neuromodulator, dopamine. In this Review, we discuss recent experimental findings that support the view that this “neoHebbian” framework can account for memory behavior in a variety of learning situations. PMID:21851992

Medicare and Medicaid programs; Home Health Prospective Payment System rate update for CY 2014, home health quality reporting requirements, and cost allocation of home health survey expenses. Final rule.

PubMed

2013-12-02

This final rule will update the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, the low-utilization payment adjustment (LUPA) add-on, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health agencies (HHAs), effective January 1, 2014. As required by the Affordable Care Act, this rule establishes rebasing adjustments, with a 4-year phase-in, to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates; the national per-visit rates; and the NRS conversion factor. In addition, this final rule will remove 170 diagnosis codes from assignment to diagnosis groups within the HH PPS Grouper, effective January 1, 2014. Finally, this rule will establish home health quality reporting requirements for CY 2014 payment and subsequent years and will clarify that a state Medicaid program must provide that, in certifying HHAs, the state's designated survey agency carry out certain other responsibilities that already apply to surveys of nursing facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF-IID), including sharing in the cost of HHA surveys. For that portion of costs attributable to Medicare and Medicaid, we will assign 50 percent to Medicare and 50 percent to Medicaid, the standard method that CMS and states use in the allocation of expenses related to surveys of nursing homes.

EDRN Breast and Ovary Cancer CVC, Study 2: Phase 3 retrospective validation of ovarian cancer early detection markers in serial preclinical samples from the PLCO trial — EDRN Public Portal

Cancer.gov

Over 70% of women with ovarian/fallopian tube cancer (OC) are diagnosed with advanced stage disease which has a 5-year relative survival rate of 30%. Five-year survival is 90% when disease is confined to the ovaries, but overall survival is poor because only 25% of cases are found early. Screening for ovarian cancer using tools with high sensitivity is potentially cost-effective, but because OC is so rare, very high specificity is needed to achieve an acceptable PPV. We have conducted preliminary work both in clinical and in preclinical (CARET) samples. We have identified candidate markers, developed assays for novel markers including HE4 and MSLN, and evaluated their diagnostic performance. We evaluated the markers’ contribution to a diagnostic panel in a standard set in order to identify the best of the candidates and developed methods for combining markers to define a decision rule for a marker panel. We found that our PEB rule yields comparable performance to the Single Threshold (ST) rule 2 years earlier, using the same two markers. The PEB makes an even larger contribution with the 4-marker panel. The 4-marker panel with the PEB rule represents a substantial improvement over any of the other decision rules as a first-line screen to select women for imaging. Our goal in the proposed work is to estimate the improvement in performance possible in the PLCO serial samples.

Structural and molecular remodeling of dendritic spine substructures during long-term potentiation

PubMed Central

Bosch, Miquel; Castro, Jorge; Saneyoshi, Takeo; Matsuno, Hitomi; Sur, Mriganka; Hayashi, Yasunori

2014-01-01

SUMMARY Synapses store information by long-lasting modifications of their structure and molecular composition, but the precise chronology of these changes has not been studied at single synapse resolution in real time. Here we describe the spatiotemporal reorganization of postsynaptic substructures during long-term potentiation (LTP) at individual dendritic spines. Proteins translocated to the spine in four distinct patterns through three sequential phases. In the initial phase, the actin cytoskeleton was rapidly remodeled while active cofilin was massively transported to the spine. In the stabilization phase, cofilin formed a stable complex with F-actin, was persistently retained at the spine, and consolidated spine expansion. In contrast, the postsynaptic density (PSD) was independently remodeled, as PSD scaffolding proteins did not change their amount and localization until a late protein synthesis-dependent third phase. Our findings show how and when spine substructures are remodeled during LTP and explain why synaptic plasticity rules change over time. PMID:24742465

Entraining the topology and the dynamics of a network of phase oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sendiña-Nadal, I.; Leyva, I.; Buldú, J. M.; Almendral, J. A.; Boccaletti, S.

2009-04-01

We show that the topology and dynamics of a network of unsynchronized Kuramoto oscillators can be simultaneously controlled by means of a forcing mechanism which yields a phase locking of the oscillators to that of an external pacemaker in connection with the reshaping of the network’s degree distribution. The entrainment mechanism is based on the addition, at regular time intervals, of unidirectional links from oscillators that follow the dynamics of a pacemaker to oscillators in the pristine graph whose phases hold a prescribed phase relationship. Such a dynamically based rule in the attachment process leads to the emergence of a power-law shape in the final degree distribution of the graph whenever the network is entrained to the dynamics of the pacemaker. We show that the arousal of a scale-free distribution in connection with the success of the entrainment process is a robust feature, characterizing different networks’ initial configurations and parameters.

Accelerated exploration of multi-principal element alloys with solid solution phases

PubMed Central

Senkov, O.N.; Miller, J.D.; Miracle, D.B.; Woodward, C.

2015-01-01

Recent multi-principal element, high entropy alloy (HEA) development strategies vastly expand the number of candidate alloy systems, but also pose a new challenge—how to rapidly screen thousands of candidate alloy systems for targeted properties. Here we develop a new approach to rapidly assess structural metals by combining calculated phase diagrams with simple rules based on the phases present, their transformation temperatures and useful microstructures. We evaluate over 130,000 alloy systems, identifying promising compositions for more time-intensive experimental studies. We find the surprising result that solid solution alloys become less likely as the number of alloy elements increases. This contradicts the major premise of HEAs—that increased configurational entropy increases the stability of disordered solid solution phases. As the number of elements increases, the configurational entropy rises slowly while the probability of at least one pair of elements favouring formation of intermetallic compounds increases more rapidly, explaining this apparent contradiction. PMID:25739749

Flavor symmetry breaking in lattice QCD with a mixed action

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

Baer, Oliver; Golterman, Maarten; Shamir, Yigal

2011-03-01

We study the phase structure of mixed-action QCD with two Wilson sea quarks and any number of chiral valence quarks (and ghosts), starting from the chiral Lagrangian. A priori the effective theory allows for a rich phase structure, including a phase with a condensate made of sea and valence quarks. In such a phase, mass eigenstates would become admixtures of sea and valence fields, and pure-sea correlation functions would depend on the parameters of the valence sector, in contradiction with the actual setup of mixed-action simulations. Using that the spectrum of the chiral Dirac operator has a gap for nonzeromore » quark mass we prove that spontaneous symmetry breaking of the flavor symmetries can only occur within the sea sector. This rules out a mixed condensate and implies restrictions on the low-energy constants of the effective theory.« less

Specifications of a continual reassessment method design for phase I trials of combined drugs†

PubMed Central

Wages, Nolan A.; Conaway, Mark R.

2013-01-01

In studies of combinations of agents in phase I oncology trials, the dose–toxicity relationship may not be monotone for all combinations, in which case the toxicity probabilities follow a partial order. The continual reassessment method for partial orders (PO-CRM) is a design for phase I trials of combinations that leans upon identifying possible complete orders associated with the partial order. This article addresses some practical design considerations not previously undertaken when describing the PO-CRM. We describe an approach in choosing a proper subset of possible orderings, formulated according to the known toxicity relationships within a matrix of combination therapies. Other design issues, such as working model selection and stopping rules, are also discussed. We demonstrate the practical ability of PO-CRM as a phase I design for combinations through its use in a recent trial designed at the University of Virginia Cancer Center. PMID:23729323

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2017 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model; and Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

PubMed

2016-11-03

This final rule updates the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) payment rates, including the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rates, the national per-visit rates, and the non-routine medical supply (NRS) conversion factor; effective for home health episodes of care ending on or after January 1, 2017. This rule also: Implements the last year of the 4-year phase-in of the rebasing adjustments to the HH PPS payment rates; updates the HH PPS case-mix weights using the most current, complete data available at the time of rulemaking; implements the 2nd-year of a 3-year phase-in of a reduction to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment to account for estimated case-mix growth unrelated to increases in patient acuity (that is, nominal case-mix growth) between CY 2012 and CY 2014; finalizes changes to the methodology used to calculate payments made under the HH PPS for high-cost "outlier" episodes of care; implements changes in payment for furnishing Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) using a disposable device for patients under a home health plan of care; discusses our efforts to monitor the potential impacts of the rebasing adjustments; includes an update on subsequent research and analysis as a result of the findings from the home health study; and finalizes changes to the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model, which was implemented on January 1, 2016; and updates to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP).

Selectivity in reversed-phase separations: general influence of solvent type and mobile phase pH.

PubMed

Neue, Uwe D; Méndez, Alberto

2007-05-01

The influence of the mobile phase on retention is studied in this paper for a group of over 70 compounds with a broad range of multiple functional groups. We varied the pH of the mobile phase (pH 3, 7, and 10) and the organic modifier (methanol, acetonitrile (ACN), and tetrahydrofuran (THF)), using 15 different stationary phases. In this paper, we describe the overall retention and selectivity changes observed with these variables. We focus on the primary effects of solvent choice and pH. For example, transfer rules for solvent composition resulting in equivalent retention depend on the packing as well as on the type of analyte. Based on the retention patterns, one can calculate selectivity difference values for different variables. The selectivity difference is a measure of the importance of the different variables involved in method development. Selectivity changes specific to the type of analyte are described. The largest selectivity differences are obtained with pH changes.

Tracing the phase of focused broadband laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoff, Dominik; Krüger, Michael; Maisenbacher, Lothar; Sayler, A. M.; Paulus, Gerhard G.; Hommelhoff, Peter

2017-10-01

Precise knowledge of the behaviour of the phase of light in a focused beam is fundamental to understanding and controlling laser-driven processes. More than a hundred years ago, an axial phase anomaly for focused monochromatic light beams was discovered and is now commonly known as the Gouy phase. Recent theoretical work has brought into question the validity of applying this monochromatic phase formulation to the broadband pulses becoming ubiquitous today. Based on electron backscattering at sharp nanometre-scale metal tips, a method is available to measure light fields with sub-wavelength spatial resolution and sub-optical-cycle time resolution. Here we report such a direct, three-dimensional measurement of the spatial dependence of the optical phase of a focused, 4-fs, near-infrared pulsed laser beam. The observed optical phase deviates substantially from the monochromatic Gouy phase--exhibiting a much more complex spatial dependence, both along the propagation axis and in the radial direction. In our measurements, these significant deviations are the rule and not the exception for focused, broadband laser pulses. Therefore, we expect wide ramifications for all broadband laser-matter interactions, such as in high-harmonic and attosecond pulse generation, femtochemistry, ophthalmological optical coherence tomography and light-wave electronics.

Two-sample binary phase 2 trials with low type I error and low sample size

PubMed Central

Litwin, Samuel; Basickes, Stanley; Ross, Eric A.

2017-01-01

Summary We address design of two-stage clinical trials comparing experimental and control patients. Our end-point is success or failure, however measured, with null hypothesis that the chance of success in both arms is p0 and alternative that it is p0 among controls and p1 > p0 among experimental patients. Standard rules will have the null hypothesis rejected when the number of successes in the (E)xperimental arm, E, sufficiently exceeds C, that among (C)ontrols. Here, we combine one-sample rejection decision rules, E ≥ m, with two-sample rules of the form E – C > r to achieve two-sample tests with low sample number and low type I error. We find designs with sample numbers not far from the minimum possible using standard two-sample rules, but with type I error of 5% rather than 15% or 20% associated with them, and of equal power. This level of type I error is achieved locally, near the stated null, and increases to 15% or 20% when the null is significantly higher than specified. We increase the attractiveness of these designs to patients by using 2:1 randomization. Examples of the application of this new design covering both high and low success rates under the null hypothesis are provided. PMID:28118686

Analysis of Energy Intensive Enterprises under EU Emission Trading System in Latvia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahare, Dace; Rosa, Marika

2011-01-01

Climate change and global warming has become one of the main topics worldwide. The European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) was established to limit climate change, providing regulations which encourage companies to invest in cleaner production and more energy efficient production. Latvian energy intensive enterprises are operating under the EU ETS from the year 2005. The main goal of this paper is to provide an analysis of energy intensive installations in terms of their energy efficiency. Additionally, an analysis of EU ETS phase III which will start to operate in 2013 under new, more stringent rules has been conducted by modelling three Latvian energy intensive enterprise operations under this phase and estimating the barriers to meet the goal of the EU ETS phase III.

26 CFR 1.408A-4 - Converting amounts to Roth IRAs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... income-inclusion rule described in A-7 of this section for 1998 conversions? A-8. Yes. In the case of a... requiring acceleration of inclusion if an amount subject to the 4-year spread is distributed from the Roth... of social security payments under section 86 and for purposes of determining the phase-out of the $25...

Synchrony in the snowshoe hare cycle in Northwestern North America, 1970-2012

Treesearch

C.J. Krebs; K. Kielland; J.P Bryant; M. O' Donoghue; F. Doyle; C. McIntyre; D. DiFolco; N. Berg; S. Carriere; R. Boonstra; S. Boutin; A. J. Kenney; D. G. Reid; K. Bodony; J. Putera; H. K. Timm; T. Burke.

2013-01-01

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) fluctuate in 9–10 year cycles throughout much of their North American range. Regional synchrony has been assumed to be the rule for these cycles, so that hare populations in virtually all of northwestern North America have been assumed to be in phase. We gathered qualitative and quantitative data on...

A Metadata Model for E-Learning Coordination through Semantic Web Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elci, Atilla

2005-01-01

This paper reports on a study aiming to develop a metadata model for e-learning coordination based on semantic web languages. A survey of e-learning modes are done initially in order to identify content such as phases, activities, data schema, rules and relations, etc. relevant for a coordination model. In this respect, the study looks into the…

Comparison of optimization algorithms for the slow shot phase in HPDC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frings, Markus; Berkels, Benjamin; Behr, Marek; Elgeti, Stefanie

2018-05-01

High-pressure die casting (HPDC) is a popular manufacturing process for aluminum processing. The slow shot phase in HPDC is the first phase of this process. During this phase, the molten metal is pushed towards the cavity under moderate plunger movement. The so-called shot curve describes this plunger movement. A good design of the shot curve is important to produce high-quality cast parts. Three partially competing process goals characterize the slow shot phase: (1) reducing air entrapment, (2) avoiding temperature loss, and (3) minimizing oxide caused by the air-aluminum contact. Due to the rough process conditions with high pressure and temperature, it is hard to design the shot curve experimentally. There exist a few design rules that are based on theoretical considerations. Nevertheless, the quality of the shot curve design still depends on the experience of the machine operator. To improve the shot curve it seems to be natural to use numerical optimization. This work compares different optimization strategies for the slow shot phase optimization. The aim is to find the best optimization approach on a simple test problem.

Raman scattering study of the ferroelectric phase transition in BaT i2O5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsukada, Shinya; Fujii, Yasuhiro; Yoneda, Yasuhiro; Moriwake, Hiroki; Konishi, Ayako; Akishige, Yukikuni

2018-02-01

Uniaxial ferroelectric BaT i2O5 with a Curie temperature TC of 743 K was investigated to clarify its paraelectric-ferroelectric phase-transition behavior. The mechanism is discussed on the basis of the structure from short to long ranges determined by synchrotron x-ray diffraction and the lattice dynamics probed by Raman spectroscopy. BaT i2O5 is regarded as a homogeneous system, and the lattice dynamics can be interpreted by the selection rules and tensor properties of the homogeneous structure. Angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy clearly shows that an A -mode-type overdamped phonon plays the key role in the phase transition. Using a combination of experimental results and first-principles calculations, we explain the phase transition as follows: In one of three Ti O6 octahedral units, Ti vibrates along the b axis opposite an oxygen octahedral unit with large damping in the paraelectric phase, whereas this vibration is frozen in the ferroelectric phase, leading to a change in the space group from nonpolar C 2 /m to polar C 2 .

X-ray phase-contrast imaging: the quantum perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slowik, J. M.; Santra, R.

2013-08-01

Time-resolved phase-contrast imaging using ultrafast x-ray sources is an emerging method to investigate ultrafast dynamical processes in matter. Schemes to generate attosecond x-ray pulses have been proposed, bringing electronic timescales into reach and emphasizing the demand for a quantum description. In this paper, we present a method to describe propagation-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging in nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics. We explain why the standard scattering treatment via Fermi’s golden rule cannot be applied. Instead, the quantum electrodynamical treatment of phase-contrast imaging must be based on a different approach. It turns out that it is essential to select a suitable observable. Here, we choose the quantum-mechanical Poynting operator. We determine the expectation value of our observable and demonstrate that the leading order term describes phase-contrast imaging. It recovers the classical expression of phase-contrast imaging. Thus, it makes the instantaneous electron density of non-stationary electronic states accessible to time-resolved imaging. Interestingly, inelastic (Compton) scattering does automatically not contribute in leading order, explaining the success of the semiclassical description.

Dynamics of market structure driven by the degree of consumer’s rationality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanagita, Tatsuo; Onozaki, Tamotsu

2010-03-01

We study a simple model of market share dynamics with boundedly rational consumers and firms interacting with each other. As the number of consumers is large, we employ a statistical description to represent firms’ distribution of consumer share, which is characterized by a single parameter representing how rationally the mass of consumers pursue higher utility. As the boundedly rational firm does not know the shape of demand function it faces, it revises production and price so as to raise its profit with the aid of a simple reinforcement learning rule. Simulation results show that (1) three phases of market structure, i.e. the uniform share phase, the oligopolistic phase, and the monopolistic phase, appear depending upon how rational consumers are, and (2) in an oligopolistic phase, the market share distribution of firms follows Zipf’s law and the growth-rate distribution of firms follows Gibrat’s law, and (3) an oligopolistic phase is the best state of market in terms of consumers’ utility but brings the minimum profit to the firms because of severe competition based on the moderate rationality of consumers.

Influence of relative permeabilities on chemical enhanced oil recovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Destefanis, M. F.; Savioli, G. B.

2011-05-01

The main objective of chemical flooding is to mobilize the trapped oil remaining after a secondary recovery by waterflooding. This purpose is achieved by lowering the oil-water interfacial tension and producing partial miscibility between both phases. The chemical partition among phases (phase behavior) influences all other physical properties. In particular, it affects residual saturations determining relative permeability curves. Relative permeabilities rule the flow of each phase through the porous medium, so they play an essential role in oil recovery. Therefore, in this work we study the influence of relative permeabilities on the behavior of a surfactant-polymer flooding for the three different types of phase behavior. This analysis is performed applying the 3D compositional numerical simulator UTCHEM developed at the University of Texas at Austin. From the examples studied, we conclude that the influence of relative permeabilities depends on the type of phase behavior, i.e., as microemulsion relative permeability decreases, oil recovery increases for Types II(+) and III while slightly decreases for Type II(-). Moreover, a better displacement efficiency is observed for Types II(+) and III, because they behave similarly to a miscible displacement.

Kuramoto model with uniformly spaced frequencies: Finite-N asymptotics of the locking threshold.

PubMed

Ottino-Löffler, Bertrand; Strogatz, Steven H

2016-06-01

We study phase locking in the Kuramoto model of coupled oscillators in the special case where the number of oscillators, N, is large but finite, and the oscillators' natural frequencies are evenly spaced on a given interval. In this case, stable phase-locked solutions are known to exist if and only if the frequency interval is narrower than a certain critical width, called the locking threshold. For infinite N, the exact value of the locking threshold was calculated 30 years ago; however, the leading corrections to it for finite N have remained unsolved analytically. Here we derive an asymptotic formula for the locking threshold when N≫1. The leading correction to the infinite-N result scales like either N^{-3/2} or N^{-1}, depending on whether the frequencies are evenly spaced according to a midpoint rule or an end-point rule. These scaling laws agree with numerical results obtained by Pazó [D. Pazó, Phys. Rev. E 72, 046211 (2005)PLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.72.046211]. Moreover, our analysis yields the exact prefactors in the scaling laws, which also match the numerics.

Optimal Design for Hetero-Associative Memory: Hippocampal CA1 Phase Response Curve and Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity

PubMed Central

Miyata, Ryota; Ota, Keisuke; Aonishi, Toru

2013-01-01

Recently reported experimental findings suggest that the hippocampal CA1 network stores spatio-temporal spike patterns and retrieves temporally reversed and spread-out patterns. In this paper, we explore the idea that the properties of the neural interactions and the synaptic plasticity rule in the CA1 network enable it to function as a hetero-associative memory recalling such reversed and spread-out spike patterns. In line with Lengyel’s speculation (Lengyel et al., 2005), we firstly derive optimally designed spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) rules that are matched to neural interactions formalized in terms of phase response curves (PRCs) for performing the hetero-associative memory function. By maximizing object functions formulated in terms of mutual information for evaluating memory retrieval performance, we search for STDP window functions that are optimal for retrieval of normal and doubly spread-out patterns under the constraint that the PRCs are those of CA1 pyramidal neurons. The system, which can retrieve normal and doubly spread-out patterns, can also retrieve reversed patterns with the same quality. Finally, we demonstrate that purposely designed STDP window functions qualitatively conform to typical ones found in CA1 pyramidal neurons. PMID:24204822

Dual coding with STDP in a spiking recurrent neural network model of the hippocampus.

PubMed

Bush, Daniel; Philippides, Andrew; Husbands, Phil; O'Shea, Michael

2010-07-01

The firing rate of single neurons in the mammalian hippocampus has been demonstrated to encode for a range of spatial and non-spatial stimuli. It has also been demonstrated that phase of firing, with respect to the theta oscillation that dominates the hippocampal EEG during stereotype learning behaviour, correlates with an animal's spatial location. These findings have led to the hypothesis that the hippocampus operates using a dual (rate and temporal) coding system. To investigate the phenomenon of dual coding in the hippocampus, we examine a spiking recurrent network model with theta coded neural dynamics and an STDP rule that mediates rate-coded Hebbian learning when pre- and post-synaptic firing is stochastic. We demonstrate that this plasticity rule can generate both symmetric and asymmetric connections between neurons that fire at concurrent or successive theta phase, respectively, and subsequently produce both pattern completion and sequence prediction from partial cues. This unifies previously disparate auto- and hetero-associative network models of hippocampal function and provides them with a firmer basis in modern neurobiology. Furthermore, the encoding and reactivation of activity in mutually exciting Hebbian cell assemblies demonstrated here is believed to represent a fundamental mechanism of cognitive processing in the brain.

Efficient and Accurate Optimal Linear Phase FIR Filter Design Using Opposition-Based Harmony Search Algorithm

PubMed Central

Saha, S. K.; Dutta, R.; Choudhury, R.; Kar, R.; Mandal, D.; Ghoshal, S. P.

2013-01-01

In this paper, opposition-based harmony search has been applied for the optimal design of linear phase FIR filters. RGA, PSO, and DE have also been adopted for the sake of comparison. The original harmony search algorithm is chosen as the parent one, and opposition-based approach is applied. During the initialization, randomly generated population of solutions is chosen, opposite solutions are also considered, and the fitter one is selected as a priori guess. In harmony memory, each such solution passes through memory consideration rule, pitch adjustment rule, and then opposition-based reinitialization generation jumping, which gives the optimum result corresponding to the least error fitness in multidimensional search space of FIR filter design. Incorporation of different control parameters in the basic HS algorithm results in the balancing of exploration and exploitation of search space. Low pass, high pass, band pass, and band stop FIR filters are designed with the proposed OHS and other aforementioned algorithms individually for comparative optimization performance. A comparison of simulation results reveals the optimization efficacy of the OHS over the other optimization techniques for the solution of the multimodal, nondifferentiable, nonlinear, and constrained FIR filter design problems. PMID:23844390

Efficient and accurate optimal linear phase FIR filter design using opposition-based harmony search algorithm.

PubMed

Saha, S K; Dutta, R; Choudhury, R; Kar, R; Mandal, D; Ghoshal, S P

2013-01-01

In this paper, opposition-based harmony search has been applied for the optimal design of linear phase FIR filters. RGA, PSO, and DE have also been adopted for the sake of comparison. The original harmony search algorithm is chosen as the parent one, and opposition-based approach is applied. During the initialization, randomly generated population of solutions is chosen, opposite solutions are also considered, and the fitter one is selected as a priori guess. In harmony memory, each such solution passes through memory consideration rule, pitch adjustment rule, and then opposition-based reinitialization generation jumping, which gives the optimum result corresponding to the least error fitness in multidimensional search space of FIR filter design. Incorporation of different control parameters in the basic HS algorithm results in the balancing of exploration and exploitation of search space. Low pass, high pass, band pass, and band stop FIR filters are designed with the proposed OHS and other aforementioned algorithms individually for comparative optimization performance. A comparison of simulation results reveals the optimization efficacy of the OHS over the other optimization techniques for the solution of the multimodal, nondifferentiable, nonlinear, and constrained FIR filter design problems.

Microscopic processes ruling the bioavailability of Zn to roots of Euphorbia pithyusa L. pioneer plant.

PubMed

Medas, Daniela; De Giudici, Giovanni; Casu, Maria Antonietta; Musu, Elodia; Gianoncelli, Alessandra; Iadecola, Antonella; Meneghini, Carlo; Tamburini, Elena; Sprocati, Anna Rosa; Turnau, Katarzyna; Lattanzi, Pierfranco

2015-02-03

Euphorbia pithyusa L. was used in a plant growth-promoting assisted field trial experiment. To unravel the microscopic processes at the interface, thin slices of E. pithyusa roots were investigated by micro-X-ray fluorescence mapping. Roots and rhizosphere materials were examined by X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Zn K-edge, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Results indicate some features common to all the investigated samples. (i) In the rhizosphere of E. pithyusa, Zn was found to exist in different phases. (ii) Si and Al are mainly concentrated in a rim at the epidermis of the roots. (iii) Zn is mostly stored in root epidermis and does not appear to be coordinated to organic molecules but mainly occurs in mineral phases such as Zn silicates. We interpreted that roots of E. pithyusa significantly promote mineral evolution in the rhizosphere. Concomitantly, the plant uses Si and Al extracted by soil minerals to build a biomineralization rim, which can capture Zn. This Zn silicate biomineralization has relevant implications for phytoremediation techniques and for further biotechnology development, which can be better designed and developed after specific knowledge of molecular processes ruling mineral evolution and biomineralization processes has been gained.

Instability of the layered orthorhombic post-perovskite phase of SrTiO3 and other candidate orthorhombic phases under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhandari, Churna; Lambrecht, Walter R. L.

2018-06-01

While the tetragonal antiferro-electrically distorted (AFD) phase with space group I 4 / mcm is well known for SrTiO3 to occur below 105 K, there are also some hints in the literature of an orthorhombic phase, either at the lower temperature or at high pressure. A previously proposed orthorhombic layered structure of SrTiO3, known as the post-perovskite or CaIrO3 structure with space group Cmcm is shown to have significantly higher energy than the cubic or tetragonal phase and to have its minimum volume at larger volume than cubic perovskite. The Cmcm structure is thus ruled out. We also study an alternative Pnma phase obtained by two octahedral rotations about different axes. This phase is found to have slightly lower energy than the I 4 / mcm phase in spite of the fact that its parent, in-phase tilted P 4 / mbm phase is not found to occur. Our calculated enthalpies of formation show that the I 4 / mcm phase occurs at slightly higher volume than the cubic phase and has a negative transition pressure relative to the cubic phase, which suggests that it does not correspond to the high-pressure tetragonal phase. The enthalpy of the Pnma phase is almost indistinguishable from the I 4 / mcm phase. Alternative ferro-electric tetragonal and orthorhombic structures previously suggested in literature are discussed.

The amorphous state: first-principles derivation of the Gordon-Taylor equation for direct prediction of the glass transition temperature of mixtures; estimation of the crossover temperature of fragile glass formers; physical basis of the "Rule of 2/3".

PubMed

Skrdla, Peter J; Floyd, Philip D; Dell'Orco, Philip C

2017-08-09

Predicting the glass transition temperature (T g ) of mixtures has applications that span across industries and scientific disciplines. By plotting experimentally determined T g values as a function of the glass composition, one can usually apply the Gordon-Taylor (G-T) equation to determine the slope, k, which subsequently can be used in T g predictions. Traditionally viewed as a phenomenological/empirical model, this work proposes a physical basis for the G-T equation. The proposed equations allow for the calculation of k directly and, hence, they determine/predict the T g values of mixtures algebraically. Two derivations for k are provided, one for strong glass-formers and the other for fragile mixtures, with the modeled trehalose-water and naproxen-indomethacin systems serving as examples of each. Separately, a new equation is described for the first time that allows for the direct determination of the crossover temperature, T x , for fragile glass-formers. Lastly, the so-called "Rule of 2/3", which is commonly used to estimate the T g of a pure amorphous phase based solely on the fusion/melting temperature, T f , of the corresponding crystalline phase, is shown to be underpinned by the heat capacity ratio of the two phases referenced to a common temperature, as evidenced by the calculations put forth for indomethacin and felodipine.

Approach to knowledge of the interaction between the constituents of contact lenses and ocular tears: mixed monolayers of poly(methyl methacrylate) and dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline.

PubMed

Miñones Conde, M; Conde, O; Trillo, J M; Miñones, J

2011-04-05

Mixed monolayers of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), the main component of hard contact lenses, and dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline (DPPC), a characteristic phospholipidic constituent of ocular tear films, were selected as an in vitro model in order to observe the behavior of contact lenses on the eye. Using Langmuir monolayer and Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) techniques, the interaction between both components was analyzed from the data of surface pressure-area isotherms, compressional modulus-surface pressure, and relative film thickness versus time elapsed from the beginning of compression, together with BAM images. Regardless of the surface pressure at which the molecular/monomer areas (A(m)) were recorded, the A(m) mole fractions of PMMA (X(PMMA)) plots show that the experimental results match the theoretical values calculated from additivity rule A(m) = X(PMMA)A(PMMA) + X(DPPC)A(DPPC). The application of the Crisp phase rule to the phase diagram of the PMMA-DPPC system can explain the existence of a mixed monolayer made up of miscible components with ideal behavior at surface pressures below 25 mN/m. However, at very high surface pressures, when collapse is reached (at 60 mN/m), the single collapsed components are segregated into two independent phases. These results allows us to argue that PMMA hard contact lenses in the eye do not alter the structural characteristics of the phospholipid (DPPC) in tears.

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.

The diagram of phase-field crystal structures: an influence of model parameters in a two-mode approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ankudinov, V.; Galenko, P. K.

2017-04-01

Effect of phase-field crystal model (PFC-model) parameters on the structure diagram is analyzed. The PFC-model is taken in a two-mode approximation and the construction of structure diagram follows from the free energy minimization and Maxwell thermodynamic rule. The diagram of structure’s coexistence for three dimensional crystal structures [Body-Centered-Cubic (BCC), Face-Centered-Cubic (FCC) and homogeneous structures] are constructed. An influence of the model parameters, including the stability parameters, are discussed. A question about the structure diagram construction using the two-mode PFC-model with the application to real materials is established.

Modeling spatially localized photonic nanojets from phase diffraction gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geints, Yu. E.; Zemlyanov, A. A.

2016-04-01

We investigated numerically the specific spatially localized intense optical structure, a photonic nanojet (PNJ), formed in the near-field scattering of optical radiation at phase diffraction gratings. The finite-difference time-domain technique was employed to study the PNJ key parameters (length, width, focal distance, and intensity) produced by diffraction gratings with the saw-tooth, rectangle, and hemispheric line profiles. Our analysis showed that each type of diffraction gratings produces a photonic jet with unique characteristics. Based on the numerical calculations, we demonstrate that the PNJ could be manipulated in a wide range through the variation of period, duty cycle, and shape of diffraction grating rulings.

CREKID: A computer code for transient, gas-phase combustion of kinetics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pratt, D. T.; Radhakrishnan, K.

1984-01-01

A new algorithm was developed for fast, automatic integration of chemical kinetic rate equations describing homogeneous, gas-phase combustion at constant pressure. Particular attention is paid to the distinguishing physical and computational characteristics of the induction, heat-release and equilibration regimes. The two-part predictor-corrector algorithm, based on an exponentially-fitted trapezoidal rule, includes filtering of ill-posed initial conditions, automatic selection of Newton-Jacobi or Newton iteration for convergence to achieve maximum computational efficiency while observing a prescribed error tolerance. The new algorithm was found to compare favorably with LSODE on two representative test problems drawn from combustion kinetics.

Multifocus image fusion using phase congruency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Kun; Li, Qiaoqiao; Teng, Jicai; Wang, Mingying; Shi, Jinhui

2015-05-01

We address the problem of fusing multifocus images based on the phase congruency (PC). PC provides a sharpness feature of a natural image. The focus measure (FM) is identified as strong PC near a distinctive image feature evaluated by the complex Gabor wavelet. The PC is more robust against noise than other FMs. The fusion image is obtained by a new fusion rule (FR), and the focused region is selected by the FR from one of the input images. Experimental results show that the proposed fusion scheme achieves the fusion performance of the state-of-the-art methods in terms of visual quality and quantitative evaluations.

Learning to exploit a hidden predictor in skill acquisition: Tight linkage to conscious awareness.

PubMed

Tran, Randy; Pashler, Harold

2017-01-01

It is often assumed that implicit learning of skills based on predictive relationships proceeds independently of awareness. To test this idea, four groups of subjects played a game in which a fast-moving "demon" made a brief appearance at the bottom of the computer screen, then disappeared behind a V-shaped occluder, and finally re-appeared briefly on either the upper-left or upper-right quadrant of the screen. Points were scored by clicking on the demon during the final reappearance phase. Demons differed in several visible characteristics including color, horn height and eye size. For some subjects, horn height perfectly predicted which side the demon would reappear on. For subjects not told the rule, the subset who demonstrated at the end of the experiment that they had spontaneously discovered the rule showed strong evidence of exploiting it by anticipating the demon's arrival and laying in wait for it. Those who could not verbalize the rule performed no better than a control group for whom the demons moved unpredictably. The implications of this tight linkage between conscious awareness and implicit skill learning are discussed.

Similarity curve in solidification process of latent-heat energy storage unit with longitudinally straight fins; Part 1, Effect of Stefan number on applicability of similarity rule

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

Kaino, Koji

1994-09-01

Similarity curves for different Biot numbers are known to become indistinguishable with decreasing Stefan number; in other words, the similarity rule becomes more applicable for smaller Stefan number. In such a finned-tube-type storage unit as treated in this study, it has been found that the effect of Stefan number on the similarity curve varies with the number of fins. Sensible heat liberated during the solidification process has been calculated individually in a phase-change material with a heat-transfer tube and fins, and represented as a function of the frozen fraction for two specified values of Biot number, 0.1 and 1000, undermore » specified conditions of Stefan number and the number on fins. The latent-heat contribution to heat flow out of the storage unit has been examined in comparison with the sensible-heat contribution. The latent- and sensible-heat contributions are almost inversely related. This inverse relationship reduces the effect of the Stefan number on the applicability of the similarity rule.« less

The influence of voxel size on atom probe tomography data.

PubMed

Torres, K L; Daniil, M; Willard, M A; Thompson, G B

2011-05-01

A methodology for determining the optimal voxel size for phase thresholding in nanostructured materials was developed using an atom simulator and a model system of a fixed two-phase composition and volume fraction. The voxel size range was banded by the atom count within each voxel. Some voxel edge lengths were found to be too large, resulting in an averaging of compositional fluctuations; others were too small with concomitant decreases in the signal-to-noise ratio for phase identification. The simulated methodology was then applied to the more complex experimentally determined data set collected from a (Co(0.95)Fe(0.05))(88)Zr(6)Hf(1)B(4)Cu(1) two-phase nanocomposite alloy to validate the approach. In this alloy, Zr and Hf segregated to an intergranular amorphous phase while Fe preferentially segregated to a crystalline phase during the isothermal annealing step that promoted primary crystallization. The atom probe data analysis of the volume fraction was compared to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) dark-field imaging analysis and a lever rule analysis of the volume fraction within the amorphous and crystalline phases of the ribbon. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Calorimetric Measurements of Magnetic-Field-Induced Inhomogeneous Superconductivity Above the Paramagnetic Limit

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

Agosta, Charles C.; Fortune, Nathanael A.; Hannahs, Scott T.

We report the first magnetocaloric and calorimetric observations of a magnetic-field-induced phase transition within a superconducting state to the long-sought exotic Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) superconducting state, first predicted over 50 years ago. Through the combination of bulk thermodynamic calorimetric and magnetocaloric measurements in the organic superconductor. kappa-(BEDT-TTF)(2) Cu(NCS)(2) as a function of temperature, magnetic field strength, and magnetic field orientation, we establish for the first time that this field-induced first-order phase transition at the paramagnetic limit Hp is a transition to a higher-entropy superconducting phase, uniquely characteristic of the FFLO state. We also establish that this high-field superconducting state displays themore » bulk paramagnetic ordering of spin domains required of the FFLO state. These results rule out the alternate possibility of spin-density wave ordering in the high-field superconducting phase. The phase diagram determined from our measurements-including the observation of a phase transition into the FFLO phase at Hp-is in good agreement with recent NMR results and our own earlier tunnel-diode magnetic penetration depth experiments but is in disagreement with the only previous calorimetric report.« less

Calorimetric Measurements of Magnetic-Field-Induced Inhomogeneous Superconductivity Above the Paramagnetic Limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agosta, Charles C.; Fortune, Nathanael A.; Hannahs, Scott T.; Gu, Shuyao; Liang, Lucy; Park, Ju-Hyun; Schleuter, John A.

2017-06-01

We report the first magnetocaloric and calorimetric observations of a magnetic-field-induced phase transition within a superconducting state to the long-sought exotic Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) superconducting state, first predicted over 50 years ago. Through the combination of bulk thermodynamic calorimetric and magnetocaloric measurements in the organic superconductor κ -(BEDT -TTF )2Cu (NCS )2 as a function of temperature, magnetic field strength, and magnetic field orientation, we establish for the first time that this field-induced first-order phase transition at the paramagnetic limit Hp is a transition to a higher-entropy superconducting phase, uniquely characteristic of the FFLO state. We also establish that this high-field superconducting state displays the bulk paramagnetic ordering of spin domains required of the FFLO state. These results rule out the alternate possibility of spin-density wave ordering in the high-field superconducting phase. The phase diagram determined from our measurements—including the observation of a phase transition into the FFLO phase at Hp—is in good agreement with recent NMR results and our own earlier tunnel-diode magnetic penetration depth experiments but is in disagreement with the only previous calorimetric report.

Fire safety design of a mobile quarantine facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bass, R. S.; Hirasaki, J. K.

1971-01-01

During the design phase of the Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF), a primary consideration was fire safety. Therefore, appropriate criteria and ground rules were used in the design and construction of the facility. The fire codes and fire-requirement listings that are used by commerical airlines were supplied to the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). After these codes were reviewed, a basic ground rule was adopted that flame protection for all combustible materials should be at least equivalent to or better than the standards for commercial aircraft. Because the MQF was designed to operate with an interior atmosphere of air rather than with an oxygen-enriched atmosphere such as that of the Apollo spacecraft cabin, the requirements for MQF material were not as stringent as those for the spacecraft.

Relationship between strong-motion array parameters and the accuracy of source inversion and physical waves

USGS Publications Warehouse

Iida, M.; Miyatake, T.; Shimazaki, K.

1990-01-01

We develop general rules for a strong-motion array layout on the basis of our method of applying a prediction analysis to a source inversion scheme. A systematic analysis is done to obtain a relationship between fault-array parameters and the accuracy of a source inversion. Our study of the effects of various physical waves indicates that surface waves at distant stations contribute significantly to the inversion accuracy for the inclined fault plane, whereas only far-field body waves at both small and large distances contribute to the inversion accuracy for the vertical fault, which produces more phase interference. These observations imply the adequacy of the half-space approximation used throughout our present study and suggest rules for actual array designs. -from Authors

Optimization of RET flow using test layout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunqiang; Sethi, Satyendra; Lucas, Kevin

2008-11-01

At advanced technology nodes with extremely low k1 lithography, it is very hard to achieve image fidelity requirements and process window for some layout configurations. Quite often these layouts are within simple design rule constraints for a given technology node. It is important to have these layouts included during early RET flow development. Most of RET developments are based on shrunk layout from the previous technology node, which is possibly not good enough. A better methodology in creating test layout is required for optical proximity correction (OPC) recipe and assists feature development. In this paper we demonstrate the application of programmable test layouts in RET development. Layout pattern libraries are developed and embedded in a layout tool (ICWB). Assessment gauges are generated together with patterns for quick correction accuracy assessment. Several groups of test pattern libraries have been developed based on learning from product patterns and a layout DOE approach. The interaction between layout patterns and OPC recipe has been studied. Correction of a contact layer is quite challenge because of poor convergence and low process window. We developed test pattern library with many different contact configurations. Different OPC schemes are studied on these test layouts. The worst process window patterns are pinpointed for a given illumination condition. Assist features (AF) are frequently placed according to pre-determined rules to improve lithography process window. These rules are usually derived from lithographic models and experiments. Direct validation of AF rules is required at development phase. We use the test layout approach to determine rules in order to eliminate AF printability problem.

A framework for prospectively defining progression rules for internal pilot studies monitoring recruitment.

PubMed

Hampson, Lisa V; Williamson, Paula R; Wilby, Martin J; Jaki, Thomas

2017-01-01

Just over half of publicly funded trials recruit their target sample size within the planned study duration. When recruitment targets are missed, the funder of a trial is faced with the decision of either committing further resources to the study or risk that a worthwhile treatment effect may be missed by an underpowered final analysis. To avoid this challenging situation, when there is insufficient prior evidence to support predicted recruitment rates, funders now require feasibility assessments to be performed in the early stages of trials. Progression criteria are usually specified and agreed with the funder ahead of time. To date, however, the progression rules used are typically ad hoc. In addition, rules routinely permit adaptations to recruitment strategies but do not stipulate criteria for evaluating their effectiveness. In this paper, we develop a framework for planning and designing internal pilot studies which permit a trial to be stopped early if recruitment is disappointing or to continue to full recruitment if enrolment during the feasibility phase is adequate. This framework enables a progression rule to be pre-specified and agreed upon prior to starting a trial. The novel two-stage designs stipulate that if neither of these situations arises, adaptations to recruitment should be made and subsequently evaluated to establish whether they have been successful. We derive optimal progression rules for internal pilot studies which minimise the expected trial overrun and maintain a high probability of completing the study when the recruitment rate is adequate. The advantages of this procedure are illustrated using a real trial example.

Understanding Optimal Decision-Making in Wargaming

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

of which is a better understanding of the impact of decisions as a part of combat processes. However, using wargaming to understand decision-making...Raymond, 1989). In the aviation domain, pilots exhibit different visual scanning patterns during various phases of flying under instrument flight rules ( IFR ...human neuro- science, 7, 2013. Anna Skinner, Chris Berka, Lindsay Ohara-Long, and Marc Sebrechts. Impact of virtual en- vironment fidelity on behavioral

Development of a Pebble-Bed Liquid-Nitrogen Evaporator/Superheater for the BRL 1/6th Scale Large Blast/Thermal Simulator Test Bed. Phase 1. Prototype Design and Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-08-01

specifications are taken primarily from the 1983 version of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code . Other design requirements were developea from standard safe...rules and practices of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code to provide a safe and reliable system

Analysis of general aviation accidents during operations under instrument flight rules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, C. T.; Schwirzke, Martin; Harm, C.

1990-01-01

A report is presented to describe some of the errors that pilots make during flight under IFR. The data indicate that there is less risk during the approach and landing phase of IFR flights, as compared to VFR operations. Single-pilot IFR accident rates continue to be higher than two-pilot IFR incident rates, reflecting the high work load of IFR operations.

Cellular automata models for diffusion of information and highway traffic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuks, Henryk

In the first part of this work we study a family of deterministic models for highway traffic flow which generalize cellular automaton rule 184. This family is parameterized by the speed limit m and another parameter k that represents degree of 'anticipatory driving'. We compare two driving strategies with identical maximum throughput: 'conservative' driving with high speed limit and 'anticipatory' driving with low speed limit. Those two strategies are evaluated in terms of accident probability. We also discuss fundamental diagrams of generalized traffic rules and examine limitations of maximum achievable throughput. Possible modifications of the model are considered. For rule 184, we present exact calculations of the order parameter in a transition from the moving phase to the jammed phase using the method of preimage counting, and use this result to construct a solution to the density classification problem. In the second part we propose a probabilistic cellular automaton model for the spread of innovations, rumors, news, etc., in a social system. We start from simple deterministic models, for which exact expressions for the density of adopters are derived. For a more realistic model, based on probabilistic cellular automata, we study the influence of a range of interaction R on the shape of the adoption curve. When the probability of adoption is proportional to the local density of adopters, and individuals can drop the innovation with some probability p, the system exhibits a second order phase transition. Critical line separating regions of parameter space in which asymptotic density of adopters is positive from the region where it is equal to zero converges toward the mean-field line when the range of the interaction increases. In a region between R=1 critical line and the mean-field line asymptotic density of adopters depends on R, becoming zero if R is too small (smaller than some critical value). This result demonstrates the importance of connectivity in diffusion of information. We also define a new class of automata networks which incorporates non-local interactions, and discuss its applicability in modeling of diffusion of innovations.

Will Solar Cycles 25 and 26 Be Weaker than Cycle 24?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javaraiah, J.

2017-11-01

The study of variations in solar activity is important for understanding the underlying mechanism of solar activity and for predicting the level of activity in view of the activity impact on space weather and global climate. Here we have used the amplitudes (the peak values of the 13-month smoothed international sunspot number) of Solar Cycles 1 - 24 to predict the relative amplitudes of the solar cycles during the rising phase of the upcoming Gleissberg cycle. We fitted a cosine function to the amplitudes and times of the solar cycles after subtracting a linear fit of the amplitudes. The best cosine fit shows overall properties (periods, maxima, minima, etc.) of Gleissberg cycles, but with large uncertainties. We obtain a pattern of the rising phase of the upcoming Gleissberg cycle, but there is considerable ambiguity. Using the epochs of violations of the Gnevyshev-Ohl rule (G-O rule) and the `tentative inverse G-O rule' of solar cycles during the period 1610 - 2015, and also using the epochs where the orbital angular momentum of the Sun is steeply decreased during the period 1600 - 2099, we infer that Solar Cycle 25 will be weaker than Cycle 24. Cycles 25 and 26 will have almost same strength, and their epochs are at the minimum between the current and upcoming Gleissberg cycles. In addition, Cycle 27 is expected to be stronger than Cycle 26 and weaker than Cycle 28, and Cycle 29 is expected to be stronger than both Cycles 28 and 30. The maximum of Cycle 29 is expected to represent the next Gleissberg maximum. Our analysis also suggests a much lower value (30 - 40) for the maximum amplitude of the upcoming Cycle 25.

The Chronotron: A Neuron That Learns to Fire Temporally Precise Spike Patterns

PubMed Central

Florian, Răzvan V.

2012-01-01

In many cases, neurons process information carried by the precise timings of spikes. Here we show how neurons can learn to generate specific temporally precise output spikes in response to input patterns of spikes having precise timings, thus processing and memorizing information that is entirely temporally coded, both as input and as output. We introduce two new supervised learning rules for spiking neurons with temporal coding of information (chronotrons), one that provides high memory capacity (E-learning), and one that has a higher biological plausibility (I-learning). With I-learning, the neuron learns to fire the target spike trains through synaptic changes that are proportional to the synaptic currents at the timings of real and target output spikes. We study these learning rules in computer simulations where we train integrate-and-fire neurons. Both learning rules allow neurons to fire at the desired timings, with sub-millisecond precision. We show how chronotrons can learn to classify their inputs, by firing identical, temporally precise spike trains for different inputs belonging to the same class. When the input is noisy, the classification also leads to noise reduction. We compute lower bounds for the memory capacity of chronotrons and explore the influence of various parameters on chronotrons' performance. The chronotrons can model neurons that encode information in the time of the first spike relative to the onset of salient stimuli or neurons in oscillatory networks that encode information in the phases of spikes relative to the background oscillation. Our results show that firing one spike per cycle optimizes memory capacity in neurons encoding information in the phase of firing relative to a background rhythm. PMID:22879876

Perspective: Toward "synthesis by design": Exploring atomic correlations during inorganic materials synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soderholm, L.; Mitchell, J. F.

2016-05-01

Synthesis of inorganic extended solids is a critical starting point from which real-world functional materials and their consequent technologies originate. However, unlike the rich mechanistic foundation of organic synthesis, with its underlying rules of assembly (e.g., functional groups and their reactivities), the synthesis of inorganic materials lacks an underpinning of such robust organizing principles. In the latter case, any such rules must account for the diversity of chemical species and bonding motifs inherent to inorganic materials and the potential impact of mass transport on kinetics, among other considerations. Without such assembly rules, there is less understanding, less predictive power, and ultimately less control of properties. Despite such hurdles, developing a mechanistic understanding for synthesis of inorganic extended solids would dramatically impact the range of new material discoveries and resulting new functionalities, warranting a broad call to explore what is possible. Here we discuss our recent approaches toward a mechanistic framework for the synthesis of bulk inorganic extended solids, in which either embryonic atomic correlations or fully developed phases in solutions or melts can be identified and tracked during product selection and crystallization. The approach hinges on the application of high-energy x-rays, with their penetrating power and large Q-range, to explore reaction pathways in situ. We illustrate this process using two examples: directed assembly of Zr clusters in aqueous solution and total phase awareness during crystallization from K-Cu-S melts. These examples provide a glimpse of what we see as a larger vision, in which large scale simulations, data-driven science, and in situ studies of atomic correlations combine to accelerate materials discovery and synthesis, based on the assembly of well-defined, prenucleated atomic correlations.

Perspective: Toward “synthesis by design”: Exploring atomic correlations during inorganic materials synthesis

DOE PAGES

Soderholm, L.; Mitchell, J. F.

2016-05-26

Synthesis of inorganic extended solids is a critical starting point from which real-world functional materials and their consequent technologies originate. However, unlike the rich mechanistic foundation of organic synthesis, with its underlying rules of assembly (e.g., functional groups and their reactivities), the synthesis of inorganic materials lacks an underpinning of such robust organizing principles. In the latter case, any such rules must account for the diversity of chemical species and bonding motifs inherent to inorganic materials and the potential impact of mass transport on kinetics, among other considerations. Without such assembly rules, there is less understanding, less predictive power, andmore » ultimately less control of properties. Despite such hurdles, developing a mechanistic understanding for synthesis of inorganic extended solids would dramatically impact the range of new material discoveries and resulting new functionalities, warranting a broad call to explore what is possible. Here we discuss our recent approaches toward a mechanistic framework for the synthesis of bulk inorganic extended solids, in which either embryonic atomic correlations or fully developed phases in solutions or melts can be identified and tracked during product selection and crystallization. The approach hinges on the application of high-energy x-rays, with their penetrating power and large Q-range, to explore reaction pathways in situ. We illustrate this process using two examples: directed assembly of Zr clusters in aqueous solution and total phase awareness during crystallization from K–Cu–S melts. These examples provide a glimpse of what we see as a larger vision, in which large scale simulations, data-driven science, and in situ studies of atomic correlations combine to accelerate materials discovery and synthesis, based on the assembly of well-defined, prenucleated atomic correlations.« less

Filling-enforced nonsymmorphic Kondo semimetals in two dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pixley, J. H.; Lee, SungBin; Brandom, B.; Parameswaran, S. A.

2017-08-01

We study the competition between Kondo screening and frustrated magnetism on the nonsymmorphic Shastry-Sutherland Kondo lattice at a filling of two conduction electrons per unit cell. This model is known to host a set of gapless partially Kondo screened phases intermediate between the Kondo-destroyed paramagnet and the heavy Fermi liquid. Based on crystal symmetries, we argue that (i) both the paramagnet and the heavy Fermi liquid are semimetals protected by a glide symmetry; and (ii) partial Kondo screening breaks the symmetry, removing this protection and allowing the partially Kondo screened phase to be deformed into a Kondo insulator via a Lifshitz transition. We confirm these results using large-N mean-field theory and then use nonperturbative arguments to derive a generalized Luttinger sum rule constraining the phase structure of two-dimensional nonsymmorphic Kondo lattices beyond the mean-field limit.

Precisely cyclic sand: self-organization of periodically sheared frictional grains.

PubMed

Royer, John R; Chaikin, Paul M

2015-01-06

The disordered static structure and chaotic dynamics of frictional granular matter has occupied scientists for centuries, yet there are few organizational principles or guiding rules for this highly hysteretic, dissipative material. We show that cyclic shear of a granular material leads to dynamic self-organization into several phases with different spatial and temporal order. Using numerical simulations, we present a phase diagram in strain-friction space that shows chaotic dispersion, crystal formation, vortex patterns, and most unusually a disordered phase in which each particle precisely retraces its unique path. However, the system is not reversible. Rather, the trajectory of each particle, and the entire frictional, many-degrees-of-freedom system, organizes itself into a limit cycle absorbing state. Of particular note is that fact that the cyclic states are spatially disordered, whereas the ordered states are chaotic.

Electroweak baryogenesis and standard model CP violation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huet, Patrick; Sather, Eric

1995-01-01

We analyze the mechanism of electroweak baryogenesis proposed by Farrar and Shaposhnikov in which the phase of the CKM mixing matrix is the only source of CP violation. This mechanism is based on a phase separation of baryons via the scattering of quasiparticles by the wall of an expanding bubble produced at the electroweak phase transition. In agreement with the recent work of Gavela, Hernández, Orloff, and Pène, we conclude the QCD damping effects reduce the asymmetry produced to a negligible amount. We interpret the damping as quantum decoherence. We compute the asymmetry analytically. Our analysis reflects the observation that only a thin, outer layer of the bubble contributes to the coherent scattering of the quasiparticles. The generality of our arguments rules out any mechanism of electroweak baryogenesis that does not make use of a new source of CP violation.

Phase transition in bulk single crystals and thin films of V O 2 by nanoscale infrared spectroscopy and imaging

DOE PAGES

Liu, Mengkun; Sternbach, Aaron J.; Wagner, Martin; ...

2015-06-29

We have systematically studied a variety of vanadium dioxide (VO 2) crystalline forms, including bulk single crystals and oriented thin films, using infrared (IR) near-field spectroscopic imaging techniques. By measuring the IR spectroscopic responses of electrons and phonons in VO 2 with sub-grain-size spatial resolution (~20nm), we show that epitaxial strain in VO 2 thin films not only triggers spontaneous local phase separations, but leads to intermediate electronic and lattice states that are intrinsically different from those found in bulk. Generalized rules of strain- and symmetry-dependent mesoscopic phase inhomogeneity are also discussed. Furthermore, these results set the stage for amore » comprehensive understanding of complex energy landscapes that may not be readily determined by macroscopic approaches.« less

An Ambulatory System for Gait Monitoring Based on Wireless Sensorized Insoles.

PubMed

González, Iván; Fontecha, Jesús; Hervás, Ramón; Bravo, José

2015-07-09

A new gait phase detection system for continuous monitoring based on wireless sensorized insoles is presented. The system can be used in gait analysis mobile applications, and it is designed for real-time demarcation of gait phases. The system employs pressure sensors to assess the force exerted by each foot during walking. A fuzzy rule-based inference algorithm is implemented on a smartphone and used to detect each of the gait phases based on the sensor signals. Additionally, to provide a solution that is insensitive to perturbations caused by non-walking activities, a probabilistic classifier is employed to discriminate walking forward from other low-level activities, such as turning, walking backwards, lateral walking, etc. The combination of these two algorithms constitutes the first approach towards a continuous gait assessment system, by means of the avoidance of non-walking influences.

Precisely cyclic sand: Self-organization of periodically sheared frictional grains

PubMed Central

Royer, John R.; Chaikin, Paul M.

2015-01-01

The disordered static structure and chaotic dynamics of frictional granular matter has occupied scientists for centuries, yet there are few organizational principles or guiding rules for this highly hysteretic, dissipative material. We show that cyclic shear of a granular material leads to dynamic self-organization into several phases with different spatial and temporal order. Using numerical simulations, we present a phase diagram in strain–friction space that shows chaotic dispersion, crystal formation, vortex patterns, and most unusually a disordered phase in which each particle precisely retraces its unique path. However, the system is not reversible. Rather, the trajectory of each particle, and the entire frictional, many–degrees-of-freedom system, organizes itself into a limit cycle absorbing state. Of particular note is that fact that the cyclic states are spatially disordered, whereas the ordered states are chaotic. PMID:25538298

Do dogs follow behavioral cues from an unreliable human?

PubMed

Takaoka, Akiko; Maeda, Tomomi; Hori, Yusuke; Fujita, Kazuo

2015-03-01

Dogs are known to consistently follow human pointing gestures. In this study, we asked whether dogs "automatically" do this or whether they flexibly adjust their behavior depending upon the reliability of the pointer, demonstrated in an immediately preceding event. We tested pet dogs in a version of the object choice task in which a piece of food was hidden in one of the two containers. In Experiment 1, Phase 1, an experimenter pointed at the baited container; the second container was empty. In Phase 2, after showing the contents of both containers to the dogs, the experimenter pointed at the empty container. In Phase 3, the procedure was exactly as in Phase 1. We compared the dogs' responses to the experimenter's pointing gestures in Phases 1 and 3. Most dogs followed pointing in Phase 1, but many fewer did so in Phase 3. In Experiment 2, dogs followed a new experimenter's pointing in Phase 3 following replication of procedures of Phases 1 and 2 in Experiment 1. This ruled out the possibility that dogs simply lost motivation to participate in the task in later phases. These results suggest that not only dogs are highly skilled at understanding human pointing gestures, but also they make inferences about the reliability of a human who presents cues and consequently modify their behavior flexibly depending on the inference.

Task switching in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) during computerized categorization tasks.

PubMed

Smith, Travis R; Beran, Michael J

2018-05-31

The present experiments extended to monkeys a previously used abstract categorization procedure (Castro & Wasserman, 2016) where pigeons had categorized arrays of clipart icons based upon two task rules: the number of clipart objects in the array or the variability of objects in the array. Experiment 1 replicated Castro and Wasserman by using capuchin monkeys and rhesus monkeys and reported that monkeys' performances were similar to pigeons' in terms of acquisition, pattern of errors, and the absence of switch costs. Furthermore, monkeys' insensitivity to the added irrelevant information suggested that an associative (rather than rule-based) categorization mechanism was dominant. Experiment 2 was conducted to include categorization cue reversals to determine (a) whether the monkeys would quickly adapt to the reversals and inhibit interference from a prereversal task rule (consistent with a rule-based mechanism) and (b) whether the latency to make a response prior to a correct or incorrect outcome was informative about the presence of a cognitive mechanism. The cue reassignment produced profound and long-lasting performance deficits, and a long reacquisition phase suggested the involvement of associative learning processes; however, monkeys also displayed longer latencies to choose prior to correct responses on challenging trials, suggesting the involvement of nonassociative processes. Together these performances suggest a mix of associative and cognitive-control processes governing monkey categorization judgments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Two-sample binary phase 2 trials with low type I error and low sample size.

PubMed

Litwin, Samuel; Basickes, Stanley; Ross, Eric A

2017-04-30

We address design of two-stage clinical trials comparing experimental and control patients. Our end point is success or failure, however measured, with null hypothesis that the chance of success in both arms is p 0 and alternative that it is p 0 among controls and p 1  > p 0 among experimental patients. Standard rules will have the null hypothesis rejected when the number of successes in the (E)xperimental arm, E, sufficiently exceeds C, that among (C)ontrols. Here, we combine one-sample rejection decision rules, E⩾m, with two-sample rules of the form E - C > r to achieve two-sample tests with low sample number and low type I error. We find designs with sample numbers not far from the minimum possible using standard two-sample rules, but with type I error of 5% rather than 15% or 20% associated with them, and of equal power. This level of type I error is achieved locally, near the stated null, and increases to 15% or 20% when the null is significantly higher than specified. We increase the attractiveness of these designs to patients by using 2:1 randomization. Examples of the application of this new design covering both high and low success rates under the null hypothesis are provided. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Grain size dependent phase stabilities and presence of a monoclinic (Pm) phase in the morphotropic phase boundary region of (1−x)Bi(Mg{sub 1/2}Ti{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-xPbTiO{sub 3} piezoceramics

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

Upadhyay, Ashutosh; Singh, Akhilesh Kumar, E-mail: akhilesh-bhu@yahoo.com, E-mail: aksingh.mst@itbhu.ac.in

2015-04-14

Results of the room temperature structural studies on (1−x)Bi(Mg{sub 1/2}Ti{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-xPbTiO{sub 3} ceramics using Rietveld analysis of the powder x-ray diffraction data in the composition range 0.28 ≤ x ≤ 0.45 are presented. The morphotropic phase boundary region exhibits coexistence of monoclinic (space group Pm) and tetragonal (space group P4 mm) phases in the composition range 0.33 ≤ x ≤ 0.40. The structure is nearly single phase monoclinic (space group Pm) in the composition range 0.28 ≤ x ≤ 0.32. The structure for the compositions with x ≥ 0.45 is found to be predominantly tetragonal with space group P4 mm. Rietveld refinement of the structure rules out the coexistence of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases inmore » the morphotropic phase boundary region reported by earlier authors. The Rietveld structure analysis for the sample x = .35 calcined at various temperatures reveals that phase fraction of the coexisting phases in the morphotropic phase boundary region varies with grain size. The structural parameters of the two coexisting phases also change slightly with changing grain size.« less

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

Liu, Yong; Xing, Qingfeng; Straszheim, Warren E.

Here, we report how the superconducting phase forms in pseudo-single-crystal K xFe 2-ySe 2. In situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation reveals that, as an order-disorder transition occurs, on cooling, most of the high-temperature iron-vacancy-disordered phase gradually changes into the iron-vacancy-ordered phase whereas a small quantity of the high-temperature phase retains its structure and aggregates to the stripes with more iron concentration but less potassium concentration compared to the iron-vacancy-ordered phase. The stripes that are generally recognized as the superconducting phase are actually formed as a remnant of the high-temperature phase with a compositional change after an “imperfect” order-disorder transition.more » It should be emphasized that the phase separation in pseudo-single-crystal K xFe 2-ySe 2 is caused by the iron-vacancy order-disorder transition. The shrinkage of the high-temperature phase and the expansion of the newly created iron-vacancy-ordered phase during the phase separation rule out the mechanism of spinodal decomposition proposed in an early report [Wang et al, Phys. Rev. B 91, 064513 (2015)]. Since the formation of the superconducting phase relies on the occurrence of the iron-vacancy order-disorder transition, it is impossible to synthesize a pure superconducting phase by a conventional solid state reaction or melt growth. By focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy, we further demonstrate that the superconducting phase forms a contiguous three-dimensional architecture composed of parallelepipeds that have a coherent orientation relationship with the iron-vacancy-ordered phase.« less

Magnetic and transport properties of Co2Mn1-xCrxSi Heusler alloy thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aftab, M.; Hassnain Jaffari, G.; Hasanain, S. K.; Ali Abbas, Turab; Ismat Shah, S.

2013-09-01

Magnetic, transport, and magnetotransport properties of Co2Mn1-xCrxSi (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) DC sputter grown thin films have been investigated. In films with x > 0.2 saturation magnetization values are seen to deviate from the Slater-Pauling rule due to the enhancement of Co-Cr antisite disorder. The increasing structural disorder eventually results in a sign change of the temperature coefficient of resistivity (at x > 0.6), while a resistivity minimum is observed for the metallic compositions. From resistivity measurements, we conclude that there is a phase transition from a half-metallic ferromagnetic phase to a normal ferromagnetic phase at T ˜ 68 K in composition with x ≤ 0.2. Both the onset temperature and the temperature range for half metallic phase were found to decrease with increasing x among the metallic compositions. Magnetotransport measurements performed on metallic compositions at temperatures below and above the resistivity minimum suggest the presence of both the metallic as well as semiconducting/localized states.

Mixed-order phase transition in a two-step contagion model with a single infectious seed.

PubMed

Choi, Wonjun; Lee, Deokjae; Kahng, B

2017-02-01

Percolation is known as one of the most robust continuous transitions, because its occupation rule is intrinsically local. As one of the ways to break the robustness, occupation is allowed to more than one species of particles and they occupy cooperatively. This generalized percolation model undergoes a discontinuous transition. Here we investigate an epidemic model with two contagion steps and characterize its phase transition analytically and numerically. We find that even though the order parameter jumps at a transition point r_{c}, then increases continuously, it does not exhibit any critical behavior: the fluctuations of the order parameter do not diverge at r_{c}. However, critical behavior appears in mean outbreak size, which diverges at the transition point in a manner that the ordinary percolation shows. Such a type of phase transition is regarded as a mixed-order phase transition. We also obtain scaling relations of cascade outbreak statistics when the order parameter jumps at r_{c}.

ArF halftone PSM cleaning process optimization for next-generation lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Son, Yong-Seok; Jeong, Seong-Ho; Kim, Jeong-Bae; Kim, Hong-Seok

2000-07-01

ArF lithography which is expected for the next generation optical lithography is adapted for 0.13 micrometers design-rule and beyond. ArF half-tone phase shift mask (HT PSM) will be applied as 1st generation of ArF lithography. Also ArF PSM cleaning demands by means of tighter controls related to phase angle, transmittance and contamination on the masks. Phase angle on ArF HT PSM should be controlled within at least +/- 3 degree and transmittance controlled within at least +/- 3 percent after cleaning process and pelliclization. In the cleaning process of HT PSM, requires not only the remove the particle on mask, but also control to half-tone material for metamorphosis. Contamination defects on the Qz of half tone type PSM is not easy to remove on the photomask surface. New technology and methods of cleaning will be developed in near future, but we try to get out for limit contamination on the mask, without variation of phase angle and transmittance after cleaning process.

Recent theoretical advances on superradiant phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baksic, Alexandre; Nataf, Pierre; Ciuti, Cristiano

2013-03-01

The Dicke model describing a single-mode boson field coupled to two-level systems is an important paradigm in quantum optics. In particular, the physics of ``superradiant phase transitions'' in the ultrastrong coupling regime is the subject of a vigorous research activity in both cavity and circuit QED. Recently, we explored the rich physics of two interesting generalizations of the Dicke model: (i) A model describing the coupling of a boson mode to two independent chains A and B of two-level systems, where chain A is coupled to one quadrature of the boson field and chain B to the orthogonal quadrature. This original model leads to a quantum phase transition with a double symmetry breaking and a fourfold ground state degeneracy. (ii) A generalized Dicke model with three-level systems including the diamagnetic term. In contrast to the case of two-level atoms for which no-go theorems exist, in the case of three-level system we prove that the Thomas-Reich-Kuhn sum rule does not always prevent a superradiant phase transition.

Distractions during critical phases of anaesthesia for caesarean section: an observational study.

PubMed

Jenkins, A; Wilkinson, J V; Akeroyd, M A; Broom, M A

2015-05-01

Aviation's 'sterile cockpit' rule holds that distractions on the flight deck should be kept at a minimum during critical phases of flight. To assess current practice at comparable points during obstetric regional anaesthesia, we measured ambient noise and distracting events during 30 caesarean sections in three phases: during establishment of regional anaesthesia; during testing of regional blockade; and after delivery of the fetal head. Mean (SD) noise levels were 62.5 (3.9) dB during establishment of blockade, 63.9 (4.1) dB during testing and 66.8 (5.0) dB after delivery (p < 0.001). The median rates of sudden, loud (> 70 dB) noises, non-clinical conversations and numbers of staff present in the operating theatre increased during each of the three phases. Conversely, entrances into, and exits from, theatre per minute were highest during establishment of regional anaesthesia and decreased over the subsequent two time periods (p < 0.001). © 2014 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

A Semiempirical Model for Sigma-Phase Precipitation in Duplex and Superduplex Stainless Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferro, P.; Bonollo, F.

2012-04-01

Sigma phase is known to reduce the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of duplex and superduplex stainless steels. Therefore, heat treatments and welding must be carefully performed so as to avoid the appearance of such a detrimental phase, and clearly, models suitable to faithfully predict σ-phase precipitation are very useful tools. Most fully analytical models are based on thermodynamic calculations whose agreement with experimental results is not always good, so that such models should be used for qualitative purposes only. Alternatively, it is possible to exploit semiempirical models, where time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagrams are empirically determined for a given alloy and the continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagram is calculated from the TTT diagram. In this work, a semiempirical model for σ-phase precipitation in duplex and superduplex stainless steels, under both isothermal and unisothermal conditions, is proposed. Model parameters are calculated from empirical data and CCT diagrams are obtained by means of the additivity rule, whereas experimental measurements for model validation are taken from the literature. This model gives a satisfactory estimation of σ-phase precipitates during both isothermal aging and the continuous cooling process.

A two-stage patient enrichment adaptive design in phase II oncology trials.

PubMed

Song, James X

2014-01-01

Illustrated is the use of a patient enrichment adaptive design in a randomized phase II trial which allows the evaluation of treatment benefits by the biomarker expression level and makes interim adjustment according to the pre-specified rules. The design was applied to an actual phase II metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) trial in which progression-free survival (PFS) in two biomarker-defined populations is evaluated at both interim and final analyses. As an extension, a short-term biomarker is used to predict the long-term PFS in a Bayesian model in order to improve the precision of hazard ratio (HR) estimate at the interim analysis. The characteristics of the extended design are examined in a number of scenarios via simulations. The recommended adaptive design is shown to be useful in a phase II setting. When a short-term maker which correlates with the long-term PFS is available, the design can be applied in smaller early phase trials in which PFS requires longer follow-up. In summary, the adaptive design offers flexibility in randomized phase II patient enrichment trials and should be considered in an overall personalized healthcare (PHC) strategy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dose escalation methods in phase I cancer clinical trials.

PubMed

Le Tourneau, Christophe; Lee, J Jack; Siu, Lillian L

2009-05-20

Phase I clinical trials are an essential step in the development of anticancer drugs. The main goal of these studies is to establish the recommended dose and/or schedule of new drugs or drug combinations for phase II trials. The guiding principle for dose escalation in phase I trials is to avoid exposing too many patients to subtherapeutic doses while preserving safety and maintaining rapid accrual. Here we review dose escalation methods for phase I trials, including the rule-based and model-based dose escalation methods that have been developed to evaluate new anticancer agents. Toxicity has traditionally been the primary endpoint for phase I trials involving cytotoxic agents. However, with the emergence of molecularly targeted anticancer agents, potential alternative endpoints to delineate optimal biological activity, such as plasma drug concentration and target inhibition in tumor or surrogate tissues, have been proposed along with new trial designs. We also describe specific methods for drug combinations as well as methods that use a time-to-event endpoint or both toxicity and efficacy as endpoints. Finally, we present the advantages and drawbacks of the various dose escalation methods and discuss specific applications of the methods in developmental oncotherapeutics.

Discontinuous non-equilibrium phase transition in a threshold Schloegl model for autocatalysis: Generic two-phase coexistence and metastability

DOE PAGES

Wang, Chi -Jen; Liu, Da -Jiang; Evans, James W.

2015-04-28

Threshold versions of Schloegl’s model on a lattice, which involve autocatalytic creation and spontaneous annihilation of particles, can provide a simple prototype for discontinuous non-equilibrium phase transitions. These models are equivalent to so-called threshold contact processes. A discontinuous transition between populated and vacuum states can occur selecting a threshold of N ≥ 2 for the minimum number, N, of neighboring particles enabling autocatalytic creation at an empty site. Fundamental open questions remain given the lack of a thermodynamic framework for analysis. For a square lattice with N = 2, we show that phase coexistence occurs not at a unique valuemore » but for a finite range of particle annihilation rate (the natural control parameter). This generic two-phase coexistence also persists when perturbing the model to allow spontaneous particle creation. Such behavior contrasts both the Gibbs phase rule for thermodynamic systems and also previous analysis for this model. We find metastability near the transition corresponding to a non-zero effective line tension, also contrasting previously suggested critical behavior. As a result, mean-field type analysis, extended to treat spatially heterogeneous states, further elucidates model behavior.« less

Discontinuous non-equilibrium phase transition in a threshold Schloegl model for autocatalysis: Generic two-phase coexistence and metastability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chi-Jen; Liu, Da-Jiang; Evans, James W.

2015-04-01

Threshold versions of Schloegl's model on a lattice, which involve autocatalytic creation and spontaneous annihilation of particles, can provide a simple prototype for discontinuous non-equilibrium phase transitions. These models are equivalent to so-called threshold contact processes. A discontinuous transition between populated and vacuum states can occur selecting a threshold of N ≥ 2 for the minimum number, N, of neighboring particles enabling autocatalytic creation at an empty site. Fundamental open questions remain given the lack of a thermodynamic framework for analysis. For a square lattice with N = 2, we show that phase coexistence occurs not at a unique value but for a finite range of particle annihilation rate (the natural control parameter). This generic two-phase coexistence also persists when perturbing the model to allow spontaneous particle creation. Such behavior contrasts both the Gibbs phase rule for thermodynamic systems and also previous analysis for this model. We find metastability near the transition corresponding to a non-zero effective line tension, also contrasting previously suggested critical behavior. Mean-field type analysis, extended to treat spatially heterogeneous states, further elucidates model behavior.

Voices that want to be heard: Using bereaved Danish students suggestions to update school bereavement response plans.

PubMed

Lytje, Martin

2018-04-01

This study explored how Danish students experienced returning to school following parental bereavement. Eighteen focus group interviews were conducted with 39 participants aged 9 to 17. All participants had experienced the loss of a primary caregiver. Data collection was divided into two phases. In Phase I, 22 participants from four grief groups were interviewed 4 times over the course of a year. During Phase II, confirmatory focus groups were undertaken with the 17 participants. This article explores the findings related to ideas and suggestions made by the students about how the Danish school response could be improved to better meet their needs. The presentation of data is divided into seven themes, which are: Desired school response; Desired support from teachers; Desired boundaries between students and teachers; Desired collaboration; Desired support from peers; Desired rules and structure, and; Desires related to gifts and rituals. Study findings indicate that most students want to be included and have a say when the school plans how to respond to their loss. Students further highlight a need for teacher support when having to reconnect with the class; a need for set rules in relation to leaving the class when feeling sad, and; a need for schools to see the loss as a life-changing event, and grief as something that does not simply disappear after a few months. The article concludes by discussing the ways in which the recommendations provided by the participants can be incorporated into a modern revision of Danish school bereavement response plans.

Electrum, the Gold-Silver Alloy, from the Bulk Scale to the Nanoscale: Synthesis, Properties, and Segregation Rules.

PubMed

Guisbiers, Grégory; Mendoza-Cruz, Rubén; Bazán-Díaz, Lourdes; Velázquez-Salazar, J Jesús; Mendoza-Perez, Rafael; Robledo-Torres, José Antonio; Rodriguez-Lopez, José-Luis; Montejano-Carrizales, Juan Martín; Whetten, Robert L; José-Yacamán, Miguel

2016-01-26

The alloy Au-Ag system is an important noble bimetallic phase, both historically (as "Electrum") and now especially in nanotechnology, as it is applied in catalysis and nanomedicine. To comprehend the structural characteristics and the thermodynamic stability of this alloy, a knowledge of its phase diagram is required that considers explicitly its size and shape (morphology) dependence. However, as the experimental determination remains quite challenging at the nanoscale, theoretical guidance can provide significant advantages. Using a regular solution model within a nanothermodynamic approach to evaluate the size effect on all the parameters (melting temperature, melting enthalpy, and interaction parameters in both phases), the nanophase diagram is predicted. Besides an overall shift downward, there is a "tilting" effect on the solidus-liquidus curves for some particular shapes exposing the (100) and (110) facets (cube, rhombic dodecahedron, and cuboctahedron). The segregation calculation reveals the preferential presence of silver at the surface for all the polyhedral shapes considered, in excellent agreement with the latest transmission electron microscopy observations and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis. By reviewing the nature of the surface segregated element of different bimetallic nanoalloys, two surface segregation rules, based on the melting temperatures and surface energies, are deduced. Finally, the optical properties of Au-Ag nanoparticles, calculated within the discrete dipole approximation, show the control that can be achieved in the tuning of the local surface plasmon resonance, depending of the alloy content, the chemical ordering, the morphology, the size of the nanoparticle, and the nature of the surrounding environment.

The rotational phase dependence of magnetar bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elenbaas, C.; Watts, A. L.; Huppenkothen, D.

2018-05-01

The trigger for the short bursts observed in γ-rays from many magnetar sources remains unknown. One particular open question in this context is the localization of burst emission to a singular active region or a larger area across the neutron star. While several observational studies have attempted to investigate this question by looking at the phase dependence of burst properties, results have been mixed. At the same time, it is not obvious a priori that bursts from a localized active region would actually give rise to a detectable phase dependence, taking into account issues such as geometry, relativistic effects, and intrinsic burst properties such brightness and duration. In this paper, we build a simple theoretical model to investigate the circumstances under which the latter effects could affect detectability of dependence of burst emission on rotational phase. We find that even for strongly phase-dependent emission, inferred burst properties may not show a rotational phase dependence, depending on the geometry of the system and the observer. Furthermore, the observed properties of bursts with durations short as 10-20 per cent of the spin period can vary strongly depending on the rotational phase at which the burst was emitted. We also show that detectability of a rotational phase dependence depends strongly on the minimum number of bursts observed, and find that existing burst samples may simply be too small to rule out a phase dependence.

Crystal plasticity analysis of stress partitioning mechanisms and their microstructural dependence in advanced steels

DOE PAGES

Pu, Chao; Gao, Yanfei

2015-01-23

Two-phase advanced steels contain an optimized combination of high yield strength and large elongation strain at failure, as a result of stress partitioning between a hard phase (martensite) and a ductile phase (ferrite or austenite). Provided with strong interfaces between the constituent phases, the failure in the brittle martensite phase will be delayed by the surrounding geometric constraints, while the rule of mixture will dictate a large strength of the composite. To this end, the microstructural design of these composites is imperative especially in terms of the stress partitioning mechanisms among the constituent phases. Based on the characteristic microstructures ofmore » dual phase and multilayered steels, two polycrystalline aggregate models are constructed to simulate the microscopic lattice strain evolution of these materials during uniaxial tensile tests. By comparing the lattice strain evolution from crystal plasticity finite element simulations with advanced in situ diffraction measurements in literature, this study investigates the correlations between the material microstructure and the micromechanical interactions on the intergranular and interphase levels. Finally, it is found that although the applied stress will be ultimately accommodated by the hard phase and hard grain families, the sequence of the stress partitioning on grain and phase levels can be altered by microstructural designs. Implications of these findings on delaying localized failure are also discussed.« less

Automated phase mapping with AgileFD and its application to light absorber discovery in the V–Mn–Nb oxide system

DOE PAGES

Suram, Santosh K.; Xue, Yexiang; Bai, Junwen; ...

2016-11-21

Rapid construction of phase diagrams is a central tenet of combinatorial materials science with accelerated materials discovery efforts often hampered by challenges in interpreting combinatorial X-ray diffraction data sets, which we address by developing AgileFD, an artificial intelligence algorithm that enables rapid phase mapping from a combinatorial library of X-ray diffraction patterns. AgileFD models alloying-based peak shifting through a novel expansion of convolutional nonnegative matrix factorization, which not only improves the identification of constituent phases but also maps their concentration and lattice parameter as a function of composition. By incorporating Gibbs’ phase rule into the algorithm, physically meaningful phase mapsmore » are obtained with unsupervised operation, and more refined solutions are attained by injecting expert knowledge of the system. The algorithm is demonstrated through investigation of the V–Mn–Nb oxide system where decomposition of eight oxide phases, including two with substantial alloying, provides the first phase map for this pseudoternary system. This phase map enables interpretation of high-throughput band gap data, leading to the discovery of new solar light absorbers and the alloying-based tuning of the direct-allowed band gap energy of MnV 2O 6. Lastly, the open-source family of AgileFD algorithms can be implemented into a broad range of high throughput workflows to accelerate materials discovery.« less

Automated phase mapping with AgileFD and its application to light absorber discovery in the V–Mn–Nb oxide system

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

Suram, Santosh K.; Xue, Yexiang; Bai, Junwen

Rapid construction of phase diagrams is a central tenet of combinatorial materials science with accelerated materials discovery efforts often hampered by challenges in interpreting combinatorial X-ray diffraction data sets, which we address by developing AgileFD, an artificial intelligence algorithm that enables rapid phase mapping from a combinatorial library of X-ray diffraction patterns. AgileFD models alloying-based peak shifting through a novel expansion of convolutional nonnegative matrix factorization, which not only improves the identification of constituent phases but also maps their concentration and lattice parameter as a function of composition. By incorporating Gibbs’ phase rule into the algorithm, physically meaningful phase mapsmore » are obtained with unsupervised operation, and more refined solutions are attained by injecting expert knowledge of the system. The algorithm is demonstrated through investigation of the V–Mn–Nb oxide system where decomposition of eight oxide phases, including two with substantial alloying, provides the first phase map for this pseudoternary system. This phase map enables interpretation of high-throughput band gap data, leading to the discovery of new solar light absorbers and the alloying-based tuning of the direct-allowed band gap energy of MnV 2O 6. Lastly, the open-source family of AgileFD algorithms can be implemented into a broad range of high throughput workflows to accelerate materials discovery.« less

Analysis of temporal variation in human masticatory cycles during gum chewing.

PubMed

Crane, Elizabeth A; Rothman, Edward D; Childers, David; Gerstner, Geoffrey E

2013-10-01

The study investigated modulation of fast and slow opening (FO, SO) and closing (FC, SC) chewing cycle phases using gum-chewing sequences in humans. Twenty-two healthy adult subjects participated by chewing gum for at least 20s on the right side and at least 20s on the left side while jaw movements were tracked with a 3D motion analysis system. Jaw movement data were digitized, and chewing cycle phases were identified and analysed for all chewing cycles in a complete sequence. All four chewing cycle phase durations were more variant than total cycle durations, a result found in other non-human primates. Significant negative correlations existed between the opening phases, SO and FO, and between the closing phases, SC and FC; however, there was less consistency in terms of which phases were negatively correlated both between subjects, and between chewing sides within subjects, compared with results reported in other species. The coordination of intra-cycle phases appears to be flexible and to follow complex rules during gum-chewing in humans. Alternatively, the observed intra-cycle phase relationships could simply reflect: (1) variation in jaw kinematics due to variation in how gum was handled by the tongue on a chew-by-chew basis in our experimental design or (2) by variation due to data sampling noise and/or how phases were defined and identified. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Infrared Spectra and Band Strengths of CH3SH, an Interstellar Molecule

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, R. L.

2016-01-01

Three solid phases of CH3SH (methanethiol or methyl mercaptan) have been prepared and their mid-infrared spectra recorded at 10-110 degrees Kelvin, with an emphasis on the 17-100 degrees Kelvin region. Refractive indices have been measured at two temperatures and used to estimate ice densities and infrared band strengths. Vapor pressures for the two crystalline phases of CH3SH at 110 degrees Kelvin are estimated. The behavior of amorphous CH3SH on warming is presented and discussed in terms of Ostwald's step rule. Comparisons to CH3OH under similar conditions are made, and some inconsistencies and ambiguities in the CH3SH literature are examined and corrected.

Structural and magnetic properties of Co{sub 2}Ti{sub 1−x}Fe{sub x}Al (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) alloys

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

Pal, Lakhan, E-mail: lakhanbainsla@gmail.com; Gupta, Sachin, E-mail: lakhanbainsla@gmail.com; Suresh, K. G., E-mail: lakhanbainsla@gmail.com

2014-04-24

In this work we studied the effect of partial Fe substitution for Ti on the structural and magnetic properties of the Co{sub 2}TiAl. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates the presence of B2 type disorder for x > 0, (111) reflections are absent for x > 0 which is the characteristic of B2 type disorder. XRD analysis also shows presence of second phase. Magnetization measurements also confirm the presence of dual phase. Curie temperature of the alloys increases with increase in Fe concentration. Saturation magnetic moments agree very well with those calculated by Slater-Pauling rule.

Watching Nanoscale Self-Assembly Kinetics of Gold Prisms in Liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Juyeong; Ou, Zihao; Jones, Matthew R.; Chen, Qian

We use liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy to watch self-assembly of gold triangular prisms into polymer-like structures. The in situ dynamics monitoring enabled by liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy, single nanoparticle tracking, and the marked conceptual similarity between molecular reactions and nanoparticle self-assembly combined elucidate the following mechanistic understanding: a step-growth polymerization based assembly statistics, kinetic pathways sampling particle curvature dependent energy minima and their interconversions, and directed assembly into polymorphs (linear or cyclic chains) through in situ modulation of the prism bonding geometry. Our study bridges the constituent kinetics on the molecular and nanoparticle length scales, which enriches the design rules in directed self-assembly of anisotropic nanoparticles.

Liquid-liquid equilibrium in the- n-heptane- n-perfluorohexane system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khairulin, R. A.; Stankus, S. V.; Gruzdev, V. A.; Bityutskii, V. A.

2009-01-01

The shape of the liquid-liquid coexistence curve in the C7H16-C6F14 system in the molar concentration-temperature coordinates close to the critical solution point was studied by narrow-beam gamma-raying of two-phase samples. The molar volumes of the coexisting liquid phases and critical point coordinates (critical temperature T c = 316.266 ± 0.03 K and critical concentration x c = 39.0 ± 0.4 mol % C6F14) were determined. The critical index β of the coexistence curve was found to be 0.322 ± 0.005. The diameter of the coexistence curve did not obey the classic “rectilinear diameter rule.”

Thermodynamics of a pure substance at the triple point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velasco, S.; Fernández-Pineda, C.

2007-12-01

A thermodynamic study of a pure substance at the triple point is presented. In particular, we show that the mass fractions of the phases coexisting at the triple point obey lever rules in the specific entropy-specific volume diagram, and the relative changes in the mass fractions present in each phase along reversible isochoric and adiabatic processes of a pure substance at the triple point are governed by the relative sizes of the segments of the triple-point line in the pressure-specific volume diagram and in the temperature-specific entropy diagram. Applications to the ordinary triple point of water and to the triple point of Al2SiO5 polymorphs are presented.

A dynamical mean-field study of orbital-selective Mott phase enhanced by next-nearest neighbor hopping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Yuekun; Sun, Jian; Ni, Yu; Song, Yun

2018-06-01

The dynamical mean-field theory is employed to study the orbital-selective Mott transition (OSMT) of the two-orbital Hubbard model with nearest neighbor hopping and next-nearest neighbor (NNN) hopping. The NNN hopping breaks the particle-hole symmetry at half filling and gives rise to an asymmetric density of states (DOS). Our calculations show that the broken symmetry of DOS benefits the OSMT, where the region of the orbital-selective Mott phase significantly extends with the increasing NNN hopping integral. We also find that Hund's rule coupling promotes OSMT by blocking the orbital fluctuations, but the influence of NNN hopping is more remarkable.

Modeling spatially localized photonic nanojets from phase diffraction gratings

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

Geints, Yu. E., E-mail: ygeints@iao.ru; Tomsk State University, 36, Lenina Avenue, Tomsk 634050; Zemlyanov, A. A.

2016-04-21

We investigated numerically the specific spatially localized intense optical structure, a photonic nanojet (PNJ), formed in the near-field scattering of optical radiation at phase diffraction gratings. The finite-difference time-domain technique was employed to study the PNJ key parameters (length, width, focal distance, and intensity) produced by diffraction gratings with the saw-tooth, rectangle, and hemispheric line profiles. Our analysis showed that each type of diffraction gratings produces a photonic jet with unique characteristics. Based on the numerical calculations, we demonstrate that the PNJ could be manipulated in a wide range through the variation of period, duty cycle, and shape of diffractionmore » grating rulings.« less

Automating Rule Strengths in Expert Systems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-01

systems were designed in an incremental, iterative way. One of the most easily identifiable phases in this process, sometimes called tuning, consists...attenuators. The designer of the knowledge-based system must determine (synthesize) or adjust (xfine, if estimates of the values are given) these...values. We consider two ways in which the designer can learn the values. We call the first model of learning the complete case and the second model the

Airspace Analysis for Phase II of the Regional Airport Plan Update Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-03-01

Base; and Hamilton, Sonoma County , and Napa County Airports) is comparable in terms of airspace capacity. Note that if the aircraft redistributed to the...Oakland ARTCC (Oakland Center) Napa County Airport Sonoma County Airport (at Santa Rosa) Stockton Approach Control Livermore Municipal Airport... Sonoma County Airport The ATC Tower located at these airports exercises control of aircraft within the Airport Traffic Areas. Rules of aircraft

Motion Control and Coupled Oscillators

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

eciency considerations have also been of interest (see [7] for related discussion). Apparently, c.f. Figure 2, the paramecium gets around in a uid...the paramecium , in other contexts of animal movement, dynamic in uences play an important part (e.g. in walking, trotting and galloping gaits of...precisely 2 Figure 2. Paramecium this mechanism, variously associated with geometric phases, area rules, and Lie bracket generation that has had a crucial

Proposed Test of Relative Phase as Hidden Variable in Quantum Mechanics

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

implicitly due to its ubiquity in quantum theory , but searches for dependence of measurement outcome on other parameters have been lacking. For a two -state...implemen- tation for the specific case of an atomic two -state system with laser-induced fluores- cence for measurement. Keywords Quantum measurement...Measurement postulate · Born rule 1 Introduction 1.1 Problems with Quantum Measurement Quantum theory prescribes probabilities for outcomes of measurements

UAS Cross Platform JTA

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-18

1.16 Verify system align and degradations to determine impact to mission. 17 1.17 Ensure clearance of line personnel, ground equipment, and other...as needed during phases of flight. 99 7.12 Manage data security and data links during communications. 100 7.13 Obtain IFR clearance over radio...example, heading or airspeed) to return aircraft to intended course. 116 8.10 Perform navigation under instrument flight rules ( IFR ). 117 8.11

A rule-based phase control methodology for a slider-crank wave energy converter power take-off system

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

Sang, Yuanrui; Karayaka, H. Bora; Yan, Yanjun

The slider crank is a proven mechanical linkage system with a long history of successful applications, and the slider-crank ocean wave energy converter (WEC) is a type of WEC that converts linear motion into rotation. This paper presents a control algorithm for a slider-crank WEC. In this study, a time-domain hydrodynamic analysis is adopted, and an AC synchronous machine is used in the power take-off system to achieve relatively high system performance. Also, a rule-based phase control strategy is applied to maximize energy extraction, making the system suitable for not only regular sinusoidal waves but also irregular waves. Simulations aremore » carried out under regular sinusoidal wave and synthetically produced irregular wave conditions; performance validations are also presented with high-precision, real ocean wave surface elevation data. The influences of significant wave height, and peak period upon energy extraction of the system are studied. Energy extraction results using the proposed method are compared to those of the passive loading and complex conjugate control strategies; results show that the level of energy extraction is between those of the passive loading and complex conjugate control strategies, and the suboptimal nature of this control strategy is verified.« less

Evidence for Reflected Light from the Most Eccentric Exoplanet Known

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, Stephen R.; Wittenmyer, Robert A.; Hinkel, Natalie R.; Roy, Arpita; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Dragomir, Diana; Matthews, Jaymie M.; Henry, Gregory W.; Chakraborty, Abhijit; Boyajian, Tabetha S.; Wright, Jason T.; Ciardi, David R.; Fischer, Debra A.; Butler, R. Paul; Tinney, C. G.; Carter, Brad D.; Jones, Hugh R. A.; Bailey, Jeremy; O'Toole, Simon J.

2016-04-01

Planets in highly eccentric orbits form a class of objects not seen within our solar system. The most extreme case known among these objects is the planet orbiting HD 20782, with an orbital period of 597 days and an eccentricity of 0.96. Here we present new data and analysis for this system as part of the Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey. We obtained CHIRON spectra to perform an independent estimation of the fundamental stellar parameters. New radial velocities from Anglo-Australian Telescope and PARAS observations during periastron passage greatly improve our knowledge of the eccentric nature of the orbit. The combined analysis of our Keplerian orbital and Hipparcos astrometry show that the inclination of the planetary orbit is \\gt 1\\_\\_AMP\\_\\_fdg;22, ruling out stellar masses for the companion. Our long-term robotic photometry show that the star is extremely stable over long timescales. Photometric monitoring of the star during predicted transit and periastron times using Microvariability and Oscillations of STars rule out a transit of the planet and reveal evidence of phase variations during periastron. These possible photometric phase variations may be caused by reflected light from the planet’s atmosphere and the dramatic change in star-planet separation surrounding the periastron passage.

Emergent geometric frustration of artificial magnetic skyrmion crystals

DOE PAGES

Ma, Fusheng; Reichhardt, Charles; Gan, Weiliang; ...

2016-10-05

Magnetic skyrmions have been receiving growing attention as potential information storage and magnetic logic devices since an increasing number of materials have been identified that support skyrmion phases. Explorations of artificial frustrated systems have led to new insights into controlling and engineering new emergent frustration phenomena in frustrated and disordered systems. Here, we propose a skyrmion spin ice, giving a unifying framework for the study of geometric frustration of skyrmion crystals (SCs) in a nonfrustrated artificial geometrical lattice as a consequence of the structural confinement of skyrmions in magnetic potential wells. The emergent ice rules from the geometrically frustrated SCsmore » highlight a novel phenomenon in this skyrmion system: emergent geometrical frustration. We demonstrate how SC topology transitions between a nonfrustrated periodic configuration and a frustrated icelike ordering can also be realized reversibly. The proposed artificial frustrated skyrmion systems can be annealed into different ice phases with an applied current-induced spin-transfer torque, including a long-range ordered ice rule obeying ground state, as-relaxed random state, biased state, and monopole state. In conclusion, the spin-torque reconfigurability of the artificial skyrmion ice states, difficult to achieve in other artificial spin ice systems, is compatible with standard spintronic device fabrication technology, which makes the semiconductor industrial integration straightforward.« less

Comparison of in-situ Electric Field and Radar Derived Parameters for Stratiform Clouds in Central Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bateman, M.; Mach, D.; Lewis, S.; Dye, J.; Defer, E.; Grainger, C.; Willis, P.; Christian, H.; Merceret, F.

2003-12-01

Airborne measurements of electric fields and particle microphysics were made during a field program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The aircraft, a Cessna Citation II jet operated by the University of North Dakota, carried six rotating-vane style electric field mills, several microphysics instruments, and thermodynamic instruments. In addition to the aircraft measurements, we also have data from both the Eastern Test Range WSR-74C (Patrick AFB) and the U.S. National Weather Service WSR-88D radars (primarily Melbourne, FL). One specific goal of this program was to try to develop a radar-based rule for estimating the hazard that an in-cloud electric field would present to a vehicle launched into the cloud. Based on past experience, and our desire to quantify the mixed-phase region of the cloud in question, we have assessed several algorithms for integrating radar reflectivity data in and above the mixed-phase region as a proxy for electric field. A successful radar proxy is one that can accurately predict the presence or absence of significant electric fields. We have compared various proxies with the measured in-cloud electric field strength in an attempt to develop a radar rule for assessing launch hazard. Assessment of the best proxy is presented.

State relations for a two-phase mixture of reacting explosives and applications

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

Kubota, Shiro; Saburi, Tei; Ogata, Yuji

2007-10-15

To assess the assumptions behind the two phase mixture rule for reacting explosives, the shock-to-detonation transition process was calculated for high explosives using a finite difference method. An ignition and growth model and the Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL) equations of state were employed. The simple mixture rule assumes that the reacting explosive is a simple mixture of the reactant and product components. Four different assumptions, such as that of thermal equilibrium and isotropy, were adopted to calculate the pressure. The main purpose of this paper is to present the answer to the question of why the numerical results of shock-initiation are insensitivemore » to the assumptions adopted. The equations of state for reactants and products were assessed by considering plots of the specific internal energy E and specific volume V. If the slopes of the constant-pressure lines for both components in the E-V plane are almost the same, it is demonstrated that the numerical results are insensitive to the assumptions adopted. We have found that the relation for the specific volumes of the two components can be approximately expressed by a single curve of the specific volume of the reactant vs that of the products. We discuss this relationship in terms of the results of the numerical simulation. (author)« less

Order Batching in Warehouses by Minimizing Total Tardiness: A Hybrid Approach of Weighted Association Rule Mining and Genetic Algorithms

PubMed Central

Taheri, Shahrooz; Mat Saman, Muhamad Zameri; Wong, Kuan Yew

2013-01-01

One of the cost-intensive issues in managing warehouses is the order picking problem which deals with the retrieval of items from their storage locations in order to meet customer requests. Many solution approaches have been proposed in order to minimize traveling distance in the process of order picking. However, in practice, customer orders have to be completed by certain due dates in order to avoid tardiness which is neglected in most of the related scientific papers. Consequently, we proposed a novel solution approach in order to minimize tardiness which consists of four phases. First of all, weighted association rule mining has been used to calculate associations between orders with respect to their due date. Next, a batching model based on binary integer programming has been formulated to maximize the associations between orders within each batch. Subsequently, the order picking phase will come up which used a Genetic Algorithm integrated with the Traveling Salesman Problem in order to identify the most suitable travel path. Finally, the Genetic Algorithm has been applied for sequencing the constructed batches in order to minimize tardiness. Illustrative examples and comparisons are presented to demonstrate the proficiency and solution quality of the proposed approach. PMID:23864823

Order batching in warehouses by minimizing total tardiness: a hybrid approach of weighted association rule mining and genetic algorithms.

PubMed

Azadnia, Amir Hossein; Taheri, Shahrooz; Ghadimi, Pezhman; Saman, Muhamad Zameri Mat; Wong, Kuan Yew

2013-01-01

One of the cost-intensive issues in managing warehouses is the order picking problem which deals with the retrieval of items from their storage locations in order to meet customer requests. Many solution approaches have been proposed in order to minimize traveling distance in the process of order picking. However, in practice, customer orders have to be completed by certain due dates in order to avoid tardiness which is neglected in most of the related scientific papers. Consequently, we proposed a novel solution approach in order to minimize tardiness which consists of four phases. First of all, weighted association rule mining has been used to calculate associations between orders with respect to their due date. Next, a batching model based on binary integer programming has been formulated to maximize the associations between orders within each batch. Subsequently, the order picking phase will come up which used a Genetic Algorithm integrated with the Traveling Salesman Problem in order to identify the most suitable travel path. Finally, the Genetic Algorithm has been applied for sequencing the constructed batches in order to minimize tardiness. Illustrative examples and comparisons are presented to demonstrate the proficiency and solution quality of the proposed approach.

Emergent geometric frustration of artificial magnetic skyrmion crystals

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

Ma, Fusheng; Reichhardt, Charles; Gan, Weiliang

Magnetic skyrmions have been receiving growing attention as potential information storage and magnetic logic devices since an increasing number of materials have been identified that support skyrmion phases. Explorations of artificial frustrated systems have led to new insights into controlling and engineering new emergent frustration phenomena in frustrated and disordered systems. Here, we propose a skyrmion spin ice, giving a unifying framework for the study of geometric frustration of skyrmion crystals (SCs) in a nonfrustrated artificial geometrical lattice as a consequence of the structural confinement of skyrmions in magnetic potential wells. The emergent ice rules from the geometrically frustrated SCsmore » highlight a novel phenomenon in this skyrmion system: emergent geometrical frustration. We demonstrate how SC topology transitions between a nonfrustrated periodic configuration and a frustrated icelike ordering can also be realized reversibly. The proposed artificial frustrated skyrmion systems can be annealed into different ice phases with an applied current-induced spin-transfer torque, including a long-range ordered ice rule obeying ground state, as-relaxed random state, biased state, and monopole state. In conclusion, the spin-torque reconfigurability of the artificial skyrmion ice states, difficult to achieve in other artificial spin ice systems, is compatible with standard spintronic device fabrication technology, which makes the semiconductor industrial integration straightforward.« less

Optical tuning of electronic valleys (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sie, Edbert J.; Gedik, Nuh

2017-02-01

Monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides such as MoS2 and WS2 are prime examples of atomically thin semiconducting crystals that exhibit remarkable electronic and optical properties. They have a pair of valleys that can serve as a new electronic degree of freedom, and these valleys obey optical selection rules with circularly polarized light. Here, we discuss how ultrafast laser pulses can be used to tune their energy levels in a controllable valley-selective manner. The energy tunability is extremely large, comparable to what would be obtained using a hundred Tesla of magnetic field. We will also show that such valley tunability can be performed while we effectively manipulate the valley selection rules. Finally, we will explore the prospect of using this technique through photoemission spectroscopy to create a new phase of matter called a valley Floquet topological insulator.

Obtaining tight bounds on higher-order interferences with a 5-path interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauten, Thomas; Keil, Robert; Kaufmann, Thomas; Pressl, Benedikt; Brukner, Časlav; Weihs, Gregor

2017-03-01

Within the established theoretical framework of quantum mechanics, interference always occurs between pairs of paths through an interferometer. Higher order interferences with multiple constituents are excluded by Born’s rule and can only exist in generalized probabilistic theories. Thus, high-precision experiments searching for such higher order interferences are a powerful method to distinguish between quantum mechanics and more general theories. Here, we perform such a test in an optical multi-path interferometer, which avoids crucial systematic errors, has access to the entire phase space and is more stable than previous experiments. Our results are in accordance with quantum mechanics and rule out the existence of higher order interference terms in optical interferometry to an extent that is more than four orders of magnitude smaller than the expected pairwise interference, refining previous bounds by two orders of magnitude.

A films based approach to intensity imbalance correction for 65nm node c:PSM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottle, Rand; Sixt, Pierre; Lassiter, Matt; Cangemi, Marc; Martin, Patrick; Progler, Chris

2005-11-01

Intensity imbalance between the 0 and π phase features of c:PSM cause gate CD control and edge placement problems. Strategies such as undercut, selective biasing, and combinations of undercut and bias are currently used in production to mitigate these problems. However, there are drawbacks to these strategies such as space CD delta through pitch, gate CD control through defocus, design rule restrictions, and reticle manufacturability. This paper investigates the application of an innovative films-based approach to intensity balancing known as the Transparent Etch Stop Layer (TESL). TESL, in addition to providing a host of reticle quality and manufacturability benefits, also can be tuned to significantly reduce imbalance. Rigorous 3D vector simulations and experimental data compare through pitch and defocus performance of TESL and conventional c:PSM for 65nm design rules.

Development of Real Time Implementation of 5/5 Rule based Fuzzy Logic Controller Shunt Active Power Filter for Power Quality Improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puhan, Pratap Sekhar; Ray, Pravat Kumar; Panda, Gayadhar

2016-12-01

This paper presents the effectiveness of 5/5 Fuzzy rule implementation in Fuzzy Logic Controller conjunction with indirect control technique to enhance the power quality in single phase system, An indirect current controller in conjunction with Fuzzy Logic Controller is applied to the proposed shunt active power filter to estimate the peak reference current and capacitor voltage. Current Controller based pulse width modulation (CCPWM) is used to generate the switching signals of voltage source inverter. Various simulation results are presented to verify the good behaviour of the Shunt active Power Filter (SAPF) with proposed two levels Hysteresis Current Controller (HCC). For verification of Shunt Active Power Filter in real time, the proposed control algorithm has been implemented in laboratory developed setup in dSPACE platform.

Color identification and fuzzy reasoning based monitoring and controlling of fermentation process of branched chain amino acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Lei; Wang, Yizhong; Xu, Qingyang; Huang, Huafang; Zhang, Rui; Chen, Ning

2009-11-01

The main production method of branched chain amino acid (BCAA) is microbial fermentation. In this paper, to monitor and to control the fermentation process of BCAA, especially its logarithmic phase, parameters such as the color of fermentation broth, culture temperature, pH, revolution, dissolved oxygen, airflow rate, pressure, optical density, and residual glucose, are measured and/or controlled and/or adjusted. The color of fermentation broth is measured using the HIS color model and a BP neural network. The network's input is the histograms of hue H and saturation S, and output is the color description. Fermentation process parameters are adjusted using fuzzy reasoning, which is performed by inference rules. According to the practical situation of BCAA fermentation process, all parameters are divided into four grades, and different fuzzy rules are established.

Survey of minor-to-moderate magnetic storm effects on ionosphere: American sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buresova, Dalia; Lastovicka, Jan; Chum, Jaroslav; Pezzopane, Michael; Staciarini Batista, Inez; Gularte, Erika; Novotna, Dagmar

2014-05-01

The paper is focused on ionospheric reaction to occasional minor-to-moderate magnetic storms above selected ionospheric stations located across the Northern and Southern America. Most of the storms analysed occurred under extremely low solar activity conditions of 2007-2009. We analysed variability of the F2 layer critical frequency foF2 and the F2 layer peak height hmF2 obtained for different latitudinal and longitudinal sectors of both hemispheres for the entire period of selected magnetic storms. Observations were compared with the effects of strong magnetic storms and with the IRI2000 outputs when STORM model option is activated. We analysed ionospheric reaction during each storm phase with main emphasis paid on the recovery phase. In general, storm recovery phase is characterized by an abatement of perturbations and a gradual return to the "ground state" of ionosphere. Magnetospheric substorms, typical for the main phase, as a rule cease during the storm recovery phase. However, observations of stormy ionosphere show significant departures from the climatology also within this phase, which are comparable with those usually observed during the storm main phase. Both positive and negative deviations of foF2 and hmF2 have been observed independent on season and location.

The nucleation rate surfaces design over diagram of phase equilibria and their applications for computational chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anisimov, M. P.

2016-12-01

One can find in scientific literature a pretty fresh idea of the nucleation rate surfaces design over the diagrams of phase equilibria. That idea looks like profitable for the nucleation theory development and for various practical applications where predictions of theory have no high enough accuracy for today. The common thermodynamics has no real ability to predict parameters of the first order phase transition. Nucleation experiment can be provided in very local nucleation conditions even the nucleation takes place from the critical line (in two-component case) down to the absolute zero temperature limit and from zero nucleation rates at phase equilibria up to the spinodal conditions. Theory predictions have low reliability as a rule. The computational chemistry has chance to make solution of that problem easier when a set of the used axiomatic statements will adapt enough progressive assumptions [1]. Semiempirical design of the nucleation rate surfaces over diagrams of phase equilibria have a potential ability to provide a reasonable quality information on nucleation rate for each channel of nucleation. Consideration and using of the nucleation rate surface topologies to optimize synthesis of a given phase of the target material can be available when data base on nucleation rates over diagrams of phase equilibria will be created.

Multicaloric effect in bi-layer multiferroic composites

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

Vopson, M. M., E-mail: melvin.vopson@port.ac.uk; Zhou, D.; Caruntu, G.

2015-11-02

The multicaloric effect was theoretically proposed in 2012 and, despite numerous follow up studies, the effect still awaits experimental confirmation. The main limitation is the fact that the multicaloric effect is only observed at a temperature equal to the transition temperature of the magnetic and electric phases coexisting within a multiferroic (MF) (i.e., T ≈ T{sub c}{sup m} ≈ T{sub c}{sup e}). Such condition is hard to fulfill in single phase MFs and a solution is to develop suitable composite MF materials. Here, we examine the multicaloric effect in a bi-layer laminated composite MF in order to determine the optimal design parameters for bestmore » caloric response. We show that magnetically induced multicaloric effect requires magnetic component of heat capacity smaller than that of the electric phase, while the layer thickness of the magnetic phase must be at least 5 times the thickness of the electric phase. The electrically induced multicaloric effect requires the magnetic layer to be 10% of the electric phase thickness, while its heat capacity must be larger than that of the electric phase. These selection rules are generally applicable to bulk as well as thin film MF composites for optimal multicaloric effect.« less

A unified classification of stationary phases for packed column supercritical fluid chromatography.

PubMed

West, C; Lesellier, E

2008-05-16

The use of supercritical fluids as chromatographic mobile phases allows to obtain rapid separations with high efficiency on packed columns, which could favour the replacement of numerous HPLC methods by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) ones. Moreover, despite some unexpected chromatographic behaviours, general retention rules are now well understood, and mainly depend on the nature of the stationary phase. The use of polar stationary phases improves the retention of polar compounds, when C18-bonded silica favours the retention of hydrocarbonaceous compounds. In this sense, reversed-phase and normal-phase chromatography can be achieved in SFC, as in HPLC. However, these two domains are clearly separated in HPLC due to the opposite polarity of the mobile phases used for each method. In SFC, the same mobile phase can be used with both polar and non-polar stationary phases. Consequently, the need for a novel classification of stationary phases in SFC appears, allowing a unification of the classical reversed- and normal-phase domains. In this objective, the paper presents the development of a five-dimensional classification based on retention data for 94-111 solutes, using 28 commercially available columns representative of three major types of stationary phases. This classification diagram is based on a linear solvation energy relationship, on the use of solvation vectors and the calculation of similarity factors between the different chromatographic systems. This classification will be of great help in the choice of the well-suited stationary phase, either in regards of a particular separation or to improve the coupling of columns with complementary properties.

Crystal nucleation and metastable bcc phase in charged colloids: A molecular dynamics study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Xinqiang; Sun, Zhiwei; Ouyang, Wenze; Xu, Shenghua

2018-05-01

The dynamic process of homogenous nucleation in charged colloids is investigated by brute-force molecular dynamics simulation. To check if the liquid-solid transition will pass through metastable bcc, simulations are performed at the state points that definitely lie in the phase region of thermodynamically stable fcc. The simulation results confirm that, in all of these cases, the preordered precursors, acting as the seeds of nucleation, always have predominant bcc symmetry consistent with Ostwald's step rule and the Alexander-McTague mechanism. However, the polymorph selection is not straightforward because the crystal structures formed are not often determined by the symmetry of intermediate precursors but have different characters under different state points. The region of the state point where bcc crystal structures of large enough size are formed during crystallization is narrow, which gives a reasonable explanation as to why the metastable bcc phase in charged colloidal suspensions is rarely detected in macroscopic experiments.

Automatic alternative phase-shift mask CAD layout tool for gate shrinkage of embedded DRAM in logic below 0.18 μm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohnuma, Hidetoshi; Kawahira, Hiroichi

1998-09-01

An automatic alternative phase shift mask (PSM) pattern layout tool has been newly developed. This tool is dedicated for embedded DRAM in logic device to shrink gate line width with improving line width controllability in lithography process with a design rule below 0.18 micrometers by the KrF excimer laser exposure. The tool can crete Levenson type PSM used being coupled with a binary mask adopting a double exposure method for positive photo resist. By using graphs, this tool automatically creates alternative PSM patterns. Moreover, it does not give any phase conflicts. By adopting it to actual embedded DRAM in logic cells, we have provided 0.16 micrometers gate resist patterns at both random logic and DRAM areas. The patterns were fabricated using two masks with the double exposure method. Gate line width has been well controlled under a practical exposure-focus window.

Aggregation and folding phase transitions of RNA molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bundschuh, Ralf

2007-03-01

RNA is a biomolecule that is involved in nearly all aspects of cellular functions. In order to perform many of these functions, RNA molecules have to fold into specific secondary structures. This folding is driven by the tendency of the bases to form Watson-Crick base pairs. Beyond the biological importance of RNA, the relatively simple rules for structure formation of RNA make it a very interesting system from the statistical physics point of view. We will present examples of phase transitions in RNA secondary structure formation that are amenable to analytical descriptions. A special focus will be on aggregation between several RNA molecules which is important for some regulatory circuits based on RNA structure, triplet repeat diseases like Huntington's, and as a model for prion diseases. We show that depending on the relative strength of the intramolecular and the intermolecular base pairing, RNA molecules undergo a transition into an aggregated phase and quantitatively characterize this transition.

An Ambulatory System for Gait Monitoring Based on Wireless Sensorized Insoles

PubMed Central

González, Iván; Fontecha, Jesús; Hervás, Ramón; Bravo, José

2015-01-01

A new gait phase detection system for continuous monitoring based on wireless sensorized insoles is presented. The system can be used in gait analysis mobile applications, and it is designed for real-time demarcation of gait phases. The system employs pressure sensors to assess the force exerted by each foot during walking. A fuzzy rule-based inference algorithm is implemented on a smartphone and used to detect each of the gait phases based on the sensor signals. Additionally, to provide a solution that is insensitive to perturbations caused by non-walking activities, a probabilistic classifier is employed to discriminate walking forward from other low-level activities, such as turning, walking backwards, lateral walking, etc. The combination of these two algorithms constitutes the first approach towards a continuous gait assessment system, by means of the avoidance of non-walking influences. PMID:26184199

Entropic determination of the phase transition in a coevolving opinion-formation model.

PubMed

Burgos, E; Hernández, Laura; Ceva, H; Perazzo, R P J

2015-03-01

We study an opinion formation model by the means of a coevolving complex network where the vertices represent the individuals, characterized by their evolving opinions, and the edges represent the interactions among them. The network adapts to the spreading of opinions in two ways: not only connected agents interact and eventually change their thinking but an agent may also rewire one of its links to a neighborhood holding the same opinion as his. The dynamics, based on a global majority rule, depends on an external parameter that controls the plasticity of the network. We show how the information entropy associated to the distribution of group sizes allows us to locate the phase transition between a phase of full consensus and another, where different opinions coexist. We also determine the minimum size of the most informative sampling. At the transition the distribution of the sizes of groups holding the same opinion is scale free.

Hopf bifurcation and chaos in a third-order phase-locked loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piqueira, José Roberto C.

2017-01-01

Phase-locked loops (PLLs) are devices able to recover time signals in several engineering applications. The literature regarding their dynamical behavior is vast, specifically considering that the process of synchronization between the input signal, coming from a remote source, and the PLL local oscillation is robust. For high-frequency applications it is usual to increase the PLL order by increasing the order of the internal filter, for guarantying good transient responses; however local parameter variations imply structural instability, thus provoking a Hopf bifurcation and a route to chaos for the phase error. Here, one usual architecture for a third-order PLL is studied and a range of permitted parameters is derived, providing a rule of thumb for designers. Out of this range, a Hopf bifurcation appears and, by increasing parameters, the periodic solution originated by the Hopf bifurcation degenerates into a chaotic attractor, therefore, preventing synchronization.

Synchronization and spatiotemporal patterns in coupled phase oscillators on a weighted planar network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kagawa, Yuki; Takamatsu, Atsuko

2009-04-01

To reveal the relation between network structures found in two-dimensional biological systems, such as protoplasmic tube networks in the plasmodium of true slime mold, and spatiotemporal oscillation patterns emerged on the networks, we constructed coupled phase oscillators on weighted planar networks and investigated their dynamics. Results showed that the distribution of edge weights in the networks strongly affects (i) the propensity for global synchronization and (ii) emerging ratios of oscillation patterns, such as traveling and concentric waves, even if the total weight is fixed. In-phase locking, traveling wave, and concentric wave patterns were, respectively, observed most frequently in uniformly weighted, center weighted treelike, and periphery weighted ring-shaped networks. Controlling the global spatiotemporal patterns with the weight distribution given by the local weighting (coupling) rules might be useful in biological network systems including the plasmodial networks and neural networks in the brain.

A circadian rhythm in optic nerve impulses from an isolated eye in darkness.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacklet, J. W.

1971-01-01

Study of the circadian rhythm of optic nerve potentials recorded from the isolated eye of the sea hare Aplysia. The optic nerve activity in constant conditions is found to be clearly circadian and to obey the circadian rule for diurnal animals. In addition, the period length depends on the in vitro culturing solution. In seawater it is about 22 hr, but in culture medium it is 27 hr. The rhythm can be completely phase-shifted in one trial if the phase of the LD 12:12 Zeitgeber is advanced or delayed 4 hr. The rhythm in one eye can be phase-shifted in vivo independently of the other eye and in vitro independently of the rest of the animal. Thus, in the animal, the eye oscillators are, at most, only slightly influenced by each other or by other oscillators in the animal.

Electroweak baryogenesis and standard model [ital CP] violation

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

Huet, P.; Sather, E.

1995-01-15

We analyze the mechanism of electroweak baryogenesis proposed by Farrar and Shaposhnikov in which the phase of the CKM mixing matrix is the only source of [ital CP] violation. This mechanism is based on a phase separation of baryons via the scattering of quasiparticles by the wall of an expanding bubble produced at the electroweak phase transition. In agreement with the recent work of Gavela, Hernandez, Orloff, and Pene, we conclude the QCD damping effects reduce the asymmetry produced to a negligible amount. We interpret the damping as quantum decoherence. We compute the asymmetry analytically. Our analysis reflects the observationmore » that only a thin, outer layer of the bubble contributes to the coherent scattering of the quasiparticles. The generality of our arguments rules out any mechanism of electroweak baryogenesis that does not make use of a new source of [ital CP] violation.« less

Low-energy Lunar Trajectories with Lunar Flybys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, B. W.; Li, Y. S.

2017-09-01

The low-energy lunar trajectories with lunar flybys are investigated in the Sun-Earth-Moon bicircular problem (BCP). Accordingly, the characteristics of the distribution of trajectories in the phase space are summarized. To begin with, by using invariant manifolds of the BCP system, the low-energy lunar trajectories with lunar flybys are sought based on the BCP model. Secondly, through the treating time as an augmented dimension in the phase space of nonautonomous system, the state space map that reveals the distribution of these lunar trajectories in the phase space is given. As a result, it is become clear that low-energy lunar trajectories exist in families, and every moment of a Sun-Earth-Moon synodic period can be the departure date. Finally, the changing rule of departure impulse, midcourse impulse at Poincaré section, transfer duration, and system energy of different families are analyzed. Consequently, the impulse optimal family and transfer duration optimal family are obtained respectively.

Kinetic field theory: exact free evolution of Gaussian phase-space correlations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabis, Felix; Kozlikin, Elena; Lilow, Robert; Bartelmann, Matthias

2018-04-01

In recent work we developed a description of cosmic large-scale structure formation in terms of non-equilibrium ensembles of classical particles, with time evolution obtained in the framework of a statistical field theory. In these works, the initial correlations between particles sampled from random Gaussian density and velocity fields have so far been treated perturbatively or restricted to pure momentum correlations. Here we treat the correlations between all phase-space coordinates exactly by adopting a diagrammatic language for the different forms of correlations, directly inspired by the Mayer cluster expansion. We will demonstrate that explicit expressions for phase-space density cumulants of arbitrary n-point order, which fully capture the non-linear coupling of free streaming kinematics due to initial correlations, can be obtained from a simple set of Feynman rules. These cumulants will be the foundation for future investigations of perturbation theory in particle interactions.

Eigenstate Phase Transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Bo

Phase transitions are one of the most exciting physical phenomena ever discovered. The understanding of phase transitions has long been of interest. Recently eigenstate phase transitions have been discovered and studied; they are drastically different from traditional thermal phase transitions. In eigenstate phase transitions, a sharp change is exhibited in properties of the many-body eigenstates of the Hamiltonian of a quantum system, but not the thermal equilibrium properties of the same system. In this thesis, we study two different types of eigenstate phase transitions. The first is the eigenstate phase transition within the ferromagnetic phase of an infinite-range spin model. By studying the interplay of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis and Ising symmetry breaking, we find two eigenstate phase transitions within the ferromagnetic phase: In the lowest-temperature phase the magnetization can macroscopically oscillate by quantum tunneling between up and down. The relaxation of the magnetization is always overdamped in the remainder of the ferromagnetic phase, which is further divided into phases where the system thermally activates itself over the barrier between the up and down states, and where it quantum tunnels. The second is the many-body localization phase transition. The eigenstates on one side of the transition obey the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis; the eigenstates on the other side are many-body localized, and thus thermal equilibrium need not be achieved for an initial state even after evolving for an arbitrary long time. We study this many-body localization phase transition in the strong disorder renormalization group framework. After setting up a set of coarse-graining rules for a general one dimensional chain, we get a simple "toy model'' and obtain an almost purely analytical solution to the infinite-randomness critical fixed point renormalization group equation. We also get an estimate of the correlation length critical exponent nu ≈ 2.5.

Formation mechanism of superconducting phase and its three-dimensional architecture in pseudo-single-crystal K xFe 2-ySe 2

DOE PAGES

Liu, Yong; Xing, Qingfeng; Straszheim, Warren E.; ...

2016-02-11

Here, we report how the superconducting phase forms in pseudo-single-crystal K xFe 2-ySe 2. In situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation reveals that, as an order-disorder transition occurs, on cooling, most of the high-temperature iron-vacancy-disordered phase gradually changes into the iron-vacancy-ordered phase whereas a small quantity of the high-temperature phase retains its structure and aggregates to the stripes with more iron concentration but less potassium concentration compared to the iron-vacancy-ordered phase. The stripes that are generally recognized as the superconducting phase are actually formed as a remnant of the high-temperature phase with a compositional change after an “imperfect” order-disorder transition.more » It should be emphasized that the phase separation in pseudo-single-crystal K xFe 2-ySe 2 is caused by the iron-vacancy order-disorder transition. The shrinkage of the high-temperature phase and the expansion of the newly created iron-vacancy-ordered phase during the phase separation rule out the mechanism of spinodal decomposition proposed in an early report [Wang et al, Phys. Rev. B 91, 064513 (2015)]. Since the formation of the superconducting phase relies on the occurrence of the iron-vacancy order-disorder transition, it is impossible to synthesize a pure superconducting phase by a conventional solid state reaction or melt growth. By focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy, we further demonstrate that the superconducting phase forms a contiguous three-dimensional architecture composed of parallelepipeds that have a coherent orientation relationship with the iron-vacancy-ordered phase.« less

Self-assembly of Archimedean tilings with enthalpically and entropically patchy polygons.

PubMed

Millan, Jaime A; Ortiz, Daniel; van Anders, Greg; Glotzer, Sharon C

2014-03-25

Considerable progress in the synthesis of anisotropic patchy nanoplates (nanoplatelets) promises a rich variety of highly ordered two-dimensional superlattices. Recent experiments of superlattices assembled from nanoplates confirm the accessibility of exotic phases and motivate the need for a better understanding of the underlying self-assembly mechanisms. Here, we present experimentally accessible, rational design rules for the self-assembly of the Archimedean tilings from polygonal nanoplates. The Archimedean tilings represent a model set of target patterns that (i) contain both simple and complex patterns, (ii) are comprised of simple regular shapes, and (iii) contain patterns with potentially interesting materials properties. Via Monte Carlo simulations, we propose a set of design rules with general applicability to one- and two-component systems of polygons. These design rules, specified by increasing levels of patchiness, correspond to a reduced set of anisotropy dimensions for robust self-assembly of the Archimedean tilings. We show for which tilings entropic patches alone are sufficient for assembly and when short-range enthalpic interactions are required. For the latter, we show how patchy these interactions should be for optimal yield. This study provides a minimal set of guidelines for the design of anisostropic patchy particles that can self-assemble all 11 Archimedean tilings.

Computer-Aided Breast Cancer Diagnosis with Optimal Feature Sets: Reduction Rules and Optimization Techniques.

PubMed

Mathieson, Luke; Mendes, Alexandre; Marsden, John; Pond, Jeffrey; Moscato, Pablo

2017-01-01

This chapter introduces a new method for knowledge extraction from databases for the purpose of finding a discriminative set of features that is also a robust set for within-class classification. Our method is generic and we introduce it here in the field of breast cancer diagnosis from digital mammography data. The mathematical formalism is based on a generalization of the k-Feature Set problem called (α, β)-k-Feature Set problem, introduced by Cotta and Moscato (J Comput Syst Sci 67(4):686-690, 2003). This method proceeds in two steps: first, an optimal (α, β)-k-feature set of minimum cardinality is identified and then, a set of classification rules using these features is obtained. We obtain the (α, β)-k-feature set in two phases; first a series of extremely powerful reduction techniques, which do not lose the optimal solution, are employed; and second, a metaheuristic search to identify the remaining features to be considered or disregarded. Two algorithms were tested with a public domain digital mammography dataset composed of 71 malignant and 75 benign cases. Based on the results provided by the algorithms, we obtain classification rules that employ only a subset of these features.

Nonadiabatic Dynamics May Be Probed through Electronic Coherence in Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Bennett, Kochise; Kowalewski, Markus; Mukamel, Shaul

2016-02-09

We present a hierarchy of Fermi golden rules (FGRs) that incorporate strongly coupled electronic/nuclear dynamics in time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) signals at different levels of theory. Expansion in the joint electronic and nuclear eigenbasis yields the numerically most challenging exact FGR (eFGR). The quasistatic Fermi Golden Rule (qsFGR) neglects nuclear motion during the photoionization process but takes into account electronic coherences as well as populations initially present in the pumped matter as well as those generated internally by coupling between electronic surfaces. The standard semiclassical Fermi Golden Rule (scFGR) neglects the electronic coherences and the nuclear kinetic energy during the ionizing pulse altogether, yielding the classical Condon approximation. The coherence contributions depend on the phase-profile of the ionizing field, allowing coherent control of TRPES signals. The photoelectron spectrum from model systems is simulated using these three levels of theory. The eFGR and the qsFGR show temporal oscillations originating from the electronic or vibrational coherences generated as the nuclear wave packet traverses a conical intersection. These oscillations, which are missed by the scFGR, directly reveal the time-evolving splitting between electronic states of the neutral molecule in the curve-crossing regime.

The relationship between the structural mere exposure effect and the implicit learning process.

PubMed

Newell, B R; Bright, J E

2001-11-01

Three experiments are reported that investigate the relationship between the structural mere exposure effect (SMEE) and implicit learning in an artificial grammar task. Subjects were presented with stimuli generated from a finite-state grammar and were asked to memorize them. In a subsequent test phase subjects were required first to rate how much they liked novel items, and second whether or not they thought items conformed to the rules of the grammar. A small but consistent effect of grammaticality was found on subjects' liking ratings (a "structural mere exposure effect") in all three experiments, but only when encoding and testing conditions were consistent. A change in the surface representation of stimuli between encoding and test (Experiment 1), memorizing fragments of items and being tested on whole items (Experiment 2), and a mismatch of processing operations between encoding and test (Experiment 3) all removed the SMEE. In contrast, the effect of grammaticality on rule judgements remained intact in the face of all three manipulations. It is suggested that rule judgements reflect attempts to explicitly recall information about training items, whereas the SMEE can be explained in terms of an attribution of processing fluency.

Effect of heat treatment on the structure and hardness of high-entropy alloys CoCrFeNiMnV x ( x = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaysultanov, D. G.; Stepanov, N. D.; Salishchev, G. A.; Tikhonovsky, M. A.

2017-06-01

High-entropy alloys CoCrFeNiMnVKharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, ul. Akademicheskaya 1, Kharkov 61108 (Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, ul. Akademicheskaya 1, Kharkov 61108 = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) were prepared by vacuum arc melting. The structure and microhardness of the alloys have been studied in the cast state and after annealing at temperatures of 700-1100°C. It has been found that the alloys consist of the fcc (γ) solid solution and intermetallic sigma (σ) phase. The volume fraction of the σ phase increases with increasing vanadium content. As a result of annealing, phase transformations occur, including the precipitation of σ particles from the γ phase and, vice versa, the precipitation of γ particles from the σ phase. It has been shown that the change in the volume fraction of the σ phase upon annealing occurs due to the changes in the total content of σ-forming elements, chromium and vanadium, in accordance with the lever rule. With increasing temperature, the volume fraction of the σ phase varies nonmonotonically; first, it increases, then it decreases. The microhardness of the alloys correlates well with the change in the volume fraction of the σ phase. The mechanisms of the phase transformations and quantitative relationships between chemical and phase compositions of the alloys and their hardness are discussed.

Application of Domain Knowledge to Software Quality Assurance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wild, Christian W.

1997-01-01

This work focused on capturing, using, and evolving a qualitative decision support structure across the life cycle of a project. The particular application of this study was towards business process reengineering and the representation of the business process in a set of Business Rules (BR). In this work, we defined a decision model which captured the qualitative decision deliberation process. It represented arguments both for and against proposed alternatives to a problem. It was felt that the subjective nature of many critical business policy decisions required a qualitative modeling approach similar to that of Lee and Mylopoulos. While previous work was limited almost exclusively to the decision capture phase, which occurs early in the project life cycle, we investigated the use of such a model during the later stages as well. One of our significant developments was the use of the decision model during the operational phase of a project. By operational phase, we mean the phase in which the system or set of policies which were earlier decided are deployed and put into practice. By making the decision model available to operational decision makers, they would have access to the arguments pro and con for a variety of actions and can thus make a more informed decision which balances the often conflicting criteria by which the value of action is measured. We also developed the concept of a 'monitored decision' in which metrics of performance were identified during the decision making process and used to evaluate the quality of that decision. It is important to monitor those decision which seem at highest risk of not meeting their stated objectives. Operational decisions are also potentially high risk decisions. Finally, we investigated the use of performance metrics for monitored decisions and audit logs of operational decisions in order to feed an evolutionary phase of the the life cycle. During evolution, decisions are revisisted, assumptions verified or refuted, and possible reassessments resulting in new policy are made. In this regard we implemented a machine learning algorithm which automatically defined business rules based on expert assessment of the quality of operational decisions as recorded during deployment.

After the Liverpool Care Pathway—development of heuristics to guide end of life care for people with dementia: protocol of the ALCP study

PubMed Central

Davies, N; Manthorpe, J; Sampson, E L; Iliffe, S

2015-01-01

Introduction End of life care guidance for people with dementia is lacking and this has been made more problematic in England with the removal of one of the main end of life care guidelines which offered some structure, the Liverpool Care Pathway. This guidance gap may be eased with the development of heuristics (rules of thumb) which offer a fast and frugal form of decision-making. Objective To develop a toolkit of heuristics (rules of thumb) for practitioners to use when caring for people with dementia at the end of life. Method and analysis A mixed-method study using a co-design approach to develop heuristics in three phases. In phase 1, we will conduct at least six focus groups with family carers, health and social care practitioners from both hospital and community care services, using the ‘think-aloud’ method to understand decision-making processes and to develop a set of heuristics. The focus group topic guide will be developed from the findings of a previous study of 46 interviews of family carers about quality end-of-life care for people with dementia and a review of the literature. A multidisciplinary development team of health and social care practitioners will synthesise the findings from the focus groups to devise and refine a toolkit of heuristics. Phase 2 will test the use of heuristics in practice in five sites: one general practice, one community nursing team, one hospital ward and two palliative care teams working in the community. Phase 3 will evaluate and further refine the toolkit of heuristics through group interviews, online questionnaires and semistructured interviews. Ethics and dissemination This study has received ethical approval from a local NHS research ethics committee (Rec ref: 15/LO/0156). The findings of this study will be presented in peer-reviewed publications and national and international conferences. PMID:26338688

High pressure dielectric studies on the structural and orientational glass.

PubMed

Kaminska, E; Tarnacka, M; Jurkiewicz, K; Kaminski, K; Paluch, M

2016-02-07

High pressure dielectric studies on the H-bonded liquid D-glucose and Orientationally Disordered Crystal (ODIC) 1,6-anhydro-D-glucose (levoglucosan) were carried out. It was shown that in both compounds, the structural relaxation is weakly sensitive to compression. It is well reflected in the low pressure coefficient of the glass transition and orientational glass transition temperatures which is equal to 60 K/GPa for both D-glucose and 1,6-anhydro-D-glucose. Although it should be noted that ∂Tg(0)/∂p evaluated for the latter compound seems to be enormously high with respect to other systems forming ODIC phase. We also found that the shape of the α-loss peak stays constant for the given relaxation time independently on the thermodynamic condition. Consequently, the Time Temperature Pressure (TTP) rule is satisfied. This experimental finding seems to be quite intriguing since the TTP rule was shown to work well in the van der Waals liquids, while in the strongly associating compounds, it is very often violated. We have also demonstrated that the sensitivity of the structural relaxation process to the temperature change measured by the steepness index (mp) drops with pressure. Interestingly, this change is much more significant in the case of D-glucose with respect to levoglucosan, where the fragility changes only slightly with compression. Finally, kinetics of ODIC-crystal phase transition was studied at high compression. It is worth mentioning that in the recent paper, Tombari and Johari [J. Chem. Phys. 142, 104501 (2015)] have shown that ODIC phase in 1,6-anhydro-D-glucose is stable in the wide range of temperatures and there is no tendency to form more ordered phase at ambient pressure. On the other hand, our isochronal measurements performed at varying thermodynamic conditions indicated unquestionably that the application of pressure favors solid (ODIC)-solid (crystal) transition in 1,6-anhydro-D-glucose. This result mimics the impact of pressure on the crystallization of fully disordered supercooled van der Waals liquids.

Biological event composition

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In recent years, biological event extraction has emerged as a key natural language processing task, aiming to address the information overload problem in accessing the molecular biology literature. The BioNLP shared task competitions have contributed to this recent interest considerably. The first competition (BioNLP'09) focused on extracting biological events from Medline abstracts from a narrow domain, while the theme of the latest competition (BioNLP-ST'11) was generalization and a wider range of text types, event types, and subject domains were considered. We view event extraction as a building block in larger discourse interpretation and propose a two-phase, linguistically-grounded, rule-based methodology. In the first phase, a general, underspecified semantic interpretation is composed from syntactic dependency relations in a bottom-up manner. The notion of embedding underpins this phase and it is informed by a trigger dictionary and argument identification rules. Coreference resolution is also performed at this step, allowing extraction of inter-sentential relations. The second phase is concerned with constraining the resulting semantic interpretation by shared task specifications. We evaluated our general methodology on core biological event extraction and speculation/negation tasks in three main tracks of BioNLP-ST'11 (GENIA, EPI, and ID). Results We achieved competitive results in GENIA and ID tracks, while our results in the EPI track leave room for improvement. One notable feature of our system is that its performance across abstracts and articles bodies is stable. Coreference resolution results in minor improvement in system performance. Due to our interest in discourse-level elements, such as speculation/negation and coreference, we provide a more detailed analysis of our system performance in these subtasks. Conclusions The results demonstrate the viability of a robust, linguistically-oriented methodology, which clearly distinguishes general semantic interpretation from shared task specific aspects, for biological event extraction. Our error analysis pinpoints some shortcomings, which we plan to address in future work within our incremental system development methodology. PMID:22759461

Radiative corrections to the solar lepton mixing sum rule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jue; Zhou, Shun

2016-08-01

The simple correlation among three lepton flavor mixing angles ( θ 12, θ 13, θ 23) and the leptonic Dirac CP-violating phase δ is conventionally called a sum rule of lepton flavor mixing, which may be derived from a class of neutrino mass models with flavor symmetries. In this paper, we consider the solar lepton mixing sum rule θ 12 ≈ θ 12 ν + θ 13 cos δ, where θ 12 ν stems from a constant mixing pattern in the neutrino sector and takes the value of θ 12 ν = 45 ° for the bi-maximal mixing (BM), {θ}_{12}^{ν } = { tan}^{-1}(1/√{2}) ≈ 35.3° for the tri-bimaximal mixing (TBM) or {θ}_{12}^{ν } = { tan}^{-1}(1/√{5+1}) ≈ 31.7° for the golden-ratio mixing (GR), and investigate the renormalization-group (RG) running effects on lepton flavor mixing parameters when this sum rule is assumed at a superhigh-energy scale. For illustration, we work within the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), and implement the Bayesian approach to explore the posterior distribution of δ at the low-energy scale, which becomes quite broad when the RG running effects are significant. Moreover, we also discuss the compatibility of the above three mixing scenarios with current neutrino oscillation data, and observe that radiative corrections can increase such a compatibility for the BM scenario, resulting in a weaker preference for the TBM and GR ones.

Eye Tracking in the Cockpit: a Review of the Relationships between Eye Movements and the Aviators Cognitive State

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

proportional dwell time OTW in order to assess the impact of novel cockpit instruments on situational awareness in nearby airspace (Cote, Krueger, & Simmons...frequency. In particular, Spady (1978) examined eye movements during simulated landing approach under instrument flight rules ( IFR ). Simulated turbulence...al. (2007) found that NNI varied across phases of simulated IFR flight, showing the least random (most clustered) distribution of fixations during

The Implications of Using Integrated Software Support Environment for Design of Guidance and Control Systems Software

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

inspections are performed before each formal review of each software life cycle phase. * Required software audits are performed . " The software is acceptable... Audits : Software audits are performed bySQA consistent with thegeneral audit rules and an auditreportis prepared. Software Quality Inspection (SQI...DSD Software Development Method 3-34 DEFINITION OF ACRONYMS Acronym Full Name or Description MACH Methode d’Analyse et de Conception Flierarchisee

Soil fumigation: The critical use exemption, quarantine pre-shipment rules, re-registration decision, and their effect on the 2012 growing season

Treesearch

Scott A. Enebak

2012-01-01

This article gives a brief history of the importance of methyl bromide in the production of forest tree seedlings in the southern United States and the timeline for the Montreal Protocol and Clean Air Act to phase out ozone depleting compounds. In addition, the process, steps used, and current status under the Critical Use Exemption and Quarantine Pre-shipment articles...

Ant groups optimally amplify the effect of transiently informed individuals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelblum, Aviram; Pinkoviezky, Itai; Fonio, Ehud; Ghosh, Abhijit; Gov, Nir; Feinerman, Ofer

2015-07-01

To cooperatively transport a large load, it is important that carriers conform in their efforts and align their forces. A downside of behavioural conformism is that it may decrease the group's responsiveness to external information. Combining experiment and theory, we show how ants optimize collective transport. On the single-ant scale, optimization stems from decision rules that balance individuality and compliance. Macroscopically, these rules poise the system at the transition between random walk and ballistic motion where the collective response to the steering of a single informed ant is maximized. We relate this peak in response to the divergence of susceptibility at a phase transition. Our theoretical models predict that the ant-load system can be transitioned through the critical point of this mesoscopic system by varying its size; we present experiments supporting these predictions. Our findings show that efficient group-level processes can arise from transient amplification of individual-based knowledge.

The Sznajd model with limited persuasion: competition between high-reputation and hesitant agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crokidakis, Nuno; Murilo Castro de Oliveira, Paulo

2011-11-01

In this work we study a modified version of the two-dimensional Sznajd sociophysics model. In particular, we consider the effects of agents' reputations in the persuasion rules. In other words, a high-reputation group with a common opinion may convince its neighbors with probability p, which induces an increase of the group's reputation. On the other hand, there is always a probability q = 1 - p of the neighbors keeping their opinions, which induces a decrease of the group's reputation. These rules describe a competition between groups with high-reputation and hesitant agents, which makes the full-consensus states (with all spins pointing in one direction) more difficult to reach. As consequences, the usual phase transition does not occur for p < pc ~ 0.69 and the system presents realistic democracy-like situations, where the majority of spins are aligned in a certain direction, for a wide range of parameters.

Electronic structure, elasticity, bonding features and mechanical behaviour of zinc intermetallics: A DFT study

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

Fatima, Bushra, E-mail: bushrafatima25@gmail.com; Acharya, Nikita; Sanyal, Sankar P.

2016-05-06

The structural stability, electronic structure, elastic and mechanical properties of TiZn and ZrZn intermetallics have been studied using ab-initio full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within generalized gradient approximation for exchange and correlation potentials. The various structural parameters, such as lattice constant (a{sub 0}), bulk modulus (B), and its pressure derivative (B’) are analysed and compared. The investigation of elastic constants affirm that both TiZn and ZrZn are elastically stable in CsCl (B{sub 2} phase) structure. The electronic structures have been analysed quantitatively from the band structure which reveals the metallic nature of these compounds. To better illustratemore » the nature of bonding and charge transfer, we have also studied the Fermi surfaces. The three well known criterion of ductility namely Pugh’s rule, Cauchy’s pressure and Frantsevich rule elucidate the ductile nature of these compounds.« less

Conformational equilibrium of phenylacetic acid and its halogenated analogues through theoretical studies, NMR and IR spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levandowski, Mariana N.; Rozada, Thiago C.; Melo, Ulisses Z.; Basso, Ernani A.; Fiorin, Barbara C.

2017-03-01

This paper presents a study on the conformational preferences of phenylacetic acid (PA) and its halogenated analogues (FPA, CPA, BPA). To clarify the effects that rule these molecules' behaviour, theoretical calculations were used, for both the isolated phase and solution, combined with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Most conformations of phenylacetic acid and its halogenated derivatives are stabilized through the hyperconjugative effect, which rules the conformational preference. NMR analyses showed that even with the variation in medium polarity, there was no significant change in the conformation population. Infrared spectroscopy showed similar results for all compounds under study. In most spectra, two bands were found through the carbonyl deconvolution, which is in accordance with the theoretical data. It was possible to prove that variation in the nature of the substituent in the ortho position had no significant influence on the conformational equilibrium.

Lifetime of heavy hypernuclei and its implications on the weak ΛN interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassing, W.; Jarczyk, L.; Kamys, B.; Kulessa, P.; Ohm, H.; Pysz, K.; Rudy, Z.; Schult, O. W. B.; Ströher, H.

The lifetime of the Λ-hyperon in heavy hypernuclei measured in proton-Au, -Bi and -U collisions by the COSY-13 Collaboration at COSY-Jülich has been analyzed to yield τΛ = (145+/-11) ps. This value for τΛ is compatible with the lifetime extracted from antiproton annihilation on Bi and U targets, albeit much more accurate. Theoretical models based on the meson exchange picture and assuming the validity of the phenomenological ΔI = 1/2 rule predict the lifetime of heavy hypernuclei to be significantly larger (2-3 standard deviations). Such large differences indicate that at least one of the assumptions in these models is not fulfilled. A much better reproduction of the lifetimes of heavy hypernuclei is achieved in the phase space model, if the ΔI = 1/2 rule is discarded in the nonmesonic Λ decay.