Re-Orienting Coupling of Organocuprates with Propargyl Electrophiles from SN2' to SN2 with Stereocontrol.

PubMed

Trost, Barry M; Debien, Laurent

2016-01-01

Diorganocuprate(I) reagents derived from lithiated heterocycles and CuCN react with enantioenriched secondary propagryl bromides to give the corresponding propargylated heterocycles. While propargyl electrophiles typically undergo S N 2' displacement, this transformation represents the first example of the reaction of hard carbanions with propargyl eletrophiles in an S N 2 fashion and occurs with excellent levels of stereoinversion. The new method was applied to the formal synthesis of (+)-frondosin B.

Utilizing typical color appearance models to represent perceptual brightness and colorfulness for digital images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Rui; Wang, Qing; Shao, Xiaopeng; Zhou, Conghao

2016-12-01

This study aims to expand the applications of color appearance models to representing the perceptual attributes for digital images, which supplies more accurate methods for predicting image brightness and image colorfulness. Two typical models, i.e., the CIELAB model and the CIECAM02, were involved in developing algorithms to predict brightness and colorfulness for various images, in which three methods were designed to handle pixels of different color contents. Moreover, massive visual data were collected from psychophysical experiments on two mobile displays under three lighting conditions to analyze the characteristics of visual perception on these two attributes and to test the prediction accuracy of each algorithm. Afterward, detailed analyses revealed that image brightness and image colorfulness were predicted well by calculating the CIECAM02 parameters of lightness and chroma; thus, the suitable methods for dealing with different color pixels were determined for image brightness and image colorfulness, respectively. This study supplies an example of enlarging color appearance models to describe image perception.

Flap effectiveness appraisal for winged re-entry vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Rosa, Donato; Pezzella, Giuseppe; Donelli, Raffaele S.; Viviani, Antonio

2016-05-01

The interactions between shock waves and boundary layer are commonplace in hypersonic aerodynamics. They represent a very challenging design issue for hypersonic vehicle. A typical example of shock wave boundary layer interaction is the flowfield past aerodynamic surfaces during control. As a consequence, such flow interaction phenomena influence both vehicle aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics. In this framework, the present research effort describes the numerical activity performed to simulate the flowfield past a deflected flap in hypersonic flowfield conditions for a winged re-entry vehicle.

Efficiently modelling urban heat storage: an interface conduction scheme in an urban land surface model (aTEB v2.0)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipson, Mathew J.; Hart, Melissa A.; Thatcher, Marcus

2017-03-01

Intercomparison studies of models simulating the partitioning of energy over urban land surfaces have shown that the heat storage term is often poorly represented. In this study, two implicit discrete schemes representing heat conduction through urban materials are compared. We show that a well-established method of representing conduction systematically underestimates the magnitude of heat storage compared with exact solutions of one-dimensional heat transfer. We propose an alternative method of similar complexity that is better able to match exact solutions at typically employed resolutions. The proposed interface conduction scheme is implemented in an urban land surface model and its impact assessed over a 15-month observation period for a site in Melbourne, Australia, resulting in improved overall model performance for a variety of common material parameter choices and aerodynamic heat transfer parameterisations. The proposed scheme has the potential to benefit land surface models where computational constraints require a high level of discretisation in time and space, for example at neighbourhood/city scales, and where realistic material properties are preferred, for example in studies investigating impacts of urban planning changes.

16 CFR Figure 5 to Part 1610 - An Example of a Typical Gas Shield

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false An Example of a Typical Gas Shield 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACT REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF CLOTHING TEXTILES Pt.1610, Fig. 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610—An Example of a Typical Gas Shield ER25MR08.00...

16 CFR Figure 5 to Part 1610 - An Example of a Typical Gas Shield

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false An Example of a Typical Gas Shield 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACT REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF CLOTHING TEXTILES Pt.1610, Fig. 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610—An Example of a Typical Gas Shield ER25MR08.00...

16 CFR Figure 5 to Part 1610 - An Example of a Typical Gas Shield

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false An Example of a Typical Gas Shield 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACT REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF CLOTHING TEXTILES Pt. 1610, Fig. 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610—An Example of a Typical Gas Shield ER25MR08.00...

16 CFR Figure 5 to Part 1610 - An Example of a Typical Gas Shield

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false An Example of a Typical Gas Shield 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACT REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF CLOTHING TEXTILES Pt.1610, Fig. 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610—An Example of a Typical Gas Shield ER25MR08.00...

16 CFR Figure 5 to Part 1610 - An Example of a Typical Gas Shield

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false An Example of a Typical Gas Shield 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACT REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF CLOTHING TEXTILES Pt. 1610, Fig. 5 Figure 5 to Part 1610—An Example of a Typical Gas Shield ER25MR08.00...

A teaching phantom for sonographers.

PubMed

Zagzebski, J A; Madsen, E L; Frank, G R

1991-01-01

An anthropomorphic torso section phantom is described that is intended for use during initial stages of ultrasonographer training. The phantom represents a section of the upper abdomen, with simulated ribs, liver, kidney with fat pad, gallbladder, aorta, and bowel gas. Positioned in the liver are ten simulated soft tissue masses, which produce a variety of typical echographic patterns. All simulated soft tissue components are formed of tissue-mimicking materials that match their corresponding tissue counterparts in terms of speed of sound, ultrasonic attenuation, and density. Construction details are presented and examples of images are shown.

Apples are not the only fruit: the effects of concept typicality on semantic representation in the anterior temporal lobe

PubMed Central

Woollams, Anna M.

2012-01-01

Intuitively, an apple seems a fairly good example of a fruit, whereas an avocado seems less so. The extent to which an exemplar is representative of its category, referred to here as concept typicality, has long been thought to be a key dimension determining semantic representation. Concept typicality is, however, correlated with a number of other variables, in particular age of acquisition (AoA) and name frequency. Consideration of picture naming accuracy from a large case-series of semantic dementia (SD) patients demonstrated strong effects of concept typicality that were maximal in the moderately impaired patients, over and above the impact of AoA and name frequency. Induction of a temporary virtual lesion to the left anterior temporal lobe, the region most commonly affected in SD, via repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation produced an enhanced effect of concept typicality in the picture naming of normal participants, but did not affect the magnitude of the AoA or name frequency effects. These results indicate that concept typicality exerts its influence on semantic representations themselves, as opposed to the strength of connections outside the semantic system. To date, there has been little direct exploration of the dimension of concept typicality within connectionist models of intact and impaired conceptual representation, and these findings provide a target for future computational simulation. PMID:22529789

Effective and Accurate Colormap Selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thyng, K. M.; Greene, C. A.; Hetland, R. D.; Zimmerle, H.; DiMarco, S. F.

2016-12-01

Science is often communicated through plots, and design choices can elucidate or obscure the presented data. The colormap used can honestly and clearly display data in a visually-appealing way, or can falsely exaggerate data gradients and confuse viewers. Fortunately, there is a large resource of literature in color science on how color is perceived which we can use to inform our own choices. Following this literature, colormaps can be designed to be perceptually uniform; that is, so an equally-sized jump in the colormap at any location is perceived by the viewer as the same size. This ensures that gradients in the data are accurately percieved. The same colormap is often used to represent many different fields in the same paper or presentation. However, this can cause difficulty in quick interpretation of multiple plots. For example, in one plot the viewer may have trained their eye to recognize that red represents high salinity, and therefore higher density, while in the subsequent temperature plot they need to adjust their interpretation so that red represents high temperature and therefore lower density. In the same way that a single Greek letter is typically chosen to represent a field for a paper, we propose to choose a single colormap to represent a field in a paper, and use multiple colormaps for multiple fields. We have created a set of colormaps that are perceptually uniform, and follow several other design guidelines. There are 18 colormaps to give options to choose from for intuitive representation. For example, a colormap of greens may be used to represent chlorophyll concentration, or browns for turbidity. With careful consideration of human perception and design principles, colormaps may be chosen which faithfully represent the data while also engaging viewers.

Optimization with artificial neural network systems - A mapping principle and a comparison to gradient based methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leong, Harrison Monfook

1988-01-01

General formulae for mapping optimization problems into systems of ordinary differential equations associated with artificial neural networks are presented. A comparison is made to optimization using gradient-search methods. The performance measure is the settling time from an initial state to a target state. A simple analytical example illustrates a situation where dynamical systems representing artificial neural network methods would settle faster than those representing gradient-search. Settling time was investigated for a more complicated optimization problem using computer simulations. The problem was a simplified version of a problem in medical imaging: determining loci of cerebral activity from electromagnetic measurements at the scalp. The simulations showed that gradient based systems typically settled 50 to 100 times faster than systems based on current neural network optimization methods.

Uncertainty Estimation Cheat Sheet for Probabilistic Risk Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britton, Paul; Al Hassan, Mohammad; Ring, Robert

2017-01-01

Quantitative results for aerospace engineering problems are influenced by many sources of uncertainty. Uncertainty analysis aims to make a technical contribution to decision-making through the quantification of uncertainties in the relevant variables as well as through the propagation of these uncertainties up to the result. Uncertainty can be thought of as a measure of the 'goodness' of a result and is typically represented as statistical dispersion. This paper will explain common measures of centrality and dispersion; and-with examples-will provide guidelines for how they may be estimated to ensure effective technical contributions to decision-making.

Automated benchmark generation based upon a specification language

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rajan, N.; Feteih, S. E.; Saito, J.

1984-01-01

The problem of validating and verifying digital flight control system (DFCS) software is addressed in this paper. A new specification language DIVERS is proposed, and is the keystone of the approach. This language consists of keywords where each keyword represents an element in the block diagram of a DFCS. DIVERS has a dictionary which contains all the keywords a DFCS designer might need. Translator programs convert the system specifications into an executable, high-level language program. The features of translators are discussed and are elucidated by examples. This language is used to describe a typical flight software module.

Xpatch prediction improvements to support multiple ATR applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersh, Dennis J.; Lee, Shung W.; Moore, John T.; Sullivan, Douglas P.; Hughes, Jeff A.; Ling, Hao

1998-08-01

This paper describes an electromagnetic computer prediction code for generating radar cross section (RCS), time-domain signature sand synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of realistic 3D vehicles. The vehicle, typically an airplane or a ground vehicle, is represented by a computer-aided design (CAD) file with triangular facets, IGES curved surfaces, or solid geometries.The computer code, Xpatch, based on the shooting-and-bouncing-ray technique, is used to calculate the polarimetric radar return from the vehicles represented by these different CAD files. Xpatch computers the first- bounce physical optics (PO) plus the physical theory of diffraction (PTD) contributions. Xpatch calculates the multi-bounce ray contributions by using geometric optics and PO for complex vehicles with materials. It has been found that the multi-bounce calculations, the radar return in typically 10 to 15 dB too low. Examples of predicted range profiles, SAR, imagery, and RCS for several different geometries are compared with measured data to demonstrate the quality of the predictions. Recent enhancements to Xpatch include improvements for millimeter wave applications and hybridization with finite element method for small geometric features and augmentation of additional IGES entities to support trimmed and untrimmed surfaces.

XPATCH: a high-frequency electromagnetic scattering prediction code using shooting and bouncing rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazlett, Michael; Andersh, Dennis J.; Lee, Shung W.; Ling, Hao; Yu, C. L.

1995-06-01

This paper describes an electromagnetic computer prediction code for generating radar cross section (RCS), time domain signatures, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of realistic 3-D vehicles. The vehicle, typically an airplane or a ground vehicle, is represented by a computer-aided design (CAD) file with triangular facets, curved surfaces, or solid geometries. The computer code, XPATCH, based on the shooting and bouncing ray technique, is used to calculate the polarimetric radar return from the vehicles represented by these different CAD files. XPATCH computes the first-bounce physical optics plus the physical theory of diffraction contributions and the multi-bounce ray contributions for complex vehicles with materials. It has been found that the multi-bounce contributions are crucial for many aspect angles of all classes of vehicles. Without the multi-bounce calculations, the radar return is typically 10 to 15 dB too low. Examples of predicted range profiles, SAR imagery, and radar cross sections (RCS) for several different geometries are compared with measured data to demonstrate the quality of the predictions. The comparisons are from the UHF through the Ka frequency ranges. Recent enhancements to XPATCH for MMW applications and target Doppler predictions are also presented.

Semi-Supervised Sparse Representation Based Classification for Face Recognition With Insufficient Labeled Samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yuan; Ma, Jiayi; Yuille, Alan L.

2017-05-01

This paper addresses the problem of face recognition when there is only few, or even only a single, labeled examples of the face that we wish to recognize. Moreover, these examples are typically corrupted by nuisance variables, both linear (i.e., additive nuisance variables such as bad lighting, wearing of glasses) and non-linear (i.e., non-additive pixel-wise nuisance variables such as expression changes). The small number of labeled examples means that it is hard to remove these nuisance variables between the training and testing faces to obtain good recognition performance. To address the problem we propose a method called Semi-Supervised Sparse Representation based Classification (S$^3$RC). This is based on recent work on sparsity where faces are represented in terms of two dictionaries: a gallery dictionary consisting of one or more examples of each person, and a variation dictionary representing linear nuisance variables (e.g., different lighting conditions, different glasses). The main idea is that (i) we use the variation dictionary to characterize the linear nuisance variables via the sparsity framework, then (ii) prototype face images are estimated as a gallery dictionary via a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), with mixed labeled and unlabeled samples in a semi-supervised manner, to deal with the non-linear nuisance variations between labeled and unlabeled samples. We have done experiments with insufficient labeled samples, even when there is only a single labeled sample per person. Our results on the AR, Multi-PIE, CAS-PEAL, and LFW databases demonstrate that the proposed method is able to deliver significantly improved performance over existing methods.

Mental representation for action in the elderly: implications for movement efficiency and injury risk.

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl

2015-04-01

Recent research findings indicate that with older adulthood, there are functional decrements in spatial cognition and more specially, in the ability to mentally represent and effectively plan motor actions. A typical finding is a significant over- or underestimation of one's actual physical abilities with movement planning-planning that has implications for movement efficiency and physical safety. A practical, daily life example is estimation of reachability--a situation that for the elderly may be linked with fall incidence. A strategy used to mentally represent action is the use of motor imagery--an ability that also declines with advancing older age. This brief review highlights research findings on mental representation and motor imagery in the elderly and addresses the implications for improving movement efficiency and lowering the risk of movement-related injury. © The Author(s) 2013.

Learning Bayesian Networks from Correlated Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Harold; Monti, Stefano; Montano, Monty; Steinberg, Martin H.; Perls, Thomas T.; Sebastiani, Paola

2016-05-01

Bayesian networks are probabilistic models that represent complex distributions in a modular way and have become very popular in many fields. There are many methods to build Bayesian networks from a random sample of independent and identically distributed observations. However, many observational studies are designed using some form of clustered sampling that introduces correlations between observations within the same cluster and ignoring this correlation typically inflates the rate of false positive associations. We describe a novel parameterization of Bayesian networks that uses random effects to model the correlation within sample units and can be used for structure and parameter learning from correlated data without inflating the Type I error rate. We compare different learning metrics using simulations and illustrate the method in two real examples: an analysis of genetic and non-genetic factors associated with human longevity from a family-based study, and an example of risk factors for complications of sickle cell anemia from a longitudinal study with repeated measures.

Simulation of drive of mechanisms, working in specific conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanovskaya, A. V.; Rybak, A. T.

2018-05-01

This paper presents a method for determining the dynamic loads on the lifting actuator device other than the conventional methods, for example, ship windlass. For such devices, the operation of their drives is typical under special conditions: different environments, the influence of hydrometeorological factors, a high level of vibration, variability of loading, etc. Hoisting devices working in such conditions are not considered in the standard; however, relevant studies concern permissible parameters of the drive devices of this kind. As an example, the article studied the work deck lifting devices - windlass. To construct a model, the windlass is represented by a rod of the variable cross-section. As a result, a mathematical model of the longitudinal oscillations of such rod is obtained. Analytic dependencies have also been obtained to determine the natural frequencies of the lowest forms of oscillations, which are necessary and are the basis for evaluating the parameters of operation of this type of the device.

How Knowledge Organisations Work: The Case of Software Firms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gottschalk, Petter

2007-01-01

Knowledge workers in software firms solve client problems in sequential and cyclical work processes. Sequential and cyclical work takes place in the value configuration of a value shop. While typical examples of value chains are manufacturing industries such as paper and car production, typical examples of value shops are law firms and medical…

Stakeholder Perceptions of Cyberbullying Cases: Application of the Uniform Definition of Bullying.

PubMed

Moreno, Megan A; Suthamjariya, Nina; Selkie, Ellen

2018-04-01

The Uniform Definition of Bullying was developed to address bullying and cyberbullying, and to promote consistency in measurement and policy. The purpose of this study was to understand community stakeholder perceptions of typical cyberbullying cases, and to evaluate how these case descriptions align with the Uniform Definition. In this qualitative case analysis we recruited stakeholders commonly involved in cyberbullying. We used purposeful sampling to identify and recruit adolescents and young adults, parents, and professionals representing education and health care. Participants were asked to write a typical case of cyberbullying and descriptors in the context of a group discussion. We applied content analysis to case excerpts using inductive and deductive approaches, and chi-squared tests for mixed methods analyses. A total of 68 participants contributed; participants included 73% adults and 27% adolescents and young adults. A total of 650 excerpts were coded from participants' example cases and 362 (55.6%) were consistent with components of the Uniform Definition. The most frequently mentioned component of the Uniform Definition was Aggressive Behavior (n = 218 excerpts), whereas Repeated was mentioned infrequently (n = 19). Most participants included two to three components of the Uniform Definition within an example case; none of the example cases included all components of the Uniform Definition. We found that most participants described cyberbullying cases using few components of the Uniform Definition. Findings can be applied toward considering refinement of the Uniform Definition to ensure stakeholders find it applicable to cyberbullying. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Model of depositing layer on cylindrical surface produced by induction-assisted laser cladding process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotlan, Václav; Hamar, Roman; Pánek, David; Doležel, Ivo

2017-12-01

A model of hybrid cladding on a cylindrical surface is built and numerically solved. Heating of both substrate and the powder material to be deposited on its surface is realized by laser beam and preheating inductor. The task represents a hard-coupled electromagnetic-thermal problem with time-varying geometry. Two specific algorithms are developed to incorporate this effect into the model, driven by local distribution of temperature and its gradients. The algorithms are implemented into the COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2 code that is used for numerical computations of the task. The methodology is illustrated with a typical example whose results are discussed.

Uncertainty Estimation Cheat Sheet for Probabilistic Risk Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britton, Paul T.; Al Hassan, Mohammad; Ring, Robert W.

2017-01-01

"Uncertainty analysis itself is uncertain, therefore, you cannot evaluate it exactly," Source Uncertain Quantitative results for aerospace engineering problems are influenced by many sources of uncertainty. Uncertainty analysis aims to make a technical contribution to decision-making through the quantification of uncertainties in the relevant variables as well as through the propagation of these uncertainties up to the result. Uncertainty can be thought of as a measure of the 'goodness' of a result and is typically represented as statistical dispersion. This paper will explain common measures of centrality and dispersion; and-with examples-will provide guidelines for how they may be estimated to ensure effective technical contributions to decision-making.

Lognormal Uncertainty Estimation for Failure Rates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britton, Paul T.; Al Hassan, Mohammad; Ring, Robert W.

2017-01-01

"Uncertainty analysis itself is uncertain, therefore, you cannot evaluate it exactly," Source Uncertain. Quantitative results for aerospace engineering problems are influenced by many sources of uncertainty. Uncertainty analysis aims to make a technical contribution to decision-making through the quantification of uncertainties in the relevant variables as well as through the propagation of these uncertainties up to the result. Uncertainty can be thought of as a measure of the 'goodness' of a result and is typically represented as statistical dispersion. This presentation will explain common measures of centrality and dispersion; and-with examples-will provide guidelines for how they may be estimated to ensure effective technical contributions to decision-making.

Dynamics of Opinion Forming in Structurally Balanced Social Networks

PubMed Central

Altafini, Claudio

2012-01-01

A structurally balanced social network is a social community that splits into two antagonistic factions (typical example being a two-party political system). The process of opinion forming on such a community is most often highly predictable, with polarized opinions reflecting the bipartition of the network. The aim of this paper is to suggest a class of dynamical systems, called monotone systems, as natural models for the dynamics of opinion forming on structurally balanced social networks. The high predictability of the outcome of a decision process is explained in terms of the order-preserving character of the solutions of this class of dynamical systems. If we represent a social network as a signed graph in which individuals are the nodes and the signs of the edges represent friendly or hostile relationships, then the property of structural balance corresponds to the social community being splittable into two antagonistic factions, each containing only friends. PMID:22761667

Sequential Combination Therapy Leading to Sustained Remission in a Patient with SAPHO Syndrome

PubMed Central

Huber, C.E; Judex, A.G; Freyschmidt, J; Feuerbach, S; Schölmerich, J; Müller-Ladner, U

2009-01-01

The SAPHO syndrome represents a variety of clinically similar disorders with the key features of hyperostotic bone lesions in combination with chronic pustular skin disease. The respective pathophysiology of bone and joint manifestations in SAPHO syndrome is still a matter of discussion. For example it does not appear to represent reactive arthritis and HLA B27 antigen, with the latter being typically present in patients with spondyloarthopathies. Treatment of SAPHO syndrome is also not well established and consists of various antiinflammatory and antirheumatic drugs. Here, we report a female patient with active SAPHO syndrome suffering from sternal swelling of unknown origin that had been known for 10 years and a 4-year-history of severe lower back pain. Remarkable were also a typical pustulous palmar erythema associated with swelling and decreased motility of both MCP-I joints. Inflammation parameters were high with an ESR 68 mm/1st hour and a CRP of 19.6 mg/l. She was initially treated with rofecoxib and doxycycline, followed by sulfasalazine with only partial clinical response. Thereafter, both articular symptoms as well as cutaneous lesions responded well to a combination therapy with methotrexate and sulfasalazine. Thus, the case illustrates nicely that methotrexate in combination with another DMARD can be successfully applied to patients with long-term active SAPHO syndrome. PMID:19471601

Sequential Combination Therapy Leading to Sustained Remission in a Patient with SAPHO Syndrome.

PubMed

Huber, C E; Judex, A G; Freyschmidt, J; Feuerbach, S; Schölmerich, J; Müller-Ladner, U

2009-03-27

The SAPHO syndrome represents a variety of clinically similar disorders with the key features of hyperostotic bone lesions in combination with chronic pustular skin disease. The respective pathophysiology of bone and joint manifestations in SAPHO syndrome is still a matter of discussion. For example it does not appear to represent reactive arthritis and HLA B27 antigen, with the latter being typically present in patients with spondyloarthopathies. Treatment of SAPHO syndrome is also not well established and consists of various antiinflammatory and antirheumatic drugs. Here, we report a female patient with active SAPHO syndrome suffering from sternal swelling of unknown origin that had been known for 10 years and a 4-year-history of severe lower back pain. Remarkable were also a typical pustulous palmar erythema associated with swelling and decreased motility of both MCP-I joints. Inflammation parameters were high with an ESR 68 mm/1st hour and a CRP of 19.6 mg/l. She was initially treated with rofecoxib and doxycycline, followed by sulfasalazine with only partial clinical response. Thereafter, both articular symptoms as well as cutaneous lesions responded well to a combination therapy with methotrexate and sulfasalazine. Thus, the case illustrates nicely that methotrexate in combination with another DMARD can be successfully applied to patients with long-term active SAPHO syndrome.

Examples as an Instructional Tool in Mathematics and Science Classrooms: Teachers' Perceptions and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Xiaoxia; Cribbs, Jennifer

2017-01-01

This study examined mathematics and science teachers' perceptions and use of four types of examples, including typical textbook examples (standard worked examples) and erroneous worked examples in the written form as well as mastery modelling examples and peer modelling examples involving the verbalization of the problem-solving process. Data…

Biomonitoring of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams in Europe: Current practice and priorities to enhance ecological status assessments.

PubMed

Stubbington, Rachel; Chadd, Richard; Cid, Núria; Csabai, Zoltán; Miliša, Marko; Morais, Manuela; Munné, Antoni; Pařil, Petr; Pešić, Vladimir; Tziortzis, Iakovos; Verdonschot, Ralf C M; Datry, Thibault

2018-03-15

Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) are common across Europe and dominate some Mediterranean river networks. In all climate zones, IRES support high biodiversity and provide ecosystem services. As dynamic ecosystems that transition between flowing, pool, and dry states, IRES are typically poorly represented in biomonitoring programmes implemented to characterize EU Water Framework Directive ecological status. We report the results of a survey completed by representatives from 20 European countries to identify current challenges to IRES status assessment, examples of best practice, and priorities for future research. We identify five major barriers to effective ecological status classification in IRES: 1. the exclusion of IRES from Water Framework Directive biomonitoring based on their small catchment size; 2. the lack of river typologies that distinguish between contrasting IRES; 3. difficulties in defining the 'reference conditions' that represent unimpacted dynamic ecosystems; 4. classification of IRES ecological status based on lotic communities sampled using methods developed for perennial rivers; and 5. a reliance on taxonomic characterization of local communities. Despite these challenges, we recognize examples of innovative practice that can inform modification of current biomonitoring activity to promote effective IRES status classification. Priorities for future research include reconceptualization of the reference condition approach to accommodate spatiotemporal fluctuations in community composition, and modification of indices of ecosystem health to recognize both taxon-specific sensitivities to intermittence and dispersal abilities, within a landscape context. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using Artificial Life to Assess the Typicality of Terrestrial Life: Implications for Human Mission Planetary Protection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lupisella, Mark; Powers, Edward I. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The extent to which extraterrestrial life questions can be addressed, in the absence of an actual example, rests in some measure on the extent to which terrestrial life is representative of life in general since we will likely have to draw heavily, if not completely, from terrestrial life research. One example of a practical question involving extraterrestrial life that arises in preparing for a human mission to another planet such as Mars, is trying to assess and minimize the possible adverse effects of the presence of humans on possible indigenous extraterrestrial life-forms. This paper will present some key planetary protection challenges for a human Mars mission and then focus on one possible approach for assessing the extent to which terrestrial life is representative of biological phenomena in general, informing perhaps, the level of confidence we might have in applying terrestrial research - to extraterrestrial life issues. The approach involves appealing to the relatively new field of Artificial Life (A-Life) to: (1) use what might be the most basic minimal set of life-defining characteristics in (2) a large number of open-ended Artificial Life simulations to generate a "life possibility space" (3) the products of which can be examined for their plausibility within the context of relevant constraining knowledge, so that (4) the remaining possibility space can be examined for its variability relative to terrestrial life, where low variability might suggest that terrestrial life is representative of life in general, and high variability would indicate otherwise.

The Fifth ISM Phase as Revealed by Faraday Rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heiles, Carl E.

2011-01-01

In the diffuse ISM, phases are classically categorized as largely ionized or neutral. The neutral phases come in two flavors, the Cold and Warm Neutral Media (the CNM and WNM), which have typical temperatures 50 and 5000 K. The ionized phases also come in two flavors, again classified by temperature: the Warm and Hot Ionized Media (the WIM and the HIM), which have typical temperatures 8000 and 106 K. There lurks a fifth phase, the Warm Partially Ionized Medium (WPIM). This is not widely recognized, mainly because it's presence is hard to establish observationally. It is well represented by the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC), whose properties are very well specified in a series of papers by Redfield and Linsky. This fifth phase has a relatively high electron column but low emission measure, so it is not easily seen in H alpha. However, if the region is permeated by a typical magnetic field ( 6 microGauss), then it can produce a recognizable signature in Faraday rotation. We show a few examples and discuss the potential for large-scale mapping of this fifth ISM phase. Support for this work was provided in part by NSF grant AST-0908572.

GHG emissions during the high-rate production of compost using standard and advanced aeration strategies.

PubMed

Puyuelo, B; Gea, T; Sánchez, A

2014-08-01

In this study, we have evaluated different strategies for the optimization of the aeration during the active thermophilic stage of the composting process of source-selected Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (or biowaste) using reactors at bench scale (50L). These strategies include: typical cyclic aeration, oxygen feedback controller and a new self-developed controller based on the on-line maximization of the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) during the process. Results highlight differences found in the emission of most representative greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted from composting (methane and nitrous oxide) as well as in gases typically related to composting odor problems (ammonia as typical example). Specifically, the cyclic controller presents emissions that can double that of OUR controller, whereas oxygen feedback controller shows a better performance with respect to the cyclic controller. A new parameter, the respiration index efficiency, is presented to quantitatively evaluate the GHG emissions and, in consequence, the main negative environmental impact of the composting process. Other aspects such as the stability of the compost produced and the consumption of resources are also evaluated for each controller. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilizing Crochet to Showcase Temporal Patterns in Temperature Records from One Location and to Spark a Climate Conversation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guertin, L. A.

2017-12-01

Scientists that seek to show temperature changes over time will typically select a line graph as the tool for data communication. However, one non-traditional way to showcase variations in data can be through an artistic visualization created with yarn. For several years, amateur and professional artisans have been using needlework (crocheting/knitting) to represent weather/climate records in scarves and blankets, sharing their work in online communities. Since the Sky Scarf project in 2011, a temporal record of data represented in yarn can include precipitation/snowfall to the air quality index. Here is an example of how crochet is being utilized to show maximum air temperature records over time for one location. Maximum daily temperature values have been collected for January through April in Philadelphia in fifty-year intervals (1917, 1967, 2017). This four-month interval was selected to match with the location and timing of a university's spring semester, as the target audience for this particular visualization is undergraduate students. Instead of trying to read differences in temperature across line graphs plotted for each year, three mini-temperature tapestries have been crocheted. A temperature scale has been developed with rainbow colors of yarn, where the purple and blue represent the coldest temperatures, and the orange and red represent the warmest temperatures. By using the same yarn temperature scale across the three mini-tapestries, the increase in daily maximum temperature in Philadelphia for a set time period can quickly and easily be observed. This form of science art, when presented to students, generates a series of questions, stories and predictions of a scientific and personal nature that are not typically part of a climate science instructional unit.

A Model of Self-Explanation Strategies of Instructional Text and Examples in the Acquisition of Programming Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Recker, Margaret M.; Pirolli, Peter

Students learning to program recursive LISP functions in a typical school-like lesson on recursion were observed. The typical lesson contains text and examples and involves solving a series of programming problems. The focus of this study is on students' learning strategies in new domains. In this light, a Soar computational model of…

Oxidative aliphatic C-H fluorination with manganese catalysts and fluoride ion

PubMed Central

Liu, Wei; Huang, Xiongyi; Groves, John T

2014-01-01

Fluorination is a reaction that is useful in improving the chemical stability and changing the binding affinity of biologically active compounds. The protocol described here can be used to replace aliphatic, C(sp3)-H hydrogen in small molecules with fluorine. Notably, isolated methylene groups and unactivated benzylic sites are accessible. The method uses readily available manganese porphyrin and manganese salen catalysts and various fluoride ion reagents, including silver fluoride (AgF), tetrabutylammonium fluoride and triethylamine trihydrofluoride (TREAT·HF), as the source of fluorine. Typically, the reactions afford 50–70% yield of mono-fluorinated products in one step. Two representative examples, the fragrance component celestolide and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen, are described; they produced useful isolated quantities (250–300 mg, ~50% yield) of fluorinated material over periods of 1–8 h. The procedures are performed in a typical fume hood using ordinary laboratory glassware. No special precautions to rigorously exclude water are required. PMID:24177292

The role of character-based knowledge in online narrative comprehension: evidence from eye movements and ERPs.

PubMed

Filik, Ruth; Leuthold, Hartmut

2013-04-19

Little is known about the on-line evaluation of information relating to well-known story characters during text comprehension. For example, it is not clear in how much detail readers represent character-based information, and the time course over which this information is utilized during on-line language comprehension. We describe an event-related potential (ERP) study (Experiment 1) and an eye-tracking study (Experiment 2) investigating whether, and when, readers utilize their prior knowledge of a character in processing event information. Participants read materials in which an event was described that either did or did not fit with the character's typical behavior. ERPs elicited by the critical word revealed an N400 effect when the action described did not fit with the character's typical behavior. Results from early eye movement measures supported these findings, and later measures suggested that such violations were more easily accommodated for well-known fictional characters than real-world characters. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Passive athermalization of doublets in 8-13 micron waveband

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuster, Norbert

2014-10-01

Passive athermalization of lenses has become a key-technology for automotive and other outdoor applications using modern uncooled 25, 17 and 12 micron pixel pitch bolometer arrays. Typical pixel counts for thermal imaging are 384x288 (qVGA), 640x480 (VGA), and 1024x768 (XGA). Two lens arrangements (called Doublets) represent a cost effective way to satisfy resolution requirements of these detectors with F-numbers 1.4 or faster. Thermal drift of index of refraction and the geometrical changes (in lenses and housing) versus temperature defocus the initial image plane from the detector plane. The passive athermalization restricts this drop of spatial resolution in a wide temperature range (typically -40°C…+80°C) to an acceptable value without any additional external refocus. In particular, lenses with long focal lengths and high apertures claim athermalization. A careful choice of lens and housing materials and a sophistical dimensioning lead to three different principles of passivation: The Passive Mechanical Athermalization (PMA) shifts the complete lens cell, the Passive Optical and Mechanical Athermalization (POMA) shifts only one lens inside the housing, the Passive Optical Athermalization (POA) works without any mechanism. All three principles will be demonstrated for a typical narrow-field lens (HFOV about 12°) with high aperture (aperture based F-number 1.3) for the actual uncooled reference detector (17micron VGA). Six design examples using different combinations of lens materials show the impact on spatial lens resolution, on overall length, and on weight. First order relations are discussed. They give some hints for optimization solutions. Pros and cons of different passive athermalization principles are evaluated in regards of housing design, availability of materials and costing. Examples with a convergent GASIR®1-lens in front distinguish by best resolution, short overall length, and lowest weight.

Statistical properties of fluctuations of time series representing appearances of words in nationwide blog data and their applications: An example of modeling fluctuation scalings of nonstationary time series.

PubMed

Watanabe, Hayafumi; Sano, Yukie; Takayasu, Hideki; Takayasu, Misako

2016-11-01

To elucidate the nontrivial empirical statistical properties of fluctuations of a typical nonsteady time series representing the appearance of words in blogs, we investigated approximately 3×10^{9} Japanese blog articles over a period of six years and analyze some corresponding mathematical models. First, we introduce a solvable nonsteady extension of the random diffusion model, which can be deduced by modeling the behavior of heterogeneous random bloggers. Next, we deduce theoretical expressions for both the temporal and ensemble fluctuation scalings of this model, and demonstrate that these expressions can reproduce all empirical scalings over eight orders of magnitude. Furthermore, we show that the model can reproduce other statistical properties of time series representing the appearance of words in blogs, such as functional forms of the probability density and correlations in the total number of blogs. As an application, we quantify the abnormality of special nationwide events by measuring the fluctuation scalings of 1771 basic adjectives.

Using CLIPS to represent knowledge in a VR simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engelberg, Mark L.

1994-01-01

Virtual reality (VR) is an exciting use of advanced hardware and software technologies to achieve an immersive simulation. Until recently, the majority of virtual environments were merely 'fly-throughs' in which a user could freely explore a 3-dimensional world or a visualized dataset. Now that the underlying technologies are reaching a level of maturity, programmers are seeking ways to increase the complexity and interactivity of immersive simulations. In most cases, interactivity in a virtual environment can be specified in the form 'whenever such-and-such happens to object X, it reacts in the following manner.' CLIPS and COOL provide a simple and elegant framework for representing this knowledge-base in an efficient manner that can be extended incrementally. The complexity of a detailed simulation becomes more manageable when the control flow is governed by CLIPS' rule-based inference engine as opposed to by traditional procedural mechanisms. Examples in this paper will illustrate an effective way to represent VR information in CLIPS, and to tie this knowledge base to the input and output C routines of a typical virtual environment.

A quasi-spectral method for Cauchy problem of 2/D Laplace equation on an annulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Katsuyoshi; Nakada, Manabu; Iijima, Kentaro; Onishi, Kazuei

2005-01-01

Real numbers are usually represented in the computer as a finite number of digits hexa-decimal floating point numbers. Accordingly the numerical analysis is often suffered from rounding errors. The rounding errors particularly deteriorate the precision of numerical solution in inverse and ill-posed problems. We attempt to use a multi-precision arithmetic for reducing the rounding error evil. The use of the multi-precision arithmetic system is by the courtesy of Dr Fujiwara of Kyoto University. In this paper we try to show effectiveness of the multi-precision arithmetic by taking two typical examples; the Cauchy problem of the Laplace equation in two dimensions and the shape identification problem by inverse scattering in three dimensions. It is concluded from a few numerical examples that the multi-precision arithmetic works well on the resolution of those numerical solutions, as it is combined with the high order finite difference method for the Cauchy problem and with the eigenfunction expansion method for the inverse scattering problem.

Practical example of the infrastructure protection against rock fall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jirásko, Daniel; Vaníček, Ivan

2017-09-01

The protection of transport infrastructures against rock falls represents for the Czech Republic one of the sensitive questions. Rock falls, similarly as other typical geo-hazards for the Czech Republic, as landslides and floods, can have negative impact on safety and security of these infrastructures. One practical example how to reduce risk of rock fall is described in the paper. Great care is devoted to the visual inspection enabling to indicate places with high potential to failure. With the help of numerical modelling the range of rock fall negative impact is estimated. Protection measures are dealing with two basic ways. The first one utilize the results of numerical modelling for the optimal design of protection measures and the second one is focused on the monitoring of the rock blocks with high potential of instability together with wire-less transfer of measured results. After quick evaluation, e.g. comparison with warning values, some protection measures, mostly connected with closure of the potential sector, can be recommended.

Hierarchical representation and machine learning from faulty jet engine behavioral examples to detect real time abnormal conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gupta, U. K.; Ali, M.

1988-01-01

The theoretical basis and operation of LEBEX, a machine-learning system for jet-engine performance monitoring, are described. The behavior of the engine is modeled in terms of four parameters (the rotational speeds of the high- and low-speed sections and the exhaust and combustion temperatures), and parameter variations indicating malfunction are transformed into structural representations involving instances and events. LEBEX extracts descriptors from a set of training data on normal and faulty engines, represents them hierarchically in a knowledge base, and uses them to diagnose and predict faults on a real-time basis. Diagrams of the system architecture and printouts of typical results are shown.

Volume illustration of muscle from diffusion tensor images.

PubMed

Chen, Wei; Yan, Zhicheng; Zhang, Song; Crow, John Allen; Ebert, David S; McLaughlin, Ronald M; Mullins, Katie B; Cooper, Robert; Ding, Zi'ang; Liao, Jun

2009-01-01

Medical illustration has demonstrated its effectiveness to depict salient anatomical features while hiding the irrelevant details. Current solutions are ineffective for visualizing fibrous structures such as muscle, because typical datasets (CT or MRI) do not contain directional details. In this paper, we introduce a new muscle illustration approach that leverages diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data and example-based texture synthesis techniques. Beginning with a volumetric diffusion tensor image, we reformulate it into a scalar field and an auxiliary guidance vector field to represent the structure and orientation of a muscle bundle. A muscle mask derived from the input diffusion tensor image is used to classify the muscle structure. The guidance vector field is further refined to remove noise and clarify structure. To simulate the internal appearance of the muscle, we propose a new two-dimensional example based solid texture synthesis algorithm that builds a solid texture constrained by the guidance vector field. Illustrating the constructed scalar field and solid texture efficiently highlights the global appearance of the muscle as well as the local shape and structure of the muscle fibers in an illustrative fashion. We have applied the proposed approach to five example datasets (four pig hearts and a pig leg), demonstrating plausible illustration and expressiveness.

Exploring Differences in the Content of Job Interviews between Youth with and without a Physical Disability

PubMed Central

Lindsay, Sally; DePape, Anne-Marie

2015-01-01

Objective Although people with disabilities have great potential to provide advantages to work environments, many encounter barriers in finding employment, especially youth who are looking for their first job. A job interview is an essential component of obtaining employment. The objective of this study is to explore the content of the answers given in job interviews among youth with disabilities compared to typically developing youth. Methods A purposive sample of 31 youth (16 with typical development and 15 with disability) completed a mock job interview as part of an employment readiness study. The interview questions focused on skills and experiences, areas for improvement, and actions taken during problem-based scenarios. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using a content analysis of themes that emerged from the interviews. Results We found several similarities and differences between youth with disabilities and typically developing youth. Similarities included giving examples from school, emphasizing their “soft skills” (i.e., people and communication skills) and giving examples of relevant experience for the position. Both groups of youth gave similar examples for something they were proud of but fewer youth with disabilities provided examples. Differences in the content of job interview answers between the two groups included youth with disabilities: (1) disclosing their condition; (2) giving fewer examples related to customer service and teamwork skills; (3) experiencing greater challenges in providing feedback to team members and responding to scenario-based problem solving questions; and (4) drawing on examples from past work, volunteer and extra curricular activities. Conclusions Clinicians and educators should help youth to understand what their marketable skills are and how to highlight them in an interview. Employers need to understand that the experiences of youth with disabilities may be different than typically developing youth. Our findings also help to inform employment readiness programs by highlighting the areas where youth with disabilities may need extra help as compared to typically developing youth. PMID:25799198

HCI∧2 framework: a software framework for multimodal human-computer interaction systems.

PubMed

Shen, Jie; Pantic, Maja

2013-12-01

This paper presents a novel software framework for the development and research in the area of multimodal human-computer interface (MHCI) systems. The proposed software framework, which is called the HCI∧2 Framework, is built upon publish/subscribe (P/S) architecture. It implements a shared-memory-based data transport protocol for message delivery and a TCP-based system management protocol. The latter ensures that the integrity of system structure is maintained at runtime. With the inclusion of bridging modules, the HCI∧2 Framework is interoperable with other software frameworks including Psyclone and ActiveMQ. In addition to the core communication middleware, we also present the integrated development environment (IDE) of the HCI∧2 Framework. It provides a complete graphical environment to support every step in a typical MHCI system development process, including module development, debugging, packaging, and management, as well as the whole system management and testing. The quantitative evaluation indicates that our framework outperforms other similar tools in terms of average message latency and maximum data throughput under a typical single PC scenario. To demonstrate HCI∧2 Framework's capabilities in integrating heterogeneous modules, we present several example modules working with a variety of hardware and software. We also present an example of a full system developed using the proposed HCI∧2 Framework, which is called the CamGame system and represents a computer game based on hand-held marker(s) and low-cost camera(s).

[Methodology of psychiatric case histories].

PubMed

Scherbaum, N; Mirzaian, E

1999-05-01

This paper deals with the methodology of psychiatric case histories. Three types of case histories are differentiated. The didactic case history teaches about the typical aspects of a psychiatric disorder or treatment by using an individual patient as an example. In the heuristic case history the individual case gives rise to challenging established concepts or to generate new hypotheses. Such hypotheses drawn from inductive reasoning have then to be tested using representative samples. The focus of hermeneutic case histories is the significance of pathological behaviour and experience in the context of the biography of an individual patient. So-called psychopathographies of important historical figures can also be differentiated according to these types. Based on these methodological considerations, quality standards for the named types of case histories are stated.

Developmental trajectories of offenders convicted of fraud: A follow-up to age 50 in a Dutch conviction cohort

PubMed Central

van der Geest, Victor R.; Weisburd, David; Blokland, Arjan A. J.

2016-01-01

This study describes the criminal careers of offenders convicted of fraud, distinguishing different career dimensions such as intermittency, versatility and specialization. Results indicate that most fraud offenders are versatile in the sense that they also have significant criminal records for other serious offending (that is, not fraud). At the same time they are also specialized in fraud. When we examine developmental trajectories of serious offending and next explore patterns of fraud for the groups identified, we find that offenders in our sample represent a heterogeneous group and that the classic divide between typical financial (for example, white-collar) offenders and common criminals does not apply to the majority of our sample. PMID:28989326

Fast stochastic algorithm for simulating evolutionary population dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsimring, Lev; Hasty, Jeff; Mather, William

2012-02-01

Evolution and co-evolution of ecological communities are stochastic processes often characterized by vastly different rates of reproduction and mutation and a coexistence of very large and very small sub-populations of co-evolving species. This creates serious difficulties for accurate statistical modeling of evolutionary dynamics. In this talk, we introduce a new exact algorithm for fast fully stochastic simulations of birth/death/mutation processes. It produces a significant speedup compared to the direct stochastic simulation algorithm in a typical case when the total population size is large and the mutation rates are much smaller than birth/death rates. We illustrate the performance of the algorithm on several representative examples: evolution on a smooth fitness landscape, NK model, and stochastic predator-prey system.

Cryptohermitian Picture of Scattering Using Quasilocal Metric Operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Znojil, Miloslav

2009-08-01

One-dimensional unitary scattering controlled by non-Hermitian (typically, PT-symmetric) quantum Hamiltonians H ≠ H† is considered. Treating these operators via Runge-Kutta approximation, our three-Hilbert-space formulation of quantum theory is reviewed as explaining the unitarity of scattering. Our recent paper on bound states [Znojil M., SIGMA 5 (2009), 001, 19 pages, arXiv:0901.0700] is complemented by the text on scattering. An elementary example illustrates the feasibility of the resulting innovative theoretical recipe. A new family of the so called quasilocal inner products in Hilbert space is found to exist. Constructively, these products are all described in terms of certain non-equivalent short-range metric operators Θ ≠ I represented, in Runge-Kutta approximation, by (2R-1)-diagonal matrices.

Interaction between photons and leaf canopies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knyazikhin, Yuri V.; Marshak, Alexander L.; Myneni, Ranga B.

1991-01-01

The physics of neutral particle interaction for photons traveling in media consisting of finite-dimensional scattering centers that cross-shade mutually is investigated. A leaf canopy is a typical example of such media. The leaf canopy is idealized as a binary medium consisting of randomly distributed gaps (voids) and regions with phytoelements (turbid phytomedium). In this approach, the leaf canopy is represented by a combination of all possible open oriented spheres. The mathematical approach for characterizing the structure of the host medium is considered. The extinction coefficient at any phase-space location in a leaf canopy is the product of the extinction coefficient in the turbid phytomedium and the probability of absence gaps at that location. Using a similar approach, an expression for the differential scattering coefficient is derived.

S-layer and cytoplasmic membrane - exceptions from the typical archaeal cell wall with a focus on double membranes.

PubMed

Klingl, Andreas

2014-01-01

The common idea of typical cell wall architecture in archaea consists of a pseudo-crystalline proteinaceous surface layer (S-layer), situated upon the cytoplasmic membrane. This is true for the majority of described archaea, hitherto. Within the crenarchaea, the S-layer often represents the only cell wall component, but there are various exceptions from this wall architecture. Beside (glycosylated) S-layers in (hyper)thermophilic cren- and euryarchaea as well as halophilic archaea, one can find a great variety of other cell wall structures like proteoglycan-like S-layers (Halobacteria), glutaminylglycan (Natronococci), methanochondroitin (Methanosarcina) or double layered cell walls with pseudomurein (Methanothermus and Methanopyrus). The presence of an outermost cellular membrane in the crenarchaeal species Ignicoccus hospitalis already gave indications for an outer membrane similar to Gram-negative bacteria. Although there is just limited data concerning their biochemistry and ultrastructure, recent studies on the euryarchaeal methanogen Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis, cells of the ARMAN group, and the SM1 euryarchaeon delivered further examples for this exceptional cell envelope type consisting of two membranes.

Psychiatric treatment of the VIP: some paradoxical risks.

PubMed

Silverman, Benjamin C; Asby, Alice; Brendel, David H; Choras, Peter; Chu, James A; Holman, Julieta; Pope, Harrison G; Radden, Jennifer; Samson, Jacqueline A; Smith, George W; Tsimprea, Gail; Bodkin, J Alexander

2012-06-01

One might expect that VIPs-individuals with wealth, fame, or power-would typically receive excellent care when treated for psychiatric disorders. Often, this is the case, but paradoxically, VIP status may compromise the quality of psychiatric treatment. In this article, we present four case examples, representing disguised amalgamations of actual cases from our experience, demonstrating how VIP patients may sometimes receive suboptimal psychiatric care. These cases show certain similarities; typically, there was no serious doubt about the general nature of the treatment that should be undertaken, but the treatment team was unable to deliver that treatment in the usual manner because of various outside pressures created by the VIP status of the patient and by the patient's entourage. One possible solution to this problem, when feasible, is to assign treatment to a team specifically experienced with VIP patients. A strong and united treatment team, accustomed to the unusual difficulties and pressures often encountered with VIP patients, can be prepared to act promptly, firmly, and unanimously to devise an appropriate treatment plan and then maintain this plan true to its course despite these pressures.

Gear optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanderplaats, G. N.; Chen, Xiang; Zhang, Ning-Tian

1988-01-01

The use of formal numerical optimization methods for the design of gears is investigated. To achieve this, computer codes were developed for the analysis of spur gears and spiral bevel gears. These codes calculate the life, dynamic load, bending strength, surface durability, gear weight and size, and various geometric parameters. It is necessary to calculate all such important responses because they all represent competing requirements in the design process. The codes developed here were written in subroutine form and coupled to the COPES/ADS general purpose optimization program. This code allows the user to define the optimization problem at the time of program execution. Typical design variables include face width, number of teeth and diametral pitch. The user is free to choose any calculated response as the design objective to minimize or maximize and may impose lower and upper bounds on any calculated responses. Typical examples include life maximization with limits on dynamic load, stress, weight, etc. or minimization of weight subject to limits on life, dynamic load, etc. The research codes were written in modular form for easy expansion and so that they could be combined to create a multiple reduction optimization capability in future.

Visualization of instationary flows by particle traces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raasch, S.

An abstract on a study which represents a model of atmospheric flow output by computer movies is presented. The structure and evolution of the flow is visualized by starting weightless particles at the locations of the model grid points at distinct, equally spaced times. These particles are then only advected by the flow. In order to avoid useless accumulation of particles, they can be provided with a limited lifetime. Scalar quantities can be shown in addition to using color shaded contours as background information. A movie with several examples of atmospheric flows, for example convection in the atmospheric boundary layer, slope winds, land seabreeze and Kelvin-Helmholtz waves is presented. The simulations are performed by two dimensional and three dimensional nonhydrostatic, finite difference models. Graphics are produced by using the UNIRAS software and the graphic output is in form of CGM metafiles. The single frames are stored on an ABEKAS real time video disc and then transferred to a BETACAM-SP tape recorder. The graphic software is suitable to produce 2 dimensional pictures, for example only cross sections of three dimensional simulations can be made. To produce a movie of typically 90 seconds duration, the graphic software and the particle model need about 10 hours CPU time on a CCD CYBER 990 and the CGM metafile has a size of about 1.4 GByte.

Target identification for small bioactive molecules: finding the needle in the haystack.

PubMed

Ziegler, Slava; Pries, Verena; Hedberg, Christian; Waldmann, Herbert

2013-03-04

Identification and confirmation of bioactive small-molecule targets is a crucial, often decisive step both in academic and pharmaceutical research. Through the development and availability of several new experimental techniques, target identification is, in principle, feasible, and the number of successful examples steadily grows. However, a generic methodology that can successfully be applied in the majority of the cases has not yet been established. Herein we summarize current methods for target identification of small molecules, primarily for a chemistry audience but also the biological community, for example, the chemist or biologist attempting to identify the target of a given bioactive compound. We describe the most frequently employed experimental approaches for target identification and provide several representative examples illustrating the state-of-the-art. Among the techniques currently available, protein affinity isolation using suitable small-molecule probes (pulldown) and subsequent mass spectrometric analysis of the isolated proteins appears to be most powerful and most frequently applied. To provide guidance for rapid entry into the field and based on our own experience we propose a typical workflow for target identification, which centers on the application of chemical proteomics as the key step to generate hypotheses for potential target proteins. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A forestry application simulation of man-machine techniques for analyzing remotely sensed data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berkebile, J.; Russell, J.; Lube, B.

1976-01-01

The typical steps in the analysis of remotely sensed data for a forestry applications example are simulated. The example uses numerically-oriented pattern recognition techniques and emphasizes man-machine interaction.

Example-Based Learning: Effects of Model Expertise in Relation to Student Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boekhout, Paul; van Gog, Tamara; van de Wiel, Margje W. J.; Gerards-Last, Dorien; Geraets, Jacques

2010-01-01

Background: Worked examples are very effective for novice learners. They typically present a written-out ideal (didactical) solution for learners to study. Aims: This study used worked examples of patient history taking in physiotherapy that presented a "non"-didactical solution (i.e., based on actual performance). The effects of model expertise…

78 FR 61227 - Public Assistance Cost Estimating Format for Large Projects

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-03

... itemized breakdown of construction costs for completing the project. For example, a typical project will... percentage factors. For example, if a Part B percentage factor is 2 percent, the estimator adds 2 percent of... specific to the project scope of work. Examples include concrete strength testing, water quality testing...

Alien or Alike? How the Perceived Similarity Between the Typical Science Teacher and a Student's Self-Image Correlates with Choosing Science at School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessels, Ursula; Taconis, Ruurd

2012-12-01

By applying the self-to-prototype matching theory to students' academic choices, this study links the unpopularity of science in many industrialized countries with the perceived gap between typical persons representing science (e.g. physics teachers) on the one hand and students' self-image on the other. A sample of N = 308 Dutch and German students described both themselves and typical teachers representing different school subjects using 65 trait adjectives. The following hypotheses were tested: The typical hard sciences teacher and the typical languages teacher will be perceived as differing in their personal characteristics. The typical physics teachers will be perceived as being less similar to students' own self-image than teachers representing languages. Actual choices students make during secondary school should correlate with the perceived fit between students' self-image and the prototype of teachers representing different school subjects, especially in the less frequent and less popular choices of a math or physics major/profile. The findings supported these hypotheses. The discussion stresses that students acquire not only knowledge about science but also about science culture (sensu Aikenhead) in their science classes and that students' image of science teachers can influence their academic choices.

Nexus: A modular workflow management system for quantum simulation codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krogel, Jaron T.

2016-01-01

The management of simulation workflows represents a significant task for the individual computational researcher. Automation of the required tasks involved in simulation work can decrease the overall time to solution and reduce sources of human error. A new simulation workflow management system, Nexus, is presented to address these issues. Nexus is capable of automated job management on workstations and resources at several major supercomputing centers. Its modular design allows many quantum simulation codes to be supported within the same framework. Current support includes quantum Monte Carlo calculations with QMCPACK, density functional theory calculations with Quantum Espresso or VASP, and quantum chemical calculations with GAMESS. Users can compose workflows through a transparent, text-based interface, resembling the input file of a typical simulation code. A usage example is provided to illustrate the process.

An analytical method of estimating turbine performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kochendorfer, Fred D; Nettles, J Cary

1949-01-01

A method is developed by which the performance of a turbine over a range of operating conditions can be analytically estimated from the blade angles and flow areas. In order to use the method, certain coefficients that determine the weight flow and the friction losses must be approximated. The method is used to calculate the performance of the single-stage turbine of a commercial aircraft gas-turbine engine and the calculated performance is compared with the performance indicated by experimental data. For the turbine of the typical example, the assumed pressure losses and the tuning angles give a calculated performance that represents the trends of the experimental performance with reasonable accuracy. The exact agreement between analytical performance and experimental performance is contingent upon the proper selection of a blading-loss parameter.

Risk-Taking: Individual and Family Interests.

PubMed

Iltis, Ana S

2015-08-01

Decisions regarding clinical procedures or research participation typically require the informed consent of individuals. When individuals are unable to give consent, the informed permission of a legally authorized representative or surrogate is required. Although many proposed procedures are aimed primarily at benefiting the individual, some are not. I argue that, particularly when individuals are asked to assume risks primarily or exclusively for the benefit of others, family members ought to be engaged in the informed consent process. Examples of procedures in which individuals are asked to assume risks primarily or exclusively for the benefit of others include living organ donation and research participation. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Rheology of polyelectrolyte complex materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tirrell, Matthew

Fluid polyelectrolyte complexes, sometimes known as complex coacervates, have rheological properties that are very sensitive to structure and salt concentration. Dynamic moduli of such viscoelastic materials very many orders of magnitude between solutions of no added salt to of order tenth molar salt, typical, for example of physiological saline. Indeed, salt plays a role in the rheology of complex coacervates analogous to that which temperature plays on polymer melts, leading to an empirical observation of what may be termed time-salt or frequency salt superposition. Block copolymers containing complexing ionic blocks also exhibit strong salt sensitivity of their rheological properties. Data representing these phenomena will be presented and discussed. Support from NIST, Department of Commerce, via the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago is gratefully acknowledged.

The visual system of male scale insects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buschbeck, Elke K.; Hauser, Martin

2009-03-01

Animal eyes generally fall into two categories: (1) their photoreceptive array is convex, as is typical for camera eyes, including the human eye, or (2) their photoreceptive array is concave, as is typical for the compound eye of insects. There are a few rare examples of the latter eye type having secondarily evolved into the former one. When viewed in a phylogenetic framework, the head morphology of a variety of male scale insects suggests that this group could be one such example. In the Margarodidae (Hemiptera, Coccoidea), males have been described as having compound eyes, while males of some more derived groups only have two single-chamber eyes on each side of the head. Those eyes are situated in the place occupied by the compound eye of other insects. Since male scale insects tend to be rare, little is known about how their visual systems are organized, and what anatomical traits are associated with this evolutionary transition. In adult male Margarodidae, one single-chamber eye (stemmateran ocellus) is present in addition to a compound eye-like region. Our histological investigation reveals that the stemmateran ocellus has an extended retina which is formed by concrete clusters of receptor cells that connect to its own first-order neuropil. In addition, we find that the ommatidia of the compound eyes also share several anatomical characteristics with simple camera eyes. These include shallow units with extended retinas, each of which is connected by its own small nerve to the lamina. These anatomical changes suggest that the margarodid compound eye represents a transitional form to the giant unicornal eyes that have been described in more derived species.

The Causal Meaning of Genomic Predictors and How It Affects Construction and Comparison of Genome-Enabled Selection Models

PubMed Central

Valente, Bruno D.; Morota, Gota; Peñagaricano, Francisco; Gianola, Daniel; Weigel, Kent; Rosa, Guilherme J. M.

2015-01-01

The term “effect” in additive genetic effect suggests a causal meaning. However, inferences of such quantities for selection purposes are typically viewed and conducted as a prediction task. Predictive ability as tested by cross-validation is currently the most acceptable criterion for comparing models and evaluating new methodologies. Nevertheless, it does not directly indicate if predictors reflect causal effects. Such evaluations would require causal inference methods that are not typical in genomic prediction for selection. This suggests that the usual approach to infer genetic effects contradicts the label of the quantity inferred. Here we investigate if genomic predictors for selection should be treated as standard predictors or if they must reflect a causal effect to be useful, requiring causal inference methods. Conducting the analysis as a prediction or as a causal inference task affects, for example, how covariates of the regression model are chosen, which may heavily affect the magnitude of genomic predictors and therefore selection decisions. We demonstrate that selection requires learning causal genetic effects. However, genomic predictors from some models might capture noncausal signal, providing good predictive ability but poorly representing true genetic effects. Simulated examples are used to show that aiming for predictive ability may lead to poor modeling decisions, while causal inference approaches may guide the construction of regression models that better infer the target genetic effect even when they underperform in cross-validation tests. In conclusion, genomic selection models should be constructed to aim primarily for identifiability of causal genetic effects, not for predictive ability. PMID:25908318

What Is "Typical" for Different Kinds of Data? Examples from the Melbourne Cup

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Jane

2014-01-01

There are five words that are critical to an appreciation of what is "typical" in data sets that students encounter across the middle school years. The first three words--mean, median and mode--are nouns that define measures of typicality in data sets. The next two words--categorical and numerical--are adjectives that describe the types…

3D finite element models of shoulder muscles for computing lines of actions and moment arms.

PubMed

Webb, Joshua D; Blemker, Silvia S; Delp, Scott L

2014-01-01

Accurate representation of musculoskeletal geometry is needed to characterise the function of shoulder muscles. Previous models of shoulder muscles have represented muscle geometry as a collection of line segments, making it difficult to account for the large attachment areas, muscle-muscle interactions and complex muscle fibre trajectories typical of shoulder muscles. To better represent shoulder muscle geometry, we developed 3D finite element models of the deltoid and rotator cuff muscles and used the models to examine muscle function. Muscle fibre paths within the muscles were approximated, and moment arms were calculated for two motions: thoracohumeral abduction and internal/external rotation. We found that muscle fibre moment arms varied substantially across each muscle. For example, supraspinatus is considered a weak external rotator, but the 3D model of supraspinatus showed that the anterior fibres provide substantial internal rotation while the posterior fibres act as external rotators. Including the effects of large attachment regions and 3D mechanical interactions of muscle fibres constrains muscle motion, generates more realistic muscle paths and allows deeper analysis of shoulder muscle function.

3D Finite Element Models of Shoulder Muscles for Computing Lines of Actions and Moment Arms

PubMed Central

Webb, Joshua D.; Blemker, Silvia S.; Delp, Scott L.

2014-01-01

Accurate representation of musculoskeletal geometry is needed to characterize the function of shoulder muscles. Previous models of shoulder muscles have represented muscle geometry as a collection of line segments, making it difficult to account the large attachment areas, muscle-muscle interactions, and complex muscle fiber trajectories typical of shoulder muscles. To better represent shoulder muscle geometry we developed three-dimensional finite element models of the deltoid and rotator cuff muscles and used the models to examine muscle function. Muscle fiber paths within the muscles were approximated, and moment arms were calculated for two motions: thoracohumeral abduction and internal/external rotation. We found that muscle fiber moment arms varied substantially across each muscle. For example, supraspinatus is considered a weak external rotator, but the three-dimensional model of supraspinatus showed that the anterior fibers provide substantial internal rotation while the posterior fibers act as external rotators. Including the effects of large attachment regions and three-dimensional mechanical interactions of muscle fibers constrains muscle motion, generates more realistic muscle paths, and allows deeper analysis of shoulder muscle function. PMID:22994141

Regolith in the South Pole-Aitken Basin is Mainly Indigenous Material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haskin, L. A.; Gillis, J. J.; Jolliff, B. L.; Korotev, R. L.

2003-01-01

This abstract is concerned with the probability that a mission to a site within the South Pole-Aitken basin (SPA) would yield a meaningful sample of typical SPA floor material. The probability seems favorable, barring a highly atypical landing site, because the chemical composition of the SPA interior, as determined remotely from orbit, is different from that of the surrounding lunar surface. How representative would the sample be? To what extent have lateral transport or later events compromised the original chemical and mineralogical composition of the floor material? Where or in what kind of deposit should the mission land to provide the best example? We address these questions from the point of view of modeling of impact ejecta deposits. SPA is the largest lunar impact basin. Shallow for its diameter, it has a subdued gravity signature, a lower albedo, and a more Th- and Ferich interior than the surrounding highlands (the Feldspathic Highlands Terrane, FHT). Its floor may represent noritic or perhaps (but less abundant) gabbroic lower crust of the FHT, the upper crust stripped away by the basin-forming impact, possibly an oblique one.

A Practical Methodology for Quantifying Random and Systematic Components of Unexplained Variance in a Wind Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deloach, Richard; Obara, Clifford J.; Goodman, Wesley L.

2012-01-01

This paper documents a check standard wind tunnel test conducted in the Langley 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (0.3M TCT) that was designed and analyzed using the Modern Design of Experiments (MDOE). The test designed to partition the unexplained variance of typical wind tunnel data samples into two constituent components, one attributable to ordinary random error, and one attributable to systematic error induced by covariate effects. Covariate effects in wind tunnel testing are discussed, with examples. The impact of systematic (non-random) unexplained variance on the statistical independence of sequential measurements is reviewed. The corresponding correlation among experimental errors is discussed, as is the impact of such correlation on experimental results generally. The specific experiment documented herein was organized as a formal test for the presence of unexplained variance in representative samples of wind tunnel data, in order to quantify the frequency with which such systematic error was detected, and its magnitude relative to ordinary random error. Levels of systematic and random error reported here are representative of those quantified in other facilities, as cited in the references.

Location of planar targets in three space from monocular images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cornils, Karin; Goode, Plesent W.

1987-01-01

Many pieces of existing and proposed space hardware that would be targets of interest for a telerobot can be represented as planar or near-planar surfaces. Examples include the biostack modules on the Long Duration Exposure Facility, the panels on Solar Max, large diameter struts, and refueling receptacles. Robust and temporally efficient methods for locating such objects with sufficient accuracy are therefore worth developing. Two techniques that derive the orientation and location of an object from its monocular image are discussed and the results of experiments performed to determine translational and rotational accuracy are presented. Both the quadrangle projection and elastic matching techniques extract three-space information using a minimum of four identifiable target points and the principles of the perspective transformation. The selected points must describe a convex polygon whose geometric characteristics are prespecified in a data base. The rotational and translational accuracy of both techniques was tested at various ranges. This experiment is representative of the sensing requirements involved in a typical telerobot target acquisition task. Both techniques determined target location to an accuracy sufficient for consistent and efficient acquisition by the telerobot.

Challenges estimating the return period of extreme floods for reinsurance applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raven, Emma; Busby, Kathryn; Liu, Ye

2013-04-01

Mapping and modelling extreme natural events is fundamental within the insurance and reinsurance industry for assessing risk. For example, insurers might use a 1 in 100-year flood hazard map to set the annual premium of a property, whilst a reinsurer might assess the national scale loss associated with the 1 in 200-year return period for capital and regulatory requirements. Using examples from a range of international flood projects, we focus on exploring how to define what the n-year flood looks like for predictive uses in re/insurance applications, whilst considering challenges posed by short historical flow records and the spatial and temporal complexities of flood. First, we shall explore the use of extreme value theory (EVT) statistics for extrapolating data beyond the range of observations in a marginal analysis. In particular, we discuss how to estimate the return period of historical flood events and explore the impact that a range of statistical decisions have on these estimates. Decisions include: (1) selecting which distribution type to apply (e.g. generalised Pareto distribution (GPD) vs. generalised extreme value distribution (GEV)); (2) if former, the choice of the threshold above which the GPD is fitted to the data; and (3) the necessity to perform a cluster analysis to group flow peaks to temporally represent individual flood events. Second, we summarise a specialised multivariate extreme value model, which combines the marginal analysis above with dependence modelling to generate industry standard event sets containing thousands of simulated, equi-probable floods across a region/country. These events represent the typical range of anticipated flooding across a region and can be used to estimate the largest or most widespread events that are expected to occur. Finally, we summarise how a reinsurance catastrophe model combines the event set with detailed flood hazard maps to estimate the financial cost of floods; both the full event set and also individual extreme events. Since the predicted loss estimates, typically in the form of a curve plotting return period against modelled loss, are used in the pricing of reinsurance, we demonstrate the importance of the estimated return period and understanding the uncertainties associated with it.

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

Newman, Jennifer; Clifton, Andrew; Bonin, Timothy

As wind turbine sizes increase and wind energy expands to more complex and remote sites, remote-sensing devices such as lidars are expected to play a key role in wind resource assessment and power performance testing. The switch to remote-sensing devices represents a paradigm shift in the way the wind industry typically obtains and interprets measurement data for wind energy. For example, the measurement techniques and sources of uncertainty for a remote-sensing device are vastly different from those associated with a cup anemometer on a meteorological tower. Current IEC standards for quantifying remote sensing device uncertainty for power performance testing considermore » uncertainty due to mounting, calibration, and classification of the remote sensing device, among other parameters. Values of the uncertainty are typically given as a function of the mean wind speed measured by a reference device and are generally fixed, leading to climatic uncertainty values that apply to the entire measurement campaign. However, real-world experience and a consideration of the fundamentals of the measurement process have shown that lidar performance is highly dependent on atmospheric conditions, such as wind shear, turbulence, and aerosol content. At present, these conditions are not directly incorporated into the estimated uncertainty of a lidar device. In this presentation, we describe the development of a new dynamic lidar uncertainty framework that adapts to current flow conditions and more accurately represents the actual uncertainty inherent in lidar measurements under different conditions. In this new framework, sources of uncertainty are identified for estimation of the line-of-sight wind speed and reconstruction of the three-dimensional wind field. These sources are then related to physical processes caused by the atmosphere and lidar operating conditions. The framework is applied to lidar data from a field measurement site to assess the ability of the framework to predict errors in lidar-measured wind speed. The results show how uncertainty varies over time and can be used to help select data with different levels of uncertainty for different applications, for example, low uncertainty data for power performance testing versus all data for plant performance monitoring.« less

Investigating the probability of detection of typical cavity shapes through modelling and comparison of geophysical techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, P.

2011-12-01

With a growing need for housing in the U.K., the government has proposed increased development of brownfield sites. However, old mine workings and natural cavities represent a potential hazard before, during and after construction on such sites, and add further complication to subsurface parameters. Cavities are hence a limitation to certain redevelopment and their detection is an ever important consideration. The current standard technique for cavity detection is a borehole grid, which is intrusive, non-continuous, slow and expensive. A new robust investigation standard in the detection of cavities is sought and geophysical techniques offer an attractive alternative. Geophysical techniques have previously been utilised successfully in the detection of cavities in various geologies, but still has an uncertain reputation in the engineering industry. Engineers are unsure of the techniques and are inclined to rely on well known techniques than utilise new technologies. Bad experiences with geophysics are commonly due to the indiscriminate choice of particular techniques. It is imperative that a geophysical survey is designed with the specific site and target in mind at all times, and the ability and judgement to rule out some, or all, techniques. To this author's knowledge no comparative software exists to aid technique choice. Also, previous modelling software limit the shapes of bodies and hence typical cavity shapes are not represented. Here, we introduce 3D modelling software (Matlab) which computes and compares the response to various cavity targets from a range of techniques (gravity, gravity gradient, magnetic, magnetic gradient and GPR). Typical near surface cavity shapes are modelled including shafts, bellpits, various lining and capping materials, and migrating voids. The probability of cavity detection is assessed in typical subsurface and noise conditions across a range of survey parameters. Techniques can be compared and the limits of detection distance assessed. The density of survey points required to achieve a required probability of detection can be calculated. The software aids discriminate choice of technique, improves survey design, and increases the likelihood of survey success; all factors sought in the engineering industry. As a simple example, the response from magnetometry, gravimetry, and gravity gradient techniques above an example 3m deep, 1m cube air cavity in limestone across a 15m grid was calculated. The maximum responses above the cavity are small (amplitudes of 0.018nT, 0.0013mGal, 8.3eotvos respectively), but at typical site noise levels the detection reliability is over 50% for the gradient gravity method on a single survey line. Increasing the number of survey points across the site increases the reliability of detection of the anomaly by the addition of probabilities. We can calculate the probability of detection at different profile spacings to assess the best possible survey design. At 1m spacing the overall probability of by the gradient gravity method is over 90%, and over 60% for magnetometry (at 3m spacing the probability drops to 32%). The use of modelling in near surface surveys is a useful tool to assess the feasibility of a range of techniques to detect subtle signals. Future work will integrate this work with borehole measured parameters.

Structural Investigation of a Phosphorylation-Catalyzed, Isoaspartate-Free, Protein Succinimide: Crystallographic Structure of Post-Succinimide His15Asp Histidine-Containing Protein

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

Napper, Scott; Prasad, Lata; Delbaere, Louis T.J.

2008-09-08

Aspartates and asparagines can spontaneously cyclize with neighboring main-chain amides to form succinimides. These succinimides hydrolyze to a mixture of isoaspartate and aspartate products. Phosphorylation of aspartates is a common mechanism of protein regulation and increases the propensity for succinimide formation. Although typically regarded as a form of protein damage, we hypothesize succinimides could represent an effective mechanism of phosphoaspartate autophosphatase activity, provided hydrolysis is limited to aspartate products. We previously reported the serendipitous creation of a protein, His15Asp histidine-containing protein (HPr), which undergoes phosphorylation-catalyzed formation of a succinimide whose hydrolysis is seemingly exclusive for aspartate formation. Here, through themore » high-resolution structure of postsuccinimide His15Asp HPr, we confirm the absence of isoaspartate residues and propose mechanisms for phosphorylation-catalyzed succinimide formation and its directed hydrolysis to aspartate. His15Asp HPr represents the first characterized protein example of an isoaspartate-free succinimide and lends credence to the hypothesis that intramolecular cyclization could represent a physiological mechanism of autophosphatase activity. Furthermore, this indicates that current strategies for succinimide evaluation, based on isoaspartate detection, underestimate the frequencies of these reactions. This is considerably significant for evaluation of protein stability and integrity.« less

Comparative and Predictive Multimedia Assessments Using Monte Carlo Uncertainty Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whelan, G.

2002-05-01

Multiple-pathway frameworks (sometimes referred to as multimedia models) provide a platform for combining medium-specific environmental models and databases, such that they can be utilized in a more holistic assessment of contaminant fate and transport in the environment. These frameworks provide a relatively seamless transfer of information from one model to the next and from databases to models. Within these frameworks, multiple models are linked, resulting in models that consume information from upstream models and produce information to be consumed by downstream models. The Framework for Risk Analysis in Multimedia Environmental Systems (FRAMES) is an example, which allows users to link their models to other models and databases. FRAMES is an icon-driven, site-layout platform that is an open-architecture, object-oriented system that interacts with environmental databases; helps the user construct a Conceptual Site Model that is real-world based; allows the user to choose the most appropriate models to solve simulation requirements; solves the standard risk paradigm of release transport and fate; and exposure/risk assessments to people and ecology; and presents graphical packages for analyzing results. FRAMES is specifically designed allow users to link their own models into a system, which contains models developed by others. This paper will present the use of FRAMES to evaluate potential human health exposures using real site data and realistic assumptions from sources, through the vadose and saturated zones, to exposure and risk assessment at three real-world sites, using the Multimedia Environmental Pollutant Assessment System (MEPAS), which is a multimedia model contained within FRAMES. These real-world examples use predictive and comparative approaches coupled with a Monte Carlo analysis. A predictive analysis is where models are calibrated to monitored site data, prior to the assessment, and a comparative analysis is where models are not calibrated but based solely on literature or judgement and is usually used to compare alternatives. In many cases, a combination is employed where the model is calibrated to a portion of the data (e.g., to determine hydrodynamics), then used to compare alternatives. Three subsurface-based multimedia examples are presented, increasing in complexity. The first presents the application of a predictive, deterministic assessment; the second presents a predictive and comparative, Monte Carlo analysis; and the third presents a comparative, multi-dimensional Monte Carlo analysis. Endpoints are typically presented in terms of concentration, hazard, risk, and dose, and because the vadose zone model typically represents a connection between a source and the aquifer, it does not generally represent the final medium in a multimedia risk assessment.

Role of Proinflammatory Cytokines in Thermal Activation of Lymphocyte Recruitment to Breast Tumor Microvessels

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

Photomicrographs show typical images. Scale bar, 50 µm. Data are the mean ± SE and are representative of ≥ 3 independent experiments. P values represent the...not affect ICAM-1 expression in normal islets of RIP-Tag5 pancreas. Photomicrographs show typical images. Scale bar, 50 µm. 2 We have identified the...WBH-treated mice. Thermal upregulation of vascular ICAM-1 expression was abolished in IL-6 KO mice. Photomicrographs show typical images. Scale bar

Long-range interactions and parallel scalability in molecular simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patra, Michael; Hyvönen, Marja T.; Falck, Emma; Sabouri-Ghomi, Mohsen; Vattulainen, Ilpo; Karttunen, Mikko

2007-01-01

Typical biomolecular systems such as cellular membranes, DNA, and protein complexes are highly charged. Thus, efficient and accurate treatment of electrostatic interactions is of great importance in computational modeling of such systems. We have employed the GROMACS simulation package to perform extensive benchmarking of different commonly used electrostatic schemes on a range of computer architectures (Pentium-4, IBM Power 4, and Apple/IBM G5) for single processor and parallel performance up to 8 nodes—we have also tested the scalability on four different networks, namely Infiniband, GigaBit Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and nearly uniform memory architecture, i.e. communication between CPUs is possible by directly reading from or writing to other CPUs' local memory. It turns out that the particle-mesh Ewald method (PME) performs surprisingly well and offers competitive performance unless parallel runs on PC hardware with older network infrastructure are needed. Lipid bilayers of sizes 128, 512 and 2048 lipid molecules were used as the test systems representing typical cases encountered in biomolecular simulations. Our results enable an accurate prediction of computational speed on most current computing systems, both for serial and parallel runs. These results should be helpful in, for example, choosing the most suitable configuration for a small departmental computer cluster.

Model-Based Reasoning in Upper-division Lab Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewandowski, Heather

2015-05-01

Modeling, which includes developing, testing, and refining models, is a central activity in physics. Well-known examples from AMO physics include everything from the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom to the Bose-Hubbard model of interacting bosons in a lattice. Modeling, while typically considered a theoretical activity, is most fully represented in the laboratory where measurements of real phenomena intersect with theoretical models, leading to refinement of models and experimental apparatus. However, experimental physicists use models in complex ways and the process is often not made explicit in physics laboratory courses. We have developed a framework to describe the modeling process in physics laboratory activities. The framework attempts to abstract and simplify the complex modeling process undertaken by expert experimentalists. The framework can be applied to understand typical processes such the modeling of the measurement tools, modeling ``black boxes,'' and signal processing. We demonstrate that the framework captures several important features of model-based reasoning in a way that can reveal common student difficulties in the lab and guide the development of curricula that emphasize modeling in the laboratory. We also use the framework to examine troubleshooting in the lab and guide students to effective methods and strategies.

Integrated -Omics: A Powerful Approach to Understanding the Heterogeneous Lignification of Fibre Crops

PubMed Central

Gea, Guerriero; Kjell, Sergeant; Jean-François, Hausman

2013-01-01

Lignin and cellulose represent the two main components of plant secondary walls and the most abundant polymers on Earth. Quantitatively one of the principal products of the phenylpropanoid pathway, lignin confers high mechanical strength and hydrophobicity to plant walls, thus enabling erect growth and high-pressure water transport in the vessels. Lignin is characterized by a high natural heterogeneity in its composition and abundance in plant secondary cell walls, even in the different tissues of the same plant. A typical example is the stem of fibre crops, which shows a lignified core enveloped by a cellulosic, lignin-poor cortex. Despite the great value of fibre crops for humanity, however, still little is known on the mechanisms controlling their cell wall biogenesis, and particularly, what regulates their spatially-defined lignification pattern. Given the chemical complexity and the heterogeneous composition of fibre crops’ secondary walls, only the use of multidisciplinary approaches can convey an integrated picture and provide exhaustive information covering different levels of biological complexity. The present review highlights the importance of combining high throughput -omics approaches to get a complete understanding of the factors regulating the lignification heterogeneity typical of fibre crops. PMID:23708098

Functional Genomics of the Aeromonas salmonicida Lipopolysaccharide O-Antigen and A-Layer from Typical and Atypical Strains

PubMed Central

Merino, Susana; de Mendoza, Elena; Canals, Rocío; Tomás, Juan M.

2015-01-01

The A. salmonicida A450 LPS O-antigen, encoded by the wbsalmo gene cluster, is exported through an ABC-2 transporter-dependent pathway. It represents the first example of an O-antigen LPS polysaccharide with three different monosaccharides in their repeating unit assembled by this pathway. Until now, only repeating units with one or two different monosaccharides have been described. Functional genomic analysis of this wbsalmo region is mostly in agreement with the LPS O-antigen structure of acetylated l-rhamnose (Rha), d-glucose (Glc), and 2-amino-2-deoxy-d-mannose (ManN). Between genes of the wbsalmo we found the genes responsible for the biosynthesis and assembly of the S-layer (named A-layer in these strains). Through comparative genomic analysis and in-frame deletions of some of the genes, we concluded that all the A. salmonicida typical and atypical strains, other than A. salmonicida subsp. pectinolytica strains, shared the same wbsalmo and presence of A-layer. A. salmonicida subsp. pectinolytica strains lack wbsalmo and A-layer, two major virulence factors, and this could be the reason they are the only ones not found as fish pathogens. PMID:26082990

Expanding the Range of Plant Functional Diversity Represented in Global Vegetation Models: Towards Lineage-based Plant Functional Types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Still, C. J.; Griffith, D.; Edwards, E.; Forrestel, E.; Lehmann, C.; Anderson, M.; Craine, J.; Pau, S.; Osborne, C.

2014-12-01

Variation in plant species traits, such as photosynthetic and hydraulic properties, can indicate vulnerability or resilience to climate change, and feed back to broad-scale spatial and temporal patterns in biogeochemistry, demographics, and biogeography. Yet, predicting how vegetation will respond to future environmental changes is severely limited by the inability of our models to represent species-level trait variation in processes and properties, as current generation process-based models are mostly based on the generalized and abstracted concept of plant functional types (PFTs) which were originally developed for hydrological modeling. For example, there are close to 11,000 grass species, but most vegetation models have only a single C4 grass and one or two C3 grass PFTs. However, while species trait databases are expanding rapidly, they have been produced mostly from unstructured research, with a focus on easily researched traits that are not necessarily the most important for determining plant function. Additionally, implementing realistic species-level trait variation in models is challenging. Combining related and ecologically similar species in these models might ameliorate this limitation. Here we argue for an intermediate, lineage-based approach to PFTs, which draws upon recent advances in gene sequencing and phylogenetic modeling, and where trait complex variations and anatomical features are constrained by a shared evolutionary history. We provide an example of this approach with grass lineages that vary in photosynthetic pathway (C3 or C4) and other functional and structural traits. We use machine learning approaches and geospatial databases to infer the most important environmental controls and climate niche variation for the distribution of grass lineages, and utilize a rapidly expanding grass trait database to demonstrate examples of lineage-based grass PFTs. For example, grasses in the Andropogoneae are typically tall species that dominate wet and seasonally burned ecosystems, whereas Chloridoideae grasses are associated with semi-arid regions. These two C4 lineages are expected to respond quite differently to climate change, but are often modelled as a single PFT.

Analytical formulas for short bunch wakes in a flat dechirper

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

Bane, Karl; Stupakov, Gennady; Zagorodnov, Igor

2016-08-04

We develop analytical models of the longitudinal and transverse wakes, on and off axis for a flat, corrugated beam pipe with realistic parameters, and then compare them with numerical calculations, and generally find good agreement. These analytical “first order” formulas approximate the droop at the origin of the longitudinal wake and of the slope of the transverse wakes; they represent an improvement in accuracy over earlier, “zeroth order” formulas. In example calculations for the RadiaBeam/LCLS dechirper using typical parameters, we find a 16% droop in the energy chirp at the bunch tail compared to simpler calculations. As a result, withmore » the beam moved to 200 μm from one jaw in one dechirper section, one can achieve a 3 MV transverse kick differential over a 30 μm length.« less

Sea-level projections representing the deeply uncertain contribution of the West Antarctic ice sheet.

PubMed

Bakker, Alexander M R; Wong, Tony E; Ruckert, Kelsey L; Keller, Klaus

2017-06-20

There is a growing awareness that uncertainties surrounding future sea-level projections may be much larger than typically perceived. Recently published projections appear widely divergent and highly sensitive to non-trivial model choices . Moreover, the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) may be much less stable than previous believed, enabling a rapid disintegration. Here, we present a set of probabilistic sea-level projections that approximates the deeply uncertain WAIS contributions. The projections aim to inform robust decisions by clarifying the sensitivity to non-trivial or controversial assumptions. We show that the deeply uncertain WAIS contribution can dominate other uncertainties within decades. These deep uncertainties call for the development of robust adaptive strategies. These decision-making needs, in turn, require mission-oriented basic science, for example about potential signposts and the maximum rate of WAIS-induced sea-level changes.

A substructure coupling procedure applicable to general linear time-invariant dynamic systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howsman, T. G.; Craig, R. R., Jr.

1984-01-01

A substructure synthesis procedure applicable to structural systems containing general nonconservative terms is presented. In their final form, the nonself-adjoint substructure equations of motion are cast in state vector form through the use of a variational principle. A reduced-order mode for each substructure is implemented by representing the substructure as a combination of a small number of Ritz vectors. For the method presented, the substructure Ritz vectors are identified as a truncated set of substructure eigenmodes, which are typically complex, along with a set of generalized real attachment modes. The formation of the generalized attachment modes does not require any knowledge of the substructure flexible modes; hence, only the eigenmodes used explicitly as Ritz vectors need to be extracted from the substructure eigenproblem. An example problem is presented to illustrate the method.

[From the Residency Training in the United States to See the Challenges and Directions of China Residency Standardized Training].

PubMed

Cui, Yong; Wang, Tianyou

2016-06-20

Resident standardization training has been started and spreaded out gradually in China. Resident standardization training is crucial to ensure the clinician homogenization, improve medical service quality and level of medical treatment and health care, so it received much attention from all sides. Residency training in American has a history of nearly a century. Systematic model of residency training in the United States had been established for nearly 50 years, and it is a typical representative and successful example of the western medical education. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the institutional arrangements and development direction of the resident standardization training in China, based on comparison of the two residency training system between the two countries on target, schedule, management institution, evaluation and remuneration.

Basics of Compounding: Clinical Pharmaceutics, Part 2.

PubMed

Allen, Loyd V

2016-01-01

This article represents part 2 of a 2-part article on the topic of clinical pharmaceutics. Pharmaceutics is relevant far beyond the pharmaceutical industry, compounding, and the laboratory. Pharmaceutics can be used to solve many clinical problems in medication therapy. A pharmacists' knowledge of the physicochemical aspects of drugs and drug products should help the patient, physician, and healthcare professionals resolve issues in the increasingly complex world of modern medicine. Part 1 of this series of articles discussed incompatibilities which can directly affect a clinical outcome and utilized pharmaceutics case examples of the application and importance of clinical pharmaceutics covering different characteristics. Part 2 continues to illustrate the scientific principles and clinical effects involved in clinical pharmaceutics. Also covered in this article are many of the scientific principles in typical to patient care. Copyright© by International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding, Inc.

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

Wu, Ting; Feng, Xuhui; Elsaidi, Sameh K.

Herein, we demonstrate that a prototypical type of metal organic framework, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), in membrane form, can effectively separate Kr/Xe gas mixtures at industrially relevant compositions. The best membranes separated Kr/Xe mixtures with average Kr permeances as high as 1.5 × 10 -8 ± 0.2 mol/m 2 s Pa and average separation selectivities of 14.2 ± 1.9 for molar feed compositions corresponding to Kr/Xe ratio encountered typically in air. Molecular sieving, competitive adsorption, and differences in diffusivities were identified as the prevailing separation mechanisms. These membranes potentially represent a less-energy-intensive alternative to cryogenic distillation, which is the benchmarkmore » technology used to separate this challenging gas mixture. To our best knowledge, this is the first example of any metal organic membrane composition displaying separation ability for Kr/Xe gas mixtures.« less

Analysis of Underactuated Dynamic Locomotion Systems Using Perturbation Expansion: The Twistcar Toy Example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakon, Ofir; Or, Yizhar

2017-08-01

Underactuated robotic locomotion systems are commonly represented by nonholonomic constraints where in mixed systems, these constraints are also combined with momentum evolution equations. Such systems have been analyzed in the literature by exploiting symmetries and utilizing advanced geometric methods. These works typically assume that the shape variables are directly controlled, and obtain the system's solutions only via numerical integration. In this work, we demonstrate utilization of the perturbation expansion method for analyzing a model example of mixed locomotion system—the twistcar toy vehicle, which is a variant of the well-studied roller-racer model. The system is investigated by assuming small-amplitude oscillatory inputs of either steering angle (kinematic) or steering torque (mechanical), and explicit expansions for the system's solutions under both types of actuation are obtained. These expressions enable analyzing the dependence of the system's dynamic behavior on the vehicle's structural parameters and actuation type. In particular, we study the reversal in direction of motion under steering angle oscillations about the unfolded configuration, as well as influence of the choice of actuation type on convergence properties of the motion. Some of the findings are demonstrated qualitatively by reporting preliminary motion experiments with a modular robotic prototype of the vehicle.

GO-Bayes: Gene Ontology-based overrepresentation analysis using a Bayesian approach.

PubMed

Zhang, Song; Cao, Jing; Kong, Y Megan; Scheuermann, Richard H

2010-04-01

A typical approach for the interpretation of high-throughput experiments, such as gene expression microarrays, is to produce groups of genes based on certain criteria (e.g. genes that are differentially expressed). To gain more mechanistic insights into the underlying biology, overrepresentation analysis (ORA) is often conducted to investigate whether gene sets associated with particular biological functions, for example, as represented by Gene Ontology (GO) annotations, are statistically overrepresented in the identified gene groups. However, the standard ORA, which is based on the hypergeometric test, analyzes each GO term in isolation and does not take into account the dependence structure of the GO-term hierarchy. We have developed a Bayesian approach (GO-Bayes) to measure overrepresentation of GO terms that incorporates the GO dependence structure by taking into account evidence not only from individual GO terms, but also from their related terms (i.e. parents, children, siblings, etc.). The Bayesian framework borrows information across related GO terms to strengthen the detection of overrepresentation signals. As a result, this method tends to identify sets of closely related GO terms rather than individual isolated GO terms. The advantage of the GO-Bayes approach is demonstrated with a simulation study and an application example.

Regional information guidance system based on hypermedia concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matoba, Hiroshi; Hara, Yoshinori; Kasahara, Yutako

1990-08-01

A regional information guidance system has been developed on an image workstation. Two main features of this system are hypermedia data structure and friendly visual interface realized by the full-color frame memory system. As the hypermedia data structure manages regional information such as maps, pictures and explanations of points of interest, users can retrieve those information one by one, next to next according to their interest change. For example, users can retrieve explanation of a picture through the link between pictures and text explanations. Users can also traverse from one document to another by using keywords as cross reference indices. The second feature is to utilize a full-color, high resolution and wide space frame memory for visual interface design. This frame memory system enables real-time operation of image data and natural scene representation. The system also provides half tone representing function which enables fade-in/out presentations. This fade-in/out functions used in displaying and erasing menu and image data, makes visual interface soft for human eyes. The system we have developed is a typical example of multimedia applications. We expect the image workstation will play an important role as a platform for multimedia applications.

Annotation of rule-based models with formal semantics to enable creation, analysis, reuse and visualization.

PubMed

Misirli, Goksel; Cavaliere, Matteo; Waites, William; Pocock, Matthew; Madsen, Curtis; Gilfellon, Owen; Honorato-Zimmer, Ricardo; Zuliani, Paolo; Danos, Vincent; Wipat, Anil

2016-03-15

Biological systems are complex and challenging to model and therefore model reuse is highly desirable. To promote model reuse, models should include both information about the specifics of simulations and the underlying biology in the form of metadata. The availability of computationally tractable metadata is especially important for the effective automated interpretation and processing of models. Metadata are typically represented as machine-readable annotations which enhance programmatic access to information about models. Rule-based languages have emerged as a modelling framework to represent the complexity of biological systems. Annotation approaches have been widely used for reaction-based formalisms such as SBML. However, rule-based languages still lack a rich annotation framework to add semantic information, such as machine-readable descriptions, to the components of a model. We present an annotation framework and guidelines for annotating rule-based models, encoded in the commonly used Kappa and BioNetGen languages. We adapt widely adopted annotation approaches to rule-based models. We initially propose a syntax to store machine-readable annotations and describe a mapping between rule-based modelling entities, such as agents and rules, and their annotations. We then describe an ontology to both annotate these models and capture the information contained therein, and demonstrate annotating these models using examples. Finally, we present a proof of concept tool for extracting annotations from a model that can be queried and analyzed in a uniform way. The uniform representation of the annotations can be used to facilitate the creation, analysis, reuse and visualization of rule-based models. Although examples are given, using specific implementations the proposed techniques can be applied to rule-based models in general. The annotation ontology for rule-based models can be found at http://purl.org/rbm/rbmo The krdf tool and associated executable examples are available at http://purl.org/rbm/rbmo/krdf anil.wipat@newcastle.ac.uk or vdanos@inf.ed.ac.uk. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Some examples of geomorphodiversity in Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panizza, Mario

2014-05-01

The concept of geomorphodiversity (Panizza, 2009) is presented: "the critical and specific assessment of the geomorphological features of a territory, by comparing them in a way both extrinsic (comparison of the geomorphological characteristics with those from other territories) and intrinsic (comparison of the geomorphological characteristics with other areas within the territory itself) and taking into account the level of their scientific quality, the scale of investigation and the purpose of the research". A first example concerns the Dolomites: they have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List because of their exceptional beauty and unique landscape, together with their scientific importance from the geological and geomorphological point of view. They are of international significance for geomorphodiversity, as the classic site for the development of mountains in dolomite limestone and present a wide range of landforms related to erosion, tectonics and glaciation. They represent a kind of high altitude, open air laboratory of geomorphological heritage of exceptional global value, among the most extraordinary and accessible in the world and ideal for researching, teaching, understanding and developing Earth Science theories. The second example concerns the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, candidate for enrolment in the List of European Geoparks: they show a multifaceted and complex image from the international and regional geomorphological (extrinsic and intrinsic geomorphodiversity) point of view and are an educational example for illustrating morphotectonic evolution, stratigraphic and sedimentological sequences and morpholithological peculiarities connected with gypsum karst and clay mass wasting phenomena. The third example concerns the Vesuvius, one of the National Italian Parks: it shows an extrinsic geomorphodiversity mainly referred to the type of eruptions, with some exemplary processes inserted in international volcanic nomenclature; it makes up an important geoheritage that can be considered a field laboratory for research on volcanic geomorphology. At a regional level, intrinsic geomorphodiversity includes typical examples ascribable to lahars, relief inversion and pseudo-karst morphology.

Design and Fabrication of DebriSat - A Representative LEO Satellite for Improvements to Standard Satellite Breakup Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, S.; Dietrich, A.; Fitz-Coy, N.; Weremeyer, M.; Liou, J.-C.

2012-01-01

This paper discusses the design and fabrication of DebriSat, a 50 kg satellite developed to be representative of a modern low Earth orbit satellite in terms of its components, materials used, and fabrication procedures. DebriSat will be the target of a future hypervelocity impact experiment to determine the physical characteristics of debris generated after an on-orbit collision of a modern LEO satellite. The major ground-based satellite impact experiment used by DoD and NASA in their development of satellite breakup models was SOCIT, conducted in 1992. The target used for that experiment was a Navy transit satellite (40 cm, 35 kg) fabricated in the 1960's. Modern satellites are very different in materials and construction techniques than those built 40 years ago. Therefore, there is a need to conduct a similar experiment using a modern target satellite to improve the fidelity of the satellite breakup models. To ensure that DebriSat is truly representative of typical LEO missions, a comprehensive study of historical LEO satellite designs and missions within the past 15 years for satellites ranging from 1 kg to 5000 kg was conducted. This study identified modern trends in hardware, material, and construction practices utilized in recent LEO missions. Although DebriSat is an engineering model, specific attention is placed on the quality, type, and quantity of the materials used in its fabrication to ensure the integrity of the outcome. With the exception of software, all other aspects of the satellite s design, fabrication, and assembly integration and testing will be as rigorous as that of an actual flight vehicle. For example, to simulate survivability of launch loads, DebriSat will be subjected to a vibration test. As well, the satellite will undergo thermal vacuum tests to verify that the components and overall systems meet typical environmental standards. Proper assembly and integration techniques will involve comprehensive joint analysis, including the precise torqueing of fasteners and thread locking. Finally, the implementation of process documentation and verification procedures is discussed to provide a comprehensive overview of the design and fabrication of this representative LEO satellite.

48 CFR 315.204-5 - Part IV-Representations and instructions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... as using too few.) (3) Examples of topics that form a basis for evaluation factors. Typical examples of topics that form a basis for the development of evaluation factors are listed in the following... special research, test, and other equipment or facilities. (vii) Managerial capability (ability to achieve...

48 CFR 315.204-5 - Part IV-Representations and instructions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... as using too few.) (3) Examples of topics that form a basis for evaluation factors. Typical examples of topics that form a basis for the development of evaluation factors are listed in the following... special research, test, and other equipment or facilities. (vii) Managerial capability (ability to achieve...

48 CFR 315.204-5 - Part IV-Representations and instructions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... as using too few.) (3) Examples of topics that form a basis for evaluation factors. Typical examples of topics that form a basis for the development of evaluation factors are listed in the following... special research, test, and other equipment or facilities. (vii) Managerial capability (ability to achieve...

Three typical examples of activation of the International Charter ``space and major disasters''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bessis, J.-L.; Bequignon, J.; Mahmood, A.

This paper, after a brief description of the Charter organisation and of its implementation procedures, addresses three typical cases of Charter activation and the lessons learned to date. The first example will deal with the major earthquakes in January and February 2001 in El Salvador for the benefit of the Salvadorian National Register Centre, the second concerning flooding in the North-East and South of France in January and September 2002 with quick delivery of flood maps to the French Civil Protection Authority and the last one will focus on the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption near the town of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Challenges in leveraging existing human performance data for quantifying the IDHEAS HRA method

DOE PAGES

Liao, Huafei N.; Groth, Katrina; Stevens-Adams, Susan

2015-07-29

Our article documents an exploratory study for collecting and using human performance data to inform human error probability (HEP) estimates for a new human reliability analysis (HRA) method, the IntegrateD Human Event Analysis System (IDHEAS). The method was based on cognitive models and mechanisms underlying human behaviour and employs a framework of 14 crew failure modes (CFMs) to represent human failures typical for human performance in nuclear power plant (NPP) internal, at-power events [1]. A decision tree (DT) was constructed for each CFM to assess the probability of the CFM occurring in different contexts. Data needs for IDHEAS quantification aremore » discussed. Then, the data collection framework and process is described and how the collected data were used to inform HEP estimation is illustrated with two examples. Next, five major technical challenges are identified for leveraging human performance data for IDHEAS quantification. Furthermore, these challenges reflect the data needs specific to IDHEAS. More importantly, they also represent the general issues with current human performance data and can provide insight for a path forward to support HRA data collection, use, and exchange for HRA method development, implementation, and validation.« less

SAM 2 Measurements of the Polar Stratospheric Aerosol, volume 2. April 1979 to October 1979

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccormick, M. P.; Steele, H. M.; Hamill, P.

1982-01-01

The Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (SAM) II sensor is abroad the Earth orbiting Nimbus 7 spacecraft proving extinction measurements of the Antarctic and Arctic stratospheric aerosol with a vertical resolution of 1 km. Representative examples and weekly averages of aerosol data and corresponding temperature profiles for the time and place of each SAM II measurement (April 29, 1979, to October 27, 1979) is presented. Contours of aerosol extinction as a function of altitude and longitude or time were plotted and weekly aerosol optical depths were calculated. Seasonal variations and variations in space (altitude and longitude) for both polar regions are easily seen. Typical values of aerosol extinction at the SAM II wavelength of 1.0 micron for the time priod were 1 to 3 x 10 to the -4th power km -1 in the main stratospheric aerosol layer. Optical depths for the stratosphere were about 0.002. Polar stratospheric clouds at altitudes between the tropopause and 20 km were observed during the Antarctic winter at various times and locations. A ready-to-use format containing a representative sample of the second 6 months of data to be used in atmospheric and climatic studies is presented.

Designing a training tool for imaging mental models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dede, Christopher J.; Jayaram, Geetha

1990-01-01

The training process can be conceptualized as the student acquiring an evolutionary sequence of classification-problem solving mental models. For example a physician learns (1) classification systems for patient symptoms, diagnostic procedures, diseases, and therapeutic interventions and (2) interrelationships among these classifications (e.g., how to use diagnostic procedures to collect data about a patient's symptoms in order to identify the disease so that therapeutic measures can be taken. This project developed functional specifications for a computer-based tool, Mental Link, that allows the evaluative imaging of such mental models. The fundamental design approach underlying this representational medium is traversal of virtual cognition space. Typically intangible cognitive entities and links among them are visible as a three-dimensional web that represents a knowledge structure. The tool has a high degree of flexibility and customizability to allow extension to other types of uses, such a front-end to an intelligent tutoring system, knowledge base, hypermedia system, or semantic network.

Tales from the front lines: the creative essay as a tool for teaching genetics.

PubMed

Koehler, K E; Hawley, R S

1999-07-01

In contrast to the more typical mock grant proposals or literature reviews, we describe the use of the creative essay as a novel tool for teaching human genetics at the college level. This method has worked well for both nonmajor and advanced courses for biology majors. The 10- to 15-page essay is written in storylike form and represents a student's response to the choice of 6-8 scenarios describing human beings coping with various genetic dilemmas. We have found this tool to be invaluable both in developing students' ability to express genetic concepts in lay terms and in promoting student awareness of genetic issues outside of the classroom. Examples from student essays are presented to illustrate these points, and guidelines are suggested regarding instructor expectations of student creativity and scientific accuracy. Methods of grading this assignment are also discussed.

Tales from the front lines: the creative essay as a tool for teaching genetics.

PubMed Central

Koehler, K E; Hawley, R S

1999-01-01

In contrast to the more typical mock grant proposals or literature reviews, we describe the use of the creative essay as a novel tool for teaching human genetics at the college level. This method has worked well for both nonmajor and advanced courses for biology majors. The 10- to 15-page essay is written in storylike form and represents a student's response to the choice of 6-8 scenarios describing human beings coping with various genetic dilemmas. We have found this tool to be invaluable both in developing students' ability to express genetic concepts in lay terms and in promoting student awareness of genetic issues outside of the classroom. Examples from student essays are presented to illustrate these points, and guidelines are suggested regarding instructor expectations of student creativity and scientific accuracy. Methods of grading this assignment are also discussed. PMID:10388836

Asymmetry in mesial root number and morphology in mandibular second molars: a case report

PubMed Central

Shetty, Shashit; Shekhar, Rhitu

2014-01-01

Ambiguity in the root morphology of the mandibular second molars is quite common. The most common root canal configuration is 2 roots and 3 canals, nonetheless other possibilities may still exist. The presence of accessory roots is an interesting example of anatomic root variation. While the presence of radix entomolaris or radix paramolaris is regarded as a typical clinical finding of a three-rooted mandibular second permanent molar, the occurrence of an additional mesial root is rather uncommon and represents a possibility of deviation from the regular norms. This case report describes successful endodontic management of a three-rooted mandibular second molar presenting with an unusual accessory mesial root, which was identified with the aid of multiangled radiographs and cone-beam computed tomography imaging. This article also discusses the prevalence, etiology, morphological variations, clinical approach to diagnosis, and significance of supernumerary roots in contemporary clinical dentistry. PMID:24516829

Graph Structured Program Evolution: Evolution of Loop Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirakawa, Shinichi; Nagao, Tomoharu

Recently, numerous automatic programming techniques have been developed and applied in various fields. A typical example is genetic programming (GP), and various extensions and representations of GP have been proposed thus far. Complex programs and hand-written programs, however, may contain several loops and handle multiple data types. In this chapter, we propose a new method called Graph Structured Program Evolution (GRAPE). The representation of GRAPE is a graph structure; therefore, it can represent branches and loops using this structure. Each programis constructed as an arbitrary directed graph of nodes and a data set. The GRAPE program handles multiple data types using the data set for each type, and the genotype of GRAPE takes the form of a linear string of integers. We apply GRAPE to three test problems, factorial, exponentiation, and list sorting, and demonstrate that the optimum solution in each problem is obtained by the GRAPE system.

Building and testing models with extended Higgs sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, Igor P.

2017-07-01

Models with non-minimal Higgs sectors represent a mainstream direction in theoretical exploration of physics opportunities beyond the Standard Model. Extended scalar sectors help alleviate difficulties of the Standard Model and lead to a rich spectrum of characteristic collider signatures and astroparticle consequences. In this review, we introduce the reader to the world of extended Higgs sectors. Not pretending to exhaustively cover the entire body of literature, we walk through a selection of the most popular examples: the two- and multi-Higgs-doublet models, as well as singlet and triplet extensions. We will show how one typically builds models with extended Higgs sectors, describe the main goals and the challenges which arise on the way, and mention some methods to overcome them. We will also describe how such models can be tested, what are the key observables one focuses on, and illustrate the general strategy with a subjective selection of results.

Sequential geophysical and flow inversion to characterize fracture networks in subsurface systems

DOE PAGES

Mudunuru, Maruti Kumar; Karra, Satish; Makedonska, Nataliia; ...

2017-09-05

Subsurface applications, including geothermal, geological carbon sequestration, and oil and gas, typically involve maximizing either the extraction of energy or the storage of fluids. Fractures form the main pathways for flow in these systems, and locating these fractures is critical for predicting flow. However, fracture characterization is a highly uncertain process, and data from multiple sources, such as flow and geophysical are needed to reduce this uncertainty. We present a nonintrusive, sequential inversion framework for integrating data from geophysical and flow sources to constrain fracture networks in the subsurface. In this framework, we first estimate bounds on the statistics formore » the fracture orientations using microseismic data. These bounds are estimated through a combination of a focal mechanism (physics-based approach) and clustering analysis (statistical approach) of seismic data. Then, the fracture lengths are constrained using flow data. In conclusion, the efficacy of this inversion is demonstrated through a representative example.« less

Single-cone finite-difference schemes for the (2+1)-dimensional Dirac equation in general electromagnetic textures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pötz, Walter

2017-11-01

A single-cone finite-difference lattice scheme is developed for the (2+1)-dimensional Dirac equation in presence of general electromagnetic textures. The latter is represented on a (2+1)-dimensional staggered grid using a second-order-accurate finite difference scheme. A Peierls-Schwinger substitution to the wave function is used to introduce the electromagnetic (vector) potential into the Dirac equation. Thereby, the single-cone energy dispersion and gauge invariance are carried over from the continuum to the lattice formulation. Conservation laws and stability properties of the formal scheme are identified by comparison with the scheme for zero vector potential. The placement of magnetization terms is inferred from consistency with the one for the vector potential. Based on this formal scheme, several numerical schemes are proposed and tested. Elementary examples for single-fermion transport in the presence of in-plane magnetization are given, using material parameters typical for topological insulator surfaces.

Finding Clothing That Fit through Cluster Analysis and Objective Interestingness Measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peña, Isis; Viktor, Herna L.; Paquet, Eric

Clothes should fit consumers well, be aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. However, repeated studies of customers’ levels of satisfaction indicate that this is often not the case. For example, more robust males often find it difficult to find pants that are the correct length and fit their waists well. What, then, are the typical body profiles of the population? Would it be possible to identify the measurements that are of importance for different sizes and genders? Furthermore, assuming that we have access to an anthropometric database would there be a way to guide the data mining process to discover only those relevant body measurements that are of the most interest for apparel designers? This paper describes our results when addressing these questions through cluster analysis and interestingness measures-based feature selection. We explore a database containing anthropometric measurements as well as 3-D body scans, of a representative sample of the Dutch population.

Detection of Hydrological changes of Wujiang River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, L.; Chen, Y.

2016-12-01

In the century our earth experienced a rapid environment changes due to strong human activities, which impactedthe earth'shydrology and water resources systems negatively, and causedsevere problems to the society, such as increased flood and drought risk, water pollution and ecosystem degradation. Understanding the variations of hydrological characteristics has important meaning to solve the problem of hydrology and water resources and maintain sustainable development of river basin water resources.This paper takesWujiangriveras an example,which is a typical medium watershedaffected by human activities seriously in southern China.Using the methods of Mann-Kendall test and serial cluster analysis, this paper studies the characteristics and laws of historical hydrological process inWujiang river, detectsthe impact of changing environment to watershed hydrological processes, based on the observed hydrological data of 36 years from 1980 to 2015 in three representative hydrological stationsnamedFenshi,Chixi and Pingshi. The results show that the annual runoffandannual precipitation has some kind of changes.

A sequential solution for anisotropic total variation image denoising with interval constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jingyan; Noo, Frédéric

2017-09-01

We show that two problems involving the anisotropic total variation (TV) and interval constraints on the unknown variables admit, under some conditions, a simple sequential solution. Problem 1 is a constrained TV penalized image denoising problem; problem 2 is a constrained fused lasso signal approximator. The sequential solution entails finding first the solution to the unconstrained problem, and then applying a thresholding to satisfy the constraints. If the interval constraints are uniform, this sequential solution solves problem 1. If the interval constraints furthermore contain zero, the sequential solution solves problem 2. Here uniform interval constraints refer to all unknowns being constrained to the same interval. A typical example of application is image denoising in x-ray CT, where the image intensities are non-negative as they physically represent linear attenuation coefficient in the patient body. Our results are simple yet seem unknown; we establish them using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions for constrained convex optimization.

Treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infections by potentiation of antibiotics.

PubMed

Zabawa, Thomas P; Pucci, Michael J; Parr, Thomas R; Lister, Troy

2016-10-01

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens, particularly Gram-negative bacteria, represent significant treatment challenges for physicians resulting in high rates of morbidity and mortality. The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria acts as a permeability barrier to many compounds that would otherwise be effective antibacterial agents, including those effective against Gram-positive pathogens. Potentiator molecules disrupt this barrier allowing entry of otherwise impermeant molecules, thus providing a strategy to render multi-drug resistant pathogens susceptible to a broader range of antibiotics. Potentiator molecules are cationic and the mechanism of disruption involves interaction with the negatively charged outer membrane. This physical attribute, along with an often high degree of lipophilicity typically endears these molecules with unacceptable toxicity. Presented herein are examples of advanced potentiator molecules being evaluated for use in combination therapy for the treatment of resistant Gram-negative infections. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Model selection and parameter estimation in structural dynamics using approximate Bayesian computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben Abdessalem, Anis; Dervilis, Nikolaos; Wagg, David; Worden, Keith

2018-01-01

This paper will introduce the use of the approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) algorithm for model selection and parameter estimation in structural dynamics. ABC is a likelihood-free method typically used when the likelihood function is either intractable or cannot be approached in a closed form. To circumvent the evaluation of the likelihood function, simulation from a forward model is at the core of the ABC algorithm. The algorithm offers the possibility to use different metrics and summary statistics representative of the data to carry out Bayesian inference. The efficacy of the algorithm in structural dynamics is demonstrated through three different illustrative examples of nonlinear system identification: cubic and cubic-quintic models, the Bouc-Wen model and the Duffing oscillator. The obtained results suggest that ABC is a promising alternative to deal with model selection and parameter estimation issues, specifically for systems with complex behaviours.

Modeling of Electromagnetic Scattering by Discrete and Discretely Heterogeneous Random Media by Using Numerically Exact Solutions of the Maxwell Equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dlugach, Janna M.; Mishchenko, Michael I.

2017-01-01

In this paper, we discuss some aspects of numerical modeling of electromagnetic scattering by discrete random medium by using numerically exact solutions of the macroscopic Maxwell equations. Typical examples of such media are clouds of interstellar dust, clouds of interplanetary dust in the Solar system, dusty atmospheres of comets, particulate planetary rings, clouds in planetary atmospheres, aerosol particles with numerous inclusions and so on. Our study is based on the results of extensive computations of different characteristics of electromagnetic scattering obtained by using the superposition T-matrix method which represents a direct computer solver of the macroscopic Maxwell equations for an arbitrary multisphere configuration. As a result, in particular, we clarify the range of applicability of the low-density theories of radiative transfer and coherent backscattering as well as of widely used effective-medium approximations.

Psychoanalysis traumatized: the legacy of the Holocaust.

PubMed

Prince, Robert

2009-09-01

Psychoanalysis is a survivor of the Holocaust. It was founded and flourished in central European centers that would be destroyed by the Nazis. A core group of refugees who lived through persecution and exile were instrumental in rebuilding their movement on alien shores. They had no opportunity to mourn the loss of their culture or their leader, Freud, whose death was overshadowed by the cataclysmic upheaval around them. Though its trauma has been dissociated, it is represented in psychoanalytic ideas and enacted in institutions within the context of delayed or incomplete mourning. For example, authoritarianism in psychoanalytic institutions will be explored as a reliving of the trauma of both fascism and exile, and not merely typical group psychology. Further evidence of the impact of dissociated trauma includes the astonishing scotoma for actual events in treatment of Holocaust survivors; the extreme privileging of infantile fantasy over reality, and attention to childhood neurosis at the expense of adult catastrophic events.

Effect of interaction on landing-gear behavior and dynamic loads in a flexible airplane structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, Francis E; Milwitzky, Benjamin

1956-01-01

The effects of interaction between a landing gear and a flexible airplane structure on the behavior of the landing gear and the loads in the structure have been studied by treating the equations of motion of the airplane and the landing gear as a coupled system. The landing gear is considered to have nonlinear characteristics typical of conventional gears, namely, velocity-squared damping, polytropic air-compression springing, and exponential tire force-deflection characteristics. For the case where only two modes of the structure are considered, an equivalent three-mass system is derived for representing the airplane and landing-gear combination, which may be used to simulate the effects of structural flexibility in jig drop tests of landing gears. As examples to illustrate the effects of interaction, numerical calculations, based on the structural properties of two large airplanes having considerably different mass and flexibility characteristics, are presented.

Sequential geophysical and flow inversion to characterize fracture networks in subsurface systems

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

Mudunuru, Maruti Kumar; Karra, Satish; Makedonska, Nataliia

Subsurface applications, including geothermal, geological carbon sequestration, and oil and gas, typically involve maximizing either the extraction of energy or the storage of fluids. Fractures form the main pathways for flow in these systems, and locating these fractures is critical for predicting flow. However, fracture characterization is a highly uncertain process, and data from multiple sources, such as flow and geophysical are needed to reduce this uncertainty. We present a nonintrusive, sequential inversion framework for integrating data from geophysical and flow sources to constrain fracture networks in the subsurface. In this framework, we first estimate bounds on the statistics formore » the fracture orientations using microseismic data. These bounds are estimated through a combination of a focal mechanism (physics-based approach) and clustering analysis (statistical approach) of seismic data. Then, the fracture lengths are constrained using flow data. In conclusion, the efficacy of this inversion is demonstrated through a representative example.« less

Parallel Implicit Runge-Kutta Methods Applied to Coupled Orbit/Attitude Propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatten, Noble; Russell, Ryan P.

2017-12-01

A variable-step Gauss-Legendre implicit Runge-Kutta (GLIRK) propagator is applied to coupled orbit/attitude propagation. Concepts previously shown to improve efficiency in 3DOF propagation are modified and extended to the 6DOF problem, including the use of variable-fidelity dynamics models. The impact of computing the stage dynamics of a single step in parallel is examined using up to 23 threads and 22 associated GLIRK stages; one thread is reserved for an extra dynamics function evaluation used in the estimation of the local truncation error. Efficiency is found to peak for typical examples when using approximately 8 to 12 stages for both serial and parallel implementations. Accuracy and efficiency compare favorably to explicit Runge-Kutta and linear-multistep solvers for representative scenarios. However, linear-multistep methods are found to be more efficient for some applications, particularly in a serial computing environment, or when parallelism can be applied across multiple trajectories.

SlideJ: An ImageJ plugin for automated processing of whole slide images.

PubMed

Della Mea, Vincenzo; Baroni, Giulia L; Pilutti, David; Di Loreto, Carla

2017-01-01

The digital slide, or Whole Slide Image, is a digital image, acquired with specific scanners, that represents a complete tissue sample or cytological specimen at microscopic level. While Whole Slide image analysis is recognized among the most interesting opportunities, the typical size of such images-up to Gpixels- can be very demanding in terms of memory requirements. Thus, while algorithms and tools for processing and analysis of single microscopic field images are available, Whole Slide images size makes the direct use of such tools prohibitive or impossible. In this work a plugin for ImageJ, named SlideJ, is proposed with the objective to seamlessly extend the application of image analysis algorithms implemented in ImageJ for single microscopic field images to a whole digital slide analysis. The plugin has been complemented by examples of macro in the ImageJ scripting language to demonstrate its use in concrete situations.

Synoptic maps constructed from brightness observations of Thomson scattering by heliospheric electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hick, P.; Jackson, B.; Schwenn, R.

1991-01-01

Observations of the Thomson scattering brightness by electrons in the inner heliosphere provide a means of probing the heliospheric electron distributions. An extensive data base of Thomson scattering observations, stretching over many years, is available from the zodiacal light photometers on board the two Helios spacecraft. A survey of these data is in progress, presenting these scattering intensities in the form of synoptic maps for successive Carrington rotations. The Thomson scattering maps reflect conditions at typically several tenths of an astronomical unit from the sun. Some representative examples from the survey in comparison with other solar/heliospheric data, such as in situ observations of the Helios plasma experiment and synoptic maps constructed from magnetic field, H alpha and K-coronameter data are presented. The comparison will provide some information about the extension of solar surface features into the inner heliosphere.

SlideJ: An ImageJ plugin for automated processing of whole slide images

PubMed Central

Baroni, Giulia L.; Pilutti, David; Di Loreto, Carla

2017-01-01

The digital slide, or Whole Slide Image, is a digital image, acquired with specific scanners, that represents a complete tissue sample or cytological specimen at microscopic level. While Whole Slide image analysis is recognized among the most interesting opportunities, the typical size of such images—up to Gpixels- can be very demanding in terms of memory requirements. Thus, while algorithms and tools for processing and analysis of single microscopic field images are available, Whole Slide images size makes the direct use of such tools prohibitive or impossible. In this work a plugin for ImageJ, named SlideJ, is proposed with the objective to seamlessly extend the application of image analysis algorithms implemented in ImageJ for single microscopic field images to a whole digital slide analysis. The plugin has been complemented by examples of macro in the ImageJ scripting language to demonstrate its use in concrete situations. PMID:28683129

Concept mapping and network analysis: an analytic approach to measure ties among constructs.

PubMed

Goldman, Alyssa W; Kane, Mary

2014-12-01

Group concept mapping is a mixed-methods approach that helps a group visually represent its ideas on a topic of interest through a series of related maps. The maps and additional graphics are useful for planning, evaluation and theory development. Group concept maps are typically described, interpreted and utilized through points, clusters and distances, and the implications of these features in understanding how constructs relate to one another. This paper focuses on the application of network analysis to group concept mapping to quantify the strength and directionality of relationships among clusters. The authors outline the steps of this analysis, and illustrate its practical use through an organizational strategic planning example. Additional benefits of this analysis to evaluation projects are also discussed, supporting the overall utility of this supplemental technique to the standard concept mapping methodology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[An example of the evaluation of risks of repeated movements in pottery plants located in western Liguria].

PubMed

Clerici, P; Gallanelli, R; Magnante, D; Meinero, G; Mattarelli, M; Sarto, D; Zecchi, C

2005-01-01

Pottery manufacturing is typical in western Liguria and it represents one of the most important economical resources of this area. The major part of manufacturers are handicrafts, although some bigger firms have developed industrialized production cycles. Both types of productions, however, require hand work at almost all levels of processing. Most workers are women and a significant part of these are affected by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. INAIL (Direzione Regionale Liguria) carries on a dedicated program for employers' insurance and Health & Safety implementation but--in order to do so--INAIL needs to achieve more knowledge about risk factors in this field. The aim of this study was to assess CTD risk in two pottery industries located in Albisola: in particular, two productions Cycles equipped with assembly lines have been investigated. The method used for risk assessment was OCRA Index (OCcupational Repetitive Actions), adapted to be applied to pottery industries.

Learning and Understanding System Stability Using Illustrative Dynamic Texture Examples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Huaping; Xiao, Wei; Zhao, Hongyan; Sun, Fuchun

2014-01-01

System stability is a basic concept in courses on dynamic system analysis and control for undergraduate students with computer science backgrounds. Typically, this was taught using a simple simulation example of an inverted pendulum. Unfortunately, many difficult issues arise in the learning and understanding of the concepts of stability,…

The Transmission Line as a Simple Example for Introducing Integral Equations to Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothwell, E. J.

2009-01-01

Integral equations are becoming a common means for describing problems in electromagnetics, and so it is important to expose students to methods for their solution. Typically this is done using examples in antennas, scattering, or electrostatics. Unfortunately, many difficult issues arise in the formulation and solution of the associated…

Meaningful Intuitions: The Evidential Role of Intuitions in the Study of Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maynes, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

Philosophical theories are often repudiated, or taken to be repudiated, by identifying counter-examples. These counter-examples are typically based upon our natural response to a real or hypothetical scenario, also called our intuition about the scenario. This methodology of appealing to intuition has been the focus of recent debates about…

Designing Clinical Examples To Promote Pattern Recognition: Nursing Education-Based Research and Practical Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welk, Dorette Sugg

2002-01-01

Sophomore nursing students (n=162) examined scenarios depicting typical and atypical signs of heart attack. Examples were structured to include essential and nonessential symptoms, enabling pattern recognition and improved performance. The method provides a way to prepare students to anticipate and recognize life-threatening situations. (Contains…

Cyclic Polyynes as Examples of the Quantum Mechanical Particle on a Ring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Bruce D.

2012-01-01

Many quantum mechanical models are discussed as part of the undergraduate physical chemistry course to help students understand the connection between eigenvalue expressions and spectroscopy. Typical examples covered include the particle in a box, the harmonic oscillator, the rigid rotor, and the hydrogen atom. This article demonstrates that…

Structural equation modeling for observational studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grace, J.B.

2008-01-01

Structural equation modeling (SEM) represents a framework for developing and evaluating complex hypotheses about systems. This method of data analysis differs from conventional univariate and multivariate approaches familiar to most biologists in several ways. First, SEMs are multiequational and capable of representing a wide array of complex hypotheses about how system components interrelate. Second, models are typically developed based on theoretical knowledge and designed to represent competing hypotheses about the processes responsible for data structure. Third, SEM is conceptually based on the analysis of covariance relations. Most commonly, solutions are obtained using maximum-likelihood solution procedures, although a variety of solution procedures are used, including Bayesian estimation. Numerous extensions give SEM a very high degree of flexibility in dealing with nonnormal data, categorical responses, latent variables, hierarchical structure, multigroup comparisons, nonlinearities, and other complicating factors. Structural equation modeling allows researchers to address a variety of questions about systems, such as how different processes work in concert, how the influences of perturbations cascade through systems, and about the relative importance of different influences. I present 2 example applications of SEM, one involving interactions among lynx (Lynx pardinus), mongooses (Herpestes ichneumon), and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and the second involving anuran species richness. Many wildlife ecologists may find SEM useful for understanding how populations function within their environments. Along with the capability of the methodology comes a need for care in the proper application of SEM.

Uncertainty quantification and experimental design based on unsupervised machine learning identification of contaminant sources and groundwater types using hydrogeochemical data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vesselinov, V. V.

2017-12-01

Identification of the original groundwater types present in geochemical mixtures observed in an aquifer is a challenging but very important task. Frequently, some of the groundwater types are related to different infiltration and/or contamination sources associated with various geochemical signatures and origins. The characterization of groundwater mixing processes typically requires solving complex inverse models representing groundwater flow and geochemical transport in the aquifer, where the inverse analysis accounts for available site data. Usually, the model is calibrated against the available data characterizing the spatial and temporal distribution of the observed geochemical species. Numerous geochemical constituents and processes may need to be simulated in these models which further complicates the analyses. As a result, these types of model analyses are typically extremely challenging. Here, we demonstrate a new contaminant source identification approach that performs decomposition of the observation mixtures based on Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) method for Blind Source Separation (BSS), coupled with a custom semi-supervised clustering algorithm. Our methodology, called NMFk, is capable of identifying (a) the number of groundwater types and (b) the original geochemical concentration of the contaminant sources from measured geochemical mixtures with unknown mixing ratios without any additional site information. We also demonstrate how NMFk can be extended to perform uncertainty quantification and experimental design related to real-world site characterization. The NMFk algorithm works with geochemical data represented in the form of concentrations, ratios (of two constituents; for example, isotope ratios), and delta notations (standard normalized stable isotope ratios). The NMFk algorithm has been extensively tested on synthetic datasets; NMFk analyses have been actively performed on real-world data collected at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) groundwater sites related to Chromium and RDX contamination.

A New Framework for Quantifying Lidar Uncertainty

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

Newman, Jennifer, F.; Clifton, Andrew; Bonin, Timothy A.

2017-03-24

As wind turbine sizes increase and wind energy expands to more complex and remote sites, remote sensing devices such as lidars are expected to play a key role in wind resource assessment and power performance testing. The switch to remote sensing devices represents a paradigm shift in the way the wind industry typically obtains and interprets measurement data for wind energy. For example, the measurement techniques and sources of uncertainty for a remote sensing device are vastly different from those associated with a cup anemometer on a meteorological tower. Current IEC standards discuss uncertainty due to mounting, calibration, and classificationmore » of the remote sensing device, among other parameters. Values of the uncertainty are typically given as a function of the mean wind speed measured by a reference device. However, real-world experience has shown that lidar performance is highly dependent on atmospheric conditions, such as wind shear, turbulence, and aerosol content. At present, these conditions are not directly incorporated into the estimated uncertainty of a lidar device. In this presentation, we propose the development of a new lidar uncertainty framework that adapts to current flow conditions and more accurately represents the actual uncertainty inherent in lidar measurements under different conditions. In this new framework, sources of uncertainty are identified for estimation of the line-of-sight wind speed and reconstruction of the three-dimensional wind field. These sources are then related to physical processes caused by the atmosphere and lidar operating conditions. The framework is applied to lidar data from an operational wind farm to assess the ability of the framework to predict errors in lidar-measured wind speed.« less

Decontextualised Minds: Adolescents with Autism Are Less Susceptible to the Conjunction Fallacy than Typically Developing Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morsanyi, Kinga; Handley, Simon J.; Evans, Jonathan S. B. T.

2010-01-01

The conjunction fallacy has been cited as a classic example of the automatic contextualisation of problems. In two experiments we compared the performance of autistic and typically developing adolescents on a set of conjunction fallacy tasks. Participants with autism were less susceptible to the conjunction fallacy. Experiment 2 also demonstrated…

Parallel Simulation of Subsonic Fluid Dynamics on a Cluster of Workstations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-11-01

inside wind musical instruments. Typical simulations achieve $80\\%$ parallel efficiency (speedup/processors) using 20 HP-Apollo workstations. Detailed...TERMS AI, MIT, Artificial Intelligence, Distributed Computing, Workstation Cluster, Network, Fluid Dynamics, Musical Instruments 17. SECURITY...for example, the flow of air inside wind musical instruments. Typical simulations achieve 80% parallel efficiency (speedup/processors) using 20 HP

An integrated multi-sensors approach for volcanic cloud retrievals and source characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corradini, Stefano; Merucci, Luca

2017-04-01

Volcanic eruptions are one the most important sources of natural pollution. In particular the volcanic clouds represent a severe threat for aviation safety. Worldwide the volcanic activity is monitored by using satellite and ground-based instruments working at different spectral ranges, with different spatial resolutions and sensitivities. Here the complementarity between geostationary and polar satellites and ground based measurements is exploited, in order to significantly improve the volcanic cloud detection and retrievals and to fully characterize the eruption source. The integration procedure named MACE (Multi-platform volcanic Ash Cloud Estimation), has been developed during the EU-FP7 APhoRISM project aimed to develop innovative products to support the management and mitigation of the volcanic and the seismic crisis. The proposed method integrates in a novel manner the volcanic ash retrievals at the space-time scale of typical geostationary observations using both the polar satellite estimations and in-situ measurements. On MACE the typical volcanic cloud retrievals in the thermal infrared are integrated by using a wider spectral range from visible to microwave. Moreover the volcanic cloud detection is extended in case of cloudy atmosphere or steam plumes. As example, the integrated approach is tested on different recent eruptions, occurred on Etna (Italy) in 2013 and 2015 and on Calbuco (Chile) in 2015.

Long-term efficacy of microbiology-driven periodontal laser-assisted therapy.

PubMed

Martelli, F S; Fanti, E; Rosati, C; Martelli, M; Bacci, G; Martelli, M L; Medico, E

2016-03-01

Periodontitis represents a highly prevalent health problem, causing severe functional impairment, reduced quality of life and increased risk of systemic disorders, including respiratory, cardiovascular and osteoarticular diseases, diabetes and fertility problems. It is a typical example of a multifactorial disease, where a polymicrobial infection inducing chronic inflammation of periodontal tissues is favoured by environmental factors, life style and genetic background. Since periodontal pathogens can colonise poorly vascularised niches, antiseptics and antibiotics are typically associated with local treatments to manage the defects, with unstable outcomes especially in early-onset cases. Here, the results of a retrospective study are reported, evaluating the efficacy of a protocol (Periodontal Biological Laser-Assisted Therapy, Perioblast™) by which microbial profiling of periodontal pockets is used to determine the extent and duration of local neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser irradiation plus conventional treatment. The protocol was applied multicentrically on 2683 patients, and found to produce a significant and enduring improvement of all clinical and bacteriological parameters, even in aggressive cases. Microbiome sequencing of selected pockets revealed major population shifts after treatment, as well as strains potentially associated with periodontitis in the absence of known pathogens. This study, conducted for the first time on such a large series, clearly demonstrates long-term efficacy of microbiology-driven non-invasive treatment of periodontal disease.

STAT FAQs Part 1: Floating Solar | State, Local, and Tribal Governments |

Science.gov Websites

interest in installing this innovative solar technology. For example, several wineries in California are tilt to 11 degrees. NREL research has shown that this is the typical mounting angle for floating solar installation. As an example, a hypothetical 1 MW floating solar array located in Napa, California would

The Importance of Prior Knowledge when Comparing Examples: Influences on Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge of Equation Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Star, Jon R.; Durkin, Kelley

2009-01-01

Comparing multiple examples typically supports learning and transfer in laboratory studies and is considered a key feature of high-quality mathematics instruction. This experimental study investigated the importance of prior knowledge in learning from comparison. Seventh- and 8th-grade students (N = 236) learned to solve equations by comparing…

Combining phase-field crystal methods with a Cahn-Hilliard model for binary alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balakrishna, Ananya Renuka; Carter, W. Craig

2018-04-01

Diffusion-induced phase transitions typically change the lattice symmetry of the host material. In battery electrodes, for example, Li ions (diffusing species) are inserted between layers in a crystalline electrode material (host). This diffusion induces lattice distortions and defect formations in the electrode. The structural changes to the lattice symmetry affect the host material's properties. Here, we propose a 2D theoretical framework that couples a Cahn-Hilliard (CH) model, which describes the composition field of a diffusing species, with a phase-field crystal (PFC) model, which describes the host-material lattice symmetry. We couple the two continuum models via coordinate transformation coefficients. We introduce the transformation coefficients in the PFC method to describe affine lattice deformations. These transformation coefficients are modeled as functions of the composition field. Using this coupled approach, we explore the effects of coarse-grained lattice symmetry and distortions on a diffusion-induced phase transition process. In this paper, we demonstrate the working of the CH-PFC model through three representative examples: First, we describe base cases with hexagonal and square symmetries for two composition fields. Next, we illustrate how the CH-PFC method interpolates lattice symmetry across a diffuse phase boundary. Finally, we compute a Cahn-Hilliard type of diffusion and model the accompanying changes to lattice symmetry during a phase transition process.

DDx: diagnostic assistance for the radiologist using PACS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haynor, David R.

1993-09-01

A potentially valuable tool in medical imaging is the development, and integration with PACS, of systems which enhance the interpretive accuracy of the user -- his ability, given a set of findings (in the broad sense, including clinical information about the patient as well as characteristics of the lesion being analyzed), to assign the proper disease label, or diagnosis, to them. Such systems, which we call here interpretive tools (IT), contain a variety of types of information about diseases and their radiologic diagnosis. They can contain information about large numbers of diseases, including statistical information (incidence, characteristic anatomical locations, association with age and gender or with other diseases, probabilities of various findings given a disease), textual information (description of diseases, treatment, literature references, lists of other entities that might be confused with the disease of interest, additional diagnostic points that may not be represented, or even representable, within IT), and image-based information (typical and atypical examples for each entity and radiographic finding, examples of normal anatomy). These databases can be used both for teaching purposes and as a tool for improving interpretive accuracy [Swett, 1987]. This paper describes some of the requirements for these databases and then discusses early work on the implementation of DDx, an IT whose domain is neuroradiology.

Human exposures to monomers resulting from consumer contact with polymers.

PubMed

Leber, A P

2001-06-01

Many consumer products are composed completely, or in part, of polymeric materials. Direct or indirect human contact results in potential exposures to monomers as a result of migrations of trace amounts from the polymeric matrix into foods, into the skin or other bodily surfaces. Typically, residual monomer levels in these polymers are <100 p.p.m., and represent exposures well below those observable in traditional toxicity testing. These product applications thus require alternative methods for evaluating health risks relating to monomer exposures. A typical approach includes: (a) assessment of potential human contacts for specific polymer uses; (b) utilization of data from toxicity testing of pure monomers, e.g. cancer bioassay results; and (c) mathematical risk assessment methods. Exposure potentials are measured in one of two analytical procedures: (1) migration of monomer from polymer into a simulant solvent (e.g. alcohol, acidic water, vegetable oil) appropriate for the intended use of the product (e.g. beer cans, food jars, packaging adhesive, dairy hose); or (2) total monomer content of the polymer, providing worse-case values for migratable monomer. Application of toxicity data typically involves NOEL or benchmark values for non-cancer endpoints, or tumorigenicity potencies for monomers demonstrated to be carcinogens. Risk assessments provide exposure 'safety margin' ratios between levels that: (1) are projected to be safe according to toxicity information, and (2) are potential monomer exposures posed by the intended use of the consumer product. This paper includes an example of a health risk assessment for a chewing gum polymer for which exposures to trace levels of butadiene monomer occur.

In Search of Commonalities: Some Linguistic and Rhetorical Features of Business Reports as a Genre

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeung, Lorrita

2007-01-01

The present study analyzes 22 authentic business reports in an attempt to identify textual features that are typical of business reports as a genre. The analysis shows that there are certain characteristics which distinguish business reports from other related genres such as scientific reports, of which RAs are a typical example. There are also…

The use and generation of illustrative examples in computer-based instructional systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selig, William John; Johannes, James D.

1987-01-01

A method is proposed whereby the underlying domain knowledge is represented such that illustrative examples may be generated on demand. This method has the advantage that the generated example can follow changes in the domain in addition to allowing automatic customization of the example to the individual.

Testing the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) for flood forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batelis, Stamatios-Christos; Rosolem, Rafael; Han, Dawei; Rahman, Mostaquimur

2017-04-01

Land Surface Models (LSM) are based on physics principles and simulate the exchanges of energy, water and biogeochemical cycles between the land surface and lower atmosphere. Such models are typically applied for climate studies or effects of land use changes but as the resolution of LSMs and supporting observations are continuously increasing, its representation of hydrological processes need to be addressed adequately. For example, changes in climate and land use can alter the hydrology of a region, for instance, by altering its flooding regime. LSMs can be a powerful tool because of their ability to spatially represent a region with much finer resolution. However, despite such advantages, its performance has not been extensively assessed for flood forecasting simply because its representation of typical hydrological processes, such as overland flow and river routing, are still either ignored or roughly represented. In this study, we initially test the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) as a flood forecast tool focusing on its river routing scheme. In particular, JULES river routing parameterization is based on the Rapid Flow Model (RFM) which relies on six prescribed parameters (two surface and two subsurface wave celerities, and two return flow fractions). Although this routing scheme is simple, the prescription of its six default parameters is still too generalized. Our aim is to understand the importance of each RFM parameter in a series of JULES simulations at a number of catchments in the UK for the 2006-2015 period. This is carried out, for instance, by making a number of assumptions of parameter behaviour (e.g., spatially uniform versus varying and/or temporally constant or time-varying parameters within each catchment). Hourly rainfall radar in combination with the CHESS (Climate, Hydrological and Ecological research Support System) meteorological daily data both at 1 km2 resolution are used. The evaluation of the model is based on hourly runoff data provided by the National River Flood Archive using a number of model performance metrics. We use a calibrated conceptually-based lumped model, more typically applied in flood studies, as a benchmark for our analysis.

Diatom diversity and response in metal-polluted river environment: preliminary reports from Gromolo Torrent (Liguria, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capello, Marco; Tolotti, Raffaella; Bernabè, Dimitri; Carbone, Cristina; Consani, Sirio; Vagge, Greta; Cutroneo, Laura

2016-04-01

Mineral content and physico-chemical properties of the freshwaters are the main factors affecting both algal assemblages and distributions, while presence of dissolved silicon, low water conductivity, and rocky-mountain habitats host benthic diatom assemblages of high species richness. It is shown that diatoms are sensible to the freshwater acidification (used as pH indicators in acid waters), environmental and climate changes, river organic load, and heavy metal water pollution. For this characteristic, diatoms are among the major biological markers for a variety of environmental and stratigraphic applications. In particular, qualitative and quantitative analyses (assemblage analyses) together with biotic indices as well as morphological and ultrastructure parameterisation provide tools for detailed environmental control and paleo-environmental reconstructions. Severe environmental problems are typically caused by "abandoned mine" and are consequences of the cessation of the mining activity with a lack in infrastructure maintenance. The mine waters which flow into the Gromolo Torrent are almost acidic (pH varying from 2.4 to 5) and enriched in heavy metals and SO42-. This pollution is caused by Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) processes that interest the Libiola mining area, known as a typical example of active AMD processes. The aim of this work is: 1) to characterise the local benthic diatom assemblages along the acidic mine effluents that discharge from Libiola mine, the entire Gromolo torrent course, and in the marine area off the torrent mouth; 2) to identify the main diatom biomarker taxa; 3) to highlight striking situations of equilibrium-disequilibrium in the algal communities, and 4) to point out types and frequency of some teratologies affecting specific diatom taxa as a response to environmental stressors (such as metal-metalloid enrichment). A total of 17 diatom samples was collected and examined, including some marine samples. Diatoms were collected in the riverbed from the hard surface of selected cobblestone by scraping. In laboratory all the samples were washed (by digestion with hydrogen peroxide) and mounted according to the protocol used by the DISTAV Laboratories (University of Genoa). Identification and enumeration of diatom valves was performed using an LM Reichert Jung-Polyvar microscope with 1000x oil-immersion lens. Moreover, a representative subsample of each preparation was observed using SEM images providing an interesting iconographic dataset. Preliminary results show that diatom assemblages are characteristic (in both quality and quantity) in the three different environmental conditions highlighted: a) in AMD environment diatoms are quantitatively scarcely, represented by both typically pioneer and highly tolerant species; b) in the Gromolo torrent diatoms are well represented with fairly well-structured communities, but present specific types and different frequencies in teratological frustula, whereas c) in marine environment they are very poorly represented.

Is a bear white in the woods? Parallel representation of implied object color during language comprehension.

PubMed

Connell, Louise; Lynott, Dermot

2009-06-01

Color is undeniably important to object representations, but so too is the ability of context to alter the color of an object. The present study examined how implied perceptual information about typical and atypical colors is represented during language comprehension. Participants read sentences that implied a (typical or atypical) color for a target object and then performed a modified Stroop task in which they named the ink color of the target word (typical, atypical, or unrelated). Results showed that color naming was facilitated both when ink color was typical for that object (e.g., bear in brown ink) and when it matched the color implied by the previous sentence (e.g., bear in white ink following Joe was excited to see a bear at the North Pole). These findings suggest that unusual contexts cause people to represent in parallel both typical and scenario-specific perceptual information, and these types of information are discussed in relation to the specialization of perceptual simulations.

"Social, technological, and research responses to potential erosion and sediment disasters in the western United States, with examples from California"

Treesearch

R. M. Rice

1985-01-01

Synopsis - Examples from California are used to illustrate typical responses to erosion and debris flow disasters the United States. Political institutions leave virtually all responsibility for disaster prevention to the lowest levels of government or to individuals. Three circumstances in which disasters occur are discussed: urbanized debris cones, urbanized unstable...

Social, technological, and research responses to potential erosion and sediment disasters in the western United States, with examples from California

Treesearch

R. M. Rice

1985-01-01

Examples from California are used to illustrate typical responses to erosion and debris flow disasters in the United States. Political institutions leave virtually all responsibility for disaster prevention to the lowest levels of government or to individuals. Three circumstances in which disasters occur are discussed: urbanized debris cones, urbanized unstable...

When exceptions prove the rule: how extremity of deviance determines the impact of deviant examples on stereotypes.

PubMed

Kunda, Z; Oleson, K C

1997-05-01

The authors examined how the extent to which counterstereotypic individuals deviate from perceivers' stereotypes affects their impact on these stereotypes and found that extremely deviant group members provoke less stereotype assimilation than do moderately deviant ones. Extremely deviant examples can even provoke boomerang effects, that is, enhance the very stereotype that they violate. When participants whose prior stereotype were moderate or extreme were exposed to moderately or extremely deviant examples, the deviant examples' impact on stereotypes depended both on their extremity and on the extremity of perceivers' prior stereotypes. Boomerang effects were obtained only for extreme-stereotype participants exposed to extremely deviant examples and were mediated by perceptions of the typicality of the deviant examples. Open-ended explanations revealed that the atypicality of extremely deviant examples was used as grounds for dismissing them.

Spacecraft high-voltage power supply construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutton, J. F.; Stern, J. E.

1975-01-01

The design techniques, circuit components, fabrication techniques, and past experience used in successful high-voltage power supplies for spacecraft flight systems are described. A discussion of the basic physics of electrical discharges in gases is included and a design rationale for the prevention of electrical discharges is provided. Also included are typical examples of proven spacecraft high-voltage power supplies with typical specifications for design, fabrication, and testing.

smwrData—An R package of example hydrologic data, version 1.1.1

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lorenz, David L.

2015-11-06

A collection of 24 datasets, including streamflow, well characteristics, groundwater elevations, and discrete water-quality concentrations, is provided to produce a consistent set of example data to demonstrate typical data manipulations or statistical analysis of hydrologic data. These example data are provided in an R package called smwrData. The data in the package have been collected by the U.S. Geological Survey or published in its reports, for example Helsel and Hirsch (2002). The R package provides a convenient mechanism for distributing the data to users of R within the U.S. Geological Survey and other users in the R community.

Evolutionary Computing Methods for Spectral Retrieval

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Terrile, Richard; Fink, Wolfgang; Huntsberger, Terrance; Lee, Seugwon; Tisdale, Edwin; VonAllmen, Paul; Tinetti, Geivanna

2009-01-01

A methodology for processing spectral images to retrieve information on underlying physical, chemical, and/or biological phenomena is based on evolutionary and related computational methods implemented in software. In a typical case, the solution (the information that one seeks to retrieve) consists of parameters of a mathematical model that represents one or more of the phenomena of interest. The methodology was developed for the initial purpose of retrieving the desired information from spectral image data acquired by remote-sensing instruments aimed at planets (including the Earth). Examples of information desired in such applications include trace gas concentrations, temperature profiles, surface types, day/night fractions, cloud/aerosol fractions, seasons, and viewing angles. The methodology is also potentially useful for retrieving information on chemical and/or biological hazards in terrestrial settings. In this methodology, one utilizes an iterative process that minimizes a fitness function indicative of the degree of dissimilarity between observed and synthetic spectral and angular data. The evolutionary computing methods that lie at the heart of this process yield a population of solutions (sets of the desired parameters) within an accuracy represented by a fitness-function value specified by the user. The evolutionary computing methods (ECM) used in this methodology are Genetic Algorithms and Simulated Annealing, both of which are well-established optimization techniques and have also been described in previous NASA Tech Briefs articles. These are embedded in a conceptual framework, represented in the architecture of the implementing software, that enables automatic retrieval of spectral and angular data and analysis of the retrieved solutions for uniqueness.

Utility of the Spelling Sensitivity Score to Analyze Spellings of Children with Specific Language Impairment

PubMed Central

Werfel, Krystal L.; Krimm, Hannah

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Spelling Sensitivity Score (SSS) beyond percentage correct scoring in analysing the spellings of children with specific language impairment (SLI). Participants were 31 children with SLI and 28 children with typical language in grades 2 through 4. Spellings of individual words were scored using two methods: (a) percentage correct and (b) SSS. Children with SLI scored lower than children with typical language when spelling was analysed with percentage correct scoring and with SSS scoring. Additionally, SSS scoring highlighted group differences in the nature of spelling errors. Children with SLI were more likely than children with typical language to omit elements and to represent elements with an illegal grapheme in words, whereas children with typical language were more likely than children with SLI to represent all elements with correct letters. PMID:26413194

Uxoricide in pregnancy: ancient Greek domestic violence in evolutionary perspective.

PubMed

Deacy, Susan; McHardy, Fiona

2013-10-24

Previous studies of ancient Greek examples of uxoricide in pregnancy have concluded that the theme is used to suggest tyrannical abuse of power and that the violence is a product of the patriarchal nature of ancient society. This article uses evolutionary analyses of violence during pregnancy to argue that the themes of sexual jealousy and uncertainty over paternity are as crucial as the theme of power to an understanding of these examples and that the examples can be seen as typical instances of spousal abuse as it occurs in all types of society.

On the numerical modeling of sliding beams: A comparison of different approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinbrecher, Ivo; Humer, Alexander; Vu-Quoc, Loc

2017-11-01

The transient analysis of sliding beams represents a challenging problem of structural mechanics. Typically, the sliding motion superimposed by large flexible deformation requires numerical methods as, e.g., finite elements, to obtain approximate solutions. By means of the classical sliding spaghetti problem, the present paper provides a guideline to the numerical modeling with conventional finite element codes. For this purpose, two approaches, one using solid elements and one using beam elements, respectively, are employed in the analysis, and the characteristics of each approach are addressed. The contact formulation realizing the interaction of the beam with its support demands particular attention in the context of sliding structures. Additionally, the paper employs the sliding-beam formulation as a third approach, which avoids the numerical difficulties caused by the large sliding motion through a suitable coordinate transformation. The present paper briefly outlines the theoretical fundamentals of the respective approaches for the modeling of sliding structures and gives a detailed comparison by means of the sliding spaghetti serving as a representative example. The specific advantages and limitations of the different approaches with regard to accuracy and computational efficiency are discussed in detail. Through the comparison, the sliding-beam formulation, which proves as an effective approach for the modeling, can be validated for the general problem of a sliding structure subjected to large deformation.

Lithostathine quadruple-helical filaments form proteinase K-resistant deposits in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

PubMed

Laurine, Emmanuelle; Grégoire, Catherine; Fändrich, Marcus; Engemann, Sabine; Marchal, Stéphane; Thion, Laurent; Mohr, Michel; Monsarrat, Bernard; Michel, Bernard; Dobson, Christopher M; Wanker, Erich; Erard, Monique; Verdier, Jean-Michel

2003-12-19

Autocatalytic cleavage of lithostathine leads to the formation of quadruple-helical fibrils (QHF-litho) that are present in Alzheimer's disease. Here we show that such fibrils also occur in Creutzfeldt-Jakob and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker diseases, where they form protease-K-resistant deposits and co-localize with amyloid plaques formed from prion protein. Lithostathine does not appear to change its native-like, globular structure during fibril formation. However, we obtained evidence that a cluster of six conserved tryptophans, positioned around a surface loop, could act as a mobile structural element that can be swapped between adjacent protein molecules, thereby enabling the formation of higher order fibril bundles. Despite their association with these clinical amyloid deposits, QHF-litho differ from typical amyloid fibrils in several ways, for example they produce a different infrared spectrum and cannot bind Congo Red, suggesting that they may not represent amyloid structures themselves. Instead, we suggest that lithostathine constitutes a novel component decorating disease-associated amyloid fibrils. Interestingly, [6,6']bibenzothiazolyl-2,2'-diamine, an agent found previously to disrupt aggregates of huntingtin associated with Huntington's disease, can dissociate lithostathine bundles into individual protofilaments. Disrupting QHF-litho fibrils could therefore represent a novel therapeutic strategy to combat clinical amyloidoses.

Disentangling patient and public involvement in healthcare decisions: why the difference matters.

PubMed

Fredriksson, Mio; Tritter, Jonathan Q

2017-01-01

Patient and public involvement has become an integral aspect of many developed health systems and is judged to be an essential driver for reform. However, little attention has been paid to the distinctions between patients and the public, and the views of patients are often seen to encompass those of the general public. Using an ideal-type approach, we analyse crucial distinctions between patient involvement and public involvement using examples from Sweden and England. We highlight that patients have sectional interests as health service users in contrast to citizens who engage as a public policy agent reflecting societal interests. Patients draw on experiential knowledge and focus on output legitimacy and performance accountability, aim at typical representativeness, and a direct responsiveness to individual needs and preferences. In contrast, the public contributes with collective perspectives generated from diversity, centres on input legitimacy achieved through statistical representativeness, democratic accountability and indirect responsiveness to general citizen preferences. Thus, using patients as proxies for the public fails to achieve intended goals and benefits of involvement. We conclude that understanding and measuring the impact of patient and public involvement can only develop with the application of a clearer comprehension of the differences. © 2016 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

Equivalent plate modeling for conceptual design of aircraft wing structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giles, Gary L.

1995-01-01

This paper describes an analysis method that generates conceptual-level design data for aircraft wing structures. A key requirement is that this data must be produced in a timely manner so that is can be used effectively by multidisciplinary synthesis codes for performing systems studies. Such a capability is being developed by enhancing an equivalent plate structural analysis computer code to provide a more comprehensive, robust and user-friendly analysis tool. The paper focuses on recent enhancements to the Equivalent Laminated Plate Solution (ELAPS) analysis code that significantly expands the modeling capability and improves the accuracy of results. Modeling additions include use of out-of-plane plate segments for representing winglets and advanced wing concepts such as C-wings along with a new capability for modeling the internal rib and spar structure. The accuracy of calculated results is improved by including transverse shear effects in the formulation and by using multiple sets of assumed displacement functions in the analysis. Typical results are presented to demonstrate these new features. Example configurations include a C-wing transport aircraft, a representative fighter wing and a blended-wing-body transport. These applications are intended to demonstrate and quantify the benefits of using equivalent plate modeling of wing structures during conceptual design.

Chandra Confirmation of a Pulsar Wind Nebula in DA 495

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arzoumanian, Z.; Safi-Harb, S.; Landecker, T.L.; Kothes, R.; Camilo, F.

2008-01-01

As part of a multiwavelength study of the unusual radio supernova remnant DA 495, we present observations made with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Imaging and spectroscopic analysis confirms the previously detected X-ray source at the heart of the annular radio nebula, establishing the radiative properties of two key emission components: a soft unresolved source with a blackbody temperature of 1 MK consistent with a neutron star, surrounded by a nontherma1 nebula 40" in diameter exhibiting a power-law spectrum with photon index Gamma = 1.63, typical of a pulsar wind nebula. Morphologically, the nebula appears to be slightly extended along a direction, in projection on the sky, previously demonstrated to be of significance in radio and ASCA observations; we argue that this represents the orientation of the pulsar spin axis. At smaller scales, a narrow X-ray feature is seen extending out 5" from the point source, but energetic arguments suggest that it is not the resolved termination shock of the pulsar wind against the ambient medium. Finally, we argue based on synchrotron lifetimes in the nebular magnetic field that DA 495 represents the first example of a pulsar wind nebula in which electromagnetic flux makes up a significant part, together with particle flux, of the neutron star's wind.

Optical vortices as potential indicators of biophysical dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majumdar, Anindya; Kirkpatrick, Sean J.

2017-03-01

Laser speckle patterns are granular patterns produced as a result of random interference of light waves. Optical vortices (OVs) are phase singularities in such speckle fields, characterized by zero intensity and an undefined phase. Decorrelation of the speckle fields causes these OVs to move in both time and space. In this work, a variety of parameters of these OVs have been studied. The speckle fields were simulated to undergo three distinct decorrelation behaviors- Gaussian, Lorentzian and constant decorrelations. Different decorrelation behaviors represent different dynamics. For example, Lorentzian and Gaussian decorrelations represent Brownian and ordered motions, respectively. Typical dynamical systems in biophysics are generally argued to be a combination of these. For each of the decorrelation behaviors under study, the vortex trails were tracked while varying the rate of decorrelation. Parameters such as the decorrelation length, average trail length and the deviation of the vortices as they traversed in the speckle field, were studied. Empirical studies were also performed to define the distinction between trails arising from different speckle decorrelation behaviors. The initial studies under stationary speckle fields were followed up by similar studies on shifting fields. A new idea to employ Poincaŕe plots in speckle analysis has also been introduced. Our studies indicate that tracking OVs can be a potential method to study cell and tissue dynamics.

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

Snowden-Swan, Lesley J.; Spies, Kurt A.; Lee, Guo-Shuh J.

Bio-oil from fast pyrolysis of biomass requires multi-stage catalytic hydroprocessing to produce hydrocarbon drop-in fuels. The current proposed process design involves fixed beds of ruthenium-based catalyst and conventional petroleum hydrotreating catalyst. Similar to petroleum processing, the catalyst is spent as a result of coking and other deactivation mechanisms, and must be changed out periodically. Biofuel life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) assessments typically ignore the impact of catalyst consumed during fuel conversion as a result of limited lifetime, representing a data gap in the analyses. To help fill this data gap, life cycle GHGs were estimated for two representative examples ofmore » fast pyrolysis bio-oil hydrotreating catalyst, NiMo/Al2O3 and Ru/C, and integrated into the conversion-stage GHG analysis. Life cycle GHGs for the NiMo/Al2O3 and Ru/C catalysts are estimated at 5.5 and 81 kg CO2-e/kg catalyst, respectively. Contribution of catalyst consumption to total conversion-stage GHGs is 0.5% for NiMo/Al2O3 and 5% for Ru/C. This analysis does not consider secondary sourcing of metals for catalyst manufacture and therefore these are likely to be conservative estimates compared to applications where a spent catalyst recycler can be used.« less

Materials cohesion and interaction forces.

PubMed

Rosenholm, Jarl B; Peiponen, Kai-Erik; Gornov, Evgeny

2008-09-01

The most important methods to determine the cohesive interactions of materials and adhesive interactions between different substances are reviewed. The term cohesion is generalized as representing the unifying interaction forces of a single material and adhesion forces between different substances due to attraction. The aim is to interlink a number of frequently used interaction parameters in order to promote the understanding of materials research executed within different scientific (Material, Colloid, Sol-Gel and Nano) communities. The modern interdisciplinary research requires a removal of the historical obstacles represented by widely differing nomenclature used for the same material properties. The interaction parameters of different models are reviewed and representative numerical values computed from tabulated thermodynamic and spectroscopic material constants. The results are compared with published values. The models are grouped to represent single and two component systems, respectively. The latter group includes models for films on substrates and work of adhesion between liquids and solids. In most cases rather rough approximations have been employed, mostly relating to van der Waals substances for which the gas state is common reference state. In order to improve the predictability of the key Hamaker constant, a novel model for interpreting the dielectric spectrum is presented. The interrelation between thermodynamic, electronic, spectroscopic and dielectric parameters is illustrated by model calculations on typical inorganic materials of current interest as model compounds. The ionic solids are represented by NaCl and KCl, while ZnO, FeO, Fe(2)O(3), Fe(3)O(4), Al(2)O(3), SiO(2), TiO(2), ZrO(2), SnO, SnO(2) represent ceramic oxides and semiconductors. The model compounds thus illustrate the effect of bond type (covalent or ionic) and valence (charge number and sign) of the constituent elements. However, since the focus is placed on a phenomenological analysis, the number of examples remains self-evidently incomplete.

Mapping of Technological Opportunities-Labyrinth Seal Example

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, Dana W., Sr.

2006-01-01

All technological systems evolve based on evolutionary sequences that have repeated throughout history and can be abstracted from the history of technology and patents. These evolutionary sequences represent objective patterns and provide considerable insights that can be used to proactively model future seal concepts. This presentation provides an overview of how to map seal technology into the future using a labyrinth seal example. The mapping process delivers functional descriptions of sequential changes in market/consumer demand, from today s current paradigm to the next major paradigm shift. The future paradigm is developed according to a simple formula: the future paradigm is free of all flaws associated with the current paradigm; it is as far into the future as we can see. Although revolutionary, the vision of the future paradigm is typically not immediately or completely realizable nor is it normally seen as practical. There are several reasons that prevent immediate and complete practical application, such as: 1) Some of the required technological or business resources and knowledge not being available; 2) Availability of other technological or business resources are limited; and/or 3) Some necessary knowledge has not been completely developed. These factors tend to drive the Total Cost of Ownership or Utilization out of an acceptable range and revealing the reasons for the high Total Cost of Ownership or Utilization which provides a clear understanding of research opportunities essential for future developments and defines the current limits of the immediately achievable improvements. The typical roots of high Total Cost of Ownership or Utilization lie in the limited availability or even the absence of essential resources and knowledge necessary for its realization. In order to overcome this obstacle, step-by-step modification of the current paradigm is pursued to evolve from the current situation toward the ideal future, i.e., evolution rather than revolution. A key point is that evolutionary stages are mapped to show step-by-step evolution from the current paradigm to the next major paradigm.

Russian perspectives on elder abuse: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Rinsky, Karina; Malley-Morrison, Kathleen

2006-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze Russian perceptions of elder abuse as reflected in their examples of abusive behavior from an adult child to an aging parent. Also of interest was the possibility of gender differences in the Russian perspectives on elder abuse. The convenience sample consisted of 21 Russian participants (10 males, 10 females, and one without gender identified), who provided examples of extreme, moderate, and mild abuse from an adult child towards an aging parent. Most examples of extreme abuse were forms of physical violence. Typical examples of moderate abuse were instances of psychological aggression-particularly verbal aggression-and neglect. The most common examples of mild abuse were verbal aggression and neglect. One-way analyses of variance revealed statistically significant gender differences in the number of references to psychological aggression in general and to verbal aggression in particular in the examples of moderate abuse, with females giving more examples than males.

Reliable Electronic Text: The Elusive Prerequisite for a Host of Human Language Technologies

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-30

is not always the case—for example, ligatures in Latin-fonts, and glyphs in Arabic fonts (King, 2008; Carrier, 2009). This complexity, and others...such effects can render electronic text useless for natural language processing ( NLP ). Typically, file converters do not expose the details of the...the many component NLP technologies typically used inside information extraction and text categorization applications, such as tokenization, part-of

Studies on spectral analysis of randomly sampled signals: Application to laser velocimetry data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sree, David

1992-01-01

Spectral analysis is very useful in determining the frequency characteristics of many turbulent flows, for example, vortex flows, tail buffeting, and other pulsating flows. It is also used for obtaining turbulence spectra from which the time and length scales associated with the turbulence structure can be estimated. These estimates, in turn, can be helpful for validation of theoretical/numerical flow turbulence models. Laser velocimetry (LV) is being extensively used in the experimental investigation of different types of flows, because of its inherent advantages; nonintrusive probing, high frequency response, no calibration requirements, etc. Typically, the output of an individual realization laser velocimeter is a set of randomly sampled velocity data. Spectral analysis of such data requires special techniques to obtain reliable estimates of correlation and power spectral density functions that describe the flow characteristics. FORTRAN codes for obtaining the autocorrelation and power spectral density estimates using the correlation-based slotting technique were developed. Extensive studies have been conducted on simulated first-order spectrum and sine signals to improve the spectral estimates. A first-order spectrum was chosen because it represents the characteristics of a typical one-dimensional turbulence spectrum. Digital prefiltering techniques, to improve the spectral estimates from randomly sampled data were applied. Studies show that the spectral estimates can be increased up to about five times the mean sampling rate.

Children and adolescents' performance on a medium-length/nonsemantic word-list test.

PubMed

Flores-Lázaro, Julio César; Salgado Soruco, María Alejandra; Stepanov, Igor I

2017-01-01

Word-list learning tasks are among the most important and frequently used tests for declarative memory evaluation. For example, the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version (CVLT-C) and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test provide important information about different cognitive-neuropsychological processes. However, the impact of test length (i.e., number of words) and semantic organization (i.e., type of words) on children's and adolescents' memory performance remains to be clarified, especially during this developmental stage. To explore whether a medium-length non-semantically organized test can produce the typical curvilinear performance that semantically organized tests produce, reflecting executive control, we studied and compared the cognitive performance of normal children and adolescents by utilizing mathematical modeling. The model is based on the first-order system transfer function and has been successfully applied to learning curves for the CVLT-C (15 words, semantically organized paradigm). Results indicate that learning nine semantically unrelated words produces typical curvilinear (executive function) performance in children and younger adolescents and that performance could be effectively analyzed with the mathematical model. This indicates that the exponential increase (curvilinear performance) of correctly learned words does not solely depend on semantic and/or length features. This type of test controls semantic and length effects and may represent complementary tools for executive function evaluation in clinical populations in which semantic and/or length processing are affected.

Representing Young Children with Disabilities in Classroom Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Favazza, Paddy C.; LaRoe, Joyce; Phillipsen, Leslie; Kumar, Poonam

2000-01-01

The "Inventory of Disability Representation" was administered to 92 teachers representing kindergarten, community child care, or preschool settings. Low scores across settings indicated that classrooms typically do not have materials that represent or depict children with diverse abilities. Reasons cited by teachers are noted as are benefits…

Who Governs Federally Qualified Health Centers?

PubMed Central

Wright, Brad

2017-01-01

To make them more responsive to their community’s needs, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are required to have a governing board comprised of at least 51% consumers. However, the extent to which consumer board members actually resemble the typical FQHC patient has not been assessed, which according to the political science literature on representation may influence the board’s ability to represent the community. This mixed-methods study uses four years of data from the Health Resources and Services Administration, combined with Uniform Data System, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Area Resource File data to describe and identify factors associated with the composition of FQHC governing boards. Board members are classified into one of three groups: non-consumers, non-representative consumers (who do not resemble the typical FQHC patient), and representative consumers (who resemble the typical FQHC patient). The analysis finds that a minority of board members are representative consumers, and telephone interviews with a stratified random sample of 30 FQHC board members confirmed the existence of significant socioeconomic gaps between consumer board members and FQHC patients. This may make FQHCs less responsive to the needs of the predominantly low-income communities they serve. PMID:23052684

Full-waveform inversion of surface waves in exploration geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisov, D.; Gao, F.; Williamson, P.; Tromp, J.

2017-12-01

Full-waveform inversion (FWI) is a data fitting approach to estimate high-resolution properties of the Earth from seismic data by minimizing the misfit between observed and calculated seismograms. In land seismics, the source on the ground generates high-amplitude surface waves, which generally represent most of the energy recorded by ground sensors. Although surface waves are widely used in global seismology and engineering studies, they are typically treated as noise within the seismic exploration community since they mask deeper reflections from the intervals of exploration interest. This is mainly due to the fact that surface waves decay exponentially with depth and for a typical frequency range (≈[5-50] Hz) sample only the very shallow part of the subsurface, but also because they are much more sensitive to S-wave than P-wave velocities. In this study, we invert surface waves in the hope of using them as additional information for updating the near surface. In a heterogeneous medium, the main challenge of surface wave inversion is associated with their dispersive character, which makes it difficult to define a starting model for conventional FWI which can avoid cycle-skipping. The standard approach to dealing with this is by inverting the dispersion curves in the Fourier (f-k) domain to generate locally 1-D models, typically for the shear wavespeeds only. However this requires that the near-surface zone be more or less horizontally invariant over a sufficient distance for the spatial Fourier transform to be applicable. In regions with significant topography, such as foothills, this is not the case, so we revert to the time-space domain, but aim to minimize the differences of envelopes in the early stages of the inversion to resolve the cycle-skipping issue. Once the model is good enough, we revert to the classic waveform-difference inversion. We first present a few synthetic examples. We show that classical FWI might be trapped in a local minimum even for relatively simple scenario, while FWI with envelopes is stable and can converge using an inaccurate starting model. We also perform resolution analysis using a checkerboard test. We then present a field example. The final shear wavespeed model is compared to the results from the inversion of dispersion curves.

YSO Jets in the Galactic Plane from UWISH2. IV. Jets and Outflows in Cygnus-X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makin, S. V.; Froebrich, D.

2018-01-01

We have performed an unbiased search for outflows from young stars in Cygnus-X using 42 deg2 of data from the UKIRT Widefield Infrared Survey for H2 (UWISH2 Survey), to identify shock-excited near-IR H2 emission in the 1–0 S(1) 2.122 μm line. We uncovered 572 outflows, of which 465 are new discoveries, increasing the number of known objects by more than 430%. This large and unbiased sample allows us to statistically determine the typical properties of outflows from young stars. We found 261 bipolar outflows, and 16% of these are parsec scale. The typical bipolar outflow is 0.45 pc in length and has gaps of 0.025–0.1 pc between large knots. The median luminosity in the 1–0 S(1) line is 10‑3 {L}ȯ . The bipolar flows are typically asymmetrical, with the two lobes misaligned by 5°, one lobe 30% shorter than the other, and one lobe twice as bright as the other. Of the remaining outflows, 152 are single-sided and 159 are groups of extended, shock-excited H2 emission without identifiable driving sources. Half of all driving sources have sufficient WISE data to determine their evolutionary status as either protostars (80%) or classical T Tauri stars (20%). One-fifth of the driving sources are variable by more than 0.5 mag in the K-band continuum over several years. Several of the newly identified outflows provide excellent targets for follow-up studies. We particularly encourage the study of the outflows and young stars identified in a bright-rimmed cloud near IRAS 20294+4255, which seems to represent a textbook example of triggered star formation.

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

Farmer, J.D.; Ott, E.; Yorke, J.A.

Dimension is perhaps the most basic property of an attractor. In this paper we discuss a variety of different definitions of dimension, compute their values for a typical example, and review previous work on the dimension of chaotic attractors. The relevant definitions of dimension are of two general types, those that depend only on metric properties, and those that depend on probabilistic properties (that is, they depend on the frequency with which a typical trajectory visits different regions of the attractor). Both our example and the previous work that we review support the conclusion that all of the probabilistic dimensionsmore » take on the same value, which we call the dimension of the natural measure, and all of the metric dimensions take on a common value, which we call the fractal dimension. Furthermore, the dimension of the natural measure is typically equal to the Lyapunov dimension, which is defined in terms of Lyapunov numbers, and thus is usually far easier to calculate than any other definition. Because it is computable and more physically relevant, we feel that the dimension of the natural measure is more important than the fractal dimension.« less

Proteomic analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue by MALDI imaging mass spectrometry

PubMed Central

Casadonte, Rita; Caprioli, Richard M

2012-01-01

Archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue collections represent a valuable informational resource for proteomic studies. Multiple FFPE core biopsies can be assembled in a single block to form tissue microarrays (TMAs). We describe a protocol for analyzing protein in FFPE -TMAs using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MAL DI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS). The workflow incorporates an antigen retrieval step following deparaffinization, in situ trypsin digestion, matrix application and then mass spectrometry signal acquisition. The direct analysis of FFPE -TMA tissue using IMS allows direct analysis of multiple tissue samples in a single experiment without extraction and purification of proteins. The advantages of high speed and throughput, easy sample handling and excellent reproducibility make this technology a favorable approach for the proteomic analysis of clinical research cohorts with large sample numbers. For example, TMA analysis of 300 FFPE cores would typically require 6 h of total time through data acquisition, not including data analysis. PMID:22011652

Eigenmode analysis of a high-gain free-electron laser based on a transverse gradient undulator

DOE PAGES

Baxevanis, Panagiotis; Huang, Zhirong; Ruth, Ronald; ...

2015-01-27

Here, the use of a transverse gradient undulator (TGU) is viewed as an attractive option for free-electron lasers (FELs) driven by beams with a large energy spread. By suitably dispersing the electron beam and tilting the undulator poles, the energy spread effect can be substantially mitigated. However, adding the dispersion typically leads to electron beams with large aspect ratios. As a result, the presence of higher-order modes in the FEL radiation can become significant. To investigate this effect, we study the eigenmode properties of a TGU-based, high-gain FEL, using both an analytically-solvable model and a variational technique. Our analysis, whichmore » includes the fundamental and the higher-order FEL eigenmodes, can provide an estimate of the mode content for the output radiation. This formalism also enables us to study the trade-off between FEL gain and transverse coherence. Numerical results are presented for a representative soft X-ray, TGU FEL example.« less

Digital lattice gauge theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zohar, Erez; Farace, Alessandro; Reznik, Benni; Cirac, J. Ignacio

2017-02-01

We propose a general scheme for a digital construction of lattice gauge theories with dynamical fermions. In this method, the four-body interactions arising in models with 2 +1 dimensions and higher are obtained stroboscopically, through a sequence of two-body interactions with ancillary degrees of freedom. This yields stronger interactions than the ones obtained through perturbative methods, as typically done in previous proposals, and removes an important bottleneck in the road towards experimental realizations. The scheme applies to generic gauge theories with Lie or finite symmetry groups, both Abelian and non-Abelian. As a concrete example, we present the construction of a digital quantum simulator for a Z3 lattice gauge theory with dynamical fermionic matter in 2 +1 dimensions, using ultracold atoms in optical lattices, involving three atomic species, representing the matter, gauge, and auxiliary degrees of freedom, that are separated in three different layers. By moving the ancilla atoms with a proper sequence of steps, we show how we can obtain the desired evolution in a clean, controlled way.

Load-Following Power Timeline Analyses for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fincannon, James; Delleur, Ann; Green, Robert; Hojnicki, Jeffrey

1996-01-01

Spacecraft are typically complex assemblies of interconnected systems and components that have highly time-varying thermal communications, and power requirements. It is essential that systems designers be able to assess the capability of the spacecraft to meet these requirements which should represent a realistic projection of demand for these resources once the vehicle is on-orbit. To accomplish the assessment from the power standpoint, a computer code called ECAPS has been developed at NASA Lewis Research Center that performs a load-driven analysis of a spacecraft power system given time-varying distributed loading and other mission data. This program is uniquely capable of synthesizing all of the changing spacecraft conditions into a single, seamless analysis for a complete mission. This paper presents example power load timelines with which numerous data are integrated to provide a realistic assessment of the load-following capabilities of the power system. Results of analyses show how well the power system can meet the time-varying power resource demand.

Analysis of an operator-differential model for magnetostrictive energy harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davino, D.; Krejčí, P.; Pimenov, A.; Rachinskii, D.; Visone, C.

2016-10-01

We present a model of, and analysis of an optimization problem for, a magnetostrictive harvesting device which converts mechanical energy of the repetitive process such as vibrations of the smart material to electrical energy that is then supplied to an electric load. The model combines a lumped differential equation for a simple electronic circuit with an operator model for the complex constitutive law of the magnetostrictive material. The operator based on the formalism of the phenomenological Preisach model describes nonlinear saturation effects and hysteresis losses typical of magnetostrictive materials in a thermodynamically consistent fashion. We prove well-posedness of the full operator-differential system and establish global asymptotic stability of the periodic regime under periodic mechanical forcing that represents mechanical vibrations due to varying environmental conditions. Then we show the existence of an optimal solution for the problem of maximization of the output power with respect to a set of controllable parameters (for the periodically forced system). Analytical results are illustrated with numerical examples of an optimal solution.

State-space reduction and equivalence class sampling for a molecular self-assembly model.

PubMed

Packwood, Daniel M; Han, Patrick; Hitosugi, Taro

2016-07-01

Direct simulation of a model with a large state space will generate enormous volumes of data, much of which is not relevant to the questions under study. In this paper, we consider a molecular self-assembly model as a typical example of a large state-space model, and present a method for selectively retrieving 'target information' from this model. This method partitions the state space into equivalence classes, as identified by an appropriate equivalence relation. The set of equivalence classes H, which serves as a reduced state space, contains none of the superfluous information of the original model. After construction and characterization of a Markov chain with state space H, the target information is efficiently retrieved via Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling. This approach represents a new breed of simulation techniques which are highly optimized for studying molecular self-assembly and, moreover, serves as a valuable guideline for analysis of other large state-space models.

Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence in Paleontology

PubMed Central

Kaye, Thomas G.; Falk, Amanda R.; Pittman, Michael; Sereno, Paul C.; Burnham, David A.; Gong, Enpu; Xu, Xing; Wang, Yinan

2015-01-01

Fluorescence using ultraviolet (UV) light has seen increased use as a tool in paleontology over the last decade. Laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF) is a next generation technique that is emerging as a way to fluoresce paleontological specimens that remain dark under typical UV. A laser’s ability to concentrate very high flux rates both at the macroscopic and microscopic levels results in specimens fluorescing in ways a standard UV bulb cannot induce. Presented here are five paleontological case histories that illustrate the technique across a broad range of specimens and scales. Novel uses such as back-lighting opaque specimens to reveal detail and detection of specimens completely obscured by matrix are highlighted in these examples. The recent cost reductions in medium-power short wavelength lasers and use of standard photographic filters has now made this technique widely accessible to researchers. This technology has the potential to automate multiple aspects of paleontology, including preparation and sorting of microfossils. This represents a highly cost-effective way to address paleontology's preparatory bottleneck. PMID:26016843

[Strategies to promote testosterone deficiency syndrome: a paradigm of disease mongering].

PubMed

Gavilán, Enrique; Jiménez de Gracia, Laura; Gérvas, Juan

2014-01-01

The so-called «testosterone deficiency syndrome» is a blend of nonspecific symptoms typical of the physiological process of aging. This syndrome has been the subject of intense promotional activity that has presented the phenomenon as highly prevalent and with a major public health impact. This strategy has been accompanied by the emergence of new and easy to administer testosterone devices into the pharmaceutical market and has generated significant sales for drug companies. The commercial promotion of testosterone deficiency syndrome and its remedies has exploited cultural stereotypes of aging and sexuality through awareness campaigns promoted by the laboratories involved and has been disseminated by media with the participation of numerous experts and with the support of scientific associations, representing a paradigmatic case of disease mongering. This example might be of use in the response to disease mongering activities from the clinical and public health fields. Copyright © 2013 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Eigenmode analysis of a high-gain free-electron laser based on a transverse gradient undulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baxevanis, Panagiotis; Huang, Zhirong; Ruth, Ronald; Schroeder, Carl B.

2015-01-01

The use of a transverse gradient undulator (TGU) is viewed as an attractive option for free-electron lasers (FELs) driven by beams with a large energy spread. By suitably dispersing the electron beam and tilting the undulator poles, the energy spread effect can be substantially mitigated. However, adding the dispersion typically leads to electron beams with large aspect ratios. As a result, the presence of higher-order modes in the FEL radiation can become significant. To investigate this effect, we study the eigenmode properties of a TGU-based, high-gain FEL, using both an analytically-solvable model and a variational technique. Our analysis, which includes the fundamental and the higher-order FEL eigenmodes, can provide an estimate of the mode content for the output radiation. This formalism also enables us to study the trade-off between FEL gain and transverse coherence. Numerical results are presented for a representative soft X-ray, TGU FEL example.

Avoiding reification. Heuristic effectiveness of mathematics and the prediction of the Ω- particle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginammi, Michele

2016-02-01

According to Steiner (1998), in contemporary physics new important discoveries are often obtained by means of strategies which rely on purely formal mathematical considerations. In such discoveries, mathematics seems to have a peculiar and controversial role, which apparently cannot be accounted for by means of standard methodological criteria. M. Gell-Mann and Y. Ne'eman's prediction of the Ω- particle is usually considered a typical example of application of this kind of strategy. According to Bangu (2008), this prediction is apparently based on the employment of a highly controversial principle-what he calls the "reification principle". Bangu himself takes this principle to be methodologically unjustifiable, but still indispensable to make the prediction logically sound. In the present paper I will offer a new reconstruction of the reasoning that led to this prediction. By means of this reconstruction, I will show that we do not need to postulate any "reificatory" role of mathematics in contemporary physics and I will contextually clarify the representative and heuristic role of mathematics in science.

Virus maturation: dynamics and mechanism of a stabilizing structural transition that leads to infectivity.

PubMed

Steven, Alasdair C; Heymann, J Bernard; Cheng, Naiqian; Trus, Benes L; Conway, James F

2005-04-01

For many viruses, the final stage of assembly involves structural transitions that convert an innocuous precursor particle into an infectious agent. This process -- maturation -- is controlled by proteases that trigger large-scale conformational changes. In this context, protease inhibitor antiviral drugs act by blocking maturation. Recent work has succeeded in determining the folds of representative examples of the five major proteins -- major capsid protein, scaffolding protein, portal, protease and accessory protein -- that are typically involved in capsid assembly. These data provide a framework for detailed mechanistic investigations and elucidation of mutations that affect assembly in various ways. The nature of the conformational change has been elucidated: it entails rigid-body rotations and translations of the arrayed subunits that transfer the interactions between them to different molecular surfaces, accompanied by refolding and redeployment of local motifs. Moreover, it has been possible to visualize maturation at the submolecular level in movies based on time-resolved cryo-electron microscopy.

3D segmentations of neuronal nuclei from confocal microscope image stacks

PubMed Central

LaTorre, Antonio; Alonso-Nanclares, Lidia; Muelas, Santiago; Peña, José-María; DeFelipe, Javier

2013-01-01

In this paper, we present an algorithm to create 3D segmentations of neuronal cells from stacks of previously segmented 2D images. The idea behind this proposal is to provide a general method to reconstruct 3D structures from 2D stacks, regardless of how these 2D stacks have been obtained. The algorithm not only reuses the information obtained in the 2D segmentation, but also attempts to correct some typical mistakes made by the 2D segmentation algorithms (for example, under segmentation of tightly-coupled clusters of cells). We have tested our algorithm in a real scenario—the segmentation of the neuronal nuclei in different layers of the rat cerebral cortex. Several representative images from different layers of the cerebral cortex have been considered and several 2D segmentation algorithms have been compared. Furthermore, the algorithm has also been compared with the traditional 3D Watershed algorithm and the results obtained here show better performance in terms of correctly identified neuronal nuclei. PMID:24409123

3D segmentations of neuronal nuclei from confocal microscope image stacks.

PubMed

Latorre, Antonio; Alonso-Nanclares, Lidia; Muelas, Santiago; Peña, José-María; Defelipe, Javier

2013-01-01

In this paper, we present an algorithm to create 3D segmentations of neuronal cells from stacks of previously segmented 2D images. The idea behind this proposal is to provide a general method to reconstruct 3D structures from 2D stacks, regardless of how these 2D stacks have been obtained. The algorithm not only reuses the information obtained in the 2D segmentation, but also attempts to correct some typical mistakes made by the 2D segmentation algorithms (for example, under segmentation of tightly-coupled clusters of cells). We have tested our algorithm in a real scenario-the segmentation of the neuronal nuclei in different layers of the rat cerebral cortex. Several representative images from different layers of the cerebral cortex have been considered and several 2D segmentation algorithms have been compared. Furthermore, the algorithm has also been compared with the traditional 3D Watershed algorithm and the results obtained here show better performance in terms of correctly identified neuronal nuclei.

Induced effects of advanced oxidation processes

PubMed Central

Liu, Peng; Li, Chaolin; Zhao, Zhuanjun; Lu, Gang; Cui, Haibo; Zhang, Wenfang

2014-01-01

Hazardous organic wastes from industrial, military, and commercial activities represent one of the greatest challenges to human beings. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are alternatives to the degradation of those organic wastes. However, the knowledge about the exact mechanisms of AOPs is still incomplete. Here we report a phenomenon in the AOPs: induced effects, which is a common property of combustion reaction. Through analysis EDTA oxidation processes by Fenton and UV-Fenton system, the results indicate that, just like combustion, AOPs are typical induction reactions. One most compelling example is that pre-feeding easily oxidizable organic matter can promote the oxidation of refractory organic compound when it was treated by AOPs. Connecting AOPs to combustion, it is possible to achieve some helpful enlightenment from combustion to analyze, predict and understand AOPs. In addition, we assume that maybe other oxidation reactions also have induced effects, such as corrosion, aging and passivation. Muchmore research is necessary to reveal the possibilities of induced effects in those fields. PMID:24503715

Induced effects of advanced oxidation processes.

PubMed

Liu, Peng; Li, Chaolin; Zhao, Zhuanjun; Lu, Gang; Cui, Haibo; Zhang, Wenfang

2014-02-07

Hazardous organic wastes from industrial, military, and commercial activities represent one of the greatest challenges to human beings. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are alternatives to the degradation of those organic wastes. However, the knowledge about the exact mechanisms of AOPs is still incomplete. Here we report a phenomenon in the AOPs: induced effects, which is a common property of combustion reaction. Through analysis EDTA oxidation processes by Fenton and UV-Fenton system, the results indicate that, just like combustion, AOPs are typical induction reactions. One most compelling example is that pre-feeding easily oxidizable organic matter can promote the oxidation of refractory organic compound when it was treated by AOPs. Connecting AOPs to combustion, it is possible to achieve some helpful enlightenment from combustion to analyze, predict and understand AOPs. In addition, we assume that maybe other oxidation reactions also have induced effects, such as corrosion, aging and passivation. Muchmore research is necessary to reveal the possibilities of induced effects in those fields.

Manufacturing complexity analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delionback, L. M.

1977-01-01

The analysis of the complexity of a typical system is presented. Starting with the subsystems of an example system, the step-by-step procedure for analysis of the complexity of an overall system is given. The learning curves for the various subsystems are determined as well as the concurrent numbers of relevant design parameters. Then trend curves are plotted for the learning curve slopes versus the various design-oriented parameters, e.g. number of parts versus slope of learning curve, or number of fasteners versus slope of learning curve, etc. Representative cuts are taken from each trend curve, and a figure-of-merit analysis is made for each of the subsystems. Based on these values, a characteristic curve is plotted which is indicative of the complexity of the particular subsystem. Each such characteristic curve is based on a universe of trend curve data taken from data points observed for the subsystem in question. Thus, a characteristic curve is developed for each of the subsystems in the overall system.

42 CFR 414.40 - Coding and ancillary policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) Global surgery policy (for example, post- and pre-operative periods and services, and intra-operative..., which typically comprise a technical component (the taking of the test) and a professional component...

42 CFR 414.40 - Coding and ancillary policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) Global surgery policy (for example, post- and pre-operative periods and services, and intra-operative..., which typically comprise a technical component (the taking of the test) and a professional component...

42 CFR 414.40 - Coding and ancillary policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) Global surgery policy (for example, post- and pre-operative periods and services, and intra-operative..., which typically comprise a technical component (the taking of the test) and a professional component...

42 CFR 414.40 - Coding and ancillary policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... surgery policy (for example, post- and pre-operative periods and services, and intra-operative services... typically comprise a technical component (the taking of the test) and a professional component (the...

42 CFR 414.40 - Coding and ancillary policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... surgery policy (for example, post- and pre-operative periods and services, and intra-operative services... typically comprise a technical component (the taking of the test) and a professional component (the...

Picometer resolution interferometric characterization of the dimensional stability of zero CTE CFRP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordero Machado, Jorge; Heinrich, Thomas; Schuldt, Thilo; Gohlke, Martin; Lucarelli, Stefano; Weise, Dennis; Johann, Ulrich; Peters, Achim; Braxmaier, Claus

2008-07-01

Highly stable but lightweight structural materials are essential for the realization of spaceborne optical instruments, for example telescopes. In terms of optical performance, usually tight tolerances on the absolute spacing between telescope mirrors have to be maintained from integration on ground to operation in final orbit. Furthermore, a certain stability of the telescope structure must typically be ensured in the measurement band. Particular challenging requirements have to be met for the LISA Mission (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), where the spacing between primary and secondary mirror must be stable to a few picometers. Only few materials offer sufficient thermal stability to provide such performance. Candidates are for example Zerodur and Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP), where the latter is preferred in terms of mechanical stiffness and robustness. We are currently investigating the suitability of CFRP with respect to the LISA requirements by characterization of its dimensional stability with heterodyne laser interferometry. The special, highly symmetric interferometer setup offers a noise level of 2 pm/√Hz at 0.1Hz and above, and therefore represents a unique tool for this purpose. Various procedures for the determination of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) have been investigated, both on a test sample with negative CTE, as well as on a CFRP tube specifically tuned to provide a theoretical zero expansion in the axial dimension.

Theory of periodic swarming of bacteria: Application to Proteus mirabilis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czirók, A.; Matsushita, M.; Vicsek, T.

2001-03-01

The periodic swarming of bacteria is one of the simplest examples for pattern formation produced by the self-organized collective behavior of a large number of organisms. In the spectacular colonies of Proteus mirabilis (the most common species exhibiting this type of growth), a series of concentric rings are developed as the bacteria multiply and swarm following a scenario that periodically repeats itself. We have developed a theoretical description for this process in order to obtain a deeper insight into some of the typical processes governing the phenomena in systems of many interacting living units. Our approach is based on simple assumptions directly related to the latest experimental observations on colony formation under various conditions. The corresponding one-dimensional model consists of two coupled differential equations investigated here both by numerical integrations and by analyzing the various expressions obtained from these equations using a few natural assumptions about the parameters of the model. We determine the phase diagram corresponding to systems exhibiting periodic swarming, and discuss in detail how the various stages of the colony development can be interpreted in our framework. We point out that all of our theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the complete set of available observations. Thus the present study represents one of the few examples where self-organized biological pattern formation is understood within a relatively simple theoretical approach, leading to results and predictions fully compatible with experiments.

Requirements for benchmarking personal image retrieval systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouguet, Jean-Yves; Dulong, Carole; Kozintsev, Igor; Wu, Yi

2006-01-01

It is now common to have accumulated tens of thousands of personal ictures. Efficient access to that many pictures can only be done with a robust image retrieval system. This application is of high interest to Intel processor architects. It is highly compute intensive, and could motivate end users to upgrade their personal computers to the next generations of processors. A key question is how to assess the robustness of a personal image retrieval system. Personal image databases are very different from digital libraries that have been used by many Content Based Image Retrieval Systems.1 For example a personal image database has a lot of pictures of people, but a small set of different people typically family, relatives, and friends. Pictures are taken in a limited set of places like home, work, school, and vacation destination. The most frequent queries are searched for people, and for places. These attributes, and many others affect how a personal image retrieval system should be benchmarked, and benchmarks need to be different from existing ones based on art images, or medical images for examples. The attributes of the data set do not change the list of components needed for the benchmarking of such systems as specified in2: - data sets - query tasks - ground truth - evaluation measures - benchmarking events. This paper proposed a way to build these components to be representative of personal image databases, and of the corresponding usage models.

Regional climate service in Southern Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schipper, Janus; Hackenbruch, Julia

2013-04-01

Climate change challenges science, politics, business and society at the international, national and regional level. The South German Climate Office at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is a contact for the structuring and dissemination of information on climate and climate change in the South German region. It provides scientifically based and user-oriented climate information. Thereby it builds a bridge between the climate sciences and society and provides scientific information on climate change in an understandable way. The expertise of KIT, in which several institutions operate on fundamental and applied climate research, and of partner institutions is the basis for the work in the climate office. The regional focus is on the south of Germany. Thematic focuses are e.g. regional climate modeling, trends in extreme weather events such as heavy rain and hail event, and issues for energy and water management. The South German Climate Office is one of four Regional Helmholtz Climate Offices, of which each has a regional and thematic focus. The users of the Climate Office can be summarized into three categories. First, there is the general public. This category consists mainly of non-professionals. Here, special attention is on an understandable translation of climate information. Attention is paid to application-related aspects, because each individual is affected in a different way by climate change. Typical examples of this category are school groups, citizens and the media. The second category consists of experts of other disciplines. Unlike the first category they are mainly interested in the exchange of results and data. It is important to the climate office to provide support for the use of climatological results. Typical representatives of this category are ministries, state offices, and companies. In the third and final category are scientists. In addition to the climatologists, this category also holds representatives from other scientific disciplines, which are directly or indirectly cope with climate change. This category encompasses for example hydrologists (estimation of future flood events) and engineers (housing in a changing climate). For these three categories, different approaches are needed. First, the South German Climate Office reaches a wide audience through regular appearance in the media (newspapers, radio, and television). Because for such appearances the information content needs to be simplified quite strongly, experts will be better addressed through workshops and conferences. For example, the Climate Office has carried out a few events on "Climate and Constructions' in recent years. Several collaborations that led to project work between different scientific disciplines resulted from these events. The experience at the South German Climate Office has shown that the demand for information about climate change and its consequences is very diverse. Therefore, part of the activities is to carry out a categorized view on the requests in order to allow such a user-oriented answering. An additional role of the climate office is to enhance the general visibility of climatological results by workshops and conferences.

5 CFR 2635.807 - Teaching, speaking and writing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... program. However, his title or position may not be used to promote the course, for example, by featuring... independent research and does not represent the findings of the CDC. Example 3: An employee of the Federal... writing deals generally with a subject within the agency's areas of responsibility. Example 1: The...

5 CFR 2635.807 - Teaching, speaking and writing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... program. However, his title or position may not be used to promote the course, for example, by featuring... independent research and does not represent the findings of the CDC. Example 3: An employee of the Federal... writing deals generally with a subject within the agency's areas of responsibility. Example 1: The...

5 CFR 2635.807 - Teaching, speaking and writing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... program. However, his title or position may not be used to promote the course, for example, by featuring... independent research and does not represent the findings of the CDC. Example 3: An employee of the Federal... writing deals generally with a subject within the agency's areas of responsibility. Example 1: The...

5 CFR 2635.807 - Teaching, speaking and writing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... program. However, his title or position may not be used to promote the course, for example, by featuring... independent research and does not represent the findings of the CDC. Example 3: An employee of the Federal... writing deals generally with a subject within the agency's areas of responsibility. Example 1: The...

Role of Donor-Acceptor Interactions in the Sorption of TNT and Other Nitroaromatics from Solution

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

Leggett isotherms . Nevertheless, these single-valued sorption 1986, Yinon and Hwang 1986), industrial hygiene coefficients can be considered somewhat...Patrick 1990). In all cases similar sorption isotherms were reported, some typical examples of which are shown in Figure 1. They 40- are...is that two (or more) mechanisms operate simultaneously-one with lower capacity and higher Figure 1. Some typical TNT sorption isotherms . (C, and

Effects of Trichothecenes on Cardiac Cell Electrical Function

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-13

Figure 8 illustrate the typical effects of trichothecene mycotoxins in canine ventricular cells. T-2 tetraol, for example, reduced the total duration of...potentials from false tendon cells and ventricular muscle cells (shown in Figure 8) illustrate the typical effects of trichothecene mycotoxins in canine...the plateau (arrow) from 14 my to 4 my. Table 6 summarizes the effects of T-2 mycotoxin on the action potential parameters of false tendon cells and

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Eu III oscillator strengths (Masonkina+, 2002)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masonkina, L. I.; Ryabtsev, A. N.; Ryabchikova, T. A.

2002-04-01

The calculations of the spectrum and oscillator strengths for the 4f7-(4f65d+4f66s) Eu III transitions. The calculations were performed with Cowan's RCN-RCG-RCE codes in the single-configuration approximation. The new oscillator strengths were tested by analyzing the Europium abundances using Eu II and Eu III lines in the spectra of hot peculiar stars (α2 CVn is a typical representative) and a cool peculiar stars (β CrB is a typical representative). (3 data files).

A Case Study of a Combat Aircraft’s Single Hit Vulnerability

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

Survivability Life Cycle 21 3.2 Interfaces of the FMECA Process 27 3.3 Example FMEA Format 29 3.4 Example DMEA Matrix 33 3.5 Example Disablement Diagram 34...Typical Hi-Hi/Hi-Hi Mission 58 5.5 A-20 Conceptual Tactics 60 7.1 A-20 Fuel System 73 7.2 A-20 Hydraulics System 75 7.3 A-20 Flight Controls System 77 7.4...effect severity. The FMECA procedure is performed in two steps, (1) a Fail- ure Mode and Effects Analysis ( FMEA ) and (2) a Damage Mode and Effects

C-band radar calibration using GEOS-3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krabill, W. B.; Martin, C. F.

1978-01-01

The various methods of determining tracking radar measurement error parameters are described, along with the projected accuracy of results. Typical examples and results for calibration of radars tracking the GEOS-3 satellite are presented.

Development of light and small airplanes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lachmann, G

1926-01-01

The author has endeavored to select only the most important lines of development and has limited the description of individual airplanes to a few typical examples. Comparisons are presented between German and foreign accomplishments.

Error assessment of biogeochemical models by lower bound methods (NOMMA-1.0)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauerland, Volkmar; Löptien, Ulrike; Leonhard, Claudine; Oschlies, Andreas; Srivastav, Anand

2018-03-01

Biogeochemical models, capturing the major feedbacks of the pelagic ecosystem of the world ocean, are today often embedded into Earth system models which are increasingly used for decision making regarding climate policies. These models contain poorly constrained parameters (e.g., maximum phytoplankton growth rate), which are typically adjusted until the model shows reasonable behavior. Systematic approaches determine these parameters by minimizing the misfit between the model and observational data. In most common model approaches, however, the underlying functions mimicking the biogeochemical processes are nonlinear and non-convex. Thus, systematic optimization algorithms are likely to get trapped in local minima and might lead to non-optimal results. To judge the quality of an obtained parameter estimate, we propose determining a preferably large lower bound for the global optimum that is relatively easy to obtain and that will help to assess the quality of an optimum, generated by an optimization algorithm. Due to the unavoidable noise component in all observations, such a lower bound is typically larger than zero. We suggest deriving such lower bounds based on typical properties of biogeochemical models (e.g., a limited number of extremes and a bounded time derivative). We illustrate the applicability of the method with two real-world examples. The first example uses real-world observations of the Baltic Sea in a box model setup. The second example considers a three-dimensional coupled ocean circulation model in combination with satellite chlorophyll a.

High-Efficiency Food Production in a Renewable Energy Based Micro-Grid Power System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, David; Meiners, Dennis

2016-01-01

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems can be used to produce high-quality, desirable food year round, and the fresh produce can positively contribute to the health and well being of residents in communities with difficult supply logistics. While CEA has many positive outcomes for a remote community, the associated high electric demands have prohibited widespread implementation in what is typically already a fully subscribed power generation and distribution system. Recent advances in CEA technologies as well as renewable power generation, storage, and micro-grid management are increasing system efficiency and expanding the possibilities for enhancing community supporting infrastructure without increasing demands for outside supplied fuels. We will present examples of how new lighting, nutrient delivery, and energy management and control systems can enable significant increases in food production efficiency while maintaining high yields in CEA. Examples from Alaskan communities where initial incorporation of renewable power generation, energy storage and grid management techniques have already reduced diesel fuel consumption for electric generation by more than 40% and expanded grid capacity will be presented. We will discuss how renewable power generation, efficient grid management to extract maximum community service per kW, and novel energy storage approaches can expand the food production, water supply, waste treatment, sanitation and other community support services without traditional increases of consumable fuels supplied from outside the community. These capabilities offer communities with a range of choices to enhance their communities. The examples represent a synergy of technology advancement efforts to develop sustainable community support systems for future space-based human habitats and practical implementation of infrastructure components to increase efficiency and enhance health and well being in remote communities today and tomorrow.

High-Efficiency Food Production in a Renewable Energy Based Micro-Grid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, David L.

2017-01-01

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems can be used to produce high-quality, desirable food year round, and the fresh produce can positively contribute to the health and well being of residents in communities with difficult supply logistics. While CEA has many positive outcomes for a remote community, the associated high electric demands have prohibited widespread implementation in what is typically already a fully subscribed power generation and distribution system. Recent advances in CEA technologies as well as renewable power generation, storage, and micro-grid management are increasing system efficiency and expanding the possibilities for enhancing community supporting infrastructure without increasing demands for outside supplied fuels. We will present examples of how new lighting, nutrient delivery, and energy management and control systems can enable significant increases in food production efficiency while maintaining high yields in CEA.Examples from Alaskan communities where initial incorporation of renewable power generation, energy storage and grid management techniques have already reduced diesel fuel consumption for electric generation by more than 40 and expanded grid capacity will be presented. We will discuss how renewable power generation, efficient grid management to extract maximum community service per kW, and novel energy storage approaches can expand the food production, water supply, waste treatment, sanitation and other community support services without traditional increases of consumable fuels supplied from outside the community. These capabilities offer communities with a range of choices to enhance their communities. The examples represent a synergy of technology advancement efforts to develop sustainable community support systems for future space-based human habitats and practical implementation of infrastructure components to increase efficiency and enhance health and well-being in remote communities today and tomorrow.

Can Detectability Analysis Improve the Utility of Point Counts for Temperate Forest Raptors?

EPA Science Inventory

Temperate forest breeding raptors are poorly represented in typical point count surveys because these birds are cryptic and typically breed at low densities. In recent years, many new methods for estimating detectability during point counts have been developed, including distanc...

The Effect of Resolution on Detecting Visually Salient Preattentive Features

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

resolutions in descending order (a–e). The plot compiles the areas of interest displayed in the images and each symbol represents 1 of the images. Data...to particular regions in a scene by highly salient 2 features, for example, the color of the flower discussed in the previous example. These...descending order (a–e). The plot compiles the areas of interest displayed in the images and each symbol represents 1 of the images. Data clusters

L4 Milestone Report for MixEOS 2016 experiments and simulations

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

Loomis, Eric Nicholas; Bradley, Paul Andrew; Merritt, Elizabeth Catherine

2016-08-01

Accurate simulations of fluid and plasma flows require accurate thermodynamic properties of the fluids or plasmas. This thermodynamic information is represented by the equations of state of the materials. For pure materials, the equations of state may be represented by analytical models for idealized circumstances, or by tabular means, such as the Sesame tables. However, when a computational cell has a mixture of two or more fluids, the equations of state are not well understood, particularly under the circumstances of high energy densities. This is a particularly difficult issue for Eulerian codes, wherein mixed cells arise simply due to themore » advection process. LANL Eulerian codes typically assume an “Amagat’s Law” (or Law of Partial Volumes) for the mixture in which the pressures and temperatures of fluids are at an equilibrium that is consistent with the fluids being segregated within the cell. However, for purposes of computing other EOS properties, e.g., bulk modulus, or sound speed, the fluids are considered to be fully “mixed”. LANL has also been investigating implementing instead “Dalton’s Law” in which the total pressure is considered to be the sum of the partial pressures within the cell. For ideal gases, these two laws give the same result. Other possibilities are nonpressure- temperature-equilibrated approaches in which the two fluids are not assumed to “mix” at all, and the EOS properties of the cell are computed from, say, volume-weighted averages of the individual fluid properties. The assumption of the EOS properties within a mixed cell can have a pronounced effect on the behavior of the cell, resulting in, for example, different shock speeds, pressures, temperatures and densities within the cell. There is no apparent consensus as to which approach is best under HED conditions, though we note that under typical atmospheric and near atmospheric conditions the differences may be slight.« less

Adjusting measured peak discharges from an urbanizing watershed to reflect a stationary land use signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beighley, R. Edward; Moglen, Glenn E.

2003-04-01

A procedure to adjust gauged streamflow data from watersheds urbanized during or after their gauging period is presented. The procedure adjusts streamflow to be representative of a fixed land use condition, which may reflect current or future development conditions. Our intent is to determine what an event resulting in a peak discharge in, for example, 1950 (i.e., before urbanization) would produce on the current urban watershed. While past approaches assumed uniform spatial and temporal changes in urbanization, this study focuses on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) based methodologies for precisely locating in space and time where land use change has occurred. This information is incorporated into a hydrologic model to simulate the change in discharge as a result of changing land use conditions. In this paper, we use historical aerial photographs, GIS linked tax-map data, and recent land use/land cover data to recreate the spatial development history of eight gauged watersheds in the Baltimore-Washington, D. C., metropolitan area. Using our procedure to determine discharge series representative of the current urban watersheds, we found that the increase of the adjusted 2-year discharge ranged from 16 to 70 percent compared with the measured annual maximum discharge series. For the 100-year discharge the adjusted values ranged from 0 to 47 percent greater than the measured values. Additionally, relationships between the increase in flood flows and four measures of urbanization (increase in urban land, decrease in forested land, increase in high-density development, and the spatial development pattern) are investigated for predicting the increase in flood flows for ungauged watersheds. Watersheds with the largest increases in flood flows typically had more extensive development in the areas far removed from the outlet. In contrast, watersheds with development located nearer to the outlet typically had the smallest increases in peak discharge.

Characterization of conservative somatic instability of the CAG repeat region in Huntington`s disease

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

Schaefer, F.V.; Calikoglu, A.S.; Whetsell, L.H.

1994-09-01

Instability and enlargement of a CAG repeat region at the beginning of the huntingtin gene (IT-15) has been linked with Huntington`s disease. The CAG repeat size shows a highly significant correlation with age-of-onset of clinicial features in individuals with 40 or more repeats who have Huntington disease. The clinical status of nonsymptomatic individuals with 30 to 39 CAG repeats is considered ambiguous. In order to define more carefully the nature of the HD expansion instability, we examined patients in our HD population using a discriminating fluorescence-based PCR approach. The degree of somatic mutation increases with both earlier age of onsetmore » and the size of the inherited allele. A single prominent band one repeat larger than the index peak was typical in individuals with 40-41 CAG repeats. Three to four larger bands are typically discerned in individuals with 50 or more repeats. In an extreme example, an individual with approximately 95 repeats had at least 8 prominent bands. Plotting the degree of somatic mutation relative to the size of the HD allele shows somatic mutation activity increases with size. By this approach 40-60% of the alleles in a 40-41 CAG repeat HD loci is represented in the primary allele. In contrast, the primary allele represents a relatively minor proportion of the total alleles for expansions greater than 50 CAG repeats (10-20%). The limited range of somatic mutation suggest that the instability is restricted to very early stages of embryogenesis before tissue development diverges or that persistent somatic instability occurs at a slow rate. Therefore, the properties of somatic instability in Huntington`s disease have aspects that are both in common but also different from that found in other trinucleotide repeat expanding diseases such as myotonic muscular dystrophy and fragile X syndrome.« less

Coarse-grained component concurrency in Earth system modeling: parallelizing atmospheric radiative transfer in the GFDL AM3 model using the Flexible Modeling System coupling framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balaji, V.; Benson, Rusty; Wyman, Bruce; Held, Isaac

2016-10-01

Climate models represent a large variety of processes on a variety of timescales and space scales, a canonical example of multi-physics multi-scale modeling. Current hardware trends, such as Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) and Many Integrated Core (MIC) chips, are based on, at best, marginal increases in clock speed, coupled with vast increases in concurrency, particularly at the fine grain. Multi-physics codes face particular challenges in achieving fine-grained concurrency, as different physics and dynamics components have different computational profiles, and universal solutions are hard to come by. We propose here one approach for multi-physics codes. These codes are typically structured as components interacting via software frameworks. The component structure of a typical Earth system model consists of a hierarchical and recursive tree of components, each representing a different climate process or dynamical system. This recursive structure generally encompasses a modest level of concurrency at the highest level (e.g., atmosphere and ocean on different processor sets) with serial organization underneath. We propose to extend concurrency much further by running more and more lower- and higher-level components in parallel with each other. Each component can further be parallelized on the fine grain, potentially offering a major increase in the scalability of Earth system models. We present here first results from this approach, called coarse-grained component concurrency, or CCC. Within the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) Flexible Modeling System (FMS), the atmospheric radiative transfer component has been configured to run in parallel with a composite component consisting of every other atmospheric component, including the atmospheric dynamics and all other atmospheric physics components. We will explore the algorithmic challenges involved in such an approach, and present results from such simulations. Plans to achieve even greater levels of coarse-grained concurrency by extending this approach within other components, such as the ocean, will be discussed.

Specificity revisited and updated.

PubMed

Paulley, J W

1991-01-01

Typicality is probably a better representation of Alexander, Dunbar and others' conclusions than specificity, which was always too absolute a term. As such it became a valid cause of objection by opponents. No genuine attempts to repeat the original studies have been made and most of the original opposition to the concept is now acknowledged as invalid. Typicality (specificity) in psychosomatic disorders appears to be conferred by coping mechanisms acquired through interaction with mother and early surrogates in infancy and childhood as a means of reducing tensions and restoration of homeostatic emotional equilibrium. Psychosomatic medicine patients share one such mechanism, notably superstability/alexythymia, but contained within it are coping mechanisms typical for differing disorders. Examples are listed, and also mention of typicality of recurrently provocative life events/situations. Until typicality is appreciated, taught, learned and practised, success in management of psychosomatic disorders will be limited. The current bio-psycho-social approach is too imprecise.

Research status of wave energy conversion (WEC) device of raft structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Jianguo; Gao, Jingwei; Tao, Liang; Zheng, Peng

2017-10-01

This paper has briefly described the concept of wave energy generation and six typical conversion devices. As for raft structure, detailed analysis is provided from its development process to typical devices. Taking the design process and working principle of Plamis as an example, the general principle of raft structure is briefly described. After that, a variety of raft structure models are introduced. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages, and development trend of raft structure are pointed out.

Developing a Web-Based Parking Management System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

Visitors constitute an important component of a university business. Given that visitors are typically unfamiliar with university campus layouts, special assistance may be needed to assist them with their parking needs. For example, personal and foll...

Is Science Biased Toward Natural?

EPA Science Inventory

Having widely available, accurate, understandable, and unbiased scientific information is central to the successful resolution of the typically contentious, divisive, and litigious natural resource policy issue. Three examples are offered to illustrate how science is often misus...

Variational Problems with Long-Range Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soave, Nicola; Tavares, Hugo; Terracini, Susanna; Zilio, Alessandro

2018-06-01

We consider a class of variational problems for densities that repel each other at a distance. Typical examples are given by the Dirichlet functional and the Rayleigh functional D(u) = \\sum_{i=1}^k \\int_{Ω} |\

The role of semantic complexity in treatment of naming deficits: training semantic categories in fluent aphasia by controlling exemplar typicality.

PubMed

Kiran, Swathi; Thompson, Cynthia K

2003-06-01

The effect of typicality of category exemplars on naming was investigated using a single subject experimental design across participants and behaviors in 4 patients with fluent aphasia. Participants received a semantic feature treatment to improve naming of either typical or atypical items within semantic categories, while generalization was tested to untrained items of the category. The order of typicality and category trained was counterbalanced across participants. Results indicated that patients trained on naming of atypical exemplars demonstrated generalization to naming of intermediate and typical items. However, patients trained on typical items demonstrated no generalized naming effect to intermediate or atypical examples. Furthermore, analysis of errors indicated an evolution of errors throughout training, from those with no apparent relationship to the target to primarily semantic and phonemic paraphasias. Performance on standardized language tests also showed changes as a function of treatment. Theoretical and clinical implications regarding the impact of considering semantic complexity on rehabilitation of naming deficits in aphasia are discussed.

The role of semantic complexity in treatment of naming deficits: training semantic categories in fluent aphasia by controlling exemplar typicality.

PubMed

Kiran, Swathi; Thompson, Cynthia K

2003-08-01

The effect of typicality of category exemplars on naming was investigated using a single subject experimental design across participants and behaviors in 4 patients with fluent aphasia. Participants received a semantic feature treatment to improve naming of either typical or atypical items within semantic categories, while generalization was tested to untrained items of the category. The order of typicality and category trained was counterbalanced across participants. Results indicated that patients trained on naming of atypical exemplars demonstrated generalization to naming of intermediate and typical items. However, patients trained on typical items demonstrated no generalized naming effect to intermediate or atypical examples. Furthermore, analysis of errors indicated an evolution of errors throughout training, from those with no apparent relationship to the target to primarily semantic and phonemic paraphasias. Performance on standardized language tests also showed changes as a function of treatment. Theoretical and clinical implications regarding the impact of considering semantic complexity on rehabilitation of naming deficits in aphasia are discussed.

Steady-state, lumped-parameter model for capacitor-run, single-phase induction motors

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

Umans, S.D.

1996-01-01

This paper documents a technique for deriving a steady-state, lumped-parameter model for capacitor-run, single-phase induction motors. The objective of this model is to predict motor performance parameters such as torque, loss distribution, and efficiency as a function of applied voltage and motor speed as well as the temperatures of the stator windings and of the rotor. The model includes representations of both the main and auxiliary windings (including arbitrary external impedances) and also the effects of core and rotational losses. The technique can be easily implemented and the resultant model can be used in a wide variety of analyses tomore » investigate motor performance as a function of load, speed, and winding and rotor temperatures. The technique is based upon a coupled-circuit representation of the induction motor. A notable feature of the model is the technique used for representing core loss. In equivalent-circuit representations of transformers and induction motors, core loss is typically represented by a core-loss resistance in shunt with the magnetizing inductance. In order to maintain the coupled-circuit viewpoint adopted in this paper, this technique was modified slightly; core loss is represented by a set of core-loss resistances connected to the ``secondaries`` of a set of windings which perfectly couple to the air-gap flux of the motor. An example of the technique is presented based upon a 3.5 kW, single-phase, capacitor-run motor and the validity of the technique is demonstrated by comparing predicted and measured motor performance.« less

Warfarin Personalized Dosage: Re-compounding for a More Suitable Therapy and Better Compliance.

PubMed

Pellagatti, Tommaso; Ternelli, Marco; Frascio, Davide; Bettini, Ruggero

2017-01-01

Warfarin is still the most prescribed oral anticoagulant prescribed for the prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolic events such as stroke, heart attack, embolism, and deep vein thrombosis. It is administered orally in the form of sodium salt as a tablet with a typical strength of 5 mg. The molecule has a narrow therapeutic index. As a consequence, the dosage must be individualized for each patient based on the patient response in terms of time of coagulation. Thus, warfarin represents an example of a drug whose dose needs to be tailored to individual requirements that are often changing and, therefore, constitute a paramount illustration of personalized medicine. The aim of the present work was to investigate to what extent the manual division of a warfarin tablet by the patient represents an issue in terms of dose accuracy and precision. A second goal was to demonstrate that possible problems stemming from the manual division of the warfarin tablet could be overcome by compounding a solid dosage form (e.g., a capsule) starting from the commercially available warfarin product. The results of the present study put into evidence the great inhomogeneity and discrepancy from the target dose obtained when commercially available warfarin tablets are manually divided in four parts. This represents a potential source of inefficacy of the anticoagulant activity, with increased risk of either bleeding or thromboembolic events. The proposed solution is effective and yet simple and economically affordable, in particular considering the cost of the possible hospitalizations related to therapy failure. Copyright© by International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding, Inc.

Algebraic integrability: a survey.

PubMed

Vanhaecke, Pol

2008-03-28

We give a concise introduction to the notion of algebraic integrability. Our exposition is based on examples and phenomena, rather than on detailed proofs of abstract theorems. We mainly focus on algebraic integrability in the sense of Adler-van Moerbeke, where the fibres of the momentum map are affine parts of Abelian varieties; as it turns out, most examples from classical mechanics are of this form. Two criteria are given for such systems (Kowalevski-Painlevé and Lyapunov) and each is illustrated in one example. We show in the case of a relatively simple example how one proves algebraic integrability, starting from the differential equations for the integrable vector field. For Hamiltonian systems that are algebraically integrable in the generalized sense, two examples are given, which illustrate the non-compact analogues of Abelian varieties which typically appear in such systems.

On the Representativeness of Behavior Observation Samples in Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tiger, Jeffrey H.; Miller, Sarah J.; Mevers, Joanna Lomas; Mintz, Joslyn Cynkus; Scheithauer, Mindy C.; Alvarez, Jessica

2013-01-01

School consultants who rely on direct observation typically conduct observational samples (e.g., 1 30-min observation per day) with the hopes that the sample is representative of performance during the remainder of the day, but the representativeness of these samples is unclear. In the current study, we recorded the problem behavior of 3 referred…

Atypical and Typical Antipsychotics in the Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noggle, Chad A.; Dean, Raymond S.

2009-01-01

The use of antipsychotic medications within the school-age population is rapidly increasing. Although typical antipsychotics may be used in rare cases, this influx is largely secondary to the availability of the atypical antipsychotics. Reduction of possible adverse effects and increased efficacy represent the primary basis for the atypical…

WPC Product Legends - Surface fronts and precipitation areas/symbols

Science.gov Websites

, etc...) drawn on each segment. For example, the image below shows a forming cold front. Frontolysis is other segment. Below is an example of a dissipating warm front. Precipitation Areas and Symbols Areas of an example) Below are symbols found on our short range forecasts that represent categories (and in

CRREL (Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory) Technical Publications. Supplement, October 1986-September 1988

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

1000. Extensive post -test optical analysis allowed Antenna polarization and height, and sigaal stacking estimation of the size distribution and number of...to 10 C higher under natural activated sludge. A design example is presented for conditions than in the wind tunnel studies. Results each case. All...typically limitations of the methcd are presented, examples are columnar type crystal structure. The remaining 2i% shown, and notes on user instructions are

Careers for the 70's In Appliance Repair

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Howard, Ed

1974-01-01

A typical day for an appliance repairman is described to serve as an example and to provide occupational information for a career in appliance repairing. Also, the type of skills needed for this job are described. (DS)

Evaluation and development of a university visitor parking management framework.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

Visitors constitute an important component of a university business. Given that visitors are typically unfamiliar with university : campus layouts, special assistance may be needed to assist them with their parking needs. For example, personal and : ...

Interpolation Hermite Polynomials For Finite Element Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gusev, Alexander; Vinitsky, Sergue; Chuluunbaatar, Ochbadrakh; Chuluunbaatar, Galmandakh; Gerdt, Vladimir; Derbov, Vladimir; Góźdź, Andrzej; Krassovitskiy, Pavel

2018-02-01

We describe a new algorithm for analytic calculation of high-order Hermite interpolation polynomials of the simplex and give their classification. A typical example of triangle element, to be built in high accuracy finite element schemes, is given.

UAS flight test for safety and for efficiency

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-04-01

Manned aircraft that operate in the National Airspace System (NAS) typically undergo certification flight test to ensure they meet a prescribed level of safetydependent on their categorybefore they are able to enter service [for example, Federa...

Support vector machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garay, Michael J.; Mazzoni, Dominic; Davies, Roger; Wagstaff, Kiri

2004-01-01

Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are a type of supervised learning algorith,, other examples of which are Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Decision Trees, and Naive Bayesian Classifiers. Supervised learning algorithms are used to classify objects labled by a 'supervisor' - typically a human 'expert.'.

Public health implications of components of plastics manufacture. Flame retardants.

PubMed Central

Pearce, E M; Liepins, R

1975-01-01

The four processes involved in the flammability of materials are described and related to the various flame retardance mechanisms that may operate. Following this the four practical approaches used in improving flame retardance of materials are described. Each approach is illustrated with a number of typical examples of flame retardants or synthetic procedures used. This overview of flammability, flame retardance, and flame retardants used is followed by a more detailed examination of most of the plastics manufactured in the United States during 1973, their consumption patterns, and the primary types of flame retardants used in the flame retardance of the most used plastics. The main types of flame retardants are illustrated with a number of typical commercial examples. Statistical data on flame retardant market size, flame retardant growth in plastics, and price ranges of common flame retardants are presented. Images FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4. PMID:1175568

Using client feedback in psychotherapy from an interpersonal process perspective.

PubMed

Reese, Robert J; Slone, Norah C; Miserocchi, Kristin M

2013-09-01

The process of monitoring treatment outcome, also known as "client feedback," is increasingly becoming a recommended practice for psychotherapy. One concern, however, is how to integrate such a process into the work that psychotherapists typically do. Three clinical examples are presented, illustrating how a client feedback system can be used in conjunction with a specific theoretical framework, interpersonal process therapy (Teyber, 2006). The examples highlight that client feedback not only can be of minimal disruption to the psychotherapy process, but may also offer the potential to augment a clinician's approach to helping. Theoretical and research support are provided for each example. 2013 APA, all rights reserved

Contaminant source identification using semi-supervised machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vesselinov, Velimir V.; Alexandrov, Boian S.; O'Malley, Daniel

2018-05-01

Identification of the original groundwater types present in geochemical mixtures observed in an aquifer is a challenging but very important task. Frequently, some of the groundwater types are related to different infiltration and/or contamination sources associated with various geochemical signatures and origins. The characterization of groundwater mixing processes typically requires solving complex inverse models representing groundwater flow and geochemical transport in the aquifer, where the inverse analysis accounts for available site data. Usually, the model is calibrated against the available data characterizing the spatial and temporal distribution of the observed geochemical types. Numerous different geochemical constituents and processes may need to be simulated in these models which further complicates the analyses. In this paper, we propose a new contaminant source identification approach that performs decomposition of the observation mixtures based on Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) method for Blind Source Separation (BSS), coupled with a custom semi-supervised clustering algorithm. Our methodology, called NMFk, is capable of identifying (a) the unknown number of groundwater types and (b) the original geochemical concentration of the contaminant sources from measured geochemical mixtures with unknown mixing ratios without any additional site information. NMFk is tested on synthetic and real-world site data. The NMFk algorithm works with geochemical data represented in the form of concentrations, ratios (of two constituents; for example, isotope ratios), and delta notations (standard normalized stable isotope ratios).

Decomposition-Based Failure Mode Identification Method for Risk-Free Design of Large Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Irem Y.; Stone, Robert B.; Roberts, Rory A.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

When designing products, it is crucial to assure failure and risk-free operation in the intended operating environment. Failures are typically studied and eliminated as much as possible during the early stages of design. The few failures that go undetected result in unacceptable damage and losses in high-risk applications where public safety is of concern. Published NASA and NTSB accident reports point to a variety of components identified as sources of failures in the reported cases. In previous work, data from these reports were processed and placed in matrix form for all the system components and failure modes encountered, and then manipulated using matrix methods to determine similarities between the different components and failure modes. In this paper, these matrices are represented in the form of a linear combination of failures modes, mathematically formed using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) decomposition. The PCA decomposition results in a low-dimensionality representation of all failure modes and components of interest, represented in a transformed coordinate system. Such a representation opens the way for efficient pattern analysis and prediction of failure modes with highest potential risks on the final product, rather than making decisions based on the large space of component and failure mode data. The mathematics of the proposed method are explained first using a simple example problem. The method is then applied to component failure data gathered from helicopter, accident reports to demonstrate its potential.

Contaminant source identification using semi-supervised machine learning

DOE PAGES

Vesselinov, Velimir Valentinov; Alexandrov, Boian S.; O’Malley, Dan

2017-11-08

Identification of the original groundwater types present in geochemical mixtures observed in an aquifer is a challenging but very important task. Frequently, some of the groundwater types are related to different infiltration and/or contamination sources associated with various geochemical signatures and origins. The characterization of groundwater mixing processes typically requires solving complex inverse models representing groundwater flow and geochemical transport in the aquifer, where the inverse analysis accounts for available site data. Usually, the model is calibrated against the available data characterizing the spatial and temporal distribution of the observed geochemical types. Numerous different geochemical constituents and processes may needmore » to be simulated in these models which further complicates the analyses. In this paper, we propose a new contaminant source identification approach that performs decomposition of the observation mixtures based on Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) method for Blind Source Separation (BSS), coupled with a custom semi-supervised clustering algorithm. Our methodology, called NMFk, is capable of identifying (a) the unknown number of groundwater types and (b) the original geochemical concentration of the contaminant sources from measured geochemical mixtures with unknown mixing ratios without any additional site information. NMFk is tested on synthetic and real-world site data. Finally, the NMFk algorithm works with geochemical data represented in the form of concentrations, ratios (of two constituents; for example, isotope ratios), and delta notations (standard normalized stable isotope ratios).« less

Contaminant source identification using semi-supervised machine learning

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

Vesselinov, Velimir Valentinov; Alexandrov, Boian S.; O’Malley, Dan

Identification of the original groundwater types present in geochemical mixtures observed in an aquifer is a challenging but very important task. Frequently, some of the groundwater types are related to different infiltration and/or contamination sources associated with various geochemical signatures and origins. The characterization of groundwater mixing processes typically requires solving complex inverse models representing groundwater flow and geochemical transport in the aquifer, where the inverse analysis accounts for available site data. Usually, the model is calibrated against the available data characterizing the spatial and temporal distribution of the observed geochemical types. Numerous different geochemical constituents and processes may needmore » to be simulated in these models which further complicates the analyses. In this paper, we propose a new contaminant source identification approach that performs decomposition of the observation mixtures based on Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) method for Blind Source Separation (BSS), coupled with a custom semi-supervised clustering algorithm. Our methodology, called NMFk, is capable of identifying (a) the unknown number of groundwater types and (b) the original geochemical concentration of the contaminant sources from measured geochemical mixtures with unknown mixing ratios without any additional site information. NMFk is tested on synthetic and real-world site data. Finally, the NMFk algorithm works with geochemical data represented in the form of concentrations, ratios (of two constituents; for example, isotope ratios), and delta notations (standard normalized stable isotope ratios).« less

Problem-Oriented Corporate Knowledge Base Models on the Case-Based Reasoning Approach Basis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gluhih, I. N.; Akhmadulin, R. K.

2017-07-01

One of the urgent directions of efficiency enhancement of production processes and enterprises activities management is creation and use of corporate knowledge bases. The article suggests a concept of problem-oriented corporate knowledge bases (PO CKB), in which knowledge is arranged around possible problem situations and represents a tool for making and implementing decisions in such situations. For knowledge representation in PO CKB a case-based reasoning approach is encouraged to use. Under this approach, the content of a case as a knowledge base component has been defined; based on the situation tree a PO CKB knowledge model has been developed, in which the knowledge about typical situations as well as specific examples of situations and solutions have been represented. A generalized problem-oriented corporate knowledge base structural chart and possible modes of its operation have been suggested. The obtained models allow creating and using corporate knowledge bases for support of decision making and implementing, training, staff skill upgrading and analysis of the decisions taken. The universal interpretation of terms “situation” and “solution” adopted in the work allows using the suggested models to develop problem-oriented corporate knowledge bases in different subject domains. It has been suggested to use the developed models for making corporate knowledge bases of the enterprises that operate engineer systems and networks at large production facilities.

Discovery of a new bona fide luminous blue variable in Norma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Kniazev, A. Y.; Berdnikov, L. N.

2015-12-01

We report the results of optical spectroscopy of the candidate evolved massive star MN44 revealed via detection of a circular shell with the Spitzer Space Telescope. First spectra taken in 2009 May-June showed the Balmer lines in emission as well as numerous emission lines of iron, which is typical of luminous blue variables (LBVs) near the visual maximum. New observations carried out in 2015 May-September detected significant changes in the spectrum, indicating that the star became hotter. We found that these changes are accompanied by significant brightness variability of MN44. In particular, the Ic-band brightness decreased by ≈ 1.6 mag during the last six years and after reaching its minimum in 2015 June has started to increase. Using archival data, we also found that the Ic-band brightness increased by ≈3 mag in ≈30 yr preceding our observations. MN44 therefore represents the 17th known example of the Galactic bona fide LBVs. We detected a nitrogen-rich knot to the north-west of the star, which might represent an interstellar cloudlet interacting with the circumstellar shell. We discuss a possible association between MN44 and the INTEGRAL transient source of hard X-ray emission IGR J16327-4940, implying that MN44 might be either a colliding-wind binary or a high-mass X-ray binary.

Occurrence of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clones at Multiple Hospitals in London and Southeast England

PubMed Central

Coelho, Juliana M.; Turton, Jane F.; Kaufmann, Mary E.; Glover, Judith; Woodford, Neil; Warner, Marina; Palepou, Marie-France; Pike, Rachel; Pitt, Tyrone L.; Patel, Bharat C.; Livermore, David M.

2006-01-01

From late 2003 to the end of 2005, the Health Protection Agency's national reference laboratories received approximately 1,600 referrals of Acinetobacter spp., including 419 and 58 examples, respectively, of two carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii lineages, designated OXA-23 clones 1 and 2. Representatives of these clones were obtained from 40 and 8 hospitals, respectively, in London or elsewhere in Southeast England. Both clones had blaOXA-23-like genes, as well as the intrinsic (but downregulated) blaOXA-51-like carbapenemase genes typical of A. baumannii. Both were highly multiresistant: only colistin and tigecycline remained active versus OXA-23 clone 1 isolates; OXA-23 clone 2 isolates were also susceptible to amikacin and minocycline. These lineages increase the burden created by the southeast (SE) clone, a previously reported A. baumannii lineage with variable carbapenem resistance contingent on upregulation of the blaOXA-51-like gene. Known since 2000, the SE clone had been referred from over 40 hospitals by the end of 2005, with 627 representatives received by the reference laboratories. The OXA-23 clone 2 is now in decline, but OXA-23 clone 1 continues to be referred from new sites, as does the SE clone. Their spread is forcing the use of unorthodox therapies, principally colistin and tigecycline, although the optimal regimens remain uncertain. PMID:17021090

Measuring public hospital costs: empirical evidence from the Dominican Republic.

PubMed

Lewis, M A; La Forgia, G M; Sulvetta, M B

1996-07-01

Effective analysis of hospital performance requires the existence of accurate cost and output data. However, these are missing ingredients in most developing countries due to lack of information systems or other sources of data. Typically, expenditures are substituted for actual costs in analyzing hospital finance. This paper presents a methodology and analysis of the actual costs of inpatient, emergency, and outpatient services in a Dominican hospital. Through applying a set of survey instruments to a large sample of patients, the study measures and costs all hospital staff time, in-kind goods (drugs, medical supplies, reagents, etc.), overhead, and the depreciated value of plant and equipment related to the treatment of each patient. The results are striking. The budget is over 50% higher than the actual costs of services, reflecting the high cost of waste, down time, and low productivity. For example, high fixed costs translate into immunizations that on the average cost over 20% more than outpatient surgical interventions. The most disturbing finding is that although physicians represent the bulk of personnel spending, the surveys could account for only 12% of the contracted time of staff physicians, including time dedicated to treatment, supervision, administration, and teaching. As a proportion of the hospital total budget, personnel spending represents a high 84%. Yet staff costs for patient treatment never exceed 12%. These results suggest gross inefficiency, chaotic medical care organization, and poor hospital management.

MOLA Global map of surface gradients on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Absolute slopes on 30-km baselines indicate the magnitude of typical regional tilts of that scale. The Northern hemisphere is flatter than the South, and shows some linear slope breaks, for example north of Alba Patera (40N, 250E) and the Tharsis province. The major volcanos display flanks slopes of 2.5-5 degrees, comparable to Hawaiian shields. The southwest rim of the Hellas impact basin appears relatively eroded, with shallower typical slopes. A shaded relief map of the topography is overlaid is monochrome.

Microprocessor Control Design for a Low-Head Crossflow Turbine.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-01

Controllers For a Typical 10 KW Hydroturbine ............ 1-5 I-1 Ely’s Crossflow Turbine . ........ 11-2 11-2 Basic Turbine * * 0 * 0 11-5 11-3 Turbine...the systems. For example, a 25 kilowatt hydroturbine built and installed by Bell Hydroelectric would cost approximately $20,000 in 1978 (6:49). The...O Manual Controller S2 E- Microprocessor Controller 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 YEARS Fig. 1-2 Comparative Costs of Controllers For a Typical 10 KW Hydroturbine

Considering the worst-case metabolic scenario, but training to the typical-case competitive scenario: response to Amtmann (2012).

PubMed

Del Vecchio, Fabrício Boscolo; Franchini, Emerson

2013-08-01

This response to Amtmann's letter emphasizes that the knowledge of the typical time structure, as well as its variation, together with the main goal of the mixed martial arts athletes--to win by knock out or submission--need to be properly considered during the training sessions. Example with other combat sports are given and discussed, especially concerning the importance of adapting the physical conditioning workouts to the technical-tactical profile of the athlete and not the opposite.

Effects of Molecular Stresses on Energy Transfer Pathways in Opto- and Electro-Excited Conjugated Polymers for High-Efficiency Optoelectronic Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-20

unless it hops, and lead to obstructed recombination for PL or charge separation for solar cells and the reduced quantum efficiencies of the...excitons (Fig. 1a and 1b). For the free-moving delocalized states of the Wannier-Mott excitons, the binding energy in silicon , for example, is around...typically encompass many unit cells and typically exist in materials of small bandgap and large dielectric constant. In converse, the the tightly

A Study on Contingency Learning in Introductory Physics Concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scaife, Thomas M.

Instructors of physics often use examples to illustrate new or complex physical concepts to students. For any particular concept, there are an infinite number of examples, thus presenting instructors with a difficult question whenever they wish to use one in their teaching: which example will most effectively illustrate the concept so that student learning is maximized? The choice is typically made by an intuitive assumption about which exact example will result in the most lucid illustration and the greatest student improvement. By questioning 583 students in four experiments, I examined a more principled approach to example selection. By controlling the manner in which physical dimensions vary, the parameter space of each concept can be divided into a discrete number of example categories. The effects of training with members of each of category was explored in two different physical contexts: projectile motion and torque. In the first context, students were shown two trajectories and asked to determine which represented the longer time of flight. Height, range, and time of flight were the physical dimensions that were used to categorize the examples. In the second context, students were shown a balance-scale with loads of differing masses placed at differing positions along either side of the balance-arm. Mass, lever-arm length, and torque were the physical dimensions used to categorize these examples. For both contexts, examples were chosen so that one or two independent dimensions were varied. After receiving training with examples from specific categories, students were tested with questions from all question categories. Successful training or instruction can be measured either as producing correct, expert-like behavior (as observed through answers to the questions) or as explicitly instilling an understanding of the underlying rule that governs a physical phenomenon. A student's behavior might not be consistent with their explicit rule, so following the investigation of their behavior, students were asked what rule they used when answering questions. Although the self-reported rules might not be congruent with their behavior, training with specific examples might affect how students explicitly think about physics problems. In addition to exploring the effectiveness of various training examples, the results were also compared to a cognitive theory of causality: the contingency model. Physical concepts can often be expressed in terms of causal relations (e.g., a net force causes an object to accelerate), and a large body of work has found that people make many decisions that are consistent with causal reasoning. The contingency model, in particular, explains how certain statistical regularities in the co-occurrence of two events can be interpreted by individuals as causal relations, and was chosen primarily because it of its robust results and simple, parsimonious form. The empirical results demonstrate that different categories of training examples did affect student answers differently. Furthermore, these effects were mostly consistent with the predictions made by the contingency model. When rule use was explored, the self-reported rules were consistent with contingency model predictions, but indicated that examples alone were insufficient to teach complex functional relationships between physical dimensions, such as torque.

Fast and Forceful Refolding of Stretched α-Helical Solenoid Proteins

PubMed Central

Kim, Minkyu; Abdi, Khadar; Lee, Gwangrog; Rabbi, Mahir; Lee, Whasil; Yang, Ming; Schofield, Christopher J.; Bennett, Vann; Marszalek, Piotr E.

2010-01-01

Abstract Anfinsen's thermodynamic hypothesis implies that proteins can encode for stretching through reversible loss of structure. However, large in vitro extensions of proteins that occur through a progressive unfolding of their domains typically dissipate a significant amount of energy, and therefore are not thermodynamically reversible. Some coiled-coil proteins have been found to stretch nearly reversibly, although their extension is typically limited to 2.5 times their folded length. Here, we report investigations on the mechanical properties of individual molecules of ankyrin-R, β-catenin, and clathrin, which are representative examples of over 800 predicted human proteins composed of tightly packed α-helical repeats (termed ANK, ARM, or HEAT repeats, respectively) that form spiral-shaped protein domains. Using atomic force spectroscopy, we find that these polypeptides possess unprecedented stretch ratios on the order of 10–15, exceeding that of other proteins studied so far, and their extension and relaxation occurs with minimal energy dissipation. Their sequence-encoded elasticity is governed by stepwise unfolding of small repeats, which upon relaxation of the stretching force rapidly and forcefully refold, minimizing the hysteresis between the stretching and relaxing parts of the cycle. Thus, we identify a new class of proteins that behave as highly reversible nanosprings that have the potential to function as mechanosensors in cells and as building blocks in springy nanostructures. Our physical view of the protein component of cells as being comprised of predominantly inextensible structural elements under tension may need revision to incorporate springs. PMID:20550922

Using return on investment to maximize conservation effectiveness in Argentine grasslands.

PubMed

Murdoch, William; Ranganathan, Jai; Polasky, Stephen; Regetz, James

2010-12-07

The rapid global loss of natural habitats and biodiversity, and limited resources, place a premium on maximizing the expected benefits of conservation actions. The scarcity of information on the fine-grained distribution of species of conservation concern, on risks of loss, and on costs of conservation actions, especially in developing countries, makes efficient conservation difficult. The distribution of ecosystem types (unique ecological communities) is typically better known than species and arguably better represents the entirety of biodiversity than do well-known taxa, so we use conserving the diversity of ecosystem types as our conservation goal. We define conservation benefit to include risk of conversion, spatial effects that reward clumping of habitat, and diminishing returns to investment in any one ecosystem type. Using Argentine grasslands as an example, we compare three strategies: protecting the cheapest land ("minimize cost"), maximizing conservation benefit regardless of cost ("maximize benefit"), and maximizing conservation benefit per dollar ("return on investment"). We first show that the widely endorsed goal of saving some percentage (typically 10%) of a country or habitat type, although it may inspire conservation, is a poor operational goal. It either leads to the accumulation of areas with low conservation benefit or requires infeasibly large sums of money, and it distracts from the real problem: maximizing conservation benefit given limited resources. Second, given realistic budgets, return on investment is superior to the other conservation strategies. Surprisingly, however, over a wide range of budgets, minimizing cost provides more conservation benefit than does the maximize-benefit strategy.

Hospital catering: for profit or not for profit?

PubMed

Stephenson, S

1991-10-16

When hospitals today hold budget meetings, the typical foodservice operation contributes more than the coffee and doughnuts. Many have found new dollars as well as positive public relations by offering catering programs. Southwest General Hospital, Cleveland, is one example.

Planning Ahead by Thinking Backwards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Lesley S. J.

1996-01-01

Suggests evaluation criteria for selecting CD-ROMs and describes some typical titles along with examples of learning activities. Highlights include reference titles, including encyclopedias, magazine indexes, newspaper databases, subject-specific indexes, timetables and almanacs, and atlases; and curriculum-specific titles. (LRW)

Third Earth Resources Technology Satellite Symposium. Volume 2: Summary of results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freden, S. C. (Editor); Mercanti, E. P. (Editor); Friedman, D. B. (Editor)

1974-01-01

Summaries are provided of significant results taken from presentations at the symposium along with some typical examples of the applications of ERTS-1 data for solving resources management problems at the national, state, and local levels.

Dreams, Daydreams and Discovery.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, R. A.; Luckcock, R. G.

1978-01-01

It has been discovered that dreams and daydreams can be productive states in the process of scientific innovation. An attempt is made to provide some typical examples of insights which have come to scientists during dream-like states and in sleep. (Author/MA)

The observational case for Jupiter being a typical massive planet.

PubMed

Lineweaver, Charles H; Grether, Daniel

2002-01-01

We identify a subsample of the recently detected extrasolar planets that is minimally affected by the selection effects of the Doppler detection method. With a simple analysis we quantify trends in the surface density of this subsample in the period-Msin(i) plane. A modest extrapolation of these trends puts Jupiter in the most densely occupied region of this parameter space, thus indicating that Jupiter is a typical massive planet rather than an outlier. Our analysis suggests that Jupiter is more typical than indicated by previous analyses. For example, instead of MJup mass exoplanets being twice as common as 2 MJup exoplanets, we find they are three times as common.

Environmental Compliance and Best Management Practices: Guidance Manual for K-12 Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Environmental Protection Agency, 2006

2006-01-01

This user-friendly guidance manual is organized by the "target audience" or "end user." First, the manual introduces a "Typical School," which is a school organized in such a way that it represents how many schools in the real world are organized. This Typical School is subdivided into "Organizational Units"…

The Effects and Side-Effects of Statistics Education: Psychology Students' (Mis-)Conceptions of Probability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morsanyi, Kinga; Primi, Caterina; Chiesi, Francesca; Handley, Simon

2009-01-01

In three studies we looked at two typical misconceptions of probability: the representativeness heuristic, and the equiprobability bias. The literature on statistics education predicts that some typical errors and biases (e.g., the equiprobability bias) increase with education, whereas others decrease. This is in contrast with reasoning theorists'…

Representing Intentions in Self and Other: Studies of Autism and Typical Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, David; Happe, Francesca

2010-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to explore the extent to which individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as well as young typically developing (TD) children, are explicitly aware of their own and others' intentions. In Experiment 1, participants with ASD were significantly less likely than age- and ability-matched comparison participants to…

The GH-IGF-I response to typical field sports practices in adolescent athletes: a summary.

PubMed

Eliakim, Alon; Cooper, Dan M; Nemet, Dan

2014-11-01

The present study compares previous reports on the effect of "real-life" typical field individual (i.e., cross-country running and wrestling--representing combat versus noncombat sports) and team sports (i.e., volleyball and water polo-representing water and land team sports) training on GH and IGF-1, the main growth factors of the GH→IGF axis, in male and female late pubertal athletes. Cross-country running practice and volleyball practice in both males and females were associated with significant increases of circulating GH levels, while none of the practices led to a significant increase in IGF-I levels. The magnitude (percent change) of the GH response to the different practices was determined mainly by preexercise GH levels. There was no difference in the training-associated GH response between individual and team sports practices. The GH response to the different typical practices was not influenced by the practice-associated lactate change. Further studies are needed to better understand the effect of real-life typical training in prepubertal and adolescent athletes and their role in exercise adaptations.

[Typical atrial flutter: Diagnosis and therapy].

PubMed

Thomas, Dierk; Eckardt, Lars; Estner, Heidi L; Kuniss, Malte; Meyer, Christian; Neuberger, Hans-Ruprecht; Sommer, Philipp; Steven, Daniel; Voss, Frederik; Bonnemeier, Hendrik

2016-03-01

Typical, cavotricuspid-dependent atrial flutter is the most common atrial macroreentry tachycardia. The incidence of atrial flutter (typical and atypical forms) is age-dependent with 5/100,000 in patients less than 50 years and approximately 600/100,000 in subjects > 80 years of age. Concomitant heart failure or pulmonary disease further increases the risk of typical atrial flutter.Patients with atrial flutter may present with symptoms of palpitations, reduced exercise capacity, chest pain, or dyspnea. The risk of thromboembolism is probably similar to atrial fibrillation; therefore, the same antithrombotic prophylaxis is required in atrial flutter patients. Acutely symptomatic cases may be subjected to cardioversion or pharmacologic rate control to relieve symptoms. Catheter ablation of the cavotricuspid isthmus represents the primary choice in long-term therapy, associated with high procedural success (> 97 %) and low complication rates (0.5 %).This article represents the third part of a manuscript series designed to improve professional education in the field of cardiac electrophysiology. Mechanistic and clinical characteristics as well as management of isthmus-dependent atrial flutter are described in detail. Electrophysiological findings and catheter ablation of the arrhythmia are highlighted.

Extending the Riemann-Solver-Free High-Order Space-Time Discontinuous Galerkin Cell Vertex Scheme (DG-CVS) to Solve Compressible Magnetohydrodynamics Equations

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-08

forces. Plasmas in hypersonic and astrophysical flows are one of the most typical examples of such conductive fluids. Though MHD models are a low...remain powerful tools in helping researchers to understand the complex physical processes in the geospace environment. For example, the ideal MHD...vertex level within each physical time step. For this reason and the method’s DG ingredient, the method was named as the space-time discontinuous Galerkin

Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) Handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleming, Jon F.; Terrell, Stefanie M.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this handbook is intended to be a how-to guide to prepare for, conduct, and close-out an Integrated Baseline Review (IBR). It discusses the steps that should be considered, describes roles and responsibilities, tips for tailoring the IBR based on risk, cost, and need for management insight, and provides lessons learned from past IBRs. Appendices contain example documentation typically used in connection with an IBR. Note that these appendices are examples only, and should be tailored to meet the needs of individual projects and contracts.

Crossed asymmetry in Russell-Silver syndrome.

PubMed Central

Qazi, Q H; Kassner, E G; Ganapathy, C

1977-01-01

Since the initial report by Silver et al (1953), more than 50 examples of the Russell-Silver syndrome have been reported. Unilateral congenital asymmetry of the extremities has been considered one of the major features of this disorder (Silver, 1964). We recently observed a child with otherwise typical features of the Russell-Silver syndrome who had enlargement of the right hand and of the left lower extremity. We know of no other recorded example of crossed asymmetry in this clinical entity. Images PMID:839508

State of Technology Report for Force Main Rehabilitation

EPA Science Inventory

Force mains that carry sewage flows under pressure represent a special set of challenges for sewer rehabilitation. Force mains represent about 7.5% of the wastewater system and they typically use materials that are not commonly used in gravity sewer systems. Ductile iron (DI), ...

Topographic representation using DEMs and its applications to active tectonics research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oguchi, T.; Lin, Z.; Hayakawa, Y. S.

2016-12-01

Identifying topographic deformations due to active tectonics has been a principal issue in tectonic geomorphology. It provides useful information such as whether a fault has been active during the recent past. Traditionally, field observations, conventional surveying, and visual interpretation of topographic maps, aerial photos, and satellite images were the main methods for such geomorphological investigations. However, recent studies have been utilizing digital elevation models (DEMs) to visualize and quantitatively analyze landforms. There are many advantages to the use of DEMs for research in active tectonics. For example, unlike aerial photos and satellite images, DEMs show ground conditions without vegetation and man-made objects such as buildings, permitting direct representation of tectonically deformed landforms. Recent developments and advances in airborne LiDAR also allow the fast creation of DEMs even in vegetated areas such as forested lands. In addition, DEMs enable flexible topographic visualization based on various digital cartographic and computer-graphic techniques, facilitating identification of particular landforms such as active faults. Further, recent progress in morphometric analyses using DEMs can be employed to quantitatively represent topographic characteristics, and objectively evaluate tectonic deformation and the properties of related landforms. This paper presents a review of DEM applications in tectonic geomorphology, with attention to historical development, recent advances, and future perspectives. Examples are taken mainly from Japan, a typical tectonically active country. The broader contributions of DEM-based active tectonics research to other fields, such as fluvial geomorphology and geochronology, will also be discussed.

A Quantitative Characterization and Classification of Martian Valley Networks: New Constraints on Mars' Early Climate and Its Variability in Space and Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grau Galofre, A.; Jellinek, M.

2014-12-01

Valley networks and outflow channels are among the most arresting features of Mars' surface. Remarkable similarities between the structure and complexity of individual Martian channels with certain fluvial systems on Earth supports a popular picture of a warm wet early Mars. A key assumption in this picture is that "typical" Martian examples adequately capture the average character of the majority of all valley networks. However, a full catalog of the distribution of geomorphologic variability of valley networks over Mars' surface geometry has never been established. Accordingly, we present the first planet-wide map in which we use statistical methods and theoretical arguments to classify Martian channels in terms of the mechanics governing their formation. Using new metrics for the size, shape and complexity of channel networks, which we ground truth against a large suite of terrestrial examples, we distinguish drainage patterns related to glacial, subglacial, fluvial and lava flows. Preliminary results separate lava flows from other flow features and show that these features can be divided into three different groups of increasing complexity. The characteristics of these groups suggest that they represent fluvial, subglacial and glacial features. We show also that the relative proportions of the different groups varies systematically, with higher density of river-like features located in low longitudes and increasing glacial-like features as we move east or west. Our results suggest that the early Martian climate and hydrologic cycle was richer and more diverse than originally thought.

Exsolution as an Example of Complex-System Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mogk, D. W.; Dutrow, B. L.

2010-12-01

Exsolution in minerals is an important process that occurs in a wide range of mineral groups (e.g. alkali feldspars, pyroxenes, amphiboles, carbonates, oxides, sulfides) in response to changing physical conditions. Exsolution describes a physical process in which a mineral with an initially homogeneous solid solution separates into at least two distinct derivative minerals of disparate composition and is typically interpreted as the product of unmixing in response to lattice strain during slow cooling. Such a process is typically taught in introductory mineralogy and petrology courses, in part because exsolution textures can be readily observed in hand sample or thin section. Exsolution is typically represented on equilibrium binary phase diagrams (T-X), and compositions of the unmixed products can be used in geothermobarometry to calculate temperatures and pressures of initial equilibration or compositions of the unmixed products. Although central to course content, traditional approaches to teaching exsolution are largely descriptive, and do not address the underlying principles that drive this phenomenon: that is, dissipation of energy results in segregating and self-organizing behavior of the system. This process exemplifies complex-system behavior. We use perthite formation (i.e. exsolution in the alkali feldspar system) in a series of scaffolded exercises to teach and more completely demonstrate complex-system behavior. These exercises include the use of: 1) hand samples and a series of optical and TEM photomicrographs to display the scale invariance of perthite textures; 2) a puzzle activity in which a chessboard is used as an analog model of atomic positions and nickels and pennies are used to represent individual atoms (Na and K respectively); sequential moves to optimize contacts with similar coins approximates minimization of lattice energies and reveals a power-law relationship as the system becomes increasingly segregated as a function of time to create exsolution textures; 3) the NetLogo computer modeling program to demonstrate segregating behavior; 4) visualizations based on the binary alkali feldspar phase diagram to demonstrate changes to the state of the system over a range of temperatures, and 5) a series of follow-on thought questions. An interesting apparent paradox that our students should consider concerns the flow of mass and energy in natural systems. Commonly, we simply note that mass and energy typically flow down natural gradients (thermal, chemical potential) to attain a homogeneous equilibrium state; however, exsolution produces a segregated state of the system in the lowest energy configuration. Why? Complex-system behavior can be discovered in a wide range of geological phenomena such as exsolution, and could be explicitly identified throughout the geoscience curriculum as a mechanism to teach about interacting systems.

An Earth Observation Land Data Assimilation System for Data from Multiple Wavelength Domains: Water and Energy Balance Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quaife, T. L.; Davenport, I. J.; Lines, E.; Styles, J.; Lewis, P.; Gurney, R. J.

2012-12-01

Satellite observations offer a spatially and temporally synoptic data source for constraining models of land surface processes, but exploitation of these data for such purposes has been largely ad-hoc to date. In part this is because traditional land surface models, and hence most land surface data assimilation schemes, have tended to focus on a specific component of the land surface problem; typically either surface fluxes of water and energy or biogeochemical cycles such as carbon and nitrogen. Furthermore the assimilation of satellite data into such models tends to be restricted to a single wavelength domain, for example passive microwave, thermal or optical, depending on the problem at hand. The next generation of land surface schemes, such as the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) and the US Community Land Model (CLM) represent a broader range of processes but at the expense of increasing overall model complexity and in some cases reducing the level of detail in specific processes to accommodate this. Typically, the level of physical detail used to represent the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with the surface is not sufficient to enable prediction of intrinsic satellite observations (reflectance, brightness temperature and so on) and consequently these are not assimilated directly into the models. A seemingly attractive alternative is to assimilate high-level products derived from satellite observations but these are often only superficially related to the corresponding variables in land surface models due to conflicting assumptions between the two. This poster describes the water and energy balance modeling components of a project funded by the European Space Agency to develop a data assimilation scheme for the land surface and observation operators to translate between models and the intrinsic observations acquired by satellite missions. The rationale behind the design of the underlying process model is to represent the physics of the water and energy balance in as parsimonious manner as possible, using a force-restore approach, but describing the physics of electromagnetic radiation scattering at the surface sufficiently well that it is possible to assimilate the intrinsic observations made by remote sensing instruments. In this manner the initial configuration of the resulting scheme will be able to make optimal use of available satellite observations at arbitrary wavelengths and geometries. Model complexity can then be built up from this point whilst ensuring consistency with satellite observations.

The solar spectrum at typical clear weather days

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boer, K. W.

1976-01-01

The solar spectrum in the range of 300 is less than lambda is less than 1500nm is given for five typical clear weather days. These days are selected to represent typical seasonal conditions in respect to airmass water vapor, ozone, and turbidity. Present data are reviewed, and specific conditions are selected. The spectral distribution of the irradiance is given for the direct component, the scattered skylight, the total flux on a horizontal surface, and the flux on an inclined surface normal to the direct beam.

[Research on developping the spectral dataset for Dunhuang typical colors based on color constancy].

PubMed

Liu, Qiang; Wan, Xiao-Xia; Liu, Zhen; Li, Chan; Liang, Jin-Xing

2013-11-01

The present paper aims at developping a method to reasonably set up the typical spectral color dataset for different kinds of Chinese cultural heritage in color rendering process. The world famous wall paintings dating from more than 1700 years ago in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes was taken as typical case in this research. In order to maintain the color constancy during the color rendering workflow of Dunhuang culture relics, a chromatic adaptation based method for developping the spectral dataset of typical colors for those wall paintings was proposed from the view point of human vision perception ability. Under the help and guidance of researchers in the art-research institution and protection-research institution of Dunhuang Academy and according to the existing research achievement of Dunhuang Research in the past years, 48 typical known Dunhuang pigments were chosen and 240 representative color samples were made with reflective spectral ranging from 360 to 750 nm was acquired by a spectrometer. In order to find the typical colors of the above mentioned color samples, the original dataset was devided into several subgroups by clustering analysis. The grouping number, together with the most typical samples for each subgroup which made up the firstly built typical color dataset, was determined by wilcoxon signed rank test according to the color inconstancy index comprehensively calculated under 6 typical illuminating conditions. Considering the completeness of gamut of Dunhuang wall paintings, 8 complementary colors was determined and finally the typical spectral color dataset was built up which contains 100 representative spectral colors. The analytical calculating results show that the median color inconstancy index of the built dataset in 99% confidence level by wilcoxon signed rank test was 3.28 and the 100 colors are distributing in the whole gamut uniformly, which ensures that this dataset can provide reasonable reference for choosing the color with highest color constancy during the color rendering process of Dunhuang cultural heritage.

NEUROTOXICITY CHEMICAL MIXTURES: AN EXAMPLE OF OTOTOXICITY PRODUCED BY COMBINED SOLVENTS.

EPA Science Inventory

There are relatively few studies in the experimental literature examining the toxicity of combined exposure to environmental neurotoxicants. In the absence of experimental data, risk assessment evaluations of such exposures typically assume that toxicity is an additive combinati...

Mass Flux Measurements of Arsenic in Groundwater (Battelle Conference)

EPA Science Inventory

Concentration trends of arsenic are typically used to evaluate the performance of remediation efforts designed to mitigate arsenic contamination in groundwater. A complementary approach would be to track changes in mass flux of the contaminant through the subsurface, for exampl...

Eating Disorders among Athletes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fairbanks, George

1987-01-01

Case examples are presented of typical pressures felt by aerobic dance instructors, cheerleaders and majorettes, and wrestlers to illustrate how they may become susceptible to eating disorders. Suggestions are presented for coaches, parents, and administrators in preventing or intervening in eating disorders among athletes. (CB)

Droplet-turbulence interactions in subcritical and supercritical evaporating sprays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santavicca, Domenic A.; Coy, Edward; Greenfield, Stuart; Song, Young-Hoon

1991-01-01

The objective of this research is to obtain an improved understanding of droplet turbulence interactions in vaporizing liquid sprays under conditions typical of those encountered in liquid fueled rocket engines. The interaction between liquid droplets and the surrounding turbulent gas flow affects droplet dispersion, droplet collisions, droplet vaporization and gas-phase, fuel-oxidant mixing, and therefore has a significant effect on the engine's combustion characteristics. An example of this is the role which droplet-turbulence interactions are believed to play in combustion instabilities. Despite their importance, droplet-turbulence interactions and their effect on liquid fueled rocket engine performance are not well understood. This is particularly true under supercritical conditions, where many conventional concepts, such as surface tension, no longer apply. Our limited understanding of droplet-turbulence interactions, under both subcritical conditions, represents a major limitation in our ability to design improved liquid previously unavailable information and valuable new insights which will directly impact the design of future liquid fueled rocket engines, as well as, allow for the development of significantly improved spray combustion models, making such models useful design tools.

Statistical sensor fusion analysis of near-IR polarimetric and thermal imagery for the detection of minelike targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisenseel, Robert A.; Karl, William C.; Castanon, David A.; DiMarzio, Charles A.

1999-02-01

We present an analysis of statistical model based data-level fusion for near-IR polarimetric and thermal data, particularly for the detection of mines and mine-like targets. Typical detection-level data fusion methods, approaches that fuse detections from individual sensors rather than fusing at the level of the raw data, do not account rationally for the relative reliability of different sensors, nor the redundancy often inherent in multiple sensors. Representative examples of such detection-level techniques include logical AND/OR operations on detections from individual sensors and majority vote methods. In this work, we exploit a statistical data model for the detection of mines and mine-like targets to compare and fuse multiple sensor channels. Our purpose is to quantify the amount of knowledge that each polarimetric or thermal channel supplies to the detection process. With this information, we can make reasonable decisions about the usefulness of each channel. We can use this information to improve the detection process, or we can use it to reduce the number of required channels.

Overcoming the challenges of drug discovery for neglected tropical diseases: the A·WOL experience.

PubMed

Johnston, Kelly L; Ford, Louise; Taylor, Mark J

2014-03-01

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of 17 diseases that typically affect poor people in tropical countries. Each has been neglected for decades in terms of funding, research, and policy, but the recent grouping of them into one unit, which can be targeted using integrated control measures, together with increased advocacy has helped to place them on the global health agenda. The World Health Organization has set ambitious goals to control or eliminate 10 NTDs by 2020 and launched a roadmap in January 2012 to guide this global plan. The result of the launch meeting, which brought together representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, donors, and politicians, was the London Declaration: a series of commitments to provide more drugs, research, and funds to achieve the 2020 goals. Drug discovery and development for these diseases are extremely challenging, and this article highlights these challenges in the context of the London Declaration, before focusing on an example of a drug discovery and development program for the NTDs onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (the anti-Wolbachia consortium, A·WOL).

Red fox prey demands and implications to prairie duck production

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sargeant, A.B.

1978-01-01

Experiments were conducted during spring and summer with 33 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to determine prey demands, feeding characteristics, and growth rates using natural foods. Pups began eating prey the 4th week after birth. Then, prey consumption averaged 1.38 and 1.90 kg/pup/week for weeks 5-8 and 9-12 of the denning season respectively, and 2.54 kg/pup/week for the postdenning period. Feeding by adults averaged 2.25 kg/adult/week. Free water was not needed by either pups or adults. About 90 percent of the prey offered to pups on simulated natural diets was consumed, remains varied with prey availability and prey type. Prey biomass required by a typical fox family was estimated at 18.5 kg/km2 for the 12-week denning season and 2.4 kg/km2/week for the postdenning period. Because of the large prey demands, ducks could represent a small part of the foxes' diet and yet be of consequence to the productivity of particular species. An example is provided for the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos).

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

Robinson, Ian; Clark, Jesse; Harder, Ross

Materials are generally classified by a phase diagram which displays their properties as a function of external state variables, typically temperature and pressure. A new dimension that is relatively unexplored is time: a rich variety of new materials can become accessible in the transient period following laser excitation from the ground state. The timescale of nanoseconds to femtoseconds, is ripe for investigation using x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) methods. There is no shortage of materials suitable for time-resolved materials-science exploration. Oxides alone represent most of the minerals making up the Earth's crust, catalysts, ferroelectrics, corrosion products and electronically ordered materials suchmore » as superconductors, to name a few. Some of the elements have metastable phase diagrams with predicted new phases. There are some examples known already: an oxide 'hidden phase' living only nanoseconds and an electronically ordered excited phase of fullerene C 60, lasting only femtoseconds. In a completely general way, optically excited states of materials can be probed with Bragg coherent diffraction imaging, both below the damage threshold and in the destructive regime. Lastly, prospective methods for carrying out such XFEL experiments are discussed.« less

Sensitivity Analysis of Hydraulic Head to Locations of Model Boundaries

DOE PAGES

Lu, Zhiming

2018-01-30

Sensitivity analysis is an important component of many model activities in hydrology. Numerous studies have been conducted in calculating various sensitivities. Most of these sensitivity analysis focus on the sensitivity of state variables (e.g. hydraulic head) to parameters representing medium properties such as hydraulic conductivity or prescribed values such as constant head or flux at boundaries, while few studies address the sensitivity of the state variables to some shape parameters or design parameters that control the model domain. Instead, these shape parameters are typically assumed to be known in the model. In this study, based on the flow equation, wemore » derive the equation (and its associated initial and boundary conditions) for sensitivity of hydraulic head to shape parameters using continuous sensitivity equation (CSE) approach. These sensitivity equations can be solved numerically in general or analytically in some simplified cases. Finally, the approach has been demonstrated through two examples and the results are compared favorably to those from analytical solutions or numerical finite difference methods with perturbed model domains, while numerical shortcomings of the finite difference method are avoided.« less

Lossless Compression of Classification-Map Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hua, Xie; Klimesh, Matthew

2009-01-01

A lossless image-data-compression algorithm intended specifically for application to classification-map data is based on prediction, context modeling, and entropy coding. The algorithm was formulated, in consideration of the differences between classification maps and ordinary images of natural scenes, so as to be capable of compressing classification- map data more effectively than do general-purpose image-data-compression algorithms. Classification maps are typically generated from remote-sensing images acquired by instruments aboard aircraft (see figure) and spacecraft. A classification map is a synthetic image that summarizes information derived from one or more original remote-sensing image(s) of a scene. The value assigned to each pixel in such a map is the index of a class that represents some type of content deduced from the original image data for example, a type of vegetation, a mineral, or a body of water at the corresponding location in the scene. When classification maps are generated onboard the aircraft or spacecraft, it is desirable to compress the classification-map data in order to reduce the volume of data that must be transmitted to a ground station.

Collective dynamics of social annotation

PubMed Central

Cattuto, Ciro; Barrat, Alain; Baldassarri, Andrea; Schehr, Gregory; Loreto, Vittorio

2009-01-01

The enormous increase of popularity and use of the worldwide web has led in the recent years to important changes in the ways people communicate. An interesting example of this fact is provided by the now very popular social annotation systems, through which users annotate resources (such as web pages or digital photographs) with keywords known as “tags.” Understanding the rich emergent structures resulting from the uncoordinated actions of users calls for an interdisciplinary effort. In particular concepts borrowed from statistical physics, such as random walks (RWs), and complex networks theory, can effectively contribute to the mathematical modeling of social annotation systems. Here, we show that the process of social annotation can be seen as a collective but uncoordinated exploration of an underlying semantic space, pictured as a graph, through a series of RWs. This modeling framework reproduces several aspects, thus far unexplained, of social annotation, among which are the peculiar growth of the size of the vocabulary used by the community and its complex network structure that represents an externalization of semantic structures grounded in cognition and that are typically hard to access. PMID:19506244

Optical fiber sensor technique for strain measurement

DOEpatents

Butler, Michael A.; Ginley, David S.

1989-01-01

Laser light from a common source is split and conveyed through two similar optical fibers and emitted at their respective ends to form an interference pattern, one of the optical fibers having a portion thereof subjected to a strain. Changes in the strain cause changes in the optical path length of the strain fiber, and generate corresponding changes in the interference pattern. The interference pattern is received and transduced into signals representative of fringe shifts corresponding to changes in the strain experienced by the strained one of the optical fibers. These signals are then processed to evaluate strain as a function of time, typical examples of the application of the apparatus including electrodeposition of a metallic film on a conductive surface provided on the outside of the optical fiber being strained, so that strains generated in the optical fiber during the course of the electrodeposition are measurable as a function of time. In one aspect of the invention, signals relating to the fringe shift are stored for subsequent processing and analysis, whereas in another aspect of the invention the signals are processed for real-time display of the strain changes under study.

Impact assessment and remediation strategies for roadway construction in acid-bearing media: case study from Mid-Appalachia

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

Viadero, R.C.; Fortney, R.H.; Creel, A.T.

2008-09-15

The likelihood of encountering land impacted by current and/or historic coal mining activities is high when constructing roadways in the Mid-Appalachian region. Through additional disturbance of these lands, environmental impacts such as acid and dissolved metals loading and subsequent impacts to aquatic flora and fauna will ensue. Consequently, it is necessary to affect a paradigm shift in roadway design and construction to account for the presence of factors that compound the already difficult task of working in a region characterized by steep topography and aggressive geochemistry. In this study, assessments of the water chemistry and biological impacts of a wastemore » pile containing spoils from previous mining and the presence of an exposed coal mine bench were made as representative microcosmic examples of typical conditions found in the region. Based on quantitative measurements of water quality and biological conditions, recommendations are presented for the assessment and avoidance of impacts prior to construction through acid-bearing materials and suggestions are offered for postconstruction remediation at previously impacted sites.« less

Flight testing a V/STOL aircraft to identify a full-envelope aerodynamic model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcnally, B. David; Bach, Ralph E., Jr.

1988-01-01

Flight-test techniques are being used to generate a data base for identification of a full-envelope aerodynamic model of a V/STOL fighter aircraft, the YAV-8B Harrier. The flight envelope to be modeled includes hover, transition to conventional flight and back to hover, STOL operation, and normal cruise. Standard V/STOL procedures such as vertical takeoff and landings, and short takeoff and landings are used to gather data in the powered-lift flight regime. Long (3 to 5 min) maneuvers which include a variety of input types are used to obtain large-amplitude control and response excitations. The aircraft is under continuous radar tracking; a laser tracker is used for V/STOL operations near the ground. Tracking data are used with state-estimation techniques to check data consistency and to derive unmeasured variables, for example, angular accelerations. A propulsion model of the YAV-8B's engine and reaction control system is used to isolate aerodynamic forces and moments for model identification. Representative V/STOL flight data are presented. The processing of a typical short takeoff and slow landing maneuver is illustrated.

Analysis of the detection materials as resonant pads for attaching the measuring arm of the interferometer when sensing mechanical vibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nedoma, Jan; Fajkus, Marcel; Martinek, Radek; Zboril, Ondrej; Bednarek, Lukas; Novak, Martin; Witas, Karel; Vasinek, Vladimir

2017-05-01

Fiber-optic sensors (FOS), today among the most widespread measuring sensors and during various types of measuring, are irreplaceable. Among the distinctive features include immunity to electromagnetic interference, passivity regarding power supply and high sensitivity. One of the representatives FOS is the interferometric sensors working on the principle of interference of light. Authors of this article focused on the analysis of the detection material as resonant pads for attaching the measuring arm of the interferometer when sensing mechanical vibrations (low frequencies). A typical example is the use of interferometer sensors in automobile traffic while sensing a vibration response from the roadway while passing the cars. For analysis was used sensor with Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Defined were different detection materials about different size and thickness. We analyzed the influence on the sensitivity (amplitude response) of the interferometer. Based on the results we have defined the best material for sensing mechanical vibrations. The signal was processed by applications created in LabView development environment. The results were verified by repeated testing in laboratory conditions.

A modelling approach to assessing the timescale uncertainties in proxy series with chronological errors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divine, D. V.; Godtliebsen, F.; Rue, H.

2012-01-01

The paper proposes an approach to assessment of timescale errors in proxy-based series with chronological uncertainties. The method relies on approximation of the physical process(es) forming a proxy archive by a random Gamma process. Parameters of the process are partly data-driven and partly determined from prior assumptions. For a particular case of a linear accumulation model and absolutely dated tie points an analytical solution is found suggesting the Beta-distributed probability density on age estimates along the length of a proxy archive. In a general situation of uncertainties in the ages of the tie points the proposed method employs MCMC simulations of age-depth profiles yielding empirical confidence intervals on the constructed piecewise linear best guess timescale. It is suggested that the approach can be further extended to a more general case of a time-varying expected accumulation between the tie points. The approach is illustrated by using two ice and two lake/marine sediment cores representing the typical examples of paleoproxy archives with age models based on tie points of mixed origin.

Scale-free avalanches in the multifractal random walk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartolozzi, M.

2007-06-01

Avalanches, or Avalanche-like, events are often observed in the dynamical behaviour of many complex systems which span from solar flaring to the Earth's crust dynamics and from traffic flows to financial markets. Self-organized criticality (SOC) is one of the most popular theories able to explain this intermittent charge/discharge behaviour. Despite a large amount of theoretical work, empirical tests for SOC are still in their infancy. In the present paper we address the common problem of revealing SOC from a simple time series without having much information about the underlying system. As a working example we use a modified version of the multifractal random walk originally proposed as a model for the stock market dynamics. The study reveals, despite the lack of the typical ingredients of SOC, an avalanche-like dynamics similar to that of many physical systems. While, on one hand, the results confirm the relevance of cascade models in representing turbulent-like phenomena, on the other, they also raise the question about the current state of reliability of SOC inference from time series analysis.

Loading of Cervical Spine when Head is Rotated

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaibani, Saami J.

2005-03-01

The neck is more susceptible to injury during an insult in the forward direction if the head is not initially facing straight ahead. (A typical example of this is when a vehicle occupant is checking traffic to the right or left at an intersection before proceeding.) However, the ability to characterize this behavior has not progressed much beyond the qualitative because practical constraints limit testing with conventional physical surrogates. This shortfall is tackled in this study by employing a model validated elsewhere to represent a range of real-world events with the power of great specificity for parameters of importance. Of primary concern is the variation in head angle, which can now be investigated across a wide spectrum of values that was not possible with previous approaches. The quantitative results computed here provide an extraordinarily high level of detail and they show how the potential for injury can change from low to significant within a matter of degrees. This explains why a seemingly harmless impact can cause trauma in some cases when none would otherwise be expected.

Design analysis of levitation facility for space processing applications. [Skylab program, space shuttles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, R. T.; Kornrumpf, W. P.; Napaluch, L. J.; Harden, J. D., Jr.; Walden, J. P.; Stockhoff, E. H.; Wouch, G.; Walker, L. H.

1974-01-01

Containerless processing facilities for the space laboratory and space shuttle are defined. Materials process examples representative of the most severe requirements for the facility in terms of electrical power, radio frequency equipment, and the use of an auxiliary electron beam heater were used to discuss matters having the greatest effect upon the space shuttle pallet payload interfaces and envelopes. Improved weight, volume, and efficiency estimates for the RF generating equipment were derived. Results are particularly significant because of the reduced requirements for heat rejection from electrical equipment, one of the principal envelope problems for shuttle pallet payloads. It is shown that although experiments on containerless melting of high temperature refractory materials make it desirable to consider the highest peak powers which can be made available on the pallet, total energy requirements are kept relatively low by the very fast processing times typical of containerless experiments and allows consideration of heat rejection capabilities lower than peak power demand if energy storage in system heat capacitances is considered. Batteries are considered to avoid a requirement for fuel cells capable of furnishing this brief peak power demand.

Using Chebyshev polynomial interpolation to improve the computational efficiency of gravity models near an irregularly-shaped asteroid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Shou-Cun; Ji, Jiang-Hui

2017-12-01

In asteroid rendezvous missions, the dynamical environment near an asteroid’s surface should be made clear prior to launch of the mission. However, most asteroids have irregular shapes, which lower the efficiency of calculating their gravitational field by adopting the traditional polyhedral method. In this work, we propose a method to partition the space near an asteroid adaptively along three spherical coordinates and use Chebyshev polynomial interpolation to represent the gravitational acceleration in each cell. Moreover, we compare four different interpolation schemes to obtain the best precision with identical initial parameters. An error-adaptive octree division is combined to improve the interpolation precision near the surface. As an example, we take the typical irregularly-shaped near-Earth asteroid 4179 Toutatis to demonstrate the advantage of this method; as a result, we show that the efficiency can be increased by hundreds to thousands of times with our method. Our results indicate that this method can be applicable to other irregularly-shaped asteroids and can greatly improve the evaluation efficiency.

BCM: toolkit for Bayesian analysis of Computational Models using samplers.

PubMed

Thijssen, Bram; Dijkstra, Tjeerd M H; Heskes, Tom; Wessels, Lodewyk F A

2016-10-21

Computational models in biology are characterized by a large degree of uncertainty. This uncertainty can be analyzed with Bayesian statistics, however, the sampling algorithms that are frequently used for calculating Bayesian statistical estimates are computationally demanding, and each algorithm has unique advantages and disadvantages. It is typically unclear, before starting an analysis, which algorithm will perform well on a given computational model. We present BCM, a toolkit for the Bayesian analysis of Computational Models using samplers. It provides efficient, multithreaded implementations of eleven algorithms for sampling from posterior probability distributions and for calculating marginal likelihoods. BCM includes tools to simplify the process of model specification and scripts for visualizing the results. The flexible architecture allows it to be used on diverse types of biological computational models. In an example inference task using a model of the cell cycle based on ordinary differential equations, BCM is significantly more efficient than existing software packages, allowing more challenging inference problems to be solved. BCM represents an efficient one-stop-shop for computational modelers wishing to use sampler-based Bayesian statistics.

Virtual reconstruction and geometric morphometrics as tools for paleopathology: a new approach to study rare developmental disorders of the skeleton.

PubMed

Milella, Marco; Zollikofer, Christoph P E; Ponce de León, Marcia S

2015-02-01

Survey studies of osteoarchaeological collections occasionally yield specimens exhibiting rare skeletal developmental disorders. Beyond paleopathological diagnosis, however, it is often difficult to gain insight into the processes, mechanisms, and consequences of the pathology, notably because archaeological specimens are often fragmentary. Here, we propose a combination of virtual reconstruction (VR) and geometric morphometrics (GM) to address these issues. As an example, we use VR to reconstruct the only known archaeological specimen exhibiting persistence of the pelvic triradiate cartilage and compare it via GM with a set of healthy pelvises representing both sexes and different ontogenetic stages. Our results evidence (i) a marked deviation of the pathological pelvis from the adult mean shape, (ii) the retention of typical male features, and (iii) the retention of a paedomorphic ratio between iliac and ischiopubic size. Altogether, such data offer new insights into the modularity and integration of pelvic ontogeny, while at the same time demonstrating the usefulness of a combined VR/GM approach as complement to classical methods of paleopathology. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Potential-Energy Surfaces, the Born-Oppenheimer Approximations, and the Franck-Condon Principle: Back to the Roots.

PubMed

Mustroph, Heinz

2016-09-05

The concept of a potential-energy surface (PES) is central to our understanding of spectroscopy, photochemistry, and chemical kinetics. However, the terminology used in connection with the basic approximations is variously, and somewhat confusingly, represented with such phrases as "adiabatic", "Born-Oppenheimer", or "Born-Oppenheimer adiabatic" approximation. Concerning the closely relevant and important Franck-Condon principle (FCP), the IUPAC definition differentiates between a classical and quantum mechanical formulation. Consequently, in many publications we find terms such as "Franck-Condon (excited) state", or a vertical transition to the "Franck-Condon point" with the "Franck-Condon geometry" that relaxes to the excited-state equilibrium geometry. The Born-Oppenheimer approximation and the "classical" model of the Franck-Condon principle are typical examples of misused terms and lax interpretations of the original theories. In this essay, we revisit the original publications of pioneers of the PES concept and the FCP to help stimulate a lively discussion and clearer thinking around these important concepts. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Method and metaphysics in Clements's and Gleason's ecological explanations.

PubMed

Eliot, Christopher

2007-03-01

To generate explanatory theory, ecologists must wrestle with how to represent the extremely many, diverse causes behind phenomena in their domain. Early twentieth-century plant ecologists Frederic E. Clements and Henry A. Gleason provide a textbook example of different approaches to explaining vegetation, with Clements allegedly committed, despite abundant exceptions, to a law of vegetation, and Gleason denying the law in favor of less organized phenomena. However, examining Clements's approach to explanation reveals him not to be expressing a law, and instead to be developing an explanatory structure without laws, capable of progressively integrating causal complexity. Moreover, Clements and Gleason largely agree on the causes of vegetation; but, since causal understanding here underdetermines representation, they differ on how to integrate recognized causes into general theory--that is, in their methodologies. Observers of the case may have mistakenly assumed that scientific representation across the disciplines typically aims at laws like Newton's, and that representations always reveal scientists' metaphysical commitments. Ironically, in the present case, this assumption seems to have been made even by observers who regard Clements as nai ve for his alleged commitment to an ecological law.

MICROANALYSIS OF MATERIALS USING SYNCHROTRON RADIATION.

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

JONES,K.W.; FENG,H.

2000-12-01

High intensity synchrotron radiation produces photons with wavelengths that extend from the infrared to hard x rays with energies of hundreds of keV with uniquely high photon intensities that can be used to determine the composition and properties of materials using a variety of techniques. Most of these techniques represent extensions of earlier work performed with ordinary tube-type x-ray sources. The properties of the synchrotron source such as the continuous range of energy, high degree of photon polarization, pulsed beams, and photon flux many orders of magnitude higher than from x-ray tubes have made possible major advances in the possiblemore » chemical applications. We describe here ways that materials analyses can be made using the high intensity beams for measurements with small beam sizes and/or high detection sensitivity. The relevant characteristics of synchrotron x-ray sources are briefly summarized to give an idea of the x-ray parameters to be exploited. The experimental techniques considered include x-ray fluorescence, absorption, and diffraction. Examples of typical experimental apparatus used in these experiments are considered together with descriptions of actual applications.« less

A Survey of Protein Structures from Archaeal Viruses

PubMed Central

Dellas, Nikki; Lawrence, C. Martin; Young, Mark J.

2013-01-01

Viruses that infect the third domain of life, Archaea, are a newly emerging field of interest. To date, all characterized archaeal viruses infect archaea that thrive in extreme conditions, such as halophilic, hyperthermophilic, and methanogenic environments. Viruses in general, especially those replicating in extreme environments, contain highly mosaic genomes with open reading frames (ORFs) whose sequences are often dissimilar to all other known ORFs. It has been estimated that approximately 85% of virally encoded ORFs do not match known sequences in the nucleic acid databases, and this percentage is even higher for archaeal viruses (typically 90%–100%). This statistic suggests that either virus genomes represent a larger segment of sequence space and/or that viruses encode genes of novel fold and/or function. Because the overall three-dimensional fold of a protein evolves more slowly than its sequence, efforts have been geared toward structural characterization of proteins encoded by archaeal viruses in order to gain insight into their potential functions. In this short review, we provide multiple examples where structural characterization of archaeal viral proteins has indeed provided significant functional and evolutionary insight. PMID:25371334

Sensitivity Analysis of Hydraulic Head to Locations of Model Boundaries

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

Lu, Zhiming

Sensitivity analysis is an important component of many model activities in hydrology. Numerous studies have been conducted in calculating various sensitivities. Most of these sensitivity analysis focus on the sensitivity of state variables (e.g. hydraulic head) to parameters representing medium properties such as hydraulic conductivity or prescribed values such as constant head or flux at boundaries, while few studies address the sensitivity of the state variables to some shape parameters or design parameters that control the model domain. Instead, these shape parameters are typically assumed to be known in the model. In this study, based on the flow equation, wemore » derive the equation (and its associated initial and boundary conditions) for sensitivity of hydraulic head to shape parameters using continuous sensitivity equation (CSE) approach. These sensitivity equations can be solved numerically in general or analytically in some simplified cases. Finally, the approach has been demonstrated through two examples and the results are compared favorably to those from analytical solutions or numerical finite difference methods with perturbed model domains, while numerical shortcomings of the finite difference method are avoided.« less

Accounting for uncertainty in the historical response rate of the standard treatment in single-arm two-stage designs based on Bayesian power functions.

PubMed

Matano, Francesca; Sambucini, Valeria

2016-11-01

In phase II single-arm studies, the response rate of the experimental treatment is typically compared with a fixed target value that should ideally represent the true response rate for the standard of care therapy. Generally, this target value is estimated through previous data, but the inherent variability in the historical response rate is not taken into account. In this paper, we present a Bayesian procedure to construct single-arm two-stage designs that allows to incorporate uncertainty in the response rate of the standard treatment. In both stages, the sample size determination criterion is based on the concepts of conditional and predictive Bayesian power functions. Different kinds of prior distributions, which play different roles in the designs, are introduced, and some guidelines for their elicitation are described. Finally, some numerical results about the performance of the designs are provided and a real data example is illustrated. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of Physical Atypicality on Children's Social Identities and Intergroup Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patterson, Meagan M.; Bigler, Rebecca S.

2007-01-01

Individuals vary in the degree to which they are representative, or typical, of their social groups. To investigate the effects of atypicality on intergroup attitudes, elementary-school-age children (N = 97) attending a summer school program were assigned to novel color groups that included typical (blue or green) and atypical (light blue or light…

Autism Spectrum Disorders as a Qualitatively Distinct Category from Typical Behavior in a Large, Clinically Ascertained Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frazier, Thomas W.; Youngstrom, Eric A.; Sinclair, Leslie; Kubu, Cynthia S.; Law, Paul; Rezai, Ali; Constantino, John N.; Eng, Charis

2010-01-01

The present study evaluated the hypothesis that autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are best represented as a discrete category distinct from typical behavior within autism-affected families. The latent structure, categorical versus dimensional, of ASDs informs future diagnostic revisions, clinical assessment, and the design of future research. Data…

Trends in Current Issues, Y2K-2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maltz, Leslie; DeBlois, Peter B.

2005-01-01

EDUCAUSE inaugurated its annual Current Issues Survey in 2000 by asking the primary representatives, typically CIOs, of its member institutions to identify up to three critical IT issues (five starting in 2004) from among 30 to 40 in response to each of four questions. The survey response rate has typically been 35 to 40 percent, with a…

NASTRAN pre and postprocessors using low-cost interactive graphics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herness, E. D.; Kriloff, H. Z.

1975-01-01

A design for a NASTRAN preprocessor is given to illustrate a typical preprocessor. Several displays of NASTRAN models illustrate the preprocessor's capabilities. A design of a NASTRAN postprocessor is presented along with an example of displays generated by that NASTRAN processor.

An Interdisciplinary Practical for Multimedia Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcos-Jorquera, Diego; Pertegal-Felices, María Luisa; Jimeno-Morenilla, Antonio; Gilar-Corbí, Raquel

2017-01-01

Interdisciplinary projects in the industry typically require collaboration between professionals from various fields. However, this relationship is not generally addressed in the training offered by university programs, which often ignore this interdisciplinary approach. This paper offers an example of interdisciplinary interaction through joint…

Theoretical and Empirical Comparisons between Two Models for Continuous Item Responses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrando, Pere J.

2002-01-01

Analyzed the relations between two continuous response models intended for typical response items: the linear congeneric model and Samejima's continuous response model (CRM). Illustrated the relations described using an empirical example and assessed the relations through a simulation study. (SLD)

Stress Training and the New Military Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-04-01

stressors in military missions may be for example, fatigue and boredom . A typical acute stressor is threat. The outcomes of stress can be either... prosocial behaviour, increased personal aggression, neglect of social or interpersonal cues, and less cooperative behaviour among team members [6

76 FR 48769 - Metadata Standards To Support Nationwide Electronic Health Information Exchange

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-09

... log of the set of TDEs used for a particular task. For example, a TDE containing diagnostic study... typically be an OID Patient ID--Address 1234 Main St. Apt 3 Bedford MA/state> 01730 Patient ID--Name Note...

On the Effect of Preferential Sampling in Spatial Prediction

EPA Science Inventory

The choice of the sampling locations in a spatial network is often guided by practical demands. In particular, typically, locations are preferentially chosen to capture high values of a response, for example, air pollution levels in environmental monitoring. Then, model estimatio...

29 CFR 541.203 - Administrative exemption examples.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... management consultants who study the operations of a business and propose changes in organization generally... their work typically does not involve work directly related to the management or general business... disadvantages of different financial products; and marketing, servicing or promoting the employer's financial...

Precast-Prestressed Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basalt Rock Co., Inc., Napa, CA.

Diagrammatic explanations of various concepts, processes, details, and potential material usages are presented. Specific material and element topics include--(1) the fabrication process, (2) basic structural components, (3) element usage, and (4) building construction procedures. Examples of the use of related elements are shown for typical school…

Quantifying geological uncertainty for flow and transport modeling in multi-modal heterogeneous formations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feyen, Luc; Caers, Jef

2006-06-01

In this work, we address the problem of characterizing the heterogeneity and uncertainty of hydraulic properties for complex geological settings. Hereby, we distinguish between two scales of heterogeneity, namely the hydrofacies structure and the intrafacies variability of the hydraulic properties. We employ multiple-point geostatistics to characterize the hydrofacies architecture. The multiple-point statistics are borrowed from a training image that is designed to reflect the prior geological conceptualization. The intrafacies variability of the hydraulic properties is represented using conventional two-point correlation methods, more precisely, spatial covariance models under a multi-Gaussian spatial law. We address the different levels and sources of uncertainty in characterizing the subsurface heterogeneity, and explore their effect on groundwater flow and transport predictions. Typically, uncertainty is assessed by way of many images, termed realizations, of a fixed statistical model. However, in many cases, sampling from a fixed stochastic model does not adequately represent the space of uncertainty. It neglects the uncertainty related to the selection of the stochastic model and the estimation of its input parameters. We acknowledge the uncertainty inherent in the definition of the prior conceptual model of aquifer architecture and in the estimation of global statistics, anisotropy, and correlation scales. Spatial bootstrap is used to assess the uncertainty of the unknown statistical parameters. As an illustrative example, we employ a synthetic field that represents a fluvial setting consisting of an interconnected network of channel sands embedded within finer-grained floodplain material. For this highly non-stationary setting we quantify the groundwater flow and transport model prediction uncertainty for various levels of hydrogeological uncertainty. Results indicate the importance of accurately describing the facies geometry, especially for transport predictions.

International Urology Journal Club via Twitter: 12-month experience.

PubMed

Thangasamy, Isaac A; Leveridge, Michael; Davies, Benjamin J; Finelli, Antonio; Stork, Brian; Woo, Henry H

2014-07-01

Online journal clubs have increasingly been utilised to overcome the limitations of the traditional journal club. However, to date, no reported online journal club is available for international participation. To present a 12-mo experience from the International Urology Journal Club, the world's first international journal club using Twitter, an online micro-blogging platform, and to demonstrate the viability and sustainability of such a journal club. #urojc is an asynchronous 48-h monthly journal club moderated by the Twitter account @iurojc. The open invitation discussions focussed on papers typically published within the previous 2-4 wk. Data were obtained via third-party Twitter analysis services. Outcomes analysed included number of total and new users, number of tweets, and qualitative analysis of the relevance of tweets. Analysis was undertaken using GraphPad software, Microsoft Excel, and thematic qualitative analysis. The first 12 mo saw a total of 189 unique users representing 19 countries and 6 continents. There was a mean of 39 monthly participants that included 14 first-time participants per month. The mean number of tweets per month was 195 of which 62% represented original tweets directly related to the topic of discussion and 22% represented retweets of original posts. A mean of 130 832 impressions, or reach, were created per month. The @iurojc moderator account has accumulated >1000 followers. The study is limited by potentially incomplete data extracted by third-party Twitter analysers. Social media provides a potential for enormous international communication that has not been possible in the past. We believe the pioneering #urojc is both viable and sustainable. There is unlimited scope for journal clubs in other fields to follow the example of #urojc and utilise online portals to revitalise the traditional journal club while fostering international relationships. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Mariner 9 mapping science sequence design.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldman, A. M., Jr.

1973-01-01

The primary mission of Mariner 9 was to map the Martian surface. This paper discusses in detail the design of the mapping science sequences which were executed by the spacecraft in sixty days and during which over eighty percent of the surface was photographed. The sequence design was influenced by many factors: experimenter scientific objectives, instrument capabilities, spacecraft capabilities, orbit characteristics, and data return rates, which are illustrated graphically. Typical orbits are depicted for each of the three different mapping phases lasting twenty days. Examples of typical orbital sequence plans prepared daily during mission operations are given.

Typical performance of approximation algorithms for NP-hard problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takabe, Satoshi; Hukushima, Koji

2016-11-01

Typical performance of approximation algorithms is studied for randomized minimum vertex cover problems. A wide class of random graph ensembles characterized by an arbitrary degree distribution is discussed with the presentation of a theoretical framework. Herein, three approximation algorithms are examined: linear-programming relaxation, loopy-belief propagation, and the leaf-removal algorithm. The former two algorithms are analyzed using a statistical-mechanical technique, whereas the average-case analysis of the last one is conducted using the generating function method. These algorithms have a threshold in the typical performance with increasing average degree of the random graph, below which they find true optimal solutions with high probability. Our study reveals that there exist only three cases, determined by the order of the typical performance thresholds. In addition, we provide some conditions for classification of the graph ensembles and demonstrate explicitly some examples for the difference in thresholds.

Upslope deposition of extremely distal turbidites: an example from the Tiburon Rise, west-central Atlantic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dolan, J.; Beck, C.; Ogawa, Y.

1989-01-01

These terrigenous silt and sand turbidities represent an unprecedented example of upslope turbidite deposition in an extremely distral setting. Flow thickness was the dominant control on deposition of these beds, rather than true upslope flow. -from Authors

Evapotranspiration: Mass balance measurements compared with flux estimation methods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Evapotranspiration (ET) may be measured by mass balance methods and estimated by flux sensing methods. The mass balance methods are typically restricted in terms of the area that can be represented (e.g., surface area of weighing lysimeter (LYS) or equivalent representative area of neutron probe (NP...

Personal Finances Instructional Aids. Teacher Reference Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Internal Training Services, Media, PA.

This manual consists of reproducible forms that were collected or developed to represent the vast assortment of forms that may be encountered in the transaction of one's personal finances and related affairs. The items represent typical forms encountered by a resident of Pennsylvania, based on a review of forms collected throughout the…

Representing Energy. I. Representing a Substance Ontology for Energy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scherr, Rachel E.; Close, Hunter G.; McKagan, Sarah B.; Vokos, Stamatis

2012-01-01

The nature of energy is not typically an explicit topic of physics instruction. Nonetheless, verbal and graphical representations of energy articulate models in which energy is conceptualized as a quasimaterial substance, a stimulus, or a vertical location. We argue that a substance ontology for energy is particularly productive in developing…

Self-Scheduling Parallel Methods for Multiple Serial Codes with Application to WOPWOP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Long, Lyle N.; Brentner, Kenneth S.

2000-01-01

This paper presents a scheme for efficiently running a large number of serial jobs on parallel computers. Two examples are given of computer programs that run relatively quickly, but often they must be run numerous times to obtain all the results needed. It is very common in science and engineering to have codes that are not massive computing challenges in themselves, but due to the number of instances that must be run, they do become large-scale computing problems. The two examples given here represent common problems in aerospace engineering: aerodynamic panel methods and aeroacoustic integral methods. The first example simply solves many systems of linear equations. This is representative of an aerodynamic panel code where someone would like to solve for numerous angles of attack. The complete code for this first example is included in the appendix so that it can be readily used by others as a template. The second example is an aeroacoustics code (WOPWOP) that solves the Ffowcs Williams Hawkings equation to predict the far-field sound due to rotating blades. In this example, one quite often needs to compute the sound at numerous observer locations, hence parallelization is utilized to automate the noise computation for a large number of observers.

26 CFR 31.3211-2 - Rates and computation of employee representative tax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) Rates—(1)(i) Tier 1 tax. The Tier 1 employee representative tax rate equals the sum of the tax rates in... employer tax for hospital insurance. The Tier 1 employee representative tax rate is applied to compensation... Insurance Contributions Act. (ii) Example. The rule in paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section is illustrated by...

Manned maneuvering unit mission definition study. Volume 2: Appendices to the MMU applications analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Information used in identifying representative Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) from the many Automated and Sortie Payloads and orbiter subsystems is presented. Representative missions were selected to represent typical MMU applications across all payloads and orbiter subsystems. Data analysis sheets are provided with other applicable information. Calculations used in defining MMU general performance and control requirements to satisfy eleven space missions are included.

Probabilistic description of ice-supersaturated layers in low resolution profiles of relative humidity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickson, N. C.; Gierens, K. M.; Rogers, H. L.; Jones, R. L.

2010-07-01

The global observation, assimilation and prediction in numerical models of ice super-saturated (ISS) regions (ISSR) are crucial if the climate impact of aircraft condensation trails (contrails) is to be fully understood, and if, for example, contrail formation is to be avoided through aircraft operational measures. Given their small scales compared to typical atmospheric model grid sizes, statistical representations of the spatial scales of ISSR are required, in both horizontal and vertical dimensions, if global occurrence of ISSR is to be adequately represented in climate models. This paper uses radiosonde launches made by the UK Meteorological Office, from the British Isles, Gibraltar, St. Helena and the Falkland Islands between January 2002 and December 2006, to investigate the probabilistic occurrence of ISSR. Each radiosonde profile is divided into 50- and 100-hPa pressure layers, to emulate the coarse vertical resolution of some atmospheric models. Then the high resolution observations contained within each thick pressure layer are used to calculate an average relative humidity and an ISS fraction for each individual thick pressure layer. These relative humidity pressure layer descriptions are then linked through a probability function to produce an s-shaped curve which empirically describes the ISS fraction in any average relative humidity pressure layer. Using this empirical understanding of the s-shaped relationship a mathematical model was developed to represent the ISS fraction within any arbitrary thick pressure layer. Two models were developed to represent both 50- and 100-hPa pressure layers with each reconstructing their respective s-shapes within 8-10% of the empirical curves. These new models can be used, to represent the small scale structures of ISS events, in modelled data where only low vertical resolution is available. This will be useful in understanding, and improving the global distribution, both observed and forecasted, of ice super-saturation.

An enhanced digital line graph design

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guptill, Stephen C.

1990-01-01

In response to increasing information demands on its digital cartographic data, the U.S. Geological Survey has designed an enhanced version of the Digital Line Graph, termed Digital Line Graph - Enhanced (DLG-E). In the DLG-E model, the phenomena represented by geographic and cartographic data are termed entities. Entities represent individual phenomena in the real world. A feature is an abstraction of a set of entities, with the feature description encompassing only selected properties of the entities (typically the properties that have been portrayed cartographically on a map). Buildings, bridges, roads, streams, grasslands, and counties are examples of features. A feature instance, that is, one occurrence of a feature, is described in the digital environment by feature objects and spatial objects. A feature object identifies a feature instance and its nonlocational attributes. Nontopological relationships are associated with feature objects. The locational aspects of the feature instance are represented by spatial objects. Four spatial objects (points, nodes, chains, and polygons) and their topological relationships are defined. To link the locational and nonlocational aspects of the feature instance, a given feature object is associated with (or is composed of) a set of spatial objects. These objects, attributes, and relationships are the components of the DLG-E data model. To establish a domain of features for DLG-E, an approach using a set of classes, or views, of spatial entities was adopted. The five views that were developed are cover, division, ecosystem, geoposition, and morphology. The views are exclusive; each view is a self-contained analytical approach to the entire range of world features. Because each view is independent of the others, a single point on the surface of the Earth can be represented under multiple views. Under the five views, over 200 features were identified and defined. This set constitutes an initial domain of DLG-E features.

Fault-Tolerant Coding for State Machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naegle, Stephanie Taft; Burke, Gary; Newell, Michael

2008-01-01

Two reliable fault-tolerant coding schemes have been proposed for state machines that are used in field-programmable gate arrays and application-specific integrated circuits to implement sequential logic functions. The schemes apply to strings of bits in state registers, which are typically implemented in practice as assemblies of flip-flop circuits. If a single-event upset (SEU, a radiation-induced change in the bit in one flip-flop) occurs in a state register, the state machine that contains the register could go into an erroneous state or could hang, by which is meant that the machine could remain in undefined states indefinitely. The proposed fault-tolerant coding schemes are intended to prevent the state machine from going into an erroneous or hang state when an SEU occurs. To ensure reliability of the state machine, the coding scheme for bits in the state register must satisfy the following criteria: 1. All possible states are defined. 2. An SEU brings the state machine to a known state. 3. There is no possibility of a hang state. 4. No false state is entered. 5. An SEU exerts no effect on the state machine. Fault-tolerant coding schemes that have been commonly used include binary encoding and "one-hot" encoding. Binary encoding is the simplest state machine encoding and satisfies criteria 1 through 3 if all possible states are defined. Binary encoding is a binary count of the state machine number in sequence; the table represents an eight-state example. In one-hot encoding, N bits are used to represent N states: All except one of the bits in a string are 0, and the position of the 1 in the string represents the state. With proper circuit design, one-hot encoding can satisfy criteria 1 through 4. Unfortunately, the requirement to use N bits to represent N states makes one-hot coding inefficient.

How Effective Is Example Generation for Learning Declarative Concepts?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rawson, Katherine A.; Dunlosky, John

2016-01-01

Declarative concepts (i.e., key terms and corresponding definitions for abstract concepts) represent foundational knowledge that students learn in many content domains. Thus, investigating techniques to enhance concept learning is of critical importance. Various theoretical accounts support the expectation that example generation will serve this…

Rooting Out Aberrant Behavior in Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kokalis, Jerry, Jr.; Paquin, Dave

1989-01-01

Discusses aberrant, or disruptive, behavior in an industrial/business, classroom-based, instructor-led training setting. Three examples of aberrant behavior are described, typical case studies are provided for each, and preventive (long-term) and corrective (on-the-spot) strategies for dealing with the problems are discussed. (LRW)

A Successful Senior Seminar: Unsolved Problems in Number Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Styer, Robert

2014-01-01

The "Unsolved Problems in Number Theory" book by Richard Guy provides nice problems suitable for a typical math major. We give examples of problems that have worked well in our senior seminar course and some nice results that senior math majors can obtain.

Off into Space: The Pleasures of Jumping out of a Plane.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dubrovsky, Vladimir; Sharygin, Igor

1992-01-01

Presents illustrated examples that promote problem solving through the student's consideration of a visible predicament from a three-dimensional viewpoint rather than the typical planar perspective. Includes six student exercises involving rays, circles, quadrilaterals, and hexagons, with hints and solutions provided. (JJK)

15 CFR 295.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... activity. (g) The term independent research organization (IRO) means a nonprofit research and development corporation or association organized under the laws of any state for the purpose of carrying out research and... which may be classified as indirect costs in all situations. However, typical examples of indirect costs...

15 CFR 295.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... activity. (g) The term independent research organization (IRO) means a nonprofit research and development corporation or association organized under the laws of any state for the purpose of carrying out research and... which may be classified as indirect costs in all situations. However, typical examples of indirect costs...

15 CFR 295.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... activity. (g) The term independent research organization (IRO) means a nonprofit research and development corporation or association organized under the laws of any state for the purpose of carrying out research and... which may be classified as indirect costs in all situations. However, typical examples of indirect costs...

15 CFR 295.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... activity. (g) The term independent research organization (IRO) means a nonprofit research and development corporation or association organized under the laws of any state for the purpose of carrying out research and... which may be classified as indirect costs in all situations. However, typical examples of indirect costs...

Computer program for the analysis of the cross flow in a radial inflow turbine scroll

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamed, A.; Abdallah, S.; Tabakoff, W.

1977-01-01

A computer program was used to solve the governing of the potential flow in the cross sectional planes of a radial inflow turbine scroll. A list of the main program, the subroutines, and typical output example are included.

Special Education Research Advances Knowledge in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Sharon; Swanson, Elizabeth A.

2015-01-01

Research in special education has yielded beneficial outcomes for students with disabilities as well as typical achieving students. The authors provide examples of the valuable knowledge special education research has generated, including the elements of response to intervention (e.g., screening and progress monitoring), instructional practices…

Don't Forget the Reflector.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morton, N.

1991-01-01

Various modes of reflection are classified and practical examples of devices, such as cat's eyes, are discussed. Typical light rays are traced through several systems, providing exercises with varying degrees of difficulty. Corner-cube retroreflectors, glass spheres, reflecting luminaries, light concentrators, parabolic reflectors, and off-set and…

40 CFR 1048.801 - What definitions apply to this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... Exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR), turbochargers, and oxygen sensors are not aftertreatment. Aircraft means... device means any element of design that senses temperature, motive speed, engine rpm, transmission gear... oxygen. For example, stoichiometric combustion in a gasoline-fueled engine typically occurs at an air...

40 CFR 1048.801 - What definitions apply to this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... Exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR), turbochargers, and oxygen sensors are not aftertreatment. Aircraft means... device means any element of design that senses temperature, motive speed, engine rpm, transmission gear... oxygen. For example, stoichiometric combustion in a gasoline-fueled engine typically occurs at an air...

40 CFR 1048.801 - What definitions apply to this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR), turbochargers, and oxygen sensors are not aftertreatment. Aircraft means... device means any element of design that senses temperature, motive speed, engine rpm, transmission gear... oxygen. For example, stoichiometric combustion in a gasoline-fueled engine typically occurs at an air...

Plant chromosomes from end to end: telomeres, heterochromatin and centromeres.

PubMed

Lamb, Jonathan C; Yu, Weichang; Han, Fangpu; Birchler, James A

2007-04-01

Recent evidence indicates that heterochromatin in plants is composed of heterogeneous sequences, which are usually composed of transposable elements or tandem repeat arrays. These arrays are associated with chromatin modifications that produce a closed configuration that limits transcription. Centromere sequences in plants are usually composed of tandem repeat arrays that are homogenized across the genome. Analysis of such arrays in closely related taxa suggests a rapid turnover of the repeat unit that is typical of a particular species. In addition, two lines of evidence for an epigenetic component of centromere specification have been reported, namely an example of a neocentromere formed over sequences without the typical repeat array and examples of centromere inactivation. Although the telomere repeat unit is quite prevalent in the plant kingdom, unusual repeats have been found in some families. Recently, it was demonstrated that the introduction of telomere sequences into plants cells causes truncation of the chromosomes, and that this technique can be used to produce artificial chromosome platforms.

Mean of the typical decoding rates: a new translation efficiency index based on the analysis of ribosome profiling data.

PubMed

Dana, Alexandra; Tuller, Tamir

2014-12-01

Gene translation modeling and prediction is a fundamental problem that has numerous biomedical implementations. In this work we present a novel, user-friendly tool/index for calculating the mean of the typical decoding rates that enables predicting translation elongation efficiency of protein coding genes for different tissue types, developmental stages, and experimental conditions. The suggested translation efficiency index is based on the analysis of the organism's ribosome profiling data. This index could be used for example to predict changes in translation elongation efficiency of lowly expressed genes that usually have relatively low and/or biased ribosomal densities and protein levels measurements, or can be used for example for predicting translation efficiency of new genetically engineered genes. We demonstrate the usability of this index via the analysis of six organisms in different tissues and developmental stages. Distributable cross platform application and guideline are available for download at: http://www.cs.tau.ac.il/~tamirtul/MTDR/MTDR_Install.html. Copyright © 2015 Dana and Tuller.

Accounting for multiple sources of uncertainty in impact assessments: The example of the BRACE study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, B. C.

2015-12-01

Assessing climate change impacts often requires the use of multiple scenarios, types of models, and data sources, leading to a large number of potential sources of uncertainty. For example, a single study might require a choice of a forcing scenario, climate model, bias correction and/or downscaling method, societal development scenario, model (typically several) for quantifying elements of societal development such as economic and population growth, biophysical model (such as for crop yields or hydrology), and societal impact model (e.g. economic or health model). Some sources of uncertainty are reduced or eliminated by the framing of the question. For example, it may be useful to ask what an impact outcome would be conditional on a given societal development pathway, forcing scenario, or policy. However many sources of uncertainty remain, and it is rare for all or even most of these sources to be accounted for. I use the example of a recent integrated project on the Benefits of Reduced Anthropogenic Climate changE (BRACE) to explore useful approaches to uncertainty across multiple components of an impact assessment. BRACE comprises 23 papers that assess the differences in impacts between two alternative climate futures: those associated with Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5. It quantifies difference in impacts in terms of extreme events, health, agriculture, tropical cyclones, and sea level rise. Methodologically, it includes climate modeling, statistical analysis, integrated assessment modeling, and sector-specific impact modeling. It employs alternative scenarios of both radiative forcing and societal development, but generally uses a single climate model (CESM), partially accounting for climate uncertainty by drawing heavily on large initial condition ensembles. Strengths and weaknesses of the approach to uncertainty in BRACE are assessed. Options under consideration for improving the approach include the use of perturbed physics ensembles of CESM, employing results from multiple climate models, and combining the results from single impact models with statistical representations of uncertainty across multiple models. A key consideration is the relationship between the question being addressed and the uncertainty approach.

International Space Station External Contamination Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mikatarian, Ron; Soares, Carlos

2000-01-01

PResentation slides examine external contamination requirements; International Space Station (ISS) external contamination sources; ISS external contamination sensitive surfaces; external contamination control; external contamination control for pre-launch verification; flight experiments and observations; the Space Shuttle Orbiter waste water dump, materials outgassing, active vacuum vents; example of molecular column density profile, modeling and analysis tools; sources of outgassing induced contamination analyzed to date, quiescent sources, observations on optical degradation due to induced external contamination in LEO; examples of typical contaminant and depth profiles; and status of the ISS system, material outgassing, thruster plumes, and optical degradation.

Underwater Sound Propagation from Marine Pile Driving.

PubMed

Reyff, James A

2016-01-01

Pile driving occurs in a variety of nearshore environments that typically have very shallow-water depths. The propagation of pile-driving sound in water is complex, where sound is directly radiated from the pile as well as through the ground substrate. Piles driven in the ground near water bodies can produce considerable underwater sound energy. This paper presents examples of sound propagation through shallow-water environments. Some of these examples illustrate the substantial variation in sound amplitude over time that can be critical to understand when computing an acoustic-based safety zone for aquatic species.

Space station needs, attributes and architectural options study. Volume 3: Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

A typical system specification format is presented and requirements are compiled. A Program Specification Tree is shown showing a high inclination space station and a low inclination space station with their typical element breakdown, also represented along the top blocks are the interfaces with other systems. The specification format is directed at the Low Inclination space station.

Learning fuzzy information in a hybrid connectionist, symbolic model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Romaniuk, Steve G.; Hall, Lawrence O.

1993-01-01

An instance-based learning system is presented. SC-net is a fuzzy hybrid connectionist, symbolic learning system. It remembers some examples and makes groups of examples into exemplars. All real-valued attributes are represented as fuzzy sets. The network representation and learning method is described. To illustrate this approach to learning in fuzzy domains, an example of segmenting magnetic resonance images of the brain is discussed. Clearly, the boundaries between human tissues are ill-defined or fuzzy. Example fuzzy rules for recognition are generated. Segmentations are presented that provide results that radiologists find useful.

Building application of solar energy. Study no. 2: Representative buildings for solar energy performance analysis and market penetration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirshberg, A. S.

1975-01-01

The following topics are discussed: (1) Assignment of population to microclimatic zones; (2) specifications of the mix of buildings in the SCE territory; (3) specification of four typical buildings for thermal analysis and market penetration studies; (4) identification of the materials and energy conserving characteristics of these typical buildings; (5) specifications of the HVAC functions used in each typical building, and determination of the HVAC systems used in each building; and (6) identification of the type of fuel used in each building.

Partonomies for interactive explorable 3D-models of anatomy.

PubMed

Schubert, R; Höhne, K H

1998-01-01

We introduce a concept to model subtle part-whole-semantics for the use with interactive 3d-models of human anatomy. Similar to experiences with modeling partonomies for physical artifacts like machines or buildings we found one unique part-whole-relation to be insufficient to represent anatomical reality. This claim will be illustrated with anatomical examples. According to the requirements these examples demand, a semantic classification of part-whole-relations is introduced. Initial results in modeling anatomical partonomies for a 3d-visualization environment proved this approach to be an promising way to represent anatomy and to enable powerful complex inferences.

[Polycystic ovary syndrome: an example of obesity-related cardiovascular complication affecting young women].

PubMed

Orio, Francesco; Cascella, Teresa; Giallauria, Francesco; Palomba, Stefano; De Lorenzo, Anna; Lucci, Rosa; Ambrosino, Elena; Lombardi, Gaetano; Colao, Annamaria; Vigorito, Carlo

2006-03-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a good example of obesity-related cardiovascular complication affecting young women. PCOS is not only considered a reproductive problem but rather represents a complex endocrine, multifaceted syndrome with important health implications. Several evidences suggest an increased cardiovascular risk of cardiovascular disease associated with this syndrome, characterized by an impairment of heart structure and function, endothelial dysfunction and lipid abnormalities. All these features, probably linked to insulin-resistance, are often present in obese PCOS patients. Cardiovascular abnormalities represent important long-term sequelae of PCOS that need further investigations.

Pathological and Pathophysiological Alterations in Temporal Lobe Structures After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-31

rats at 1, 7 and 30 days post-injury compared to sham-operated by microarray analysis (see Table 3) were used as the input for analysis of potential ...SCHS0911 (20 µM), and GYKI S2466 (SO µM), at a holding potential of -70 mV. Representative examples ofrecordings obtained in the BLA are shown in (A...of d-APV (SO µM), SCHS0911 (20 µM), and GYKI S 2466 (SO µM), TTX (1 µM) at a holding potential of - 70 m V. Representative examples of recordings

Evapotranspiration Measurement and Estimation: Weighing Lysimeter and Neutron Probe Based Methods Compared with Eddy Covariance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evett, S. R.; Gowda, P. H.; Marek, G. W.; Alfieri, J. G.; Kustas, W. P.; Brauer, D. K.

2014-12-01

Evapotranspiration (ET) may be measured by mass balance methods and estimated by flux sensing methods. The mass balance methods are typically restricted in terms of the area that can be represented (e.g., surface area of weighing lysimeter (LYS) or equivalent representative area of neutron probe (NP) and soil core sampling techniques), and can be biased with respect to ET from the surrounding area. The area represented by flux sensing methods such as eddy covariance (EC) is typically estimated with a flux footprint/source area model. The dimension, position of, and relative contribution of upwind areas within the source area are mainly influenced by sensor height, wind speed, atmospheric stability and wind direction. Footprints for EC sensors positioned several meters above the canopy are often larger than can be economically covered by mass balance methods. Moreover, footprints move with atmospheric conditions and wind direction to cover different field areas over time while mass balance methods are static in space. Thus, EC systems typically sample a much greater field area over time compared with mass balance methods. Spatial variability of surface cover can thus complicate interpretation of flux estimates from EC systems. The most commonly used flux estimation method is EC; and EC estimates of latent heat energy (representing ET) and sensible heat fluxes combined are typically smaller than the available energy from net radiation and soil heat flux (commonly referred to as lack of energy balance closure). Reasons for this are the subject of ongoing research. We compare ET from LYS, NP and EC methods applied to field crops for three years at Bushland, Texas (35° 11' N, 102° 06' W, 1170 m elevation above MSL) to illustrate the potential problems with and comparative advantages of all three methods. In particular, we examine how networks of neutron probe access tubes can be representative of field areas large enough to be equivalent in size to EC footprints, and how the ET data from these methods can address bias and accuracy issues.

Spatial Variability in Column CO2 Inferred from High Resolution GEOS-5 Global Model Simulations: Implications for Remote Sensing and Inversions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, L.; Putman, B.; Collatz, J.; Gregg, W.

2012-01-01

Column CO2 observations from current and future remote sensing missions represent a major advancement in our understanding of the carbon cycle and are expected to help constrain source and sink distributions. However, data assimilation and inversion methods are challenged by the difference in scale of models and observations. OCO-2 footprints represent an area of several square kilometers while NASA s future ASCENDS lidar mission is likely to have an even smaller footprint. In contrast, the resolution of models used in global inversions are typically hundreds of kilometers wide and often cover areas that include combinations of land, ocean and coastal areas and areas of significant topographic, land cover, and population density variations. To improve understanding of scales of atmospheric CO2 variability and representativeness of satellite observations, we will present results from a global, 10-km simulation of meteorology and atmospheric CO2 distributions performed using NASA s GEOS-5 general circulation model. This resolution, typical of mesoscale atmospheric models, represents an order of magnitude increase in resolution over typical global simulations of atmospheric composition allowing new insight into small scale CO2 variations across a wide range of surface flux and meteorological conditions. The simulation includes high resolution flux datasets provided by NASA s Carbon Monitoring System Flux Pilot Project at half degree resolution that have been down-scaled to 10-km using remote sensing datasets. Probability distribution functions are calculated over larger areas more typical of global models (100-400 km) to characterize subgrid-scale variability in these models. Particular emphasis is placed on coastal regions and regions containing megacities and fires to evaluate the ability of coarse resolution models to represent these small scale features. Additionally, model output are sampled using averaging kernels characteristic of OCO-2 and ASCENDS measurement concepts to create realistic pseudo-datasets. Pseudo-data are averaged over coarse model grid cell areas to better understand the ability of measurements to characterize CO2 distributions and spatial gradients on both short (daily to weekly) and long (monthly to seasonal) time scales

Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Requirements Boost the Transition to

Science.gov Websites

these fleets to choose between one of two compliance methods - Standard Compliance, which requires Laws and Incentives website also includes representative examples of incentives and regulations at the participating in multi-party partnerships are examples of innovative methods that will drive legislation and

Microbial Community Structure of Deep-sea Hydrothermal Vents on the Ultraslow Spreading Southwest Indian Ridge

PubMed Central

Ding, Jian; Zhang, Yu; Wang, Han; Jian, Huahua; Leng, Hao; Xiao, Xiang

2017-01-01

Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) is a typical oceanic ultraslow spreading ridge with intensive hydrothermal activities. The microbial communities in hydrothermal fields including primary producers to support the entire ecosystem by utilizing geochemical energy generated from rock-seawater interactions. Here we have examined the microbial community structures on four hydrothermal vents from SWIR, representing distinct characteristics in terms of temperature, pH and metal compositions, by using Illumina sequencing of the 16S small subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, to correlate bacterial and archaeal populations with the nature of the vents influenced by ultraslow spreading features. Epsilon-, Gamma-, Alpha-, and Deltaproteobacteria and members of the phylum Bacteroidetes and Planctomycetes, as well as Thaumarchaeota, Woesearchaeota, and Euryarchaeota were dominant in all the samples. Both bacterial and archaeal community structures showed distinguished patterns compared to those in the fast-spreading East Pacific Ridge or the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge as previously reported. Furthermore, within SWIR, the microbial communities are highly correlated with the local temperatures. For example, the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were dominant within bacteria from low-temperature vents, but were not represented as the dominating group recovered from high temperature (over 300°C) venting chimneys in SWIR. Meanwhile, Thaumarchaeota, the ammonium oxidizing archaea, only showed high relative abundance of amplicons in the vents with high-temperature in SWIR. These findings provide insights on the microbial community in ultraslow spreading hydrothermal fields, and therefore assist us in the understanding of geochemical cycling therein. PMID:28659873

Higher-order scene statistics of breast images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbey, Craig K.; Sohl-Dickstein, Jascha N.; Olshausen, Bruno A.; Eckstein, Miguel P.; Boone, John M.

2009-02-01

Researchers studying human and computer vision have found description and construction of these systems greatly aided by analysis of the statistical properties of naturally occurring scenes. More specifically, it has been found that receptive fields with directional selectivity and bandwidth properties similar to mammalian visual systems are more closely matched to the statistics of natural scenes. It is argued that this allows for sparse representation of the independent components of natural images [Olshausen and Field, Nature, 1996]. These theories have important implications for medical image perception. For example, will a system that is designed to represent the independent components of natural scenes, where objects occlude one another and illumination is typically reflected, be appropriate for X-ray imaging, where features superimpose on one another and illumination is transmissive? In this research we begin to examine these issues by evaluating higher-order statistical properties of breast images from X-ray projection mammography (PM) and dedicated breast computed tomography (bCT). We evaluate kurtosis in responses of octave bandwidth Gabor filters applied to PM and to coronal slices of bCT scans. We find that kurtosis in PM rises and quickly saturates for filter center frequencies with an average value above 0.95. By contrast, kurtosis in bCT peaks near 0.20 cyc/mm with kurtosis of approximately 2. Our findings suggest that the human visual system may be tuned to represent breast tissue more effectively in bCT over a specific range of spatial frequencies.

Follicular cyst of the jaw developing into a keratocyst in a patient with unrecognized Gorlin-Goltz syndrome.

PubMed

Longobardi, Gianluigi; Diana, Giovanni; Poddi, Valentina; Pagano, Immacolata

2010-05-01

Gorlin-Goltz (GG) syndrome is an inherited autosomal dominant condition. Its diagnosis may be clinically confirmed by checking either major or minor signs that define the diagnostic criteria. It may occur that, although GG syndrome is a well-known condition, only the specific symptom could be observed by different specialists. Therefore, the patient cannot be placed into an always complex clinical panel. We introduce an example in this report. Throughout a 20-year clinical history characterized by the lack of proper diagnosis and missed follow-up operations, a patient with GG syndrome underwent partial amputation of the jaw after severe complications. A 52-year-old man required an implant-prosthetic rehabilitation since becoming edentulous after a partial resection of the jaw due to a keratocyst, which was later reconstructed through a free fibula flap. The observation of a typical phenotype and various symptoms that succeeded for longer than 20 years, with anamnestic evaluation and clinical examination, led us to suspect a complex pathologic condition such as GG syndrome, which was not previously considered, although the patient had undergone several polyspecialistic evaluations. Diagnosis has been eventually confirmed by a genetic study, which was always mandatory. The simultaneous presence of muscular and skeletal malformations, basocellular nevi, and multiple cysts of the jaw can represent signs linking to a condition such as GG syndrome. There are many syndromes involving the head and neck region, and specialists are supposed to be alerted when faced with similar typical expressions associated with a characteristic soma so as to avoid delays in diagnosing the syndrome.

A balanced hazard ratio for risk group evaluation from survival data.

PubMed

Branders, Samuel; Dupont, Pierre

2015-07-30

Common clinical studies assess the quality of prognostic factors, such as gene expression signatures, clinical variables or environmental factors, and cluster patients into various risk groups. Typical examples include cancer clinical trials where patients are clustered into high or low risk groups. Whenever applied to survival data analysis, such groups are intended to represent patients with similar survival odds and to select the most appropriate therapy accordingly. The relevance of such risk groups, and of the related prognostic factors, is typically assessed through the computation of a hazard ratio. We first stress three limitations of assessing risk groups through the hazard ratio: (1) it may promote the definition of arbitrarily unbalanced risk groups; (2) an apparently optimal group hazard ratio can be largely inconsistent with the p-value commonly associated to it; and (3) some marginal changes between risk group proportions may lead to highly different hazard ratio values. Those issues could lead to inappropriate comparisons between various prognostic factors. Next, we propose the balanced hazard ratio to solve those issues. This new performance metric keeps an intuitive interpretation and is as simple to compute. We also show how the balanced hazard ratio leads to a natural cut-off choice to define risk groups from continuous risk scores. The proposed methodology is validated through controlled experiments for which a prescribed cut-off value is defined by design. Further results are also reported on several cancer prognosis studies, and the proposed methodology could be applied more generally to assess the quality of any prognostic markers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Limited urban growth: London's street network dynamics since the 18th century.

PubMed

Masucci, A Paolo; Stanilov, Kiril; Batty, Michael

2013-01-01

We investigate the growth dynamics of Greater London defined by the administrative boundary of the Greater London Authority, based on the evolution of its street network during the last two centuries. This is done by employing a unique dataset, consisting of the planar graph representation of nine time slices of Greater London's road network spanning 224 years, from 1786 to 2010. Within this time-frame, we address the concept of the metropolitan area or city in physical terms, in that urban evolution reveals observable transitions in the distribution of relevant geometrical properties. Given that London has a hard boundary enforced by its long standing green belt, we show that its street network dynamics can be described as a fractal space-filling phenomena up to a capacitated limit, whence its growth can be predicted with a striking level of accuracy. This observation is confirmed by the analytical calculation of key topological properties of the planar graph, such as the topological growth of the network and its average connectivity. This study thus represents an example of a strong violation of Gibrat's law. In particular, we are able to show analytically how London evolves from a more loop-like structure, typical of planned cities, toward a more tree-like structure, typical of self-organized cities. These observations are relevant to the discourse on sustainable urban planning with respect to the control of urban sprawl in many large cities which have developed under the conditions of spatial constraints imposed by green belts and hard urban boundaries.

A resolution adaptive deep hierarchical (RADHicaL) learning scheme applied to nuclear segmentation of digital pathology images.

PubMed

Janowczyk, Andrew; Doyle, Scott; Gilmore, Hannah; Madabhushi, Anant

2018-01-01

Deep learning (DL) has recently been successfully applied to a number of image analysis problems. However, DL approaches tend to be inefficient for segmentation on large image data, such as high-resolution digital pathology slide images. For example, typical breast biopsy images scanned at 40× magnification contain billions of pixels, of which usually only a small percentage belong to the class of interest. For a typical naïve deep learning scheme, parsing through and interrogating all the image pixels would represent hundreds if not thousands of hours of compute time using high performance computing environments. In this paper, we present a resolution adaptive deep hierarchical (RADHicaL) learning scheme wherein DL networks at lower resolutions are leveraged to determine if higher levels of magnification, and thus computation, are necessary to provide precise results. We evaluate our approach on a nuclear segmentation task with a cohort of 141 ER+ breast cancer images and show we can reduce computation time on average by about 85%. Expert annotations of 12,000 nuclei across these 141 images were employed for quantitative evaluation of RADHicaL. A head-to-head comparison with a naïve DL approach, operating solely at the highest magnification, yielded the following performance metrics: .9407 vs .9854 Detection Rate, .8218 vs .8489 F -score, .8061 vs .8364 true positive rate and .8822 vs 0.8932 positive predictive value. Our performance indices compare favourably with state of the art nuclear segmentation approaches for digital pathology images.

Using pupil size and heart rate to infer affective states during behavioral neurophysiology and neuropsychology experiments

PubMed Central

Mitz, Andrew R.; Chacko, Ravi V.; Putnam, Philip T.; Rudebeck, Peter H.; Murray, Elisabeth A.

2017-01-01

Background Nonhuman primates (NHPs) are a valuable research model because of their behavioral, physiological and neuroanatomical similarities to humans. In the absence of language, autonomic activity can provide crucial information about cognitive and affective states during single-unit recording, inactivation and lesion studies. Methods standardized for use in humans are not easily adapted to NHPs and detailed guidance has been lacking. New Method We provide guidance for monitoring heart rate and pupil size in the behavioral neurophysiology setting by addressing the methodological issues, pitfalls and solutions for NHP studies. The methods are based on comparative physiology to establish a rationale for each solution. We include examples from both electrophysiological and lesion studies. Results Single-unit recording, pupil responses and heart rate changes represent a range of decreasing temporal resolution, a characteristic that impacts experimental design and analysis. We demonstrate the unexpected result that autonomic measures acquired before and after amygdala lesions are comparable despite disruption of normal autonomic function. Comparison with Existing Methods Species and study design differences can render standard techniques used in human studies inappropriate for NHP studies. We show how to manage data from small groups typical of NHP studies, data from the short behavioral trials typical of neurophysiological studies, issues associated with longitudinal studies, and differences in anatomy and physiology. Conclusions Autonomic measurement to infer cognitive and affective states in NHP is neither off-the-shelf nor onerous. Familiarity with the issues and solutions will broaden the use of autonomic signals in NHP single unit and lesion studies. PMID:28089759

On the mechanics of growing thin biological membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rausch, Manuel K.; Kuhl, Ellen

2014-02-01

Despite their seemingly delicate appearance, thin biological membranes fulfill various crucial roles in the human body and can sustain substantial mechanical loads. Unlike engineering structures, biological membranes are able to grow and adapt to changes in their mechanical environment. Finite element modeling of biological growth holds the potential to better understand the interplay of membrane form and function and to reliably predict the effects of disease or medical intervention. However, standard continuum elements typically fail to represent thin biological membranes efficiently, accurately, and robustly. Moreover, continuum models are typically cumbersome to generate from surface-based medical imaging data. Here we propose a computational model for finite membrane growth using a classical midsurface representation compatible with standard shell elements. By assuming elastic incompressibility and membrane-only growth, the model a priori satisfies the zero-normal stress condition. To demonstrate its modular nature, we implement the membrane growth model into the general-purpose non-linear finite element package Abaqus/Standard using the concept of user subroutines. To probe efficiently and robustness, we simulate selected benchmark examples of growing biological membranes under different loading conditions. To demonstrate the clinical potential, we simulate the functional adaptation of a heart valve leaflet in ischemic cardiomyopathy. We believe that our novel approach will be widely applicable to simulate the adaptive chronic growth of thin biological structures including skin membranes, mucous membranes, fetal membranes, tympanic membranes, corneoscleral membranes, and heart valve membranes. Ultimately, our model can be used to identify diseased states, predict disease evolution, and guide the design of interventional or pharmaceutic therapies to arrest or revert disease progression.

[The pathophysiology and diagnosis of anxiety disorder].

PubMed

Akiyoshi, Jotaro

2012-01-01

In addition to genetic factors, the role of epigenetic and other environmental factors in the promotion of anxiety disorder has attracted much attention in psychiatric research. When stress is encountered in the environment, the hypothalamus-pituitary adrenal system (HPA system) is activated and cortisol is secreted. CRHR gene function is closely related to this response. As a result of haplotype analysis of CRHR genes in depression and panic disorder patients, it was found that genetic polymorphism of CRHR1 and CRHR2 was related to both disorders. It is reported that abused children are more susceptible to developing depression and anxiety disorder upon reaching adulthood, but there also exist genetic polymorphisms that may moderate this relationship. Direct methylation of DNA (typically repressing gene expression) and modification of chromatin structure (complexes of histone proteins and DNA) via acetylation (typically facilitating gene expression) represent epigenetic modifications that are thought to influence behavioral phenotypes. For example, it is rare that schizophrenia develops in identical twins brought up together in the same environment, and thus phenotypic differences cannot be explained simply by genetic polymorphism. We also evaluated salivary cortisol and amylase reactivity (indices of the HPA system and sympathoadrenal medullary system, respectfully) after electrical stimulation stress and Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) administration. Here we found differences in the cortisol stress response between electrical stimulation and TSST stressors, in contrast to the theory of Selye. In addition, we found alterations in activity patterns and difficulties integrating sensorimotor information in panic disorder patients, suggesting links between sensorimotor integration and stress in panic disorder. Moreover, state and trait anxiety may be associated with stabilograph factors.

Magmatic sulfide-rich nickel-copper deposits related to picrite and (or) tholeiitic basalt dike-sill complexes-A preliminary deposit model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schulz, Klaus J.; Chandler, Val W.; Nicholson, Suzanne W.; Piatak, Nadine M.; Seal, Robert R.; Woodruff, Laurel G.; Zientek, Michael L.

2010-01-01

Magmatic sulfide deposits containing nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu), with or without (?) platinum-group elements (PGEs), account for approximately 60 percent of the world's Ni production and are active exploration targets in the United States and elsewhere. On the basis of their principal metal production, magmatic sulfide deposits in mafic rocks can be divided into two major types: those that are sulfide-rich, typically with 10 to 90 percent sulfide minerals, and have economic value primarily because of their Ni and Cu contents; and those that are sulfide-poor, typically with 0.5 to 5 percent sulfide minerals, and are exploited principally for PGE. Because the purpose of this deposit model is to facilitate the assessment for undiscovered, potentially economic magmatic Ni-Cu?PGE sulfide deposits in the United States, it addresses only those deposits of economic significance that are likely to occur in the United States on the basis of known geology. Thus, this model focuses on deposits hosted by small- to medium-sized mafic and (or) ultramafic dikes and sills that are related to picrite and tholeiitic basalt magmatic systems generally emplaced in continental settings as a component of large igneous provinces (LIPs). World-class examples (those containing greater than 1 million tons Ni) of this deposit type include deposits at Noril'sk-Talnakh (Russia), Jinchuan (China), Pechenga (Russia), Voisey's Bay (Canada), and Kabanga (Tanzania). In the United States, this deposit type is represented by the Eagle deposit in northern Michigan, currently under development by Kennecott Minerals.

Using return on investment to maximize conservation effectiveness in Argentine grasslands

PubMed Central

Murdoch, William; Ranganathan, Jai; Polasky, Stephen; Regetz, James

2010-01-01

The rapid global loss of natural habitats and biodiversity, and limited resources, place a premium on maximizing the expected benefits of conservation actions. The scarcity of information on the fine-grained distribution of species of conservation concern, on risks of loss, and on costs of conservation actions, especially in developing countries, makes efficient conservation difficult. The distribution of ecosystem types (unique ecological communities) is typically better known than species and arguably better represents the entirety of biodiversity than do well-known taxa, so we use conserving the diversity of ecosystem types as our conservation goal. We define conservation benefit to include risk of conversion, spatial effects that reward clumping of habitat, and diminishing returns to investment in any one ecosystem type. Using Argentine grasslands as an example, we compare three strategies: protecting the cheapest land (“minimize cost”), maximizing conservation benefit regardless of cost (“maximize benefit”), and maximizing conservation benefit per dollar (“return on investment”). We first show that the widely endorsed goal of saving some percentage (typically 10%) of a country or habitat type, although it may inspire conservation, is a poor operational goal. It either leads to the accumulation of areas with low conservation benefit or requires infeasibly large sums of money, and it distracts from the real problem: maximizing conservation benefit given limited resources. Second, given realistic budgets, return on investment is superior to the other conservation strategies. Surprisingly, however, over a wide range of budgets, minimizing cost provides more conservation benefit than does the maximize-benefit strategy. PMID:21098281

On the mechanics of growing thin biological membranes

PubMed Central

Rausch, Manuel K.; Kuhl, Ellen

2013-01-01

Despite their seemingly delicate appearance, thin biological membranes fulfill various crucial roles in the human body and can sustain substantial mechanical loads. Unlike engineering structures, biological membranes are able to grow and adapt to changes in their mechanical environment. Finite element modeling of biological growth holds the potential to better understand the interplay of membrane form and function and to reliably predict the effects of disease or medical intervention. However, standard continuum elements typically fail to represent thin biological membranes efficiently, accurately, and robustly. Moreover, continuum models are typically cumbersome to generate from surface-based medical imaging data. Here we propose a computational model for finite membrane growth using a classical midsurface representation compatible with standard shell elements. By assuming elastic incompressibility and membrane-only growth, the model a priori satisfies the zero-normal stress condition. To demonstrate its modular nature, we implement the membrane growth model into the general-purpose non-linear finite element package Abaqus/Standard using the concept of user subroutines. To probe efficiently and robustness, we simulate selected benchmark examples of growing biological membranes under different loading conditions. To demonstrate the clinical potential, we simulate the functional adaptation of a heart valve leaflet in ischemic cardiomyopathy. We believe that our novel approach will be widely applicable to simulate the adaptive chronic growth of thin biological structures including skin membranes, mucous membranes, fetal membranes, tympanic membranes, corneoscleral membranes, and heart valve membranes. Ultimately, our model can be used to identify diseased states, predict disease evolution, and guide the design of interventional or pharmaceutic therapies to arrest or revert disease progression. PMID:24563551

Asymptotic Equivalence of Probability Measures and Stochastic Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Touchette, Hugo

2018-03-01

Let P_n and Q_n be two probability measures representing two different probabilistic models of some system (e.g., an n-particle equilibrium system, a set of random graphs with n vertices, or a stochastic process evolving over a time n) and let M_n be a random variable representing a "macrostate" or "global observable" of that system. We provide sufficient conditions, based on the Radon-Nikodym derivative of P_n and Q_n, for the set of typical values of M_n obtained relative to P_n to be the same as the set of typical values obtained relative to Q_n in the limit n→ ∞. This extends to general probability measures and stochastic processes the well-known thermodynamic-limit equivalence of the microcanonical and canonical ensembles, related mathematically to the asymptotic equivalence of conditional and exponentially-tilted measures. In this more general sense, two probability measures that are asymptotically equivalent predict the same typical or macroscopic properties of the system they are meant to model.

Fiscal years 2007 and 2008 : representative examples of completed RD&T projects and activities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-06-01

The tables in this document correspond to major offices and initiatives at the Federal Highway Administration's Office of Research, Development, and Technology (RD&T), located at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. The tables provide represe...

64. Paynes Creek Culvert. This concrete box culvert is a ...

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

64. Paynes Creek Culvert. This concrete box culvert is a typical example of a concrete box culvert finished with rusticated stone. Its arches reflect the rigid frame structures. Looking west. - Blue Ridge Parkway, Between Shenandoah National Park & Great Smoky Mountains, Asheville, Buncombe County, NC

Performing Inferential Statistics Prior to Data Collection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trafimow, David; MacDonald, Justin A.

2017-01-01

Typically, in education and psychology research, the investigator collects data and subsequently performs descriptive and inferential statistics. For example, a researcher might compute group means and use the null hypothesis significance testing procedure to draw conclusions about the populations from which the groups were drawn. We propose an…

Rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of proanthocyanidin oligomers and polymers by UPLC-MS/MS

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) are a structurally complex and bioactive group of tannins. Detailed analysis of PA concentration, composition, and structure typically requires the use of one or more time-consuming analytical methods. For example, the commonly employed thiolysis and phloroglucinolysis method...

Teaching Receptor Theory to Biochemistry Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benore-Parsons, Marilee; Sufka, Kenneth J.

2003-01-01

Receptor:ligand interactions account for numerous reactions critical to biochemistry and molecular biology. While students are typically exposed to some examples, such as hemoglobin binding of oxygen and signal transduction pathways, the topic could easily be expanded. Theory and kinetic analysis, types of receptors, and the experimental assay…

Cultivating Deductive Thinking with Angle Chasing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Michael todd; Quinlan, James; Harper, Suzanne R.; Cox, Dana C.; Phelps, Steve

2014-01-01

Despite Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSI 2010) recommendations, too often students' introduction to proof consists of the study of formal axiomatic systems--for example, triangle congruence proofs--typically in an introductory geometry course with no connection back to previous work in earlier algebra courses. Van Hiele…

The Pythagorean Roots of Introductory Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarage, James B.

2013-01-01

Much of the mathematical reasoning employed in the typical introductory physics course can be traced to Pythagorean roots planted over two thousand years ago. Besides obvious examples involving the Pythagorean theorem, I draw attention to standard physics problems and derivations which often unknowingly rely upon the Pythagoreans' work on…

Joint Doctrine for Barriers, Obstacles, and Mine Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-02-24

of explosives. Typical tactical examples are barbed wire obstacles and tank ditches. Operational and strategic barriers and obstacles may also be...total of 10 ocean minesweepers, 9 amphibious ships, 6 fleet tugs, 3 salvage ships, and 19 destroyers. Twenty-four CH-53D Sea Stallions from Marine

NGC 2617 brightens again after long very low state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oknyansky, V.; Lipunov, V. M.; Shatsky, N. I.; Gorbovskoy, E. S.; Tatarnikov, A. M.; Metlov, V. G.; Burlak, M. A.; Gaskell, C. M.; Huseynov, N. A.; Mikailov, Kh. M.; Alekberov, I. A.; Tsygankov, S. S.; Brotherton, M. B.; Kasper, D.; Du, P.; Chen, X.; Buckley, D. A. H.; Winkler, H.; Paul, B.; van Wyk, F.; Rebolo, R.; Serra-Ricart, M.; Podesta, R.; Levato, H.

2018-06-01

NGC 2617 is typical example of a changing-look AGN. It has been observed to undergo a dramatic change from a largely obscured Seyfert 1.8 to an unobscured Seyfert 1 from 2003 to 2013 (Shappee et al. 2013, ATel #5010, Shappee et al. 2014).

Immortalized sheep microglia are permissive to a diverse range of ruminant viruses.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Small ruminants are important agricultural species worldwide; however, diagnostics and research of small ruminant infectious diseases typically rely on cattle-based reagents. One example of this is the lack of small ruminant-derived cell lines to diagnose and study small ruminant viruses. Furtherm...

Design and Management Criteria for Fish, Amphibian, and Reptile Communities Within Created Agricultural Wetlands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Design and management criteria for created agricultural wetlands in the midwestern United States typically focus on maximizing the ability to process agricultural runoff. Ecological benefits for fish, amphibian, and reptiles are often secondary considerations. One example of this water quality focu...

The Thermodynamics of Interior Ballistics and Propellant Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-11-01

constant volume and energy. This is referred to as the “chamber” condition, where the propellant is all burnt . IB codes typically use the...for the remainder of this work are performed using BLAKE and illustrated using BLAKE commands as concrete examples of the required computations. It

Reviewing Teamwork Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larcher, Bob

2001-01-01

When working on tasks or projects, teams typically go through four phases: initiation, creation, elaboration, and completion. Each phase is explained, and two examples illustrate how the model is used after an orienteering exercise to help corporate management teams understand their way of functioning and identify strengths and development points.…

A convenient and accurate parallel Input/Output USB device for E-Prime.

PubMed

Canto, Rosario; Bufalari, Ilaria; D'Ausilio, Alessandro

2011-03-01

Psychological and neurophysiological experiments require the accurate control of timing and synchrony for Input/Output signals. For instance, a typical Event-Related Potential (ERP) study requires an extremely accurate synchronization of stimulus delivery with recordings. This is typically done via computer software such as E-Prime, and fast communications are typically assured by the Parallel Port (PP). However, the PP is an old and disappearing technology that, for example, is no longer available on portable computers. Here we propose a convenient USB device enabling parallel I/O capabilities. We tested this device against the PP on both a desktop and a laptop machine in different stress tests. Our data demonstrate the accuracy of our system, which suggests that it may be a good substitute for the PP with E-Prime.

Dimensional analysis using toric ideals: primitive invariants.

PubMed

Atherton, Mark A; Bates, Ronald A; Wynn, Henry P

2014-01-01

Classical dimensional analysis in its original form starts by expressing the units for derived quantities, such as force, in terms of power products of basic units [Formula: see text] etc. This suggests the use of toric ideal theory from algebraic geometry. Within this the Graver basis provides a unique primitive basis in a well-defined sense, which typically has more terms than the standard Buckingham approach. Some textbook examples are revisited and the full set of primitive invariants found. First, a worked example based on convection is introduced to recall the Buckingham method, but using computer algebra to obtain an integer [Formula: see text] matrix from the initial integer [Formula: see text] matrix holding the exponents for the derived quantities. The [Formula: see text] matrix defines the dimensionless variables. But, rather than this integer linear algebra approach it is shown how, by staying with the power product representation, the full set of invariants (dimensionless groups) is obtained directly from the toric ideal defined by [Formula: see text]. One candidate for the set of invariants is a simple basis of the toric ideal. This, although larger than the rank of [Formula: see text], is typically not unique. However, the alternative Graver basis is unique and defines a maximal set of invariants, which are primitive in a simple sense. In addition to the running example four examples are taken from: a windmill, convection, electrodynamics and the hydrogen atom. The method reveals some named invariants. A selection of computer algebra packages is used to show the considerable ease with which both a simple basis and a Graver basis can be found.

Global Processing Speed in Children with Low Reading Ability and in Children and Adults with Typical Reading Ability: Exploratory Factor Analytic Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peter, Beate; Matsushita, Mark; Raskind, Wendy H.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To investigate processing speed as a latent dimension in children with dyslexia and children and adults with typical reading skills. Method: Exploratory factor analysis (FA) was based on a sample of multigenerational families, each ascertained through a child with dyslexia. Eleven measures--6 of them timed--represented verbal and…

Social Water Science Data: Dimensions, Data Management, and Visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, A. S.; Horsburgh, J. S.; Flint, C.; Jackson-Smith, D.

2016-12-01

Water systems are increasingly conceptualized as coupled human-natural systems, with growing emphasis on representing the human element in hydrology. However, social science data and associated considerations may be unfamiliar and intimidating to many hydrologic researchers. Monitoring social aspects of water systems involves expanding the range of data types typically used in hydrology and appreciating nuances in datasets that are well known to social scientists, but less understood by hydrologists. We define social water science data as any information representing the human aspects of a water system. We present a scheme for classifying these data, highlight an array of data types, and illustrate data management considerations and challenges unique to social science data. This classification scheme was applied to datasets generated as part of iUTAH (innovative Urban Transitions and Arid region Hydro-sustainability), an interdisciplinary water research project based in Utah, USA that seeks to integrate and share social and biophysical water science data. As the project deployed cyberinfrastructure for baseline biophysical data, cyberinfrastructure for analogous social science data was necessary. As a particular case of social water science data, we focus in this presentation on social science survey data. These data are often interpreted through the lens of the original researcher and are typically presented to interested parties in static figures or reports. To provide more exploratory and dynamic communication of these data beyond the individual or team who collected the data, we developed a web-based, interactive viewer to visualize social science survey responses. This interface is applicable for examining survey results that show human motivations and actions related to environmental systems and as a useful tool for participatory decision-making. It also serves as an example of how new data sharing and visualization tools can be developed once the classification and characteristics of social water science data are well understood. We demonstrate the survey data viewer implemented to explore water-related survey data collected as part of the iUTAH project. The Viewer uses a standardized template for encoding survey data and metadata, making it generalizable and reusable for similar surveys.

Fuzzy Arden Syntax: A fuzzy programming language for medicine.

PubMed

Vetterlein, Thomas; Mandl, Harald; Adlassnig, Klaus-Peter

2010-05-01

The programming language Arden Syntax has been optimised for use in clinical decision support systems. We describe an extension of this language named Fuzzy Arden Syntax, whose original version was introduced in S. Tiffe's dissertation on "Fuzzy Arden Syntax: Representation and Interpretation of Vague Medical Knowledge by Fuzzified Arden Syntax" (Vienna University of Technology, 2003). The primary aim is to provide an easy means of processing vague or uncertain data, which frequently appears in medicine. For both propositional and number data types, fuzzy equivalents have been added to Arden Syntax. The Boolean data type was generalised to represent any truth degree between the two extremes 0 (falsity) and 1 (truth); fuzzy data types were introduced to represent fuzzy sets. The operations on truth values and real numbers were generalised accordingly. As the conditions to decide whether a certain programme unit is executed or not may be indeterminate, a Fuzzy Arden Syntax programme may split. The data in the different branches may be optionally aggregated subsequently. Fuzzy Arden Syntax offers the possibility to formulate conveniently Medical Logic Modules (MLMs) based on the principle of a continuously graded applicability of statements. Furthermore, ad hoc decisions about sharp value boundaries can be avoided. As an illustrative example shows, an MLM making use of the features of Fuzzy Arden Syntax is not significantly more complex than its Arden Syntax equivalent; in the ideal case, a programme handling crisp data remains practically unchanged when compared to its fuzzified version. In the latter case, the output data, which can be a set of weighted alternatives, typically depends continuously from the input data. In typical applications an Arden Syntax MLM can produce a different output after only slight changes of the input; discontinuities are in fact unavoidable when the input varies continuously but the output is taken from a discrete set of possibilities. This inconvenience can, however, be attenuated by means of certain mechanisms on which the programme flow under Fuzzy Arden Syntax is based. To write a programme making use of these possibilities is not significantly more difficult than to write a programme according to the usual practice. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Market niche analysis in the casino gaming industry.

PubMed

Dandurand, L

1990-03-01

This article discusses the nature of market niche analysis in the casino gaming industry. It presents four approaches for conducting market niche analysis. An an example of one approach, the Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study is used to identify a premium niche in the Las Vegas Slot Target Market. A detailed examination of the premium niche profile provides a description of the typical premium slot player. The description of the typical premium player leads to hypotheses regarding needs (the unique preference set) of the premium player. An analysis of the unique preference set suggests an appropriate enhanced marketing program.

Spatial Light Modulators as Optical Crossbar Switches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Juday, Richard

2003-01-01

A proposed method of implementing cross connections in an optical communication network is based on the use of a spatial light modulator (SLM) to form controlled diffraction patterns that connect inputs (light sources) and outputs (light sinks). Sources would typically include optical fibers and/or light-emitting diodes; sinks would typically include optical fibers and/or photodetectors. The sources and/or sinks could be distributed in two dimensions; that is, on planes. Alternatively or in addition, sources and/or sinks could be distributed in three dimensions -- for example, on curved surfaces or in more complex (including random) three-dimensional patterns.

REMPI-TOFMS for on-line monitoring and controlling the coffee roasting process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorfner, Ralph; Ferge, Thomas; Yeretzian, Chahan; Zimmermann, Ralf; Kettrup, Antonius

2001-08-01

REMPI@266nm-TOFMS is used for on-line analysis of the coffee roasting process. Volatile and flavor active compounds of coffee were ionized by REMPI@266nm and monitored on-line and in real-time by TOFMS during the coffee roasting process. The phenol and 4-vinylguaiacol time-intensity profiles, for example, show typical behavior for different roasting temperatures and provide an indicator to the achieved degree of roasting. The impact of the moisture level of the green coffee beans on the time shift of a typical (commercial) roasting time, correlates with REMPI-TOFMS measurements and literature data.

Seeing red; the development of pON.mCherry, a broad-host range constitutive expression plasmid for Gram-negative bacteria.

PubMed

Gebhardt, Michael J; Jacobson, Rachael K; Shuman, Howard A

2017-01-01

The development of plasmid-mediated gene expression control in bacteria revolutionized the field of bacteriology. Many of these expression control systems rely on the addition of small molecules, generally metabolites or non-metabolized analogs thereof, to the growth medium to induce expression of the genes of interest. The paradigmatic example of an expression control system is the lac system from Escherichia coli, which typically relies on the Ptac promoter and the Lac repressor, LacI. In many cases, however, constitutive gene expression is desired, and other experimental approaches require the coordinated control of multiple genes. While multiple systems have been developed for use in E. coli and its close relatives, the utility and/or functionality of these tools does not always translate to other species. For example, for the Gram-negative pathogen, Legionella pneumophila, a causative agent of Legionnaires' Disease, the aforementioned Ptac system represents the only well-established expression control system. In order to enhance the tools available to study bacterial gene expression in L. pneumophila, we developed a plasmid, pON.mCherry, which confers constitutive gene expression from a mutagenized LacI binding site. We demonstrate that pON.mCherry neither interferes with other plasmids harboring an intact LacI-Ptac expression system nor alters the growth of Legionella species during intracellular growth. Furthermore, the broad-host range plasmid backbone of pON.mCherry allows constitutive gene expression in a wide variety of Gram-negative bacterial species, making pON.mCherry a useful tool for the greater research community.

First documentation of tidal-channel sponge biostromes (upper Pleistocene, southeastern Florida)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cunningham, K.J.; Rigby, J.K.; Wacker, M.A.; Curran, H.A.

2007-01-01

Sponges are not a common principal component of Cenozoic reefs and are more typically dominant in deep-water and/or cold-water localities. Here we report the discovery of extensive upper Pleistocene shallow-marine, tropical sponge biostromes from the Mami Limestone of southeastern Florida built by a new ceractinomorph demosponge. These upright, barrel- to vase-shaped sponges occur in monospecific aggregations constructed within the tidal channels of an oolitic tidal-bar belt similar to modern examples on the Great Bahama Bank. The biostromes appear to have a ribbon-like geometry, with densely spaced sponges populating a paleochannel along a 3.5 km extent in the most lengthy biostrome. These are very large (as high as 2 m and 1.8 m in diameter), particularly well-preserved calcified sponges with walls as hard as concrete. Quartz grains are the most common particles agglutinated in the structure of the sponge walls. Where exposed, sediment fill between the sponges is commonly a highly burrowed or cross-bedded ooid-bearing grainstone and, locally, quartz sand. It is postulated that the dense, localized distribution of these particular sponges was due to a slight edge over competitors for food or energy supply and space in a stressed environment of tidal-influenced salinity and nutrient changes, strong currents, and frequently shifting submarine sand dunes. To our knowledge, this represents the first documentation of sponge biostromes composed of very large upright sponges within high-energy tidal channels between ooid shoals. The remarkably well-preserved accumulations provide an alternative example of sponge reefs for comparative paleoenvironmental studies. ?? 2007 The Geological Society of America.

[Advertising and Zeitgeist. The advertising of Schwabe Pharmaceuticals].

PubMed

Hofmann, Cornelia; Riha, Ortrun

2015-01-01

This contribution explores the advertisements for homeopathic products in magazines in the first half of the twentieth century, focusing on the period between 1933 and 1945 and based on the example of the pharmaceutical company Dr Willmar Schwabe. In the first half of the twentieth century, Schwabe Pharmaceuticals was market leader for homeopathic and other complementary medical products (phytotherapy, biochemicals). The example chosen as well as the time frame complement the existing research. We searched three German publications (the homeopathy journal Leipziger Populäre Zeitschrift für Homöopathie, the medical weekly Münchner Medizinische Wochenschrift and the pharma magazine Pharmazeutische Zeitung) and collected target-group-specific results for laypersons, physicians and pharmacists. Analysis of the images and texts in the selected advertisements often reflected the historical background and the respective health policies (wartime requirements, times of need, "Neue Deutsche Heilkunde"). The history of this traditional company was seen as an important point in advertising, as were the recognisability of the brand through the company logo, the emphasis on the high quality of their products and the reference to the company's own research activities. We furthermore found the kind of argumentation that is typical of natural medicine (naturalness, the power of the sun, prominent representatives). Schwabe met the expectations of its clients, who were interested in complementary medicine, whilst pursuing an approach to homeopathy that was compatible with natural science, and it presented itself as a modern, scientifically oriented enterprise. The company did not lose credibility as a result, but increased its clientele by expanding to include the whole naturopathic market.

Learning to Succeed at Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgins, Monica; Hess, Frederick M.

2009-01-01

Dynamic new ventures like the Knowledge is Power Program, Teach For America, and New Leaders for New Schools, are increasingly being asked to step in to assist struggling school districts. While promising, these ventures have thus far typically been characterized by "one-off" examples of success that are extraordinarily reliant on talent and…

Report of the Polymer Core Course Committee: Polymer Principles for the Chemical Engineering Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Chemical Education, 1985

1985-01-01

Offers suggestions for introducing polymer topics into: (1) introductory chemical engineering; (2) transport phenomena and unit operations; (3) chemical engineering thermodynamics; and (4) reaction engineering. Also included for each area are examples of textbooks in current use and a few typical problems. (JN)

Organizational Decision Making

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-08-01

the lack of formal techniques typically used by large organizations, digress on the advantages of formal over informal... optimization ; for example one might do a number of optimization calculations, each time using a different measure of effectiveness as the optimized ...final decision. The next level of computer application involves the use of computerized optimization techniques. Optimization

Cathodoluminescence Petrography: A Valuable Tool for Teaching and Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopp, Otto C.

1981-01-01

Cathodoluminescence is visible light emitted from a specimen when it is bombarded with electrons. A technique known as cathodoluminescence petrography can provide information especially useful in studies or courses related to mineralogy and petrology. The technique is briefly presented, along with examples to illustrate typical results. (Author/WB)

15 CFR 923.31 - Inland boundary.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... subject to regular inundation of tidal salt (or Great Lakes) waters which contain marsh flora typical of the region; (5) Beaches—The area affected by wave action directly from the sea. Examples are sandy... appropriate to define the coastal zone as including these watersheds. (2) Areas of tidal influence that extend...

15 CFR 923.31 - Inland boundary.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... subject to regular inundation of tidal salt (or Great Lakes) waters which contain marsh flora typical of the region; (5) Beaches—The area affected by wave action directly from the sea. Examples are sandy... appropriate to define the coastal zone as including these watersheds. (2) Areas of tidal influence that extend...

15 CFR 923.31 - Inland boundary.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... subject to regular inundation of tidal salt (or Great Lakes) waters which contain marsh flora typical of the region; (5) Beaches—The area affected by wave action directly from the sea. Examples are sandy... appropriate to define the coastal zone as including these watersheds. (2) Areas of tidal influence that extend...

15 CFR 923.31 - Inland boundary.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... subject to regular inundation of tidal salt (or Great Lakes) waters which contain marsh flora typical of the region; (5) Beaches—The area affected by wave action directly from the sea. Examples are sandy... appropriate to define the coastal zone as including these watersheds. (2) Areas of tidal influence that extend...

15 CFR 923.31 - Inland boundary.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... subject to regular inundation of tidal salt (or Great Lakes) waters which contain marsh flora typical of the region; (5) Beaches—The area affected by wave action directly from the sea. Examples are sandy... appropriate to define the coastal zone as including these watersheds. (2) Areas of tidal influence that extend...

29 CFR 778.206 - Premiums for work outside basic workday or workweek-examples.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...)(7) where “clock pattern” premiums are paid may be illustrated by reference to provisions typical of... contract should be higher because of handling dangerous or obnoxious cargo, recognition of skill... agreements following this general pattern exist in other industries. [46 FR 7311, Jan. 23, 1981] ...

29 CFR 778.206 - Premiums for work outside basic workday or workweek-examples.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...)(7) where “clock pattern” premiums are paid may be illustrated by reference to provisions typical of... contract should be higher because of handling dangerous or obnoxious cargo, recognition of skill... agreements following this general pattern exist in other industries. [46 FR 7311, Jan. 23, 1981] ...

Greening the CWA consent decree - some examples of collaborative research amongst USEPA and municipalities

EPA Science Inventory

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) violate the Clean Water Act Enforcement of CWA boils down to settlements with US cities – typically billions of dollars Green Infrastructure (GI) has come into view as part of consent decree settlements These settlements are a primary way to rehab...

Theoretical Insights for Practical Handling of Pressurized Fluids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aranda, Alfonso; Rodriguez, Maria del Prado

2006-01-01

The practical scenarios discussed in a chemistry or chemical engineering course that use solid or liquid reactants are presented. Important ideas to be considered when handling pressurized fluids are provided and three typical examples are described to enable students develop secondary skills such as the selective search of data, identification of…

Soil quality monitoring: Examples of existing protocols

Treesearch

Daniel G. Neary; Carl C. Trettin; Deborah Page-Dumroese

2010-01-01

Many forestry and agricultural agencies and organizations worldwide have developed soil monitoring and quality standards and guidelines to ensure future sustainability of land management. These soil monitoring standards are typically developed in response to international initiatives such as the Montreal Process, the Helsinki Ministerial Conference,or in support of...

Soil quality monitoring: examples of existing protocols

Treesearch

Daniel G. Neary; Carl C. Trettin; Deborah Page-Dumroese

2010-01-01

Many forestry and agricultural agencies and organizations worldwide have developed soil monitoring and quality standards and guidelines to ensure future sustainability of land management. These soil monitoring standards are typically developed in response to international initiatives such as the Montreal Process, the Helsinki Ministerial Conference, or in support of...

Motivation as Ethical Self-Formation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Matthew; Hennig, Barbara

2013-01-01

Motivation is a concept more frequently found in venues concerned with educational psychology than in ones concerned with educational philosophy. Under the influence of psychology, and its typically dualistic way of making sense of the world, motivation in education has tended to be viewed in dichotomous terms, for example, as intrinsic or…

Mutually Exclusive, Complementary, or . . .

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schloemer, Cathy G.

2016-01-01

Whether students are beginning their study of probability or are well into it, distinctions between complementary sets and mutually exclusive sets can be confusing. Cathy Schloemer writes in this article that for years she used typical classroom examples but was not happy with the student engagement or the level of understanding they produced.…

Education for Eminence: Some Childhood Traits May Predict Adult Eminence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walberg, Herbert J.; Wynne, Edward A.

1993-01-01

This article distills from research five childhood activities typically associated with adult eminence, including working diligently, absorbing information, engaging others constructively, choosing goals carefully, and completing difficult tasks. Examples from the lives of eminent men and women are provided, such as Jane Adams, Thomas Jefferson,…

Research natural area needs in the Pacific Northwest.

Treesearch

C. T. Dyrness; Jerry F. Franklin; Chris Maser; Stanton A. Cook; James D. Hall; Glenda Faxon

1975-01-01

Research Natural Areas are examples of typical and distinctive natural ecosystems and habitats reserved for scientific and educational use. This outline of the minimal Research Natural Area system needed to provide adequate field laboratories for ecological, environmental, and land management research was developed by an interinstitutional, interdisciplinary working...

Toward a Global Sociology of Religion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parvez, Z. Fareen

2017-01-01

This article offers an example of a global approach to teaching the sociology of religion, a course that typically focuses on American religious phenomena. It builds on three interventions in the movement for a global sociology: connecting the local and global, moving beyond methodological nationalism, and developing an ethical orientation toward…

Teaching Engineering Design Through Paper Rockets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welling, Jonathan; Wright, Geoffrey A.

2018-01-01

The paper rocket activity described in this article effectively teaches the engineering design process (EDP) by engaging students in a problem-based learning activity that encourages iterative design. For example, the first rockets the students build typically only fly between 30 and 100 feet. As students test and evaluate their rocket designs,…

Economic Development Strategies. Upjohn Institute Staff Working Paper 95-33.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartik, Timothy J.

This paper, which is intended as a guide for local government managers responsible for economic development policies, begins with a discussion of typical goals and practices of local economic development programs. Examined next are examples of local government involvement in economic development efforts through policies/activities such as the…

157. ARAIII Reactor building (ARA608) Main gas loop mechanical flow ...

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

157. ARA-III Reactor building (ARA-608) Main gas loop mechanical flow sheet. This drawing was selected as a typical example of mechanical arrangements within reactor building. Aerojet-general 880-area/GCRE-0608-50-013-102634. - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Army Reactors Experimental Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Emergent Technological Literacy: What Do Children Bring to School?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mawson, W. B.

2013-01-01

There has been very little research into children's technological practice in early childhood settings. This article describes four typical examples of the technological activity that occurs on a daily basis in New Zealand early childhood settings. It is suggested that children come to compulsory schooling with well-developed technological…

Pop, Rock, and Folk Music: An Overlooked Resource

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dubin, Fraida

1975-01-01

Proposes the use of pop, rock, and folk music as material far removed from the traditional and attuned to the learners' interests. Typical examples are analyzed with respect to phonology, grammar and semantics. A final category, "overall idea songs," linguistically unclassifiable, is found to be attractive and highly motivating. (IFS/WGA)

Argumentation in History Classrooms: A Key Path to Understanding the Discipline and Preparing Citizens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monte-Sano, Chauncey

2016-01-01

Different kinds of arguments typically include claims, warrants, and evidence. However, the very nature of claims, warrants, and evidence are discipline specific. A student's essay, for example, may exhibit features of argumentation while revealing fundamental flaws in historical thinking. Stronger historical arguments exhibit historical thinking…

Stealing Thunder: African Security Sector Reform, the Military’s New Challenge

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-19

will become scarcer.3 If left unchecked Africa will remain an unending stew of ethnic warfare stimulating massive destabilizing and uncontrolled...this phenomenon, see: David Lamb , The Africans (New York, Random House, 1982) 149. 14 Meredith, 150 – 161. 15 For typical examples of Cold War

Whole Class Laboratories: More Examples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kouh, Minjoon

2016-01-01

Typically, introductory physics courses are taught with a combination of lectures and laboratories in which students have opportunities to discover the natural laws through hands-on activities in small groups. This article reports the use of Google Drive, a free online document-sharing tool, in physics laboratories for pooling experimental data…

Allium To Zircon: Mathematics and Nature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrell, Marvin E.; Fosnaugh, Linda S.

1997-01-01

Discusses how nature can illustrate mathematical structures and concepts in the classroom. For example, the upper surface of a typical leaf structure illustrates the notion of tessellating with polygons. Also lists classroom applications and hands-on activities such as growing crystals to investigate the natural forms of polyhedra and measuring…

Forest Creeks Research Natural Area: guidebook supplement 39

Treesearch

Reid Schuller; Ron Halvorson

2010-01-01

This guidebook describes Forest Creeks Research Natural Area, a 164-ha (405-ac) area comprising two geographically distinct canyons and associated drainages. The two units have been established as examples of first- to third-order streams originating within a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) zone. The two riparian areas also represent examples of...

Interface through Cooperative Agreements: Eleven Examples of How It Can Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jellison, Holly M., Ed.

Designed as a resource for community colleges wishing to initiate a cooperative agreement with a local agency to offer community education programs, this publication offers 11 representative examples of such agreements. After explaining that the Center for Community Education collected the agreements as part of a 1981 study of community education…

Oxidation resistance of silicon ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yasutoshi, H.; Hirota, K.

1984-01-01

Oxidation resistance, and examples of oxidation of SiC, Si3N4 and sialon are reviewed. A description is given of the oxidation mechanism, including the oxidation product, oxidation reaction and the bubble size. The oxidation reactions are represented graphically. An assessment is made of the oxidation process, and an oxidation example of silicon ceramics is given.

Survivability of a Propellant Fire Inside a Simulated Military Vehicle Crew Compartment: Part 1 - Baseline Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

representative of those used in particular armoured military vehicles, were considered in this study: a top zone propelling charge module (TCM), an...representative of that used in the trial The layout of the hull of a representative armoured vehicle that was simulated in the trial is depicted in...AFESS) are almost universally employed in armoured vehicle crew compartments. Typically the fire suppressant used is a fluorocarbon- based chemical. As

Attributes Heeded When Representing an Osmosis Problem.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuckerman, June Trop

Eighteen high school science students were involved in a study to determine what attributes in the problem statement they need when representing a typical osmosis problem. In order to realize this goal students were asked to solve problems aloud and to explain their answers. Included as a part of the results are the attributes that the students…

Learning patterns of life from intelligence analyst chat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Michael K.; Alford, Mark; Babko-Malaya, Olga; Blasch, Erik; Chen, Lingji; Crespi, Valentino; HandUber, Jason; Haney, Phil; Nagy, Jim; Richman, Mike; Von Pless, Gregory; Zhu, Howie; Rhodes, Bradley J.

2016-05-01

Our Multi-INT Data Association Tool (MIDAT) learns patterns of life (POL) of a geographical area from video analyst observations called out in textual reporting. Typical approaches to learning POLs from video make use of computer vision algorithms to extract locations in space and time of various activities. Such approaches are subject to the detection and tracking performance of the video processing algorithms. Numerous examples of human analysts monitoring live video streams annotating or "calling out" relevant entities and activities exist, such as security analysis, crime-scene forensics, news reports, and sports commentary. This user description typically corresponds with textual capture, such as chat. Although the purpose of these text products is primarily to describe events as they happen, organizations typically archive the reports for extended periods. This archive provides a basis to build POLs. Such POLs are useful for diagnosis to assess activities in an area based on historical context, and for consumers of products, who gain an understanding of historical patterns. MIDAT combines natural language processing, multi-hypothesis tracking, and Multi-INT Activity Pattern Learning and Exploitation (MAPLE) technologies in an end-to-end lab prototype that processes textual products produced by video analysts, infers POLs, and highlights anomalies relative to those POLs with links to "tracks" of related activities performed by the same entity. MIDAT technologies perform well, achieving, for example, a 90% F1-value on extracting activities from the textual reports.

Roles of chemical metrology in electronics industry and associated environment in Korea: a tutorial.

PubMed

Kang, Namgoo; Joong Kim, Kyung; Seog Kim, Jin; Hae Lee, Joung

2015-03-01

Chemical metrology is gaining importance in electronics industry that manufactures semiconductors, electronic displays, and microelectronics. Extensive and growing needs from this industry have raised the significance of accurate measurements of the amount of substances and material properties. For the first time, this paper presents information on how chemical metrology is being applied to meet a variety of needs in the aspects of quality control of electronics products and environmental regulations closely associated with electronics industry. For a better understanding of the roles of the chemical metrology within electronics industry, the recent research activities and results in chemical metrology are presented using typical examples in Korea where electronic industry is leading a national economy. Particular attention is paid to the applications of chemical metrology for advancing emerging electronics technology developments. Such examples are a novel technique for the accurate quantification of gas composition at nano-liter levels within a MEMS package, the surface chemical analysis of a semiconductor device. Typical metrological tools are also presented for the development of certified reference materials for fluorinated greenhouse gases and proficiency testing schemes for heavy metals and chlorinated toxic gas in order to cope properly with environmental issues within electronics industry. In addition, a recent technique is presented for the accurate measurement of the destruction and removal efficiency of a typical greenhouse gas scrubber. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

28 CFR 540.45 - Qualification as special visitor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... visitors. (c) Representatives of community groups. The Warden may approve visits on a recurring basis to representatives from community groups (for example, civic, volunteer, or religious organizations) who are acting... or with a group of inmates. The requirement for the existence of an established relationship prior to...

Considerations for the application of finite element beam modeling to vibration analysis of flight vehicle structures. Ph.D. Thesis - Case Western Reserve Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kvaternik, R. G.

1976-01-01

The manner of representing a flight vehicle structure as an assembly of beam, spring, and rigid-body components for vibration analysis is described. The development is couched in terms of a substructures methodology which is based on the finite-element stiffness method. The particular manner of employing beam, spring, and rigid-body components to model such items as wing structures, external stores, pylons supporting engines or external stores, and sprung masses associated with launch vehicle fuel slosh is described by means of several simple qualitative examples. A detailed numerical example consisting of a tilt-rotor VTOL aircraft is included to provide a unified illustration of the procedure for representing a structure as an equivalent system of beams, springs, and rigid bodies, the manner of forming the substructure mass and stiffness matrices, and the mechanics of writing the equations of constraint which enforce deflection compatibility at the junctions of the substructures. Since many structures, or selected components of structures, can be represented in this manner for vibration analysis, the modeling concepts described and their application in the numerical example shown should prove generally useful to the dynamicist.

Can we scan the supernova model space for collective oscillations?

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

Pehlivan, Y., E-mail: yamac.pehlivan@msgsu.edu.tr; National Astronomical Observatory of Japan 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo, 181-8588; Subaşı, A. L.

Collective neutrino oscillations in a core collapse supernova is a many-body phenomenon which can transform the neutrino energy spectra through emergent effects. One example of this behavior is the neutrino spectral swaps in which neutrinos of different flavors partially or completely exchange their spectra. In this talk, we address the question of how model dependent this behavior is. In particular, we demonstrate that these swaps may be independent of the mean field approximation that is typically employed in numerical treatments by showing an example of a spectral swap in the exact many-body picture.

Space commercialization: Analysis of R and D investments with long time horizons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheahen, T. P.

1984-01-01

By following a single hypothetical example through a series of variations, the way different potential investors might look at the opportunity to participate in space commercialization is described. The example itself is fairly typical of commercial opportunities in space. The chief characteristics are a steadily increasing requirement for capital infusion over an 8 year period, followed by a very generous stream of profits running another decade or more beyond. There is a decision point at 3 years, at the conclusion of laboratory R&D; and another at 6 years, following 2 initial space flights.

NASA-JPL overview, space technology and relevance to medicine (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Zyl, Jakob

2017-05-01

There is special synergy between NASA space instruments and medical devices, especially those that may be implanted in the human body. For example, in both cases instruments have to be small, typically have to consume little power and often have to operate in harsh environments. JPL has a long history in using this synergy to leverage from the technology developed for space missions for application in medical fields. In this talk, we discuss the general overlap of technological requirements in the medical field and space science. We will highlight some examples where JPL instrumentation and engineering has been transferred successfully.

Determination of stresses in gas-turbine disks subjected to plastic flow and creep

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Millenson, M B; Manson, S S

1948-01-01

A finite-difference method previously presented for computing elastic stresses in rotating disks is extended to include the computation of the disk stresses when plastic flow and creep are considered. A finite-difference method is employed to eliminate numerical integration and to permit nontechnical personnel to make the calculations with a minimum of engineering supervision. Illustrative examples are included to facilitate explanation of the procedure by carrying out the computations on a typical gas-turbine disk through a complete running cycle. The results of the numerical examples presented indicate that plastic flow markedly alters the elastic-stress distribution.

Nonlinear rescaling of control values simplifies fuzzy control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanlangingham, H.; Tsoukkas, A.; Kreinovich, V.; Quintana, C.

1993-01-01

Traditional control theory is well-developed mainly for linear control situations. In non-linear cases there is no general method of generating a good control, so we have to rely on the ability of the experts (operators) to control them. If we want to automate their control, we must acquire their knowledge and translate it into a precise control strategy. The experts' knowledge is usually represented in non-numeric terms, namely, in terms of uncertain statements of the type 'if the obstacle is straight ahead, the distance to it is small, and the velocity of the car is medium, press the brakes hard'. Fuzzy control is a methodology that translates such statements into precise formulas for control. The necessary first step of this strategy consists of assigning membership functions to all the terms that the expert uses in his rules (in our sample phrase these words are 'small', 'medium', and 'hard'). The appropriate choice of a membership function can drastically improve the quality of a fuzzy control. In the simplest cases, we can take the functions whose domains have equally spaced endpoints. Because of that, many software packages for fuzzy control are based on this choice of membership functions. This choice is not very efficient in more complicated cases. Therefore, methods have been developed that use neural networks or generic algorithms to 'tune' membership functions. But this tuning takes lots of time (for example, several thousands iterations are typical for neural networks). In some cases there are evident physical reasons why equally space domains do not work: e.g., if the control variable u is always positive (i.e., if we control temperature in a reactor), then negative values (that are generated by equal spacing) simply make no sense. In this case it sounds reasonable to choose another scale u' = f(u) to represent u, so that equal spacing will work fine for u'. In the present paper we formulate the problem of finding the best rescaling function, solve this problem, and show (on a real-life example) that after an optimal rescaling, the un-tuned fuzzy control can be as good as the best state-of-art traditional non-linear controls.

Alien or Alike? How the Perceived Similarity between the Typical Science Teacher and a Student's Self-Image Correlates with Choosing Science at School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kessels, Ursula; Taconis, Ruurd

2012-01-01

By applying the self-to-prototype matching theory to students' academic choices, this study links the unpopularity of science in many industrialized countries with the perceived gap between typical persons representing science (e.g. physics teachers) on the one hand and students' self-image on the other. A sample of N = 308 Dutch and German…

The 1908 Tunguska explosion - Atmospheric disruption of a stony asteroid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chyba, Christofer F.; Thomas, Paul J.; Zahnle, Kevin J.

1993-01-01

The explosion over Tunguska, Central Siberia, in 1908 released 10 to 20 megatons (high explosive equivalent) of energy at an altitude of about 10 km. This event represents a typical fate for stony asteroids tens of meters in radius entering the Earth's atmosphere at common hypersonic velocities. Comets and carbonaceous asteroids of the appropriate energy disrupt too high, whereas typical iron objects reach and crater the terrestrial surface.

The NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program - NASA Items of Interest

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaBel, Kenneth A.; Sampson, Michael J.

2017-01-01

This presentation provides a background summary of the NEPP Program, its origins and operating principles followed by examples of issues and opportunities that NEPP is currently pursuing. These examples include Electrostatic Discharge protection procedures that are not being properly applied, one reason for which is the confusion caused by the numerous, different standards covering this topic. Updates are provided for key activities in radiation hardness assurance, and the evaluation of automotive grade electronic parts for use in space applications. Some recent examples of part problems experienced by NASA are briefly described and the latest trending of incidences of counterfeit electronic parts is shown graphically. Finally some forward actions are identified and the time, place and typical topics is provided for the next NEPP Electronic Technology Workshop (ETW).

Decoding Visual Location From Neural Patterns in the Auditory Cortex of the Congenitally Deaf

PubMed Central

Almeida, Jorge; He, Dongjun; Chen, Quanjing; Mahon, Bradford Z.; Zhang, Fan; Gonçalves, Óscar F.; Fang, Fang; Bi, Yanchao

2016-01-01

Sensory cortices of individuals who are congenitally deprived of a sense can exhibit considerable plasticity and be recruited to process information from the senses that remain intact. Here, we explored whether the auditory cortex of congenitally deaf individuals represents visual field location of a stimulus—a dimension that is represented in early visual areas. We used functional MRI to measure neural activity in auditory and visual cortices of congenitally deaf and hearing humans while they observed stimuli typically used for mapping visual field preferences in visual cortex. We found that the location of a visual stimulus can be successfully decoded from the patterns of neural activity in auditory cortex of congenitally deaf but not hearing individuals. This is particularly true for locations within the horizontal plane and within peripheral vision. These data show that the representations stored within neuroplastically changed auditory cortex can align with dimensions that are typically represented in visual cortex. PMID:26423461

Dispersion relations for a general anisotropic distribution function represented as a sum over Legendre polynomials

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

Shaisultanov, Rashid; Eichler, David

2011-03-15

The dielectric tensor is obtained for a general anisotropic distribution function that is represented as a sum over Legendre polynomials. The result is valid over all of k-space. We obtain growth rates for the Weibel instability for some basic examples of distribution functions.

Clay Mask Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gamble, David L.

2012-01-01

Masks can represent so many things, such as emotions (happy, sad, fearful) and power. The familiar "comedy and tragedy" masks, derived from ancient Greek theater, are just one example from mask history. Death masks from the ancient Egyptians influenced the ancient Romans into creating similar masks for their departed. Masks can represent many…

Representing and Inferring Visual Perceptual Skills in Dermatological Image Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Rui

2013-01-01

Experts have a remarkable capability of locating, perceptually organizing, identifying, and categorizing objects in images specific to their domains of expertise. Eliciting and representing their visual strategies and some aspects of domain knowledge will benefit a wide range of studies and applications. For example, image understanding may be…

Lifetime earnings patterns, the distribution of future Social Security benefits, and the impact of pension reform.

PubMed

Bosworth, B; Burtless, G; Steuerle, E

2000-01-01

In order to assess the effect of Social Security reform on current and future workers, it is essential to accurately characterize the initial situations of representative workers affected by reform. For the purpose of analyzing typical reforms, the most important characteristic of a worker is the level and pattern of his or her preretirement earnings. Under the current system, pensions are determined largely by the level of the workers' earnings averaged over their work life. However, several reform proposals would create individual retirement accounts for which the pension would depend on the investment accumulation within the account. Thus, the pension would also depend on the timing of the contributions into the account and hence on the exact shape of the worker's lifetime earnings profile. Most analysis of the distributional impact of reform has focused, however, on calculating benefit changes among a handful of hypothetical workers whose relative earnings are constant over their work life. The earnings levels are not necessarily chosen to represent the situations of workers who have typical or truly representative earnings patterns. Consequently, the results of such analysis can be misleading, especially if reform involves introducing a fundamentally new kind of pension formula. This article presents two broad approaches to creating representative earnings profiles for policy evaluation. First, we use standard econometric methods to predict future earnings for a representative sample of workers drawn from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Our statistical estimates are based on a simple representation of typical career earnings paths and a fixed-effect statistical specification. Because our estimation file contains information on each worker's annual earnings from 1951 through 1996 as reported in the Social Security Administration's earnings files, we have a record (though an incomplete one) of the actual earnings that will be used to determine future benefit payments. Our estimates of the earnings function permit us to make highly differentiated predictions of future earnings for each member of our sample. By combining the historical information on individual earnings with our prediction of future earnings up through the normal retirement age, our first approach produces tens of thousands of predicted career earnings paths that can be used in microsimulation policy analysis. Our second approach to creating lifetime earnings profiles is similar in some ways to the traditional method. For example, it is based on the creation of only a handful of "stylized" career earnings patterns. An important difference with the traditional method, however, is that we define the career earnings patterns so that they are truly representative of patterns observed in the workforce. We use simple mathematical formulas to characterize each stylized earnings pattern, and we then produce estimates of the average path of annual earnings for workers whose career earning path falls within each of the stylized patterns we have defined. Finally, we calculate the percentage of workers in successive birth-year cohorts who have earnings profiles that match each of the stylized earnings patterns. Although this method may seem simple, it allows the analyst to create stylized earnings patterns that are widely varied but still representative of earnings patterns observed among sizable groups of U.S. workers. The effects of policy reforms can then be calculated for workers with each of the stylized earnings patterns. Our analysis of U.S. lifetime earnings patterns and of the impact of selected policy reforms produces a number of findings about past trends in earnings, typical earnings patterns in the population, and the potential impact of reform. The analysis focuses on men and women born between 1931 and 1960. Along with earlier analysts, we find that men earn substantially higher lifetime wages than women and typically attain their peak career earnings at a somewhat earlier age. However, the difference in career earnings patterns between men and women has narrowed dramatically over time. Workers with greater educational attainment earn substantially higher wages than those with less education, and they attain their peak career earnings later in life. For example, among men with the least education, peak earnings are often attained around or even before age 40, whereas many men with substantial postsecondary schooling do not reach their peak career earnings until after 50. Our tabulations of the lifetime earnings profiles of the oldest cohorts (born around 1930) and projections of the earnings of the youngest profiles (born around 1960) imply that the inequality of lifetime earnings has increased noticeably over time. Women in the top one-fifth of female earners and men in the top one-fifth of male earners are predicted to receive a growing multiple of the economy-wide average wage during their career. Women born between 1931 and 1935 who were in the top fifth of female earners had lifetime average earnings that were approximately equal to the average economy-wide wage. In contrast, women born after 1951 who were in the top fifth of earners are predicted to earn almost 50 percent more, that is, roughly 150 percent of the economy-wide average wage. Women with a lower rank in the female earnings distribution will also see gains in their lifetime average earnings, but their gains are predicted to be proportionately much smaller than those of women with a high rank in the distribution. Men with high earnings are also predicted to enjoy substantial gains in their relative lifetime earnings, while men with a lower rank in the earnings distribution will probably see a significant erosion in their typical wages relative to the economy-wide average wage. That is mainly the result of a sharp decline in the relative earnings of low-wage men born after 1950. In creating stylized earnings profiles that are representative of those of significant minorities of U.S. workers, we emphasized three critical elements of the earnings path: the average level of earnings over a worker's career, the upward or downward trend in earnings from the worker's 30s through his or her early 60s, and the "sagging" or "hump-shaped" profile of earnings over the worker's career. That classification scheme yields 27 characteristic patterns of lifetime earnings. Surprisingly, the differnce between men and women within each of those categories is quite modest. The main difference between men and women is in the proportions of workers who fall in each category. Only 14 percent of men born between 1931 and 1940 fall in earnings categories with the lowest one-third of lifetime earnings, whereas 53 percent of women born in those years have low-average-earnings profiles. On the other hand, women born in those years are more likely to have a rising trend in lifetime earnings, while men are more likely to have a declining trend. We find that the distribution of lifetime earnings contains relatively more workers with below-average earnings and relatively fewer with very high earnings than assumed in the Social Security Administration's traditional policy analysis. For example, the "low earner" traditionally assumed by the Office of the Chief Actuary is assigned a level of average lifetime earnings that we find to be higher than the average earnings of persons in the bottom one-third of the lifetime earnings distribution. The stylized earnings profiles developed here can be used for policy evaluation, and the results can be compared with those from the more traditional analysis. That comparison produces several notable findings. Because earnings profiles that are actually representative of the population tend to have lower average earnings than assumed in the traditional analysis, workers typically accumulate somewhat less Social Security wealth than implied in the traditional analysis. On the other hand, because the basic benefit formula is tilted in favor of lower-income workers, the internal rate of return on Social Security contributions is somewhat higher than detected in the traditional analysis. Moreover, the primary insurance amount measured as a percentage of the worker's average indexed earnings tends to be higher than implied by the traditional analysis. Finally, the stylized earnings patterns can be used to compare benefit levels enjoyed by workers under the traditional Social Security formula and under an alternative plan based on individual investment accounts. That comparison shows, as expected, that the traditional formula favors low-wage workers and one-earner couples, while an investment account favors single, high-wage workers. Comparing two workers with the same lifetime average earnings, the traditional formula favors workers with rising earnings profiles (that is, with lifetime earnings heavily concentrated at the end of their career), while investment account pensions favor workers with declining earnings profiles (that is, with earnings concentrated early in their career).

Example-based learning: effects of model expertise in relation to student expertise.

PubMed

Boekhout, Paul; van Gog, Tamara; van de Wiel, Margje W J; Gerards-Last, Dorien; Geraets, Jacques

2010-12-01

Worked examples are very effective for novice learners. They typically present a written-out ideal (didactical) solution for learners to study. This study used worked examples of patient history taking in physiotherapy that presented a non-didactical solution (i.e., based on actual performance). The effects of model expertise (i.e., worked example based on advanced, third-year student model or expert physiotherapist model) in relation to students' expertise (i.e., first- or second-year) were investigated. One hundred and thirty-four physiotherapy students (61 first-year and 73 second-year). Design was 2 × 2 factorial with factors 'Student Expertise' (first-year vs. second-year) and 'Model Expertise' (expert vs. advanced student). Within expertise levels, students were randomly assigned to the Expert Example or the Advanced Student Example condition. All students studied two examples (content depending on their assigned condition) and then completed a retention and test task. They rated their invested mental effort after each example and test task. Second-year students invested less mental effort in studying the examples, and in performing the retention and transfer tasks than first-year students. They also performed better on the retention test, but not on the transfer test. In contrast to our hypothesis, there was no interaction between student expertise and model expertise: all students who had studied the Expert examples performed better on the transfer test than students who had studied Advanced Student Examples. This study suggests that when worked examples are based on actual performance, rather than an ideal procedure, expert models are to be preferred over advanced student models.

Contracting Officer's Technical Representatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brisbin, Steve

1997-01-01

The Breakout Session is a traditional conference instrument used by the NASA Occupational Health Program (OHP) as a method to convene people with common interests. Typically these sessions provide discussion of current topics of high priority and currency and allow multiple views and opinions to be shared and evaluated by all participants. Since the Contracting Officer's Technical Representatives (COTRs) occupy the technical focus of support contract management, this particular group, attended by 20 representatives, addressed issues and topics at the forefront of operational concerns.

Research on Infancy of Special Relevance for Mental Health. Matrix No. 11A.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Provence, Sally

Research relevant to planning and practice in the area of infant mental health is discussed in this paper. First, three examples of research approaches that reflect current attitudes are given. The first example represents those studies in which there is an effort to closely coordinate physiological and behavioral studies. The second example…

Collecting and analyzing qualitative data: Hermeneutic principles, methods and case examples

Treesearch

Michael E. Patterson; Daniel R. Williams

2002-01-01

Over the past three decades, the use of qualitative research methods has become commonplace in social science as a whole and increasingly represented in tourism and recrearion research. In tourism, for example, Markwell and Basche (1998) recently noted the emergence of a pluralistic perspective on science and the growth of research employing qualitative frameworks....

Clinical Spectrum of HLA-B27-associated Ocular Inflammation.

PubMed

Pathanapitoon, Kessara; Dodds, Emilio M; Cunningham, Emmett T; Rothova, Aniki

2017-08-01

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27-associated anterior uveitis (AU) is the most commonly diagnosed form of AU and represents the largest entity of non-infectious uveitis around the world. The most typical ocular manifestation associated with HLA-B27 consists of unilateral AU of acute onset. The HLA-B27-associated acute AU represents a distinct clinical entity occurring typically in young adults between the ages of 20 and 40 years. HLA-B27-associated acute AU is typically unilateral and lasts usually several weeks and diminishes within 3 months in the majority of patients. The anterior chamber shows typically severe cellular reaction and flare, as well as a fibrinous exudate. Frequently, posterior synechiae are formed and occasionally hypopyon is present. The pattern of the disease is recurrent with a full remission between the attacks. Intraocular pressure during active periods is typically low due to inflammation of ciliary body and decreased aqueous production. Less typical presentations are also recognized and include the development of chronic inflammation, posterior segment involvement, episcleritis, and scleritis. An isolated retinal vasculitis in HLA-B27-positive patients may develop, mostly in those with inflammatory bowel disease. Chronic AU, which may be either unilateral or bilateral affects up to 20% of patients. Ocular complications of HLA-B27-associated AU are diverse and include commonly posterior synechiae, cataract, glaucoma and/or hypotony. The visual outcome and complications of HLA-B27-associated AAU are frequently being compared with HLA B27-negative patients with AU and show that the prognosis of HLA-B27-associated uveitis is rather favorable, as <2% developed legal blindness and <5% visual impairment. A novel algorithm called the "Dublin Uveitis Evaluation Tool (DUET)" has been proposed to guide ophthalmologists to refer appropriate HLA-B27-positive patients with uveitis to rheumatologists.

A Discussion of the Discrete Fourier Transform Execution on a Typical Desktop PC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Michael J.

2006-01-01

This paper will discuss and compare the execution times of three examples of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). The first two examples will demonstrate the direct implementation of the algorithm. In the first example, the Fourier coefficients are generated at the execution of the DFT. In the second example, the coefficients are generated prior to execution and the DFT coefficients are indexed at execution. The last example will demonstrate the Cooley- Tukey algorithm, better known as the Fast Fourier Transform. All examples were written in C executed on a PC using a Pentium 4 running at 1.7 Ghz. As a function of N, the total complex data size, the direct implementation DFT executes, as expected at order of N2 and the FFT executes at order of N log2 N. At N=16K, there is an increase in processing time beyond what is expected. This is not caused by implementation but is a consequence of the effect that machine architecture and memory hierarchy has on implementation. This paper will include a brief overview of digital signal processing, along with a discussion of contemporary work with discrete Fourier processing.

Development and Monte Carlo Study of a Procedure for Correcting the Standardized Mean Difference for Measurement Error in the Independent Variable

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nugent, William Robert; Moore, Matthew; Story, Erin

2015-01-01

The standardized mean difference (SMD) is perhaps the most important meta-analytic effect size. It is typically used to represent the difference between treatment and control population means in treatment efficacy research. It is also used to represent differences between populations with different characteristics, such as persons who are…

Castor phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase facilitates efficient metabolism of hydroxy fatty acids in transgenic Arabidopsis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Producing unusual fatty acids (FAs) in crop plants has been a long-standing goal of green chemistry. However, expression of the enzymes that catalyze the primary synthesis of these unusual FAs in transgenic plants typically results in low levels of the desired FA. For example, seed-specific expressi...

Morning NO2 Exposure Sensitizes Hypertensive Rats to the Cardiovascular Effects of O3 Exposure in the Afternoon

EPA Science Inventory

Although ambient air sheds vary in composition, specific pollutants typically peak at predictable times throughout the course of a day. For example, in urban environments, peak nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter levels coincide with rush hour traffic in the morning and...

Belief-Desire Reasoning as a Process of Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leslie, Alan M.; German, Tim P.; Polizzi, Pamela

2005-01-01

Human learning may depend upon domain specialized mechanisms. A plausible example is rapid, early learning about the thoughts and feelings of other people. A major achievement in this domain, at about age four in the typically developing child, is the ability to solve problems in which the child attributes false beliefs to other people and…

Inclusive Education and Students without Special Educational Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruijs, Nienke M.; Van der Veen, Ineke; Peetsma, Thea T. D.

2010-01-01

Background: In the debate on inclusive education, students without special educational needs (SEN) are an important topic. However, there is a lot unknown about differences between these typical students in inclusive and non-inclusive classes. For example, the neutral results that are often found in earlier research could be caused by positive…

Differentiating through Literature Circles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helgeson, John

2017-01-01

This article begins with an example of a typical middle-school experience with literature circles. Students read a common text and come prepared to share and discuss the text based on individual roles they are assigned. Teachers are using this practice to address the complexity levels of texts in order to help students develop the skills they need…

The Special Challenges for National Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breeding, Marshall

2011-01-01

Managing a library collection at the national level follows quite a different set of assumptions than hold for typical academic or public libraries. These collections, often comprehensive of all materials published in a country, press the limits of scale in terms of the sizes of collections. A national library collection might, for example, stand…

Resolving Partial Name Mentions Using String Metrics

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

Ladin) Pair 5: ( Franz Liszt , Franz Listz) These examples typically require one or two string edits to revert from the source to the target name...0.9556 Franz Listz Franz Liszt 2 0.1818 9 franz listz|fran z lisz 0.8182 0.9697 0.9818 The Levenshtein distance metric gives some indication of

Automatic Speech Recognition: Reliability and Pedagogical Implications for Teaching Pronunciation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, In-Seok

2006-01-01

This study examines the reliability of automatic speech recognition (ASR) software used to teach English pronunciation, focusing on one particular piece of software, "FluSpeak, as a typical example." Thirty-six Korean English as a Foreign Language (EFL) college students participated in an experiment in which they listened to 15 sentences…

Learning from Experience--How Development Projects Spread "Good Practice" in Britain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clynes, Roger

1992-01-01

Architects and Buildings Branch (A&B) of Department of Education in London, England, is specifically responsible for design and management of educational facilities. Current development project provides example of emphasis, aims, methods of work, and outcome of a typical project. Fact file on British public schools and list of type of reports…

Optimal Weighting for Exam Composition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ganzfried, Sam; Yusuf, Farzana

2018-01-01

A problem faced by many instructors is that of designing exams that accurately assess the abilities of the students. Typically, these exams are prepared several days in advance, and generic question scores are used based on rough approximation of the question difficulty and length. For example, for a recent class taught by the author, there were…

How Gender Differences in Academic Engagement Relate to Students' Gender Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kessels, Ursula; Heyder, Anke; Latsch, Martin; Hannover, Bettina

2014-01-01

Background: Gender differences in educational outcomes encompass many different areas. For example, in some educational settings, boys lag behind girls on indicators of educational success, such as leaving certificates and type of school attended. In studies testing performance, boys typically show lower competence in reading compared with girls,…

Informed Consent in Research on Second Language Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Margaret; Pettitt, Nicole

2017-01-01

The practice of securing informed consent from research participants has a relatively low profile in second language (L2) acquisition research, despite its prominence in the biomedical and social sciences. This review article analyses the role that informed consent now typically plays in L2 research; discusses an example of an L2 study where…

On the Use of Writing Assignments in Intermediate Microeconomic Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, Patrick B.

2009-01-01

A typical writing assignment in upper level required courses is a term paper. However many economics majors, particularly those in business schools, need to develop skill at writing shorter pieces. In this paper I describe numerous examples of shorter writing assignments that I have incorporated into an Intermediate Microeconomic Theory course.…

Disciplinary Literacy in History: A Toolkit for Digital Citizenship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wineburg, Sam; Reisman, Abby

2015-01-01

In this article, we draw clear distinctions between generic reading comprehension and disciplinary literacy in history. We argue that disciplinary reading restores agency to the reader, changing the typical relationship between text and reader, in which knowledge flows down from one to the other. Sourcing, for example, enjoins readers to engage…

The Polygraph and the Privacy Tort.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbour, Alton

This paper provides examples of polygraph misuses; details the increasing use of the polygraph inside and outside of law enforcement; explains what a polygraph is, what a typical polygraph test might consist of and its weaknesses in the detection of truth; and analyzes the available research with specific reference to the validity and reliability…

Using Software Tools to Automate the Assessment of Student Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, David

1991-01-01

Argues that advent of computer-aided instruction (CAI) systems for teaching introductory computer programing makes it imperative that software be developed to automate assessment and grading of student programs. Examples of typical student programing problems are given, and application of the Unix tools Lex and Yacc to the automatic assessment of…

Goal Setting and Decision Making by At-Risk Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galotti, Kathleen M.; Kozberg, Steven F.; Gustafon, Mary

2009-01-01

Typically, adolescence is a time when individuals begin to make consequential, life-framing decisions. However, much of the decision-making literature focuses on high-risk decisions, such as the use of drugs and alcohol, while much less is known about how adolescents make positive decisions, for example, regarding their educational or career…

Power Purchase Agreements | Climate Neutral Research Campuses | NREL

Science.gov Websites

. Examples of how some research campuses have used PPAs are provided below. Power Purchase Agreements , primarily to implement on-site energy installations. The owner, in this case a research campus, is typically Power Purchase Agreements Research campuses can use power purchase agreements (PPAs), such as

High-performance green flexible electronics based on biodegradable cellulose nanofibril paper

Treesearch

Yei Hwan Jung; Tzu-Hsuan Chang; Huilong Zhang; Chunhua Yao; Qifeng Zheng; Vina W. Yang; Hongyi Mi; Munho Kim; Sang June Cho; Dong-Wook Park; Hao Jiang; Juhwan Lee; Yijie Qiu; Weidong Zhou; Zhiyong Cai; Shaoqin Gong; Zhenqiang Ma

2015-01-01

Today’s consumer electronics, such as cell phones, tablets and other portable electronic devices, are typically made of non-renewable, non-biodegradable, and sometimes potentially toxic (for example, gallium arsenide) materials. These consumer electronics are frequently upgraded or discarded, leading to serious environmental contamination. Thus, electronic systems...

TMF design considerations in turbine airfoils of advanced turbine engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Date, C. G.; Zamrik, S. Y.; Adams, J. H.; Frani, N. E.

A review of thermal-mechanicalfatigue (TMF) in advanced turbine engines is presented. The review includes examples of typical thermal-mechnical loadings encountered in the design of hot section blades and vanes. Specific issues related to TMF behavior are presented and the associated impact on component life analysis and design is discussed.

12 CFR 701.36 - Federal credit union ownership of fixed assets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... officer. For example, these individuals typically hold the title of President or Treasurer/Manager... of fixed assets. (a) Scope. (1) Section 107(4) of the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1757(4... premises; (3) The aggregate of all capital and operating lease payments on fixed assets, without...

Revisiting the Scale-Invariant, Two-Dimensional Linear Regression Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patzer, A. Beate C.; Bauer, Hans; Chang, Christian; Bolte, Jan; Su¨lzle, Detlev

2018-01-01

The scale-invariant way to analyze two-dimensional experimental and theoretical data with statistical errors in both the independent and dependent variables is revisited by using what we call the triangular linear regression method. This is compared to the standard least-squares fit approach by applying it to typical simple sets of example data…

Enhancing ecosystem services: Designing for multifunctionality

Treesearch

Mike Dosskey; Gary Wells; Gary Bentrup; Doug Wallace

2012-01-01

It is increasingly recognized that ecosystem services provide a foundation for the well-being of individuals and society (MEA 2005). Land managers typically strive to enhance particularly desirable services. For example, farmers plant crops and manage the soil and hydrologic conditions to favor crop production. In agricultural regions such as the US Corn Belt,...

Feedback and Society: A Study of the Uses of Mass Channels for Coping.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer, Benjamin D.

This book deals with methods that individuals use to feed information and opinions back to mass communication systems. Typical examples of mass media and "information centers" were used to study feedback and environmental adjustment. Specifically, the feedback channels investigated are letters to the editor in newspapers, the urban newspaper…

The Bioethics of Music, the Music of Bioethics.

PubMed

Lubet, Alex

2015-12-01

Bioethics is rarely referenced in the scholarship of performing arts medicine (PAM). This essay argues that bioethical concerns loom far larger in the care of PAM patients than might typically be understood. This essay presents Beauchamp and Childress's four principles of bioethics, with examples pertinent to PAM, drawn from the author's research and personal experience.

Formulation and Application of the Hierarchical Generalized Random-Situation Random-Weight MIRID

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Lai-Fa

2011-01-01

The process-component approach has become quite popular for examining many psychological concepts. A typical example is the model with internal restrictions on item difficulty (MIRID) described by Butter (1994) and Butter, De Boeck, and Verhelst (1998). This study proposes a hierarchical generalized random-situation random-weight MIRID. The…

The Intersections of Work, Health, Diversity, and Social Justice: Helping People Living with HIV Disease

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Werth, James L., Jr.; Borges, Nicole J.; McNally, Christopher J.; Maguire, Colleen P.; Britton, Paula J.

2008-01-01

Although counseling psychology has discussed vocational issues, health concerns, diversity, and social justice, discussion of these topics has typically been narrowly focused. This article uses the example of persons with HIV (PWHIV) to demonstrate how these areas can be intertwined. The counseling psychology literature is also examined to…

Posthumanism and the MOOC: Opening the Subject of Digital Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knox, Jeremy

2016-01-01

As the most prominent initiative in the open education movement, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is often claimed to disrupt established educational models through the use of innovative technologies that overcome geographic and economic barriers to higher education. However, this paper suggests that the MOOC project, as a typical example of…

A Picture's Worth: PECS and Other Visual Communication Strategies in Autism. Topics in Autism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bondy, Andy; Frost, Lori

This book is intended to help parents and professionals understand the communication difficulties of children and adults who do not speak, including those with autism spectrum disorders. The first four chapters describe typical characteristics of nonverbal individuals and offer examples of the authors' approach to communication and the…

Three Examples of Kinesiology in Physical Education: Why, How, and for Whom?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Locke, Lawrence F.

2008-01-01

This article examines three distinctly different approaches to the task of helping public school teachers inject conceptual content into their physical education lessons. The first strategy is the production of a textbook prepared by one or several individuals. Such books typically espouse the desirability of including conceptual content, describe…

BURNER RIG TESTING OF A500 C/SiC

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-17

test program characterized the durability behavior of A500® C/SiC ceramic matrix composite material at room and elevated temperature . Specimens were...7 Figure 6. Typical Room- Temperature Tensile Stress-Versus-Strain Trace for As-Manufactured A500...Operation ......................................... 18 Figure 17. Example of the Burner Rig Temperature Profiles Used