Whole Slide Imaging Versus Microscopy for Primary Diagnosis in Surgical Pathology: A Multicenter Blinded Randomized Noninferiority Study of 1992 Cases (Pivotal Study).

PubMed

Mukhopadhyay, Sanjay; Feldman, Michael D; Abels, Esther; Ashfaq, Raheela; Beltaifa, Senda; Cacciabeve, Nicolas G; Cathro, Helen P; Cheng, Liang; Cooper, Kumarasen; Dickey, Glenn E; Gill, Ryan M; Heaton, Robert P; Kerstens, René; Lindberg, Guy M; Malhotra, Reenu K; Mandell, James W; Manlucu, Ellen D; Mills, Anne M; Mills, Stacey E; Moskaluk, Christopher A; Nelis, Mischa; Patil, Deepa T; Przybycin, Christopher G; Reynolds, Jordan P; Rubin, Brian P; Saboorian, Mohammad H; Salicru, Mauricio; Samols, Mark A; Sturgis, Charles D; Turner, Kevin O; Wick, Mark R; Yoon, Ji Y; Zhao, Po; Taylor, Clive R

2018-01-01

Most prior studies of primary diagnosis in surgical pathology using whole slide imaging (WSI) versus microscopy have focused on specific organ systems or included relatively few cases. The objective of this study was to demonstrate that WSI is noninferior to microscopy for primary diagnosis in surgical pathology. A blinded randomized noninferiority study was conducted across the entire range of surgical pathology cases (biopsies and resections, including hematoxylin and eosin, immunohistochemistry, and special stains) from 4 institutions using the original sign-out diagnosis (baseline diagnosis) as the reference standard. Cases were scanned, converted to WSI and randomized. Sixteen pathologists interpreted cases by microscopy or WSI, followed by a wash-out period of ≥4 weeks, after which cases were read by the same observers using the other modality. Major discordances were identified by an adjudication panel, and the differences between major discordance rates for both microscopy (against the reference standard) and WSI (against the reference standard) were calculated. A total of 1992 cases were included, resulting in 15,925 reads. The major discordance rate with the reference standard diagnosis was 4.9% for WSI and 4.6% for microscopy. The difference between major discordance rates for microscopy and WSI was 0.4% (95% confidence interval, -0.30% to 1.01%). The difference in major discordance rates for WSI and microscopy was highest in endocrine pathology (1.8%), neoplastic kidney pathology (1.5%), urinary bladder pathology (1.3%), and gynecologic pathology (1.2%). Detailed analysis of these cases revealed no instances where interpretation by WSI was consistently inaccurate compared with microscopy for multiple observers. We conclude that WSI is noninferior to microscopy for primary diagnosis in surgical pathology, including biopsies and resections stained with hematoxylin and eosin, immunohistochemistry and special stains. This conclusion is valid across a wide variety of organ systems and specimen types.

(abstract) Electronic Packaging for Microspacecraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wasler, David

1993-01-01

The intent of this presentation is to give a brief look into the future of electronic packaging for microspacecraft applications. Advancements in electronic packaging technology areas have developed to the point where a system engineer's visions, concepts, and requirements for a microspacecraft can now be a reality. These new developments are ideal candidates for microspacecraft applications. These technologies are capable of bringing about major changes in how we design future spacecraft while taking advantage of the benefits due to size, weight, power, performance, reliability , and cost. This presentation will also cover some advantages and limitations of surface mount technology (SMT), multichip modules (MCM), and wafer scale integration (WSI), and what is needed to implement these technologies into microspacecraft.

Making sense of the conflicting magic numbers in WSi{sub n} clusters

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

Abreu, Marissa Baddick; Reber, Arthur C.; Khanna, Shiv N.

2015-08-21

First principles studies on the geometric structure, stability, and electronic structure of WSi{sub n} clusters, n = 6-16, have been carried out to show that the observed differing “magic sizes” for WSi{sub n} clusters are associated with the nature of the growth processes. The WSi{sub 12} cluster, observed as a magic species in experiments reacting transition metal ions with silane, is not stable due to a filled shell of 18 electrons, as previously proposed, but due to its atomic structure that arrests further growth because of an endohedral transition metal site. In fact, it is found that all of thesemore » clusters, n = 6-16, have filled 5d shells except for WSi{sub 12}, which has a 5d{sup 8} configuration that is caused by crystal field splitting. The stability of WSi{sub 15}{sup +}, observed as highly stable in clusters generated by vaporizing silicon and metal carbonyls, is shown to be associated with a combination of geometric and electronic features. The findings are compared with previous results on CrSi{sub n} clusters.« less

A multisite validation of whole slide imaging for primary diagnosis using standardized data collection and analysis.

PubMed

Wack, Katy; Drogowski, Laura; Treloar, Murray; Evans, Andrew; Ho, Jonhan; Parwani, Anil; Montalto, Michael C

2016-01-01

Text-based reporting and manual arbitration for whole slide imaging (WSI) validation studies are labor intensive and do not allow for consistent, scalable, and repeatable data collection or analysis. The objective of this study was to establish a method of data capture and analysis using standardized codified checklists and predetermined synoptic discordance tables and to use these methods in a pilot multisite validation study. Fifteen case report form checklists were generated from the College of American Pathology cancer protocols. Prior to data collection, all hypothetical pairwise comparisons were generated, and a level of harm was determined for each possible discordance. Four sites with four pathologists each generated 264 independent reads of 33 cases. Preestablished discordance tables were applied to determine site by site and pooled accuracy, intrareader/intramodality, and interreader intramodality error rates. Over 10,000 hypothetical pairwise comparisons were evaluated and assigned harm in discordance tables. The average difference in error rates between WSI and glass, as compared to ground truth, was 0.75% with a lower bound of 3.23% (95% confidence interval). Major discordances occurred on challenging cases, regardless of modality. The average inter-reader agreement across sites for glass was 76.5% (weighted kappa of 0.68) and for digital it was 79.1% (weighted kappa of 0.72). These results demonstrate the feasibility and utility of employing standardized synoptic checklists and predetermined discordance tables to gather consistent, comprehensive diagnostic data for WSI validation studies. This method of data capture and analysis can be applied in large-scale multisite WSI validations.

Reimagining the microscope in the 21(st) century using the scalable adaptive graphics environment.

PubMed

Mateevitsi, Victor; Patel, Tushar; Leigh, Jason; Levy, Bruce

2015-01-01

Whole-slide imaging (WSI), while technologically mature, remains in the early adopter phase of the technology adoption lifecycle. One reason for this current situation is that current methods of visualizing and using WSI closely follow long-existing workflows for glass slides. We set out to "reimagine" the digital microscope in the era of cloud computing by combining WSI with the rich collaborative environment of the Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment (SAGE). SAGE is a cross-platform, open-source visualization and collaboration tool that enables users to access, display and share a variety of data-intensive information, in a variety of resolutions and formats, from multiple sources, on display walls of arbitrary size. A prototype of a WSI viewer app in the SAGE environment was created. While not full featured, it enabled the testing of our hypothesis that these technologies could be blended together to change the essential nature of how microscopic images are utilized for patient care, medical education, and research. Using the newly created WSI viewer app, demonstration scenarios were created in the patient care and medical education scenarios. This included a live demonstration of a pathology consultation at the International Academy of Digital Pathology meeting in Boston in November 2014. SAGE is well suited to display, manipulate and collaborate using WSIs, along with other images and data, for a variety of purposes. It goes beyond how glass slides and current WSI viewers are being used today, changing the nature of digital pathology in the process. A fully developed WSI viewer app within SAGE has the potential to encourage the wider adoption of WSI throughout pathology.

A virtual microscope for academic medical education: the pate project.

PubMed

Brochhausen, Christoph; Winther, Hinrich B; Hundt, Christian; Schmitt, Volker H; Schömer, Elmar; Kirkpatrick, C James

2015-05-11

Whole-slide imaging (WSI) has become more prominent and continues to gain in importance in student teaching. Applications with different scope have been developed. Many of these applications have either technical or design shortcomings. To design a survey to determine student expectations of WSI applications for teaching histological and pathological diagnosis. To develop a new WSI application based on the findings of the survey. A total of 216 students were questioned about their experiences and expectations of WSI applications, as well as favorable and undesired features. The survey included 14 multiple choice and two essay questions. Based on the survey, we developed a new WSI application called Pate utilizing open source technologies. The survey sample included 216 students-62.0% (134) women and 36.1% (78) men. Out of 216 students, 4 (1.9%) did not disclose their gender. The best-known preexisting WSI applications included Mainzer Histo Maps (199/216, 92.1%), Histoweb Tübingen (16/216, 7.4%), and Histonet Ulm (8/216, 3.7%). Desired features for the students were latitude in the slides (190/216, 88.0%), histological (191/216, 88.4%) and pathological (186/216, 86.1%) annotations, points of interest (181/216, 83.8%), background information (146/216, 67.6%), and auxiliary informational texts (113/216, 52.3%). By contrast, a discussion forum was far less important (9/216, 4.2%) for the students. The survey revealed that the students appreciate a rich feature set, including WSI functionality, points of interest, auxiliary informational texts, and annotations. The development of Pate was significantly influenced by the findings of the survey. Although Pate currently has some issues with the Zoomify file format, it could be shown that Web technologies are capable of providing a high-performance WSI experience, as well as a rich feature set.

Reimagining the microscope in the 21st century using the scalable adaptive graphics environment

PubMed Central

Mateevitsi, Victor; Patel, Tushar; Leigh, Jason; Levy, Bruce

2015-01-01

Background: Whole-slide imaging (WSI), while technologically mature, remains in the early adopter phase of the technology adoption lifecycle. One reason for this current situation is that current methods of visualizing and using WSI closely follow long-existing workflows for glass slides. We set out to “reimagine” the digital microscope in the era of cloud computing by combining WSI with the rich collaborative environment of the Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment (SAGE). SAGE is a cross-platform, open-source visualization and collaboration tool that enables users to access, display and share a variety of data-intensive information, in a variety of resolutions and formats, from multiple sources, on display walls of arbitrary size. Methods: A prototype of a WSI viewer app in the SAGE environment was created. While not full featured, it enabled the testing of our hypothesis that these technologies could be blended together to change the essential nature of how microscopic images are utilized for patient care, medical education, and research. Results: Using the newly created WSI viewer app, demonstration scenarios were created in the patient care and medical education scenarios. This included a live demonstration of a pathology consultation at the International Academy of Digital Pathology meeting in Boston in November 2014. Conclusions: SAGE is well suited to display, manipulate and collaborate using WSIs, along with other images and data, for a variety of purposes. It goes beyond how glass slides and current WSI viewers are being used today, changing the nature of digital pathology in the process. A fully developed WSI viewer app within SAGE has the potential to encourage the wider adoption of WSI throughout pathology. PMID:26110092

RecutClub.com: An Open Source, Whole Slide Image-based Pathology Education System

PubMed Central

Christensen, Paul A.; Lee, Nathan E.; Thrall, Michael J.; Powell, Suzanne Z.; Chevez-Barrios, Patricia; Long, S. Wesley

2017-01-01

Background: Our institution's pathology unknown conferences provide educational cases for our residents. However, the cases have not been previously available digitally, have not been collated for postconference review, and were not accessible to a wider audience. Our objective was to create an inexpensive whole slide image (WSI) education suite to address these limitations and improve the education of pathology trainees. Materials and Methods: We surveyed residents regarding their preference between four unique WSI systems. We then scanned weekly unknown conference cases and study set cases and uploaded them to our custom built WSI viewer located at RecutClub.com. We measured site utilization and conference participation. Results: Residents preferred our OpenLayers WSI implementation to Ventana Virtuoso, Google Maps API, and OpenSlide. Over 16 months, we uploaded 1366 cases from 77 conferences and ten study sets, occupying 793.5 GB of cloud storage. Based on resident evaluations, the interface was easy to use and demonstrated minimal latency. Residents are able to review cases from home and from their mobile devices. Worldwide, 955 unique IP addresses from 52 countries have viewed cases in our site. Conclusions: We implemented a low-cost, publicly available repository of WSI slides for resident education. Our trainees are very satisfied with the freedom to preview either the glass slides or WSI and review the WSI postconference. Both local users and worldwide users actively and repeatedly view cases in our study set. PMID:28382224

Development of a Whole Slide Imaging System on Smartphones and Evaluation With Frozen Section Samples

PubMed Central

Jiang, Liren

2017-01-01

Background The aim was to develop scalable Whole Slide Imaging (sWSI), a WSI system based on mainstream smartphones coupled with regular optical microscopes. This ultra-low-cost solution should offer diagnostic-ready imaging quality on par with standalone scanners, supporting both oil and dry objective lenses of different magnifications, and reasonably high throughput. These performance metrics should be evaluated by expert pathologists and match those of high-end scanners. Objective The aim was to develop scalable Whole Slide Imaging (sWSI), a whole slide imaging system based on smartphones coupled with optical microscopes. This ultra-low-cost solution should offer diagnostic-ready imaging quality on par with standalone scanners, supporting both oil and dry object lens of different magnification. All performance metrics should be evaluated by expert pathologists and match those of high-end scanners. Methods In the sWSI design, the digitization process is split asynchronously between light-weight clients on smartphones and powerful cloud servers. The client apps automatically capture FoVs at up to 12-megapixel resolution and process them in real-time to track the operation of users, then give instant feedback of guidance. The servers first restitch each pair of FoVs, then automatically correct the unknown nonlinear distortion introduced by the lens of the smartphone on the fly, based on pair-wise stitching, before finally combining all FoVs into one gigapixel VS for each scan. These VSs can be viewed using Internet browsers anywhere. In the evaluation experiment, 100 frozen section slides from patients randomly selected among in-patients of the participating hospital were scanned by both a high-end Leica scanner and sWSI. All VSs were examined by senior pathologists whose diagnoses were compared against those made using optical microscopy as ground truth to evaluate the image quality. Results The sWSI system is developed for both Android and iPhone smartphones and is currently being offered to the public. The image quality is reliable and throughput is approximately 1 FoV per second, yielding a 15-by-15 mm slide under 20X object lens in approximately 30-35 minutes, with little training required for the operator. The expected cost for setup is approximately US $100 and scanning each slide costs between US $1 and $10, making sWSI highly cost-effective for infrequent or low-throughput usage. In the clinical evaluation of sample-wise diagnostic reliability, average accuracy scores achieved by sWSI-scan-based diagnoses were as follows: 0.78 for breast, 0.88 for uterine corpus, 0.68 for thyroid, and 0.50 for lung samples. The respective low-sensitivity rates were 0.05, 0.05, 0.13, and 0.25 while the respective low-specificity rates were 0.18, 0.08, 0.20, and 0.25. The participating pathologists agreed that the overall quality of sWSI was generally on par with that produced by high-end scanners, and did not affect diagnosis in most cases. Pathologists confirmed that sWSI is reliable enough for standard diagnoses of most tissue categories, while it can be used for quick screening of difficult cases. Conclusions As an ultra-low-cost alternative to whole slide scanners, diagnosis-ready VS quality and robustness for commercial usage is achieved in the sWSI solution. Operated on main-stream smartphones installed on normal optical microscopes, sWSI readily offers affordable and reliable WSI to resource-limited or infrequent clinical users. PMID:28916508

Using System Dynamic Model and Neural Network Model to Analyse Water Scarcity in Sudan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Tang, C.; Xu, L.; Ye, S.

2017-07-01

Many parts of the world are facing the problem of Water Scarcity. Analysing Water Scarcity quantitatively is an important step to solve the problem. Water scarcity in a region is gauged by WSI (water scarcity index), which incorporate water supply and water demand. To get the WSI, Neural Network Model and SDM (System Dynamic Model) that depict how environmental and social factors affect water supply and demand are developed to depict how environmental and social factors affect water supply and demand. The uneven distribution of water resource and water demand across a region leads to an uneven distribution of WSI within this region. To predict WSI for the future, logistic model, Grey Prediction, and statistics are applied in predicting variables. Sudan suffers from severe water scarcity problem with WSI of 1 in 2014, water resource unevenly distributed. According to the result of modified model, after the intervention, Sudan’s water situation will become better.

Whole-slide imaging: routine pathologic diagnosis.

PubMed

Cornish, Toby C; Swapp, Ryan E; Kaplan, Keith J

2012-05-01

Digital pathology systems offer pathologists an alternate, emerging mechanism to manage and interpret information. They offer increasingly fast and scalable hardware platforms for slide scanning and software that facilitates remote viewing, slide conferencing, archiving, and image analysis. Deployed initially and validated largely within the research and biopharmaceutical industries, WSI is increasingly being implemented for direct patient care. Improvements in image quality, scan times, and imageviewing browsers will hopefully allow pathologists to more seamlessly convert to digital pathology, much like our radiology colleagues have done before us. However, WSI creates both opportunities and challenges. Although niche applications of WSI technology for clinical, educational, and research purposes are clearly successful, it is evident that several areas still require attention and careful consideration before more widespread clinical adoption of WSI takes place. These include regulatory issues, development of standards of practice and validation guidelines, workflow modifications, as well as defining situations where WSI technology will really improve practice in a cost-effective way. Current progress on these and other issues, along with improving technology, will no doubt pave the way for increased adoption over the next decade, allowing the pathology community as a whole to harness the true potential of WSI for patient care. The digital decade will likely redefine how pathology is practiced and the role of the pathologist.

Current Status of Whole-Slide Imaging in Education.

PubMed

Saco, Adela; Bombi, Jose Antoni; Garcia, Adriana; Ramírez, Jose; Ordi, Jaume

2016-01-01

Conventional light microscopy (CLM) has classically been the basic tool to teach histology and pathology. In recent years, whole-slide imaging (WSI), which consists of generating a high-magnification digital image of an entire histological glass slide, has emerged as a useful alternative to CLM offering a myriad of opportunities for education. Navigation through the digitized slides closely simulates viewing glass slides with a microscope and is also referred to as virtual microscopy. WSI has many advantages for education. Students feel more comfortable with its use, and it can be used in any classroom as it only requires a computer with Internet access and it allows remote access from anywhere and from any device. WSI can be used simultaneously by a large number of people, stimulating cooperation between students and improving the interaction with the teachers. It allows making marks and annotations on specific fields, which enable specific directed questions to the teacher. Finally, WSI supports are cost-effective compared with CLM. Consequently, WSI has begun to replace CLM in many institutions. WSI has shown to be an extremely useful tool for undergraduate education (medical, dental and veterinary schools), for the training of residents of pathology, tele-education and in tumor boards. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Morphology in the Digital Age: Integrating High Resolution Description of Structural Alterations with Phenotypes and Genotypes

PubMed Central

Nast, Cynthia C.; Lemley, Kevin V.; Hodgin, Jeffrey B.; Bagnasco, Serena; Avila-Casado, Carmen; Hewitt, Stephen M; Barisoni, Laura

2015-01-01

Conventional light microscopy (CLM) has been used to characterize and classify renal diseases, evaluate histopathology in studies and trials, and educate renal pathologists and nephrologists. The advent of digital pathology, in which a glass slide can be scanned to create whole slide images (WSI) for viewing and manipulating on a computer monitor, provides real and potential advantages over CLM. Software tools such as annotation, morphometry and image analysis can be applied to WSIs for studies or educational purposes, and the digital images are globally available to clinicians, pathologists and investigators. New ways of assessing renal pathology with observational data collection may allow better morphologic correlations and integration with molecular and genetic signatures, refinements of classification schema, and understanding of disease pathogenesis. In multicenter studies, WSI, which require additional quality assurance steps, provide efficiencies by reducing slide shipping and consensus conference costs, and allowing anytime anywhere slide viewing. While validation studies for the routine diagnostic use of digital pathology still are needed, this is a powerful tool currently available for translational research, clinical trials and education in renal pathology. PMID:26215864

A Virtual Microscope for Academic Medical Education: The Pate Project

PubMed Central

Hundt, Christian; Schmitt, Volker H; Schömer, Elmar; Kirkpatrick, C James

2015-01-01

Background Whole-slide imaging (WSI) has become more prominent and continues to gain in importance in student teaching. Applications with different scope have been developed. Many of these applications have either technical or design shortcomings. Objective To design a survey to determine student expectations of WSI applications for teaching histological and pathological diagnosis. To develop a new WSI application based on the findings of the survey. Methods A total of 216 students were questioned about their experiences and expectations of WSI applications, as well as favorable and undesired features. The survey included 14 multiple choice and two essay questions. Based on the survey, we developed a new WSI application called Pate utilizing open source technologies. Results The survey sample included 216 students—62.0% (134) women and 36.1% (78) men. Out of 216 students, 4 (1.9%) did not disclose their gender. The best-known preexisting WSI applications included Mainzer Histo Maps (199/216, 92.1%), Histoweb Tübingen (16/216, 7.4%), and Histonet Ulm (8/216, 3.7%). Desired features for the students were latitude in the slides (190/216, 88.0%), histological (191/216, 88.4%) and pathological (186/216, 86.1%) annotations, points of interest (181/216, 83.8%), background information (146/216, 67.6%), and auxiliary informational texts (113/216, 52.3%). By contrast, a discussion forum was far less important (9/216, 4.2%) for the students. Conclusions The survey revealed that the students appreciate a rich feature set, including WSI functionality, points of interest, auxiliary informational texts, and annotations. The development of Pate was significantly influenced by the findings of the survey. Although Pate currently has some issues with the Zoomify file format, it could be shown that Web technologies are capable of providing a high-performance WSI experience, as well as a rich feature set. PMID:25963527

Development of Whole Slide Imaging on Smartphones and Evaluation With ThinPrep Cytology Test Samples: Follow-Up Study

PubMed Central

Ma, Shuoxin; Yu, Hong; Jin, Yu-Biao; Zheng, Jun

2018-01-01

Background The smartphone-based whole slide imaging (WSI) system represents a low-cost and effective alternative to automatic scanners for telepathology. In a previous study, the development of one such solution, named scalable whole slide imaging (sWSI), was presented and analyzed. A clinical evaluation of its iOS version with 100 frozen section samples verified the diagnosis-readiness of the produced virtual slides. Objective The first aim of this study was to delve into the quantifying issues encountered in the development of an Android version. It should also provide insights into future high-resolution real-time feedback medical imaging apps on Android and invoke the awareness of smartphone manufacturers for collaboration. The second aim of this study was to further verify the clinical value of sWSI with cytology samples. This type is different from the frozen section samples in that they require finer detail on the cellular level. Methods During sWSI development on Android, it was discovered that many models do not support uncompressed camera pixel data with sufficient resolution and full field of view. The proportion of models supporting the optimal format was estimated in a test on 200 mainstream Android models. Other factors, including slower processing speed and camera preview freezing, also led to inferior performance of sWSI on Android compared with the iOS version. The processing speed was mostly determined by the central processing unit frequency in theory, and the relationship was investigated in the 200-model simulation experiment with physical devices. The camera preview freezing was caused by the lag between triggering photo capture and resuming preview. In the clinical evaluation, 100 ThinPrep cytology test samples covering 6 diseases were scanned with sWSI and compared against the ground truth of optical microscopy. Results Among the tested Android models, only 3.0% (6/200) provided an optimal data format, meeting all criteria of quality and efficiency. The image-processing speed demonstrated a positive relationship with the central processing unit frequency but to a smaller degree than expected and was highly model-dependent. The virtual slides produced by sWSI on Android and iOS of ThinPrep cytology test samples achieved similar high quality. Using optical microscopy as the ground truth, pathologists made a correct diagnosis on 87.5% (175/200) of the cases with sWSI virtual slides. Depending on the sWSI version and the pathologist in charge, the kappa value varied between .70 and .82. All participating pathologists considered the quality of the sWSI virtual slides in the experiment to be adequate for routine usage. Conclusions Limited by hardware and operating system support, the performance of sWSI on mainstream Android smartphones did not fully match the iOS version. However, in practice, this difference was not significant, and both were adequate for digitizing most of the sample types for telepathology consultation. PMID:29618454

Reconciliation of diverse telepathology system designs. Historic issues and implications for emerging markets and new applications.

PubMed

Weinstein, Ronald S; Graham, Anna R; Lian, Fangru; Braunhut, Beth L; Barker, Gail R; Krupinski, Elizabeth A; Bhattacharyya, Achyut K

2012-04-01

Telepathology, the distant service component of digital pathology, is a growth industry. The word "telepathology" was introduced into the English Language in 1986. Initially, two different, competing imaging modalities were used for telepathology. These were dynamic (real time) robotic telepathology and static image (store-and-forward) telepathology. In 1989, a hybrid dynamic robotic/static image telepathology system was developed in Norway. This hybrid imaging system bundled these two primary pathology imaging modalities into a single multi-modality pathology imaging system. Similar hybrid systems were subsequently developed and marketed in other countries as well. It is noteworthy that hybrid dynamic robotic/static image telepathology systems provided the infrastructure for the first truly sustainable telepathology services. Since then, impressive progress has been made in developing another telepathology technology, so-called "virtual microscopy" telepathology (also called "whole slide image" telepathology or "WSI" telepathology). Over the past decade, WSI has appeared to be emerging as the preferred digital telepathology digital imaging modality. However, recently, there has been a re-emergence of interest in dynamic-robotic telepathology driven, in part, by concerns over the lack of a means for up-and-down focusing (i.e., Z-axis focusing) using early WSI processors. In 2010, the initial two U.S. patents for robotic telepathology (issued in 1993 and 1994) expired enabling many digital pathology equipment companies to incorporate dynamic-robotic telepathology modules into their WSI products for the first time. The dynamic-robotic telepathology module provided a solution to the up-and-down focusing issue. WSI and dynamic robotic telepathology are now, rapidly, being bundled into a new class of telepathology/digital pathology imaging system, the "WSI-enhanced dynamic robotic telepathology system". To date, six major WSI processor equipment companies have embraced the approach and developed WSI-enhanced dynamic-robotic digital telepathology systems, marketed under a variety of labels. Successful commercialization of such systems could help overcome the current resistance of some pathologists to incorporate digital pathology, and telepathology, into their routine and esoteric laboratory services. Also, WSI-enhanced dynamic robotic telepathology could be useful for providing general pathology and subspecialty pathology services to many of the world's underserved populations in the decades ahead. This could become an important enabler for the delivery of patient-centered healthcare in the future. © 2012 The Authors APMIS © 2012 APMIS.

Web-based oil immersion whole slide imaging increases efficiency and clinical team satisfaction in hematopathology tumor board

PubMed Central

Chen, Zhongchuan Will; Kohan, Jessica; Perkins, Sherrie L.; Hussong, Jerry W.; Salama, Mohamed E.

2014-01-01

Background: Whole slide imaging (WSI) is widely used for education and research, but is increasingly being used to streamline clinical workflow. We present our experience with regard to satisfaction and time utilization using oil immersion WSI for presentation of blood/marrow aspirate smears, core biopsies, and tissue sections in hematology/oncology tumor board/treatment planning conferences (TPC). Methods: Lymph nodes and bone marrow core biopsies were scanned at ×20 magnification and blood/marrow smears at 83X under oil immersion and uploaded to an online library with areas of interest to be displayed annotated digitally via web browser. Pathologist time required to prepare slides for scanning was compared to that required to prepare for microscope projection (MP). Time required to present cases during TPC was also compared. A 10-point evaluation survey was used to assess clinician satisfaction with each presentation method. Results: There was no significant difference in hematopathologist preparation time between WSI and MP. However, presentation time was significantly less for WSI compared to MP as selection and annotation of slides was done prior to TPC with WSI, enabling more efficient use of TPC presentation time. Survey results showed a significant increase in satisfaction by clinical attendees with regard to image quality, efficiency of presentation of pertinent findings, aid in clinical decision-making, and overall satisfaction regarding pathology presentation. A majority of respondents also noted decreased motion sickness with WSI. Conclusions: Whole slide imaging, particularly with the ability to use oil scanning, provides higher quality images compared to MP and significantly increases clinician satisfaction. WSI streamlines preparation for TPC by permitting prior slide selection, resulting in greater efficiency during TPC presentation. PMID:25379347

Characterization of ion beam sputtered deposited W/Si multilayers by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and x-ray reflectivity technique

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

Dhawan, Rajnish, E-mail: rajnish@rrcat.gov.in; Rai, Sanjay

2016-05-23

W/Si multilayers four samples have been deposited on silicon substrate using ion beam sputtering system. Thickness of tungsten (W) varies from around 10 Å to 40 Å while the silicon (Si) thickness remains constant at around 30 Å in multilayers [W-Si]{sub x4}. The samples have been characterized by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and X-ray reflectivity technique (XRR). GIXRD study shows the crystalline behaviour of W/Si multilayer by varying W thickness and it is found that above 20 Å the W film transform from amorphous to crystalline phase and X-ray reflectivity data shows that the roughnesses of W increases onmore » increasing the W thicknesses in W/Si multilayers.« less

Growth of WSi2 in phosphorous-implanted W/«Si» couples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, E.; Lim, B. S.; Nicolet, M.-A.; Alvi, N. S.; Hamdi, A. H.

1988-05-01

The thermal reaction of rf-sputter-deposited tungsten films with a (100) silicon substrate is investigated by vacuum furnace annealing and rapid thermal annealing. An irradiation of the W/Si interface by a phosphorous ion beam at room temperature prior to annealing promotes a uniform interfacial growth of WSi2. The growth of WSi2 follows diffusion-controlled kinetics during both furnace annealing and rapid thermal processing. A growth law of x2 = kt is obtained for furnace annealing between 690 and 740° C, where x is the thickness of the compound, t is the annealing duration after an initial incubation period and k = 62 (cm2/s) exp (--3.0 eV/kT). The surface smoothness of the suicide films improves with increasing ion dose.

Development of a Whole Slide Imaging System on Smartphones and Evaluation With Frozen Section Samples.

PubMed

Yu, Hong; Gao, Feng; Jiang, Liren; Ma, Shuoxin

2017-09-15

The aim was to develop scalable Whole Slide Imaging (sWSI), a WSI system based on mainstream smartphones coupled with regular optical microscopes. This ultra-low-cost solution should offer diagnostic-ready imaging quality on par with standalone scanners, supporting both oil and dry objective lenses of different magnifications, and reasonably high throughput. These performance metrics should be evaluated by expert pathologists and match those of high-end scanners. The aim was to develop scalable Whole Slide Imaging (sWSI), a whole slide imaging system based on smartphones coupled with optical microscopes. This ultra-low-cost solution should offer diagnostic-ready imaging quality on par with standalone scanners, supporting both oil and dry object lens of different magnification. All performance metrics should be evaluated by expert pathologists and match those of high-end scanners. In the sWSI design, the digitization process is split asynchronously between light-weight clients on smartphones and powerful cloud servers. The client apps automatically capture FoVs at up to 12-megapixel resolution and process them in real-time to track the operation of users, then give instant feedback of guidance. The servers first restitch each pair of FoVs, then automatically correct the unknown nonlinear distortion introduced by the lens of the smartphone on the fly, based on pair-wise stitching, before finally combining all FoVs into one gigapixel VS for each scan. These VSs can be viewed using Internet browsers anywhere. In the evaluation experiment, 100 frozen section slides from patients randomly selected among in-patients of the participating hospital were scanned by both a high-end Leica scanner and sWSI. All VSs were examined by senior pathologists whose diagnoses were compared against those made using optical microscopy as ground truth to evaluate the image quality. The sWSI system is developed for both Android and iPhone smartphones and is currently being offered to the public. The image quality is reliable and throughput is approximately 1 FoV per second, yielding a 15-by-15 mm slide under 20X object lens in approximately 30-35 minutes, with little training required for the operator. The expected cost for setup is approximately US $100 and scanning each slide costs between US $1 and $10, making sWSI highly cost-effective for infrequent or low-throughput usage. In the clinical evaluation of sample-wise diagnostic reliability, average accuracy scores achieved by sWSI-scan-based diagnoses were as follows: 0.78 for breast, 0.88 for uterine corpus, 0.68 for thyroid, and 0.50 for lung samples. The respective low-sensitivity rates were 0.05, 0.05, 0.13, and 0.25 while the respective low-specificity rates were 0.18, 0.08, 0.20, and 0.25. The participating pathologists agreed that the overall quality of sWSI was generally on par with that produced by high-end scanners, and did not affect diagnosis in most cases. Pathologists confirmed that sWSI is reliable enough for standard diagnoses of most tissue categories, while it can be used for quick screening of difficult cases. As an ultra-low-cost alternative to whole slide scanners, diagnosis-ready VS quality and robustness for commercial usage is achieved in the sWSI solution. Operated on main-stream smartphones installed on normal optical microscopes, sWSI readily offers affordable and reliable WSI to resource-limited or infrequent clinical users. ©Hong Yu, Feng Gao, Liren Jiang, Shuoxin Ma. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 15.09.2017.

Development of Whole Slide Imaging on Smartphones and Evaluation With ThinPrep Cytology Test Samples: Follow-Up Study.

PubMed

Huang, Yu-Ning; Peng, Xing-Chun; Ma, Shuoxin; Yu, Hong; Jin, Yu-Biao; Zheng, Jun; Fu, Guo-Hui

2018-04-04

The smartphone-based whole slide imaging (WSI) system represents a low-cost and effective alternative to automatic scanners for telepathology. In a previous study, the development of one such solution, named scalable whole slide imaging (sWSI), was presented and analyzed. A clinical evaluation of its iOS version with 100 frozen section samples verified the diagnosis-readiness of the produced virtual slides. The first aim of this study was to delve into the quantifying issues encountered in the development of an Android version. It should also provide insights into future high-resolution real-time feedback medical imaging apps on Android and invoke the awareness of smartphone manufacturers for collaboration. The second aim of this study was to further verify the clinical value of sWSI with cytology samples. This type is different from the frozen section samples in that they require finer detail on the cellular level. During sWSI development on Android, it was discovered that many models do not support uncompressed camera pixel data with sufficient resolution and full field of view. The proportion of models supporting the optimal format was estimated in a test on 200 mainstream Android models. Other factors, including slower processing speed and camera preview freezing, also led to inferior performance of sWSI on Android compared with the iOS version. The processing speed was mostly determined by the central processing unit frequency in theory, and the relationship was investigated in the 200-model simulation experiment with physical devices. The camera preview freezing was caused by the lag between triggering photo capture and resuming preview. In the clinical evaluation, 100 ThinPrep cytology test samples covering 6 diseases were scanned with sWSI and compared against the ground truth of optical microscopy. Among the tested Android models, only 3.0% (6/200) provided an optimal data format, meeting all criteria of quality and efficiency. The image-processing speed demonstrated a positive relationship with the central processing unit frequency but to a smaller degree than expected and was highly model-dependent. The virtual slides produced by sWSI on Android and iOS of ThinPrep cytology test samples achieved similar high quality. Using optical microscopy as the ground truth, pathologists made a correct diagnosis on 87.5% (175/200) of the cases with sWSI virtual slides. Depending on the sWSI version and the pathologist in charge, the kappa value varied between .70 and .82. All participating pathologists considered the quality of the sWSI virtual slides in the experiment to be adequate for routine usage. Limited by hardware and operating system support, the performance of sWSI on mainstream Android smartphones did not fully match the iOS version. However, in practice, this difference was not significant, and both were adequate for digitizing most of the sample types for telepathology consultation. ©Yu-Ning Huang, Xing-Chun Peng, Shuoxin Ma, Hong Yu, Yu-Biao Jin, Jun Zheng, Guo-Hui Fu. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 04.04.2018.

Integration and acceleration of virtual microscopy as the key to successful implementation into the routine diagnostic process.

PubMed

Wienert, Stephan; Beil, Michael; Saeger, Kai; Hufnagl, Peter; Schrader, Thomas

2009-01-09

The virtual microscopy is widely accepted in Pathology for educational purposes and teleconsultation but is far from the routine use in surgical pathology due to the technical requirements and some limitations. A technical problem is the limited bandwidth of a usual network and the delayed transmission rate and presentation time on the screen. In this study the process of secondary diagnostic was evaluated using the "T.Konsult Pathologie" service of the Professional Association of German Pathologists within the German breast cancer screening program. The characteristics of the access to the WSI (Whole Slide Images) have been analyzed to explore the possibilities of prefetching and caching to reduce the presentation and transfer time with the goal to increase user acceptance. The log files of the web server were analyzed to reconstruct the movements of the pathologist on the WSI and to create the observation path. Using a specialized tool the observation paths were extracted automatically from the log files. The attributes linearity, 3-point-linearity, changes per request, and number of consecutive requests were calculated to design, develop and evaluate different caching and prefetching strategies. The analysis of the observation paths showed that a complete accordance of two image requests is a very rare event. But more frequently a partial covering of two requested image areas can be found. In total 257 diagnostic paths from 131 WSI have been extracted and analysed. On average a diagnostic path consists of 16 image requests and takes 189 seconds between first and last image request. The mean linearity was 0,41 and the mean 3-point-linearity 0,85. Three different caching algorithms have been compared with respect to hit rate and additional image requests on the WSI server. Tests demonstrated that 95% of the diagnostic paths could be loaded without any deletion of entries in the cache (cache size 12,2 Megapixel). If the image parts are stored after JPEG compression this complies with less than 2 MB. WSI telepathology is a technology which offers the possibility to break the limitations of conventional static telepathology. The complete histological slide may be investigated instead of sets of images of lesions sampled by the presenting pathologist. The benefit is demonstrated by the high diagnostic security of 95% accordance between first and second diagnosis.

Integration and acceleration of virtual microscopy as the key to successful implementation into the routine diagnostic process

PubMed Central

Wienert, Stephan; Beil, Michael; Saeger, Kai; Hufnagl, Peter; Schrader, Thomas

2009-01-01

Background The virtual microscopy is widely accepted in Pathology for educational purposes and teleconsultation but is far from the routine use in surgical pathology due to the technical requirements and some limitations. A technical problem is the limited bandwidth of a usual network and the delayed transmission rate and presentation time on the screen. Methods In this study the process of secondary diagnostic was evaluated using the "T.Konsult Pathologie" service of the Professional Association of German Pathologists within the German breast cancer screening program. The characteristics of the access to the WSI (Whole Slide Images) have been analyzed to explore the possibilities of prefetching and caching to reduce the presentation and transfer time with the goal to increase user acceptance. The log files of the web server were analyzed to reconstruct the movements of the pathologist on the WSI and to create the observation path. Using a specialized tool the observation paths were extracted automatically from the log files. The attributes linearity, 3-point-linearity, changes per request, and number of consecutive requests were calculated to design, develop and evaluate different caching and prefetching strategies. Results The analysis of the observation paths showed that a complete accordance of two image requests is a very rare event. But more frequently a partial covering of two requested image areas can be found. In total 257 diagnostic paths from 131 WSI have been extracted and analysed. On average a diagnostic path consists of 16 image requests and takes 189 seconds between first and last image request. The mean linearity was 0,41 and the mean 3-point-linearity 0,85. Three different caching algorithms have been compared with respect to hit rate and additional image requests on the WSI server. Tests demonstrated that 95% of the diagnostic paths could be loaded without any deletion of entries in the cache (cache size 12,2 Megapixel). If the image parts are stored after JPEG compression this complies with less than 2 MB. Discussion WSI telepathology is a technology which offers the possibility to break the limitations of conventional static telepathology. The complete histological slide may be investigated instead of sets of images of lesions sampled by the presenting pathologist. The benefit is demonstrated by the high diagnostic security of 95% accordance between first and second diagnosis. PMID:19134181

Dealing with uncertainty in water scarcity footprints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherer, Laura; Pfister, Stephan

2016-05-01

Water scarcity adversely affects ecosystems, human well-being and the economy. It can be described by water scarcity indices (WSIs) which we calculated globally for the decades 1981-1990 and 2001-2010. Based on a model ensemble, we calculated the WSI for both decades including uncertainties. While there is a slight tendency of increased water scarcity in 2001-2010, the likelihood of the increase is rather low (53%). Climate change played only a minor role, but increased water consumption is more decisive. In the last decade, a large share of the global population already lived under highly water scarce conditions with a global average monthly WSI of 0.51 (on a scale from 0 to 1). Considering that globally there are enough water resources to satisfy all our needs, this highlights the need for regional optimization of water consumption. In addition, crop choices within a food group can help reduce humanity’s water scarcity footprint without reducing its nutritional value.

Novel WSi/Au T-shaped gate GaAs metal-semiconductor field-effect-transistor fabrication process for super low-noise microwave monolithic integrated circuit amplifiers

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

Takano, H.; Hosogi, K.; Kato, T.

1995-05-01

A fully ion-implanted self-aligned T-shaped gate Ga As metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MESFET) with high frequency and extremely low-noise performance has been successfully fabricated for super low-noise microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifiers. A subhalf-micrometer gate structure composed of WSi/Ti/Mo/Au is employed to reduce gate resistance effectively. This multilayer gate structure is formed by newly developed dummy SiON self-alignment technology and a photoresist planarization process. At an operating frequency of 12 GHz, a minimum noise figure of 0.87 dB with an associated gain of 10.62 dB has been obtained. Based on the novel FET process, a low-noise single-stage MMIC amplifier withmore » an excellent low-noise figure of 1.2 dB with an associated gain of 8 dB in the 14 GHz band has been realized. This is the lowest noise figure ever reported at this frequency for low-noise MMICs based on ion-implanted self-aligned gate MESFET technology. 14 refs., 9 figs.« less

“Slide less pathology”: Fairy tale or reality?

PubMed Central

Indu, M; Rathy, R; Binu, MP

2016-01-01

Pathology practice is significantly advanced in various frontiers. Therefore, “slide less digital” pathology will not be a mere imagination in near future. Digitalization of histopathological slides (whole slide imaging [WSI]) is possible with the help of whole slide scanner. The WSI has a positive impact not only in routine practice but also in research field, medical education and bioindustry. Even if digital pathology has definitive advantages, its widespread use is not yet possible. As it is an upcoming technology in our field, this article is aimed to discussessential aspects of WSI. PMID:27601824

Evaluating color performance of whole-slide imaging devices by multispectral-imaging of biological tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleheen, Firdous; Badano, Aldo; Cheng, Wei-Chung

2017-03-01

The color reproducibility of two whole-slide imaging (WSI) devices was evaluated with biological tissue slides. Three tissue slides (human colon, skin, and kidney) were used to test a modern and a legacy WSI devices. The color truth of the tissue slides was obtained using a multispectral imaging system. The output WSI images were compared with the color truth to calculate the color difference for each pixel. A psychophysical experiment was also conducted to measure the perceptual color reproducibility (PCR) of the same slides with four subjects. The experiment results show that the mean color differences of the modern, legacy, and monochrome WSI devices are 10.94+/-4.19, 22.35+/-8.99, and 42.74+/-2.96 ▵E00, while their mean PCRs are 70.35+/-7.64%, 23.06+/-14.68%, and 0.91+/-1.01%, respectively.

An Ultra-High Speed Whole Slide Image Viewing System

PubMed Central

Yagi, Yukako; Yoshioka, Shigeatsu; Kyusojin, Hiroshi; Onozato, Maristela; Mizutani, Yoichi; Osato, Kiyoshi; Yada, Hiroaki; Mark, Eugene J.; Frosch, Matthew P.; Louis, David N.

2012-01-01

Background: One of the goals for a Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) system is implementation in the clinical practice of pathology. One of the unresolved problems in accomplishing this goal is the speed of the entire process, i.e., from viewing the slides through making the final diagnosis. Most users are not satisfied with the correct viewing speeds of available systems. We have evaluated a new WSI viewing station and tool that focuses on speed. Method: A prototype WSI viewer based on PlayStation®3 with wireless controllers was evaluated at the Department of Pathology at MGH for the following reasons: 1. For the simulation of signing-out cases; 2. Enabling discussion at a consensus conference; and 3. Use at slide seminars during a Continuing Medical Education course. Results: Pathologists were being able to use the system comfortably after 0–15 min training. There were no complaints regarding speed. Most pathologists were satisfied with the functionality, usability and speed of the system. The most difficult situation was simulating diagnostic sign-out. Conclusion: The preliminary results of adapting the Sony PlayStation®3 (PS3®) as an ultra-high speed WSI viewing system were promising. The achieved speed is consistent with what would be needed to use WSI in daily practice. PMID:22063731

An ultra-high speed Whole Slide Image viewing system.

PubMed

Yagi, Yukako; Yoshioka, Shigeatsu; Kyusojin, Hiroshi; Onozato, Maristela; Mizutani, Yoichi; Osato, Kiyoshi; Yada, Hiroaki; Mark, Eugene J; Frosch, Matthew P; Louis, David N

2012-01-01

One of the goals for a Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) system is implementation in the clinical practice of pathology. One of the unresolved problems in accomplishing this goal is the speed of the entire process, i.e., from viewing the slides through making the final diagnosis. Most users are not satisfied with the correct viewing speeds of available systems. We have evaluated a new WSI viewing station and tool that focuses on speed. A prototype WSI viewer based on PlayStation®3 with wireless controllers was evaluated at the Department of Pathology at MGH for the following reasons: 1. For the simulation of signing-out cases; 2. Enabling discussion at a consensus conference; and 3. Use at slide seminars during a Continuing Medical Education course. Pathologists were being able to use the system comfortably after 0-15 min training. There were no complaints regarding speed. Most pathologists were satisfied with the functionality, usability and speed of the system. The most difficult situation was simulating diagnostic sign-out. The preliminary results of adapting the Sony PlayStation®3 (PS3®) as an ultra-high speed WSI viewing system were promising. The achieved speed is consistent with what would be needed to use WSI in daily practice.

An ultra-high speed whole slide image viewing system.

PubMed

Yagi, Yukako; Yoshioka, Shigeatsu; Kyusojin, Hiroshi; Onozato, Maristela; Mizutani, Yoichi; Osato, Kiyoshi; Yada, Hiroaki; Mark, Eugene J; Frosch, Matthew P; Louis, David N

2012-01-01

One of the goals for a Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) system is implementation in the clinical practice of pathology. One of the unresolved problems in accomplishing this goal is the speed of the entire process, i.e., from viewing the slides through making the final diagnosis. Most users are not satisfied with the correct viewing speeds of available systems. We have evaluated a new WSI viewing station and tool that focuses on speed. A prototype WSI viewer based on PlayStation®3 with wireless controllers was evaluated at the Department of Pathology at MGH for the following reasons: 1. For the simulation of signing-out cases; 2. Enabling discussion at a consensus conference; and 3. Use at slide seminars during a Continuing Medical Education course. Pathologists were being able to use the system comfortably after 0-15 min training. There were no complaints regarding speed. Most pathologists were satisfied with the functionality, usability and speed of the system. The most difficult situation was simulating diagnostic sign-out. The preliminary results of adapting the Sony PlayStation®3 (PS3®) as an ultra-high speed WSI viewing system were promising. The achieved speed is consistent with what would be needed to use WSI in daily practice.

Digital Pathology Evaluation in the Multicenter Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE)

PubMed Central

Nast, Cynthia C.; Jennette, J. Charles; Hodgin, Jeffrey B.; Herzenberg, Andrew M.; Lemley, Kevin V.; Conway, Catherine M.; Kopp, Jeffrey B.; Kretzler, Matthias; Lienczewski, Christa; Avila-Casado, Carmen; Bagnasco, Serena; Sethi, Sanjeev; Tomaszewski, John; Gasim, Adil H.

2013-01-01

Summary Pathology consensus review for clinical trials and disease classification has historically been performed by manual light microscopy with sequential section review by study pathologists, or multi-headed microscope review. Limitations of this approach include high intra- and inter-reader variability, costs, and delays for slide mailing and consensus reviews. To improve this, the Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE) is systematically applying digital pathology review in a multicenter study using renal biopsy whole slide imaging (WSI) for observation-based data collection. Study pathology materials are acquired, scanned, uploaded, and stored in a web-based information system that is accessed through a web-browser interface. Quality control includes metadata and image quality review. Initially, digital slides are annotated, with each glomerulus identified, given a unique number, and maintained in all levels until the glomerulus disappears or sections end. The software allows viewing and annotation of multiple slide sections concurrently. Analysis utilizes “descriptors” for patterns of injury, rather than diagnoses, in renal parenchymal compartments. This multidimensional representation via WSI, allows more accurate glomerular counting and identification of all lesions in each glomerulus, with data available in a searchable database. The use of WSI brings about efficiency critical to pathology review in a clinical trial setting, including independent review by multiple pathologists, improved intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility, efficiencies and risk reduction in slide circulation and mailing, centralized management of data integrity and slide images for current or future studies, and web-based consensus meetings. The overall effect is improved incorporation of pathology review in a budget neutral approach. PMID:23393107

A family with unusual Waardenburg syndrome type I (WSI), cleft lip (palate), and Hirschsprung disease is not linked to PAX 3.

PubMed

Pierpont, J W; St Jacques, D; Seaver, L H; Erickson, R P

1995-03-01

An unusual family with Waardenburg syndrome type 1 (WSI), cleft lip (palate), and Hirschsprung disease is not linked to the PAX 3 gene since there is an obligate crossover which has occurred between PAX 3 DNA markers and the disorder in this family. This family may also have anticipation of the WSI traits as the proband's grandmother is nonpenetrant, his mother has dystopia canthorum, and severe cleft lip (palate), while the proband has dystopia canthorum, severe cleft lip (palate), and Hirschsprung disease. Thus, a locus other than PAX 3 is implicated in this Waardenburg-like syndrome with Hirschsprung disease and cleft lip (palate).

Electrical Characteristics of WSi2 Nanocrystal Capacitors with Barrier-Engineered High-k Tunnel Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hyo Jun; Lee, Dong Uk; Kim, Eun Kyu; You, Hee-Wook; Cho, Won-Ju

2011-06-01

Nanocrystal-floating gate capacitors with WSi2 nanocrystals and high-k tunnel layers were fabricated to improve the electrical properties such as retention, programming/erasing speed, and endurance. The WSi2 nanocrystals were distributed uniformly between the tunnel and control gate oxide layers. The electrical performance of the tunnel barrier with the SiO2/HfO2/Al2O3 (2/1/3 nm) (OHA) tunnel layer appeared to be better than that with the Al2O3/HfO2/Al2O3 (2/1/3 nm) (AHA) tunnel layer. When ΔVFB is about 1 V after applying voltage at ±8 V, the programming/erasing speeds of AHA and OHA tunnel layers are 300 ms and 500 µs, respectively. In particular, the device with WSi2 nanocrystals and the OHA tunnel barrier showed a large memory window of about 7.76 V when the voltage swept from 10 to -10 V, and it was maintained at about 2.77 V after 104 cycles.

Extending Whole Slide Imaging: Color Darkfield Internal Reflection Illumination (DIRI) for Biological Applications

PubMed Central

Namiki, Kana; Miyawaki, Atsushi; Ishikawa, Takuji

2017-01-01

Whole slide imaging (WSI) is a useful tool for multi-modal imaging, and in our work, we have often combined WSI with darkfield microscopy. However, traditional darkfield microscopy cannot use a single condenser to support high- and low-numerical-aperture objectives, which limits the modality of WSI. To overcome this limitation, we previously developed a darkfield internal reflection illumination (DIRI) microscope using white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Although the developed DIRI is useful for biological applications, substantial problems remain to be resolved. In this study, we propose a novel illumination technique called color DIRI. The use of three-color LEDs dramatically improves the capability of the system, such that color DIRI (1) enables optimization of the illumination color; (2) can be combined with an oil objective lens; (3) can produce fluorescence excitation illumination; (4) can adjust the wavelength of light to avoid cell damage or reactions; and (5) can be used as a photostimulator. These results clearly illustrate that the proposed color DIRI can significantly extend WSI modalities for biological applications. PMID:28085892

Breast Histopathological Image Retrieval Based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation.

PubMed

Ma, Yibing; Jiang, Zhiguo; Zhang, Haopeng; Xie, Fengying; Zheng, Yushan; Shi, Huaqiang; Zhao, Yu

2017-07-01

In the field of pathology, whole slide image (WSI) has become the major carrier of visual and diagnostic information. Content-based image retrieval among WSIs can aid the diagnosis of an unknown pathological image by finding its similar regions in WSIs with diagnostic information. However, the huge size and complex content of WSI pose several challenges for retrieval. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised, accurate, and fast retrieval method for a breast histopathological image. Specifically, the method presents a local statistical feature of nuclei for morphology and distribution of nuclei, and employs the Gabor feature to describe the texture information. The latent Dirichlet allocation model is utilized for high-level semantic mining. Locality-sensitive hashing is used to speed up the search. Experiments on a WSI database with more than 8000 images from 15 types of breast histopathology demonstrate that our method achieves about 0.9 retrieval precision as well as promising efficiency. Based on the proposed framework, we are developing a search engine for an online digital slide browsing and retrieval platform, which can be applied in computer-aided diagnosis, pathology education, and WSI archiving and management.

Improved morphology for ohmic contacts to AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors using WSix- or W-based metallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, B.; Ren, F.; Fitch, R. C.; Gillespie, J. K.; Jenkins, T.; Sewell, J.; Via, D.; Crespo, A.; Baca, A. G.; Briggs, R. D.; Gotthold, D.; Birkhahn, R.; Peres, B.; Pearton, S. J.

2003-06-01

A comparison was made of specific contact resistivity and morphology of Ti/Al/Pt/WSi/Ti/Au and Ti/Al/Pt/W/Ti/Au ohmic contacts to AlGaN/GaN heterostructures relative to the standard Ti/Al/Pt/Au metallization. The W- and WSi-based contacts show comparable specific resistivities to that of the standard contact on similar layer structures, reaching minimum values of ˜10-5 Ω cm2 after annealing in the range 850-900 °C. However, the W- and WSi-based contacts exhibit much smoother surface morphologies, even after 950 °C annealing. For example, the root-mean-square roughness of the Ti/Al/Pt/WSi/Ti/Au contact annealed at 950 °C was unchanged from the as-deposited values whereas the Ti/Al/Pt/Au contact shows significant deterioration of the morphology under these conditions. The improved thermal stability of the W- and WSix-based contacts is important for maintaining edge acuity during high-temperature operation.

Use of mobile high-resolution device for remote frozen section evaluation of whole slide images.

PubMed

Ramey, Joel; Fung, Kar Ming; Hassell, Lewis A

2011-01-01

With recent advances, it is now possible to view whole slide images (WSI) on mobile, high-resolution, viewing devices (MVD). This creates a new paradigm in which MVDs may be used for consultation and/or diagnosis. Validation of the results with devices is important for practitioners and regulators. We evaluated the use of MVDs in frozen section (FS) interpretation. A series of 72 consecutive FS cases were selected for potential inclusion in the study. A 67 case subset of these were successfully scanned at 20x magnification. Scan times were recorded. A sample of WSI FS cases, with gross and clinical information, was presented to six pathologists on an iPad MVD using the Interpath application. Times to diagnosis were recorded. Results were compared with the original reported and final diagnosis. Participants also completed a survey assessing image quality, interface, and diagnostic comfort level. Scan times averaged two minutes and 46 seconds per slide, (standard deviation [SD] 2 minutes 46 seconds). Evaluation times averaged 4 minutes and 59 seconds per case, range to 13 minutes and 50 seconds, SD 3 minutes 48 seconds. Concordance between initial FS diagnosis and rendered through the MVD was 89%. Minor discrepancies made up 8% and major disagreements 3%. The kappa statistic for this series is 0.85. Participants rated the experience at 5 on a 10-point scale, range 3 to 7. Two-thirds found the image quality to be adequate, half were satisfied with image resolution, and 33% would be willing to make a diagnosis on the iPad, plus one only for special cases. Five of six respondents (83%) found the navigation with the study software difficult. Image fidelity and resolution makes the iPad potentially suitable for WSI evaluation of FS. Acceptable accuracy is attainable for FS interpretation. But, although possible to obtain acceptable results, use of the iPad with Interpath to view WSI is not easy and meets user resistance. The obstacle of slide navigation at high magnification could introduce frustrations, delays, or errors.

Accuracy of a remote quantitative image analysis in the whole slide images.

PubMed

Słodkowska, Janina; Markiewicz, Tomasz; Grala, Bartłomiej; Kozłowski, Wojciech; Papierz, Wielisław; Pleskacz, Katarzyna; Murawski, Piotr

2011-03-30

The rationale for choosing a remote quantitative method supporting a diagnostic decision requires some empirical studies and knowledge on scenarios including valid telepathology standards. The tumours of the central nervous system [CNS] are graded on the base of the morphological features and the Ki-67 labelling Index [Ki-67 LI]. Various methods have been applied for Ki-67 LI estimation. Recently we have introduced the Computerized Analysis of Medical Images [CAMI] software for an automated Ki-67 LI counting in the digital images. Aims of our study was to explore the accuracy and reliability of a remote assessment of Ki-67 LI with CAMI software applied to the whole slide images [WSI]. The WSI representing CNS tumours: 18 meningiomas and 10 oligodendrogliomas were stored on the server of the Warsaw University of Technology. The digital copies of entire glass slides were created automatically by the Aperio ScanScope CS with objective 20x or 40x. Aperio's Image Scope software provided functionality for a remote viewing of WSI. The Ki-67 LI assessment was carried on within 2 out of 20 selected fields of view (objective 40x) representing the highest labelling areas in each WSI. The Ki-67 LI counting was performed by 3 various methods: 1) the manual reading in the light microscope - LM, 2) the automated counting with CAMI software on the digital images - DI , and 3) the remote quantitation on the WSIs - as WSI method. The quality of WSIs and technical efficiency of the on-line system were analysed. The comparative statistical analysis was performed for the results obtained by 3 methods of Ki-67 LI counting. The preliminary analysis showed that in 18% of WSI the results of Ki-67 LI differed from those obtained in other 2 methods of counting when the quality of the glass slides was below the standard range. The results of our investigations indicate that the remote automated Ki-67 LI analysis performed with the CAMI algorithm on the whole slide images of meningiomas and oligodendrogliomas could be successfully used as an alternative method to the manual reading as well as to the digital images quantitation with CAMI software. According to our observation a need of a remote supervision/consultation and training for the effective use of remote quantitative analysis of WSI is necessary.

Characterization and source analysis of water-soluble inorganic ionic species in PM2.5 in Taiyuan city, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Qiusheng; Yan, Yulong; Guo, Lili; Zhang, Yanli; Zhang, Guixiang; Wang, Xinming

2017-02-01

PM2.5 samples were collected in urban area in Taiyuan for four seasons from August 2009 to April 2010. The Water-soluble inorganic ions (WSI, including F-, Cl-, NO3-, SO42 -, Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2 +, and Ca2 +) were analyzed by ion chromatography. The daily PM2.5 levels in the field samples varied from 49.90 to 477.93 μg/m3 with the mean of 209.54 μg/m3, which all largely exceeded the PM2.5 24-hour limitation value of 35 μg/m3 in Environmental Protection Administration of United States and 75 μg/m3 in Ministry of Environmental Protection of China. The WSI average concentration was 68.86 μg/m3 and accounted for about 32.86% of PM2.5. As the most abundant anion and cation, SO42 - and NH4+ were 43.53 and 14.78 percent of WSI, respectively. PM2.5 in Taiyuan was acidic by the micro-equivalents concentration methods but nearly neutral in autumn, and the chemical forms of WSI were mainly NH4HSO4, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3. PM2.5 and WSI levels showed obvious seasonal variation and were the highest in winter in all samples. PM2.5, SO42 -, and some coal-related ions such as NH4+ and Cl- were higher in winter than other seasons, which mainly attributed to more coal combustion for power and indoor heating supply. The ratio analysis showed that Mg2 + and Ca2 + were not only from soil dust, but also from coal combustion and industry emission. Biomass burning such as the cornstalk and tree branches led to the highest K+ emission in autumn and summer. Wind had a regular influence on the PM2.5 and WSI, and would transport the soil dust mainly from the northwest and also lead to re-suspension of dust in the air when the wind speed was high. Furthermore, the dustpan topography easily helped the pollutants to concentrate in Taiyuan city, and some coal coking industries might contribute to high PM2.5 and WSI in Taiyuan.

Low operation voltage and high thermal stability of a WSi2 nanocrystal memory device using an Al2O3/HfO2/Al2O3 tunnel layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uk Lee, Dong; Jun Lee, Hyo; Kyu Kim, Eun; You, Hee-Wook; Cho, Won-Ju

2012-02-01

A WSi2 nanocrystal nonvolatile memory device was fabricated with an Al2O3/HfO2/Al2O3 (AHA) tunnel layer and its electrical characteristics were evaluated at 25, 50, 70, 100, and 125 °C. The program/erase (P/E) speed at 125 °C was approximately 500 μs under threshold voltage shifts of 1 V during voltage sweeping of 8 V/-8 V. When the applied pulse voltage was ±9 V for 1 s for the P/E conditions, the memory window at 125 °C was approximately 1.25 V after 105 s. The activation energies for the charge losses of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35% were approximately 0.05, 0.11, 0.17, 0.21, 0.23, 0.23, and 0.23 eV, respectively. The charge loss mechanisms were direct tunneling and Pool-Frenkel emission between the WSi2 nanocrystals and the AHA barrier engineered tunneling layer. The WSi2 nanocrystal memory device with multi-stacked high-K tunnel layers showed strong potential for applications in nonvolatile memory devices.

Identification of Critical Operation Conditions of Industrial Gearboxes by 24/7 Monitoring of Oil Quality, Oil Aging, and Additive Consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mauntz, M.; Peuser, J.

2017-05-01

The demand for wind energy grows at exponential rates. At the same time improving reliability, reduced operation and maintenance costs are the key priorities in wind tur-bine maintenance strategies [1]. This paper provides information about a novel online oil condition monitoring system to give a solution to the mentioned priorities. The presented sensor system enables damage prevention of the wind turbine gear-box by an advanced warning time of critical operation conditions and an enhanced oil exchange interval realized by a precise measurement of the electrical conductivity, the relative permittivity and the oil temperature. A new parameter, the WearSens® Index (WSi) is introduced. The mathematical model of the WSi combines all measured values and its gradients in one single parameter for a comprehensive monitoring to prevent wind turbines from damage. Furthermore, the WSi enables a long-term prognosis on the next oil change by 24/7 server data logging. Corrective procedures and/or maintenance can be carried out before actual damage occurs. First WSi results of an onshore wind turbine installation compared to traditional vibration monitoring are shown.

Study of Silicidation Process of Tungsten Catalyzer during Silicon Film Deposition in Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, Kazuhiro; Ohdaira, Keisuke; Matsumura, Hideki

2008-05-01

In catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD), often called hot-wire CVD, source gases are decomposed by catalytic cracking reactions with heated catalyzing metal wires. In the case of silicon (Si) film deposition, such metal wires are often converted to silicide, which shortens the lifetime of catalyzing wires. As a catalyzer, tungsten (W) is widely used. Thus, the process of silicidation of a W catalyzer at temperatures over 1650 °C, which is the temperature used in Cat-CVD for Si film deposition, was studied extensively in various experiments. It is found that two phases of tungsten-silicide, WSi2 and W5Si3, are formed at this temperature, and that the radiation emissivity of WSi2 is 1.2 to 1.7 times higher than that of W5Si3 and pure W. The increase of surface emissivity due to the formation of WSi2 decreases the catalyzer surface temperature which induces further growth of the tungsten-silicide layer. It is also found that the suppression of WSi2 formation by elevating catalyzer temperatures over 1750 °C is a key to extending the lifetime of the W catalyzer in Cat-CVD.

High-throughput adaptive sampling for whole-slide histopathology image analysis (HASHI) via convolutional neural networks: Application to invasive breast cancer detection.

PubMed

Cruz-Roa, Angel; Gilmore, Hannah; Basavanhally, Ajay; Feldman, Michael; Ganesan, Shridar; Shih, Natalie; Tomaszewski, John; Madabhushi, Anant; González, Fabio

2018-01-01

Precise detection of invasive cancer on whole-slide images (WSI) is a critical first step in digital pathology tasks of diagnosis and grading. Convolutional neural network (CNN) is the most popular representation learning method for computer vision tasks, which have been successfully applied in digital pathology, including tumor and mitosis detection. However, CNNs are typically only tenable with relatively small image sizes (200 × 200 pixels). Only recently, Fully convolutional networks (FCN) are able to deal with larger image sizes (500 × 500 pixels) for semantic segmentation. Hence, the direct application of CNNs to WSI is not computationally feasible because for a WSI, a CNN would require billions or trillions of parameters. To alleviate this issue, this paper presents a novel method, High-throughput Adaptive Sampling for whole-slide Histopathology Image analysis (HASHI), which involves: i) a new efficient adaptive sampling method based on probability gradient and quasi-Monte Carlo sampling, and, ii) a powerful representation learning classifier based on CNNs. We applied HASHI to automated detection of invasive breast cancer on WSI. HASHI was trained and validated using three different data cohorts involving near 500 cases and then independently tested on 195 studies from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The results show that (1) the adaptive sampling method is an effective strategy to deal with WSI without compromising prediction accuracy by obtaining comparative results of a dense sampling (∼6 million of samples in 24 hours) with far fewer samples (∼2,000 samples in 1 minute), and (2) on an independent test dataset, HASHI is effective and robust to data from multiple sites, scanners, and platforms, achieving an average Dice coefficient of 76%.

High-throughput adaptive sampling for whole-slide histopathology image analysis (HASHI) via convolutional neural networks: Application to invasive breast cancer detection

PubMed Central

Gilmore, Hannah; Basavanhally, Ajay; Feldman, Michael; Ganesan, Shridar; Shih, Natalie; Tomaszewski, John; Madabhushi, Anant; González, Fabio

2018-01-01

Precise detection of invasive cancer on whole-slide images (WSI) is a critical first step in digital pathology tasks of diagnosis and grading. Convolutional neural network (CNN) is the most popular representation learning method for computer vision tasks, which have been successfully applied in digital pathology, including tumor and mitosis detection. However, CNNs are typically only tenable with relatively small image sizes (200 × 200 pixels). Only recently, Fully convolutional networks (FCN) are able to deal with larger image sizes (500 × 500 pixels) for semantic segmentation. Hence, the direct application of CNNs to WSI is not computationally feasible because for a WSI, a CNN would require billions or trillions of parameters. To alleviate this issue, this paper presents a novel method, High-throughput Adaptive Sampling for whole-slide Histopathology Image analysis (HASHI), which involves: i) a new efficient adaptive sampling method based on probability gradient and quasi-Monte Carlo sampling, and, ii) a powerful representation learning classifier based on CNNs. We applied HASHI to automated detection of invasive breast cancer on WSI. HASHI was trained and validated using three different data cohorts involving near 500 cases and then independently tested on 195 studies from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The results show that (1) the adaptive sampling method is an effective strategy to deal with WSI without compromising prediction accuracy by obtaining comparative results of a dense sampling (∼6 million of samples in 24 hours) with far fewer samples (∼2,000 samples in 1 minute), and (2) on an independent test dataset, HASHI is effective and robust to data from multiple sites, scanners, and platforms, achieving an average Dice coefficient of 76%. PMID:29795581

Implementation of large-scale routine diagnostics using whole slide imaging in Sweden: Digital pathology experiences 2006-2013

PubMed Central

Thorstenson, Sten; Molin, Jesper; Lundström, Claes

2014-01-01

Recent technological advances have improved the whole slide imaging (WSI) scanner quality and reduced the cost of storage, thereby enabling the deployment of digital pathology for routine diagnostics. In this paper we present the experiences from two Swedish sites having deployed routine large-scale WSI for primary review. At Kalmar County Hospital, the digitization process started in 2006 to reduce the time spent at the microscope in order to improve the ergonomics. Since 2008, more than 500,000 glass slides have been scanned in the routine operations of Kalmar and the neighboring Linköping University Hospital. All glass slides are digitally scanned yet they are also physically delivered to the consulting pathologist who can choose to review the slides on screen, in the microscope, or both. The digital operations include regular remote case reporting by a few hospital pathologists, as well as around 150 cases per week where primary review is outsourced to a private clinic. To investigate how the pathologists choose to use the digital slides, a web-based questionnaire was designed and sent out to the pathologists in Kalmar and Linköping. The responses showed that almost all pathologists think that ergonomics have improved and that image quality was sufficient for most histopathologic diagnostic work. 38 ± 28% of the cases were diagnosed digitally, but the survey also revealed that the pathologists commonly switch back and forth between digital and conventional microscopy within the same case. The fact that two full-scale digital systems have been implemented and that a large portion of the primary reporting is voluntarily performed digitally shows that large-scale digitization is possible today. PMID:24843825

Bond Dissociation Energies of Tungsten Molecules: WC, WSi, WS, WSe, and WCl.

PubMed

Sevy, Andrew; Huffaker, Robert F; Morse, Michael D

2017-12-14

Resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy was used to locate predissociation thresholds in WC, WSi, WS, WSe, and WCl, allowing bond dissociation energies to be measured for these species. Because of the high degree of vibronic congestion in the observed spectra, it is thought that the molecules dissociate as soon as the lowest separated atom limit is exceeded. From the observed predissociation thresholds, dissociation energies are assigned as D 0 (WC) = 5.289(8) eV, D 0 (WSi) = 3.103(10) eV, D 0 (WS) = 4.935(3) eV, D 0 (WSe) = 4.333(6) eV, and D 0 (WCl) = 3.818(6) eV. These results are combined with other data to obtain the ionization energy IE(WC) = 8.39(9) eV and the anionic bond dissociation energies of D 0 (W-C - ) = 6.181(17) eV, D 0 (W - -C) = 7.363(19) eV, D 0 (W-Si - ) ≤ 3.44(4) eV, and D 0 (W - -Si) ≤ 4.01(4) eV. Combination of the D 0 (WX) values with atomic enthalpies of formation also provides Δ f H 0K ° values for the gaseous WX molecules. Computational results are also provided, which shed some light on the electronic structure of these molecules.

Si substrates texturing and vapor-solid-solid Si nanowhiskers growth using pure hydrogen as source gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordmark, H.; Nagayoshi, H.; Matsumoto, N.; Nishimura, S.; Terashima, K.; Marioara, C. D.; Walmsley, J. C.; Holmestad, R.; Ulyashin, A.

2009-02-01

Scanning and transmission electron microscopies have been used to study silicon substrate texturing and whisker growth on Si substrates using pure hydrogen source gas in a tungsten hot filament reactor. Substrate texturing, in the nanometer to micrometer range of mono- and as-cut multicrystalline silicon, was observed after deposition of WSi2 particles that acted as a mask for subsequent hydrogen radical etching. Simultaneous Si whisker growth was observed for long residence time of the source gas and low H2 flow rate with high pressure. The whiskers formed via vapor-solid-solid growth, in which the deposited WSi2 particles acted as catalysts for a subsequent metal-induced layer exchange process well below the eutectic temperature. In this process, SiHx species, formed by substrate etching by the H radicals, diffuse through the metal particles. This leads to growth of crystalline Si whiskers via metal-induced solid-phase crystallization. Transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to study the WSi2 particles and the structure of the Si substrates in detail. It has been established that the whiskers are partly crystalline and partly amorphous, consisting of pure Si with WSi2 particles on their tips as well as sometimes being incorporated into their structure.

Si-rich W silicide films composed of W-atom-encapsulated Si clusters deposited using gas-phase reactions of WF6 with SiH4.

PubMed

Okada, Naoya; Uchida, Noriyuki; Kanayama, Toshihiko

2016-02-28

We formed Si-rich W silicide films composed of Sin clusters, each of which encapsulates a W atom (WSi(n) clusters with 8 < n ≤ ∼ 12), by using a gas-phase reaction between WF6 and SiH4 in a hot-wall reactor. The hydrogenated WSi(n)H(x) clusters with reduced F concentration were synthesized in a heated gas phase and subsequently deposited on a substrate heated to 350-420 °C, where they dehydrogenated and coalesced into the film. Under a gas pressure of SiH4 high enough for the WSi(n)H(x) reactant to collide a sufficient number of times with SiH4 molecules before reaching the substrate, the resulting film was composed of WSi(n) clusters with a uniform n, which was determined by the gas temperature. The formed films were amorphous semiconductors with an optical gap of ∼0.8-1.5 eV and an electrical mobility gap of ∼0.05-0.12 eV, both of which increased as n increased from 8 to 12. We attribute this dependence to the reduction of randomness in the Si network as n increased, which decreased the densities of band tail states and localized states.

Isolation and characterization of a water stress-specific genomic gene, pwsi 18, from rice.

PubMed

Joshee, N; Kisaka, H; Kitagawa, Y

1998-01-01

One of the water stress-specific cDNA clones of rice characterised previously, wsi18, was selected for further study. The wsi18 gene can be induced by water stress conditions such as mannitol, NaCl, and dryness, but not by ABA, cold, or heat. A genomic clone for wsi18, pwsi18, contained about 1.7 kbp of the 5' upstream sequence, two introns, and the full coding sequence. The 5'-upstream sequence of pwsi18 contained putative cis-acting elements, namely an ABA-responsive element (ABRE), three G-boxes, three E-boxes, a MEF-2 sequence, four direct and two inverted repeats, and four sequences similar to DRE, which is involved in the dehydration response of Arabidopsis genes. The gusA reporter gene under the control of the pwsi18 promoter showed transient expression in response to water stress. Deletion of the downstream DRE-like sequence between the distal G-boxes-2 and -3 resulted in rather low GUS expression.

An efficient architecture to support digital pathology in standard medical imaging repositories.

PubMed

Marques Godinho, Tiago; Lebre, Rui; Silva, Luís Bastião; Costa, Carlos

2017-07-01

In the past decade, digital pathology and whole-slide imaging (WSI) have been gaining momentum with the proliferation of digital scanners from different manufacturers. The literature reports significant advantages associated with the adoption of digital images in pathology, namely, improvements in diagnostic accuracy and better support for telepathology. Moreover, it also offers new clinical and research applications. However, numerous barriers have been slowing the adoption of WSI, among which the most important are performance issues associated with storage and distribution of huge volumes of data, and lack of interoperability with other hospital information systems, most notably Picture Archive and Communications Systems (PACS) based on the DICOM standard. This article proposes an architecture of a Web Pathology PACS fully compliant with DICOM standard communications and data formats. The solution includes a PACS Archive responsible for storing whole-slide imaging data in DICOM WSI format and offers a communication interface based on the most recent DICOM Web services. The second component is a zero-footprint viewer that runs in any web-browser. It consumes data using the PACS archive standard web services. Moreover, it features a tiling engine especially suited to deal with the WSI image pyramids. These components were designed with special focus on efficiency and usability. The performance of our system was assessed through a comparative analysis of the state-of-the-art solutions. The results demonstrate that it is possible to have a very competitive solution based on standard workflows. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automatic detection of invasive ductal carcinoma in whole slide images with convolutional neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz-Roa, Angel; Basavanhally, Ajay; González, Fabio; Gilmore, Hannah; Feldman, Michael; Ganesan, Shridar; Shih, Natalie; Tomaszewski, John; Madabhushi, Anant

2014-03-01

This paper presents a deep learning approach for automatic detection and visual analysis of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) tissue regions in whole slide images (WSI) of breast cancer (BCa). Deep learning approaches are learn-from-data methods involving computational modeling of the learning process. This approach is similar to how human brain works using different interpretation levels or layers of most representative and useful features resulting into a hierarchical learned representation. These methods have been shown to outpace traditional approaches of most challenging problems in several areas such as speech recognition and object detection. Invasive breast cancer detection is a time consuming and challenging task primarily because it involves a pathologist scanning large swathes of benign regions to ultimately identify the areas of malignancy. Precise delineation of IDC in WSI is crucial to the subsequent estimation of grading tumor aggressiveness and predicting patient outcome. DL approaches are particularly adept at handling these types of problems, especially if a large number of samples are available for training, which would also ensure the generalizability of the learned features and classifier. The DL framework in this paper extends a number of convolutional neural networks (CNN) for visual semantic analysis of tumor regions for diagnosis support. The CNN is trained over a large amount of image patches (tissue regions) from WSI to learn a hierarchical part-based representation. The method was evaluated over a WSI dataset from 162 patients diagnosed with IDC. 113 slides were selected for training and 49 slides were held out for independent testing. Ground truth for quantitative evaluation was provided via expert delineation of the region of cancer by an expert pathologist on the digitized slides. The experimental evaluation was designed to measure classifier accuracy in detecting IDC tissue regions in WSI. Our method yielded the best quantitative results for automatic detection of IDC regions in WSI in terms of F-measure and balanced accuracy (71.80%, 84.23%), in comparison with an approach using handcrafted image features (color, texture and edges, nuclear textural and architecture), and a machine learning classifier for invasive tumor classification using a Random Forest. The best performing handcrafted features were fuzzy color histogram (67.53%, 78.74%) and RGB histogram (66.64%, 77.24%). Our results also suggest that at least some of the tissue classification mistakes (false positives and false negatives) were less due to any fundamental problems associated with the approach, than the inherent limitations in obtaining a very highly granular annotation of the diseased area of interest by an expert pathologist.

Using automated feeders to wean calves fed large amounts of milk according to their ability to eat solid feed.

PubMed

de Passillé, Anne Marie; Rushen, Jeffrey

2016-05-01

Dairy calves weaned off milk at an early age show signs of hunger and can lose weight. We examined whether using automated feeders to wean calves according to individual voluntary solid feed intake reduced the effects of weaning. Female Holstein calves were housed in groups of 5 to 9. All calves were fed 12 L/d milk and ad libitum grain starter and hay from automated feeders immediately after grouping, and were allocated to 3 weaning strategies: (1) early-weaned (EW; n=14): weaning began on d 40, and milk allowance gradually decreased until weaning was complete on d 48; (2) late-weaned (LW; n=14): weaning began on d 80 and was completed on d 89; (3) weaned by starter intake (WSI; n=28): weaning began when calves consumed 200g/d of starter and was completed when the calves consumed 1,400g/d. Each day, the automated feeders recorded quantities of milk, starter, and hay eaten by all calves, as well as the frequency of visits to the milk feeder; we used unrewarded visit frequency as a sign of hunger. Body weights (BW) were recorded weekly. We estimated daily digestible energy (DE) intake for each calf based on the milk, hay, and starter consumed. Average daily gains (ADG) were expressed as percent of BW. For calves in WSI, weaning began at 54.7±18.9 d (mean ± SD) of age, the duration of weaning was 21.1±10.6 d, and weaning ended at 75.8±10.7 d of age. Both LW and WSI calves had better ADG from wk 3 to 13 than EW calves. Calves in the WSI group drank less milk and ate more starter than LW calves but had similar ADG. During the period of weaning, EW calves made more unrewarded visits to the milk feeder than LW and WSI calves. Three EW calves lost weight during weaning, whereas all LW and WSI calves gained weight. Calves differ greatly in when they begin to eat solid feed and how quickly they increase the intake in response to a decrease in milk allowance. An advantage of automated feeders is that calves can be weaned at variable ages depending on their ability and willingness to eat solid feed, which reduces signs of hunger and improves weight gains during weaning. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Detection of blur artifacts in histopathological whole-slide images of endomyocardial biopsies.

PubMed

Hang Wu; Phan, John H; Bhatia, Ajay K; Cundiff, Caitlin A; Shehata, Bahig M; Wang, May D

2015-01-01

Histopathological whole-slide images (WSIs) have emerged as an objective and quantitative means for image-based disease diagnosis. However, WSIs may contain acquisition artifacts that affect downstream image feature extraction and quantitative disease diagnosis. We develop a method for detecting blur artifacts in WSIs using distributions of local blur metrics. As features, these distributions enable accurate classification of WSI regions as sharp or blurry. We evaluate our method using over 1000 portions of an endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) WSI. Results indicate that local blur metrics accurately detect blurry image regions.

Neural responses from the wind-sensitive interneuron population in four cockroach species

PubMed Central

McGorry, Clare A.; Newman, Caroline N.; Triblehorn, Jeffrey D.

2014-01-01

The wind-sensitive insect cercal sensory system is involved in important behaviors including predator detection and initiating terrestrial escape responses as well as flight maintenance. However, not all insects possessing a cercal system exhibit these behaviors. In cockroaches, wind evokes strong terrestrial escape responses in Periplaneta americana and Blattella germanica, but only weak escape responses in Blaberus craniifer and no escape responses in Gromphadorhina portentosa. Both P. americana and Blab. craniifer possesses pink flight muscles correlated with flight ability while Blat. germanica possesses white flight muscles that cannot support flight and G. portentosa lacks wings. These different behavioral combinations could correlate with differences in sensory processing of wind information by the cercal system. In this study, we focused on the wind-sensitive interneurons (WSIs) since they provide input to the premotor/motor neurons that influence terrestrial escape and flight behavior. Using extracellular recordings, we characterized the responses from the WSI population by generating stimulus-response (S-R) curves and examining spike firing rates. Using cluster analysis, we also examined the activity of individual units (four per species, though not necessarily homologous) comprising the population response in each species. Our main results were: 1) all four species possessed ascending WSIs in the abdominal connectives; 2) wind elicited the weakest WSI responses (lowest spike counts and spike rates) in G. portentosa; 3) wind elicited WSI responses in Blab. craniifer that were greater than P. americana or Blat. germanica; 4) the activity of four individual units comprising the WSI population response in each species was similar across species. PMID:24879967

Tuning the transition temperature of WSi$$_{x}$$ alloys for use in cryogenic microcalorimeters

DOE PAGES

Cecil, T.; Gades, L.; Madden, T.; ...

2016-03-10

Here, microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKID) provide a pathway to highly multiplexed, high-resolution, detectors. Over the past several years we have introduced the concept of the Thermal Kinetic Inductance Detector (TKID), which operates as a microcalorimeter. As with other microcalorimeters, the thermal noise of a TKID is reduced when the operating temperature is decreased. However, because the sensitivity of a TKID decreases as the operating temperature drops below 20% of T C, the T C of the resonator material must be tuned to match the desired operating temperature. We have investigated the WSimore » $$_{x}$$ alloy system as a material for these detectors. By co-sputtering from a Si andW2Si target, we have deposited WSi$$_{x}$$ films with a tunable T C that ranges from 5 K down to 500 mK. These films provide a large kinetic inductance fraction and relatively low noise levels. We provide results of these studies showing the T C, resistivity, quality factors, and noise as a function of deposition conditions. These results show that WSi$$_{x}$$ is a good candidate for TKIDs.« less

Routine Digital Pathology Workflow: The Catania Experience

PubMed Central

Fraggetta, Filippo; Garozzo, Salvatore; Zannoni, Gian Franco; Pantanowitz, Liron; Rossi, Esther Diana

2017-01-01

Introduction: Successful implementation of whole slide imaging (WSI) for routine clinical practice has been accomplished in only a few pathology laboratories worldwide. We report the transition to an effective and complete digital surgical pathology workflow in the pathology laboratory at Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania, Italy. Methods: All (100%) permanent histopathology glass slides were digitized at ×20 using Aperio AT2 scanners. Compatible stain and scanning slide racks were employed to streamline operations. eSlide Manager software was bidirectionally interfaced with the anatomic pathology laboratory information system. Virtual slide trays connected to the two-dimensional (2D) barcode tracking system allowed pathologists to confirm that they were correctly assigned slides and that all tissues on these glass slides were scanned. Results: Over 115,000 glass slides were digitized with a scan fail rate of around 1%. Drying glass slides before scanning minimized them sticking to scanner racks. Implementation required introduction of a 2D barcode tracking system and modification of histology workflow processes. Conclusion: Our experience indicates that effective adoption of WSI for primary diagnostic use was more dependent on optimizing preimaging variables and integration with the laboratory information system than on information technology infrastructure and ensuring pathologist buy-in. Implementation of digital pathology for routine practice not only leveraged the benefits of digital imaging but also creates an opportunity for establishing standardization of workflow processes in the pathology laboratory. PMID:29416914

Routine Digital Pathology Workflow: The Catania Experience.

PubMed

Fraggetta, Filippo; Garozzo, Salvatore; Zannoni, Gian Franco; Pantanowitz, Liron; Rossi, Esther Diana

2017-01-01

Successful implementation of whole slide imaging (WSI) for routine clinical practice has been accomplished in only a few pathology laboratories worldwide. We report the transition to an effective and complete digital surgical pathology workflow in the pathology laboratory at Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania, Italy. All (100%) permanent histopathology glass slides were digitized at ×20 using Aperio AT2 scanners. Compatible stain and scanning slide racks were employed to streamline operations. eSlide Manager software was bidirectionally interfaced with the anatomic pathology laboratory information system. Virtual slide trays connected to the two-dimensional (2D) barcode tracking system allowed pathologists to confirm that they were correctly assigned slides and that all tissues on these glass slides were scanned. Over 115,000 glass slides were digitized with a scan fail rate of around 1%. Drying glass slides before scanning minimized them sticking to scanner racks. Implementation required introduction of a 2D barcode tracking system and modification of histology workflow processes. Our experience indicates that effective adoption of WSI for primary diagnostic use was more dependent on optimizing preimaging variables and integration with the laboratory information system than on information technology infrastructure and ensuring pathologist buy-in. Implementation of digital pathology for routine practice not only leveraged the benefits of digital imaging but also creates an opportunity for establishing standardization of workflow processes in the pathology laboratory.

An industry perspective: An update on the adoption of whole slide imaging.

PubMed

Montalto, Michael C

2016-01-01

This manuscript is an adaptation of the closing keynote presentation of the Digital Pathology Association Pathology Visions Conference 2015 in Boston, MA, USA. In this presentation, analogies are drawn between the adoption of whole slide imaging (WSI) and other mainstream digital technologies, including digital music and books. In doing so, it is revealed that the adoption of seemingly similar digital technologies does not follow the same adoption profiles and that understanding the unique aspects of value for each customer segment is critical. Finally, a call to action is given to academia and industry to study the value that WSI brings to the global healthcare community.

A 21st century approach to assessing the protection of workers' health.

PubMed

Rosskam, Ellen

2011-01-01

This article presents a rights-based approach to the way occupational health and safety is understood, departing from medical, engineering, and technocratic approaches that dominated the field throughout the 20th century. Moving toward a 21st century concept of the good society - based on citizenship rights and principles of universalism - a social protection-based system of assessing governments' performance in protecting workers' health and well-being is proffered. A Work Security Index (WSI) is used as a benchmarking system for evaluating national or local level governments' performance in this domain. Data from 95 countries in all regions of the world were used. A pioneering tool the WSI grouped and ranked countries based on governments' protection of workers' health and safety. Data represent findings from 95 national governments, as well as workers and employers. Among 95 countries, most have much work to do to provide the minimum measures to protect their working populations. Results reveal that women workers face particular social and economic insecurities and inequalities. We attempt to inform a broad audience about the WSI, how it can be used at multiple levels in any country for the protection of workers' health, safety, and well-being, and the need to do so.

Application of whole slide image markup and annotation for pathologist knowledge capture.

PubMed

Campbell, Walter S; Foster, Kirk W; Hinrichs, Steven H

2013-01-01

The ability to transfer image markup and annotation data from one scanned image of a slide to a newly acquired image of the same slide within a single vendor platform was investigated. The goal was to study the ability to use image markup and annotation data files as a mechanism to capture and retain pathologist knowledge without retaining the entire whole slide image (WSI) file. Accepted mathematical principles were investigated as a method to overcome variations in scans of the same glass slide and to accurately associate image markup and annotation data across different WSI of the same glass slide. Trilateration was used to link fixed points within the image and slide to the placement of markups and annotations of the image in a metadata file. Variation in markup and annotation placement between WSI of the same glass slide was reduced from over 80 μ to less than 4 μ in the x-axis and from 17 μ to 6 μ in the y-axis (P < 0.025). This methodology allows for the creation of a highly reproducible image library of histopathology images and interpretations for educational and research use.

Application of whole slide image markup and annotation for pathologist knowledge capture

PubMed Central

Campbell, Walter S.; Foster, Kirk W.; Hinrichs, Steven H.

2013-01-01

Objective: The ability to transfer image markup and annotation data from one scanned image of a slide to a newly acquired image of the same slide within a single vendor platform was investigated. The goal was to study the ability to use image markup and annotation data files as a mechanism to capture and retain pathologist knowledge without retaining the entire whole slide image (WSI) file. Methods: Accepted mathematical principles were investigated as a method to overcome variations in scans of the same glass slide and to accurately associate image markup and annotation data across different WSI of the same glass slide. Trilateration was used to link fixed points within the image and slide to the placement of markups and annotations of the image in a metadata file. Results: Variation in markup and annotation placement between WSI of the same glass slide was reduced from over 80 μ to less than 4 μ in the x-axis and from 17 μ to 6 μ in the y-axis (P < 0.025). Conclusion: This methodology allows for the creation of a highly reproducible image library of histopathology images and interpretations for educational and research use. PMID:23599902

Stress Compensating Multilayers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broadway, David M.; Ramsey, Brian D.; O'dell, Stephen; Gurgew, Danielle

2017-01-01

We present in-situ stress measurement results for single and multilayer thin-films deposited by magnetron sputtering. In particular, we report on the influence of the material interfaces on the ensuing stress in both the transient and steady-state regimes of film growth. This behavior is used to determine the appropriate thicknesses of the constituent layers that will result in a net tensile stress in multilayers composed of various material combinations. These multilayers can then be used to compensate the compressive integrated stress in single and multilayer EUV and x-ray optical coatings. The use of multilayers to compensate the integrated stress might be advantageous because, unlike single layers of chromium, the roughness is not expected to increase with the total thickness of the multilayer. In this paper, we demonstrate the technique for W/Si and Mo/Si multilayers and discuss its application to other material combinations.

Development of process parameters for 22 nm PMOS using 2-D analytical modeling

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

Maheran, A. H. Afifah; Menon, P. S.; Shaari, S.

2015-04-24

The complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (CMOSFET) has become major challenge to scaling and integration. Innovation in transistor structures and integration of novel materials are necessary to sustain this performance trend. CMOS variability in the scaling technology becoming very important concern due to limitation of process control; over statistically variability related to the fundamental discreteness and materials. Minimizing the transistor variation through technology optimization and ensuring robust product functionality and performance is the major issue.In this article, the continuation study on process parameters variations is extended and delivered thoroughly in order to achieve a minimum leakage current (I{sub LEAK}) onmore » PMOS planar transistor at 22 nm gate length. Several device parameters are varies significantly using Taguchi method to predict the optimum combination of process parameters fabrication. A combination of high permittivity material (high-k) and metal gate are utilized accordingly as gate structure where the materials include titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) and tungsten silicide (WSi{sub x}). Then the L9 of the Taguchi Orthogonal array is used to analyze the device simulation where the results of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of Smaller-the-Better (STB) scheme are studied through the percentage influences of the process parameters. This is to achieve a minimum I{sub LEAK} where the maximum predicted I{sub LEAK} value by International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) 2011 is said to should not above 100 nA/µm. Final results shows that the compensation implantation dose acts as the dominant factor with 68.49% contribution in lowering the device’s leakage current. The absolute process parameters combination results in I{sub LEAK} mean value of 3.96821 nA/µm where is far lower than the predicted value.« less

Semantic Integrative Digital Pathology: Insights into Microsemiological Semantics and Image Analysis Scalability.

PubMed

Racoceanu, Daniel; Capron, Frédérique

2016-01-01

Being able to provide a traceable and dynamic second opinion has become an ethical priority for patients and health care professionals in modern computer-aided medicine. In this perspective, a semantic cognitive virtual microscopy approach has been recently initiated, the MICO project, by focusing on cognitive digital pathology. This approach supports the elaboration of pathology-compliant daily protocols dedicated to breast cancer grading, in particular mitotic counts and nuclear atypia. A proof of concept has thus been elaborated, and an extension of these approaches is now underway in a collaborative digital pathology framework, the FlexMIm project. As important milestones on the way to routine digital pathology, a series of pioneer international benchmarking initiatives have been launched for mitosis detection (MITOS), nuclear atypia grading (MITOS-ATYPIA) and glandular structure detection (GlaS), some of the fundamental grading components in diagnosis and prognosis. These initiatives allow envisaging a consolidated validation referential database for digital pathology in the very near future. This reference database will need coordinated efforts from all major teams working in this area worldwide, and it will certainly represent a critical bottleneck for the acceptance of all future imaging modules in clinical practice. In line with recent advances in molecular imaging and genetics, keeping the microscopic modality at the core of future digital systems in pathology is fundamental to insure the acceptance of these new technologies, as well as for a deeper systemic, structured comprehension of the pathologies. After all, at the scale of routine whole-slide imaging (WSI; ∼0.22 µm/pixel), the microscopic image represents a structured 'genomic cluster', enabling a naturally structured support for integrative digital pathology approaches. In order to accelerate and structure the integration of this heterogeneous information, a major effort is and will continue to be devoted to morphological microsemiology (microscopic morphology semantics). Besides insuring the traceability of the results (second opinion) and supporting the orchestration of high-content image analysis modules, the role of semantics will be crucial for the correlation between digital pathology and noninvasive medical imaging modalities. In addition, semantics has an important role in modelling the links between traditional microscopy and recent label-free technologies. The massive amount of visual data is challenging and represents a characteristic intrinsic to digital pathology. The design of an operational integrative microscopy framework needs to focus on scalable multiscale imaging formalism. In this sense, we prospectively consider some of the most recent scalable methodologies adapted to digital pathology as marked point processes for nuclear atypia and point-set mathematical morphology for architecture grading. To orchestrate this scalable framework, semantics-based WSI management (analysis, exploration, indexing, retrieval and report generation support) represents an important means towards approaches to integrating big data into biomedicine. This insight reflects our vision through an instantiation of essential bricks of this type of architecture. The generic approach introduced here is applicable to a number of challenges related to molecular imaging, high-content image management and, more generally, bioinformatics. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Integrated Assessment of Global Water Scarcity over the 21st Century under Multiple Climate Change Mitigation Policies

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

Hejazi, Mohamad I.; Edmonds, James A.; Clarke, Leon E.

2014-01-01

Water scarcity conditions over the 21st century both globally and regionally are assessed in the context of climate change, by estimating both water availability and water demand within the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM), a leading community integrated assessment model of energy, agriculture, climate, and water. To quantify changes in future water availability, a new gridded water-balance global hydrologic model – namely, the Global Water Availability Model (GWAM) – is developed and evaluated. Global water demands for six major demand sectors (irrigation, livestock, domestic, electricity generation, primary energy production, and manufacturing) are modeled in GCAM at the regional scale (14more » geopolitical regions, 151 sub-regions) and then spatially downscaled to 0.5 o x 0.5o resolution to match the scale of GWAM. Using a baseline scenario (i.e., no climate change mitigation policy) with radiative forcing reaching 8.8 W/m2 (equivalent to the SRES A1Fi emission scenario) and a global population of 14 billion by 2095, global annual water demand grows from about 9% of total annual renewable freshwater in 2005 to about 32% by 2095. This results in almost half of the world population living under extreme water scarcity by the end of the 21st century. Regionally, the demand for water exceeds the amount of water availability in two GCAM regions, the Middle East and India. Additionally, in years 2050 and 2095, 20% and 27% of the global population, respectively, is projected to live in areas (grid cells) that will experience greater water demands than the amount of available water in a year (i.e., the water scarcity index (WSI) > 1.0). This study implies an increasingly prominent role for water in future human decisions, and highlights the importance of including water in integrated assessment of global change.« less

WSi2 in Si(1-x)Ge(x) Composites: Processing and Thermoelectric Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mackey, Jonathan A.; Sehirlioglu, Alp; Dynys, Fred

2015-01-01

Traditional SiGe thermoelectrics have potential for enhanced figure of merit (ZT) via nano-structuring with a silicide phase, such as WSi2. A second phase of nano-sized silicides can theoretically reduce the lattice component of thermal conductivity without significantly reducing the electrical conductivity. However, experimentally achieving such improvements in line with the theory is complicated by factors such as control of silicide size during sintering, dopant segregation, matrix homogeneity, and sintering kinetics. Samples were prepared using powder metallurgy techniques; including mechano-chemical alloying, via ball milling, and spark plasma sintering for densification. Processing, micro-structural development, and thermoelectric properties will be discussed. Additionally, couple and device level characterization will be introduced.

Tribology study on TiB2+WSi2 composite against WC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murthy, T. S. R. Ch.; Basha, M. M.; Sonber, J. K.; Singh, K.; Raju, K.; Sairam, K.; Nagaraj, A.; Majumdar, S.; Rao, G. V. S. Nageswara; Kain, Vivekanand

2018-04-01

Titanium diboride (TiB2) is one of the potential material for green energy applications such as neutron absorber in high temperature/advanced nuclear reactors, receiver materials for second generation concentrated solar power. We developed the process flow sheet for synthesis and consolidation of various series of TiB2 based materials in our laboratory. Amongst these, TiB2+WSi2 exhibited better sinterability and oxidation resistance properties. In the present work, tribology properties of TiB2+2.5%WSi2 composite was studied against WC-Co ball using different normal loads (5, 10 and 20 N) and frequencies (10, 15 Hz) under dry condition. Coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate was measured at all test conditions. Wear mechanism was analyzed by microstructural characterization. It was found that COF is decreased from 0.46 to 0.36 with increasing load (5 to 20 N) at 15 Hz frequency; whereas at 10 Hz frequency COF is measured a constant average value of 0.49. The specific wear rate measured was minimum at 5 N load and 15 Hz frequency combination and was found to be 2.84×10-6 mm3/N m. The wear mechanisms identified during reciprocative sliding wear of composite were abrasion and surface tribo-oxidative reactions with delamination from tribo-zone.

Transform- and multi-domain deep learning for single-frame rapid autofocusing in whole slide imaging.

PubMed

Jiang, Shaowei; Liao, Jun; Bian, Zichao; Guo, Kaikai; Zhang, Yongbing; Zheng, Guoan

2018-04-01

A whole slide imaging (WSI) system has recently been approved for primary diagnostic use in the US. The image quality and system throughput of WSI is largely determined by the autofocusing process. Traditional approaches acquire multiple images along the optical axis and maximize a figure of merit for autofocusing. Here we explore the use of deep convolution neural networks (CNNs) to predict the focal position of the acquired image without axial scanning. We investigate the autofocusing performance with three illumination settings: incoherent Kohler illumination, partially coherent illumination with two plane waves, and one-plane-wave illumination. We acquire ~130,000 images with different defocus distances as the training data set. Different defocus distances lead to different spatial features of the captured images. However, solely relying on the spatial information leads to a relatively bad performance of the autofocusing process. It is better to extract defocus features from transform domains of the acquired image. For incoherent illumination, the Fourier cutoff frequency is directly related to the defocus distance. Similarly, autocorrelation peaks are directly related to the defocus distance for two-plane-wave illumination. In our implementation, we use the spatial image, the Fourier spectrum, the autocorrelation of the spatial image, and combinations thereof as the inputs for the CNNs. We show that the information from the transform domains can improve the performance and robustness of the autofocusing process. The resulting focusing error is ~0.5 µm, which is within the 0.8-µm depth-of-field range. The reported approach requires little hardware modification for conventional WSI systems and the images can be captured on the fly without focus map surveying. It may find applications in WSI and time-lapse microscopy. The transform- and multi-domain approaches may also provide new insights for developing microscopy-related deep-learning networks. We have made our training and testing data set (~12 GB) open-source for the broad research community.

Darkfield Adapter for Whole Slide Imaging: Adapting a Darkfield Internal Reflection Illumination System to Extend WSI Applications

PubMed Central

Kawano, Yoshihiro; Higgins, Christopher; Yamamoto, Yasuhito; Nyhus, Julie; Bernard, Amy; Dong, Hong-Wei; Karten, Harvey J.; Schilling, Tobias

2013-01-01

We present a new method for whole slide darkfield imaging. Whole Slide Imaging (WSI), also sometimes called virtual slide or virtual microscopy technology, produces images that simultaneously provide high resolution and a wide field of observation that can encompass the entire section, extending far beyond any single field of view. For example, a brain slice can be imaged so that both overall morphology and individual neuronal detail can be seen. We extended the capabilities of traditional whole slide systems and developed a prototype system for darkfield internal reflection illumination (DIRI). Our darkfield system uses an ultra-thin light-emitting diode (LED) light source to illuminate slide specimens from the edge of the slide. We used a new type of side illumination, a variation on the internal reflection method, to illuminate the specimen and create a darkfield image. This system has four main advantages over traditional darkfield: (1) no oil condenser is required for high resolution imaging (2) there is less scatter from dust and dirt on the slide specimen (3) there is less halo, providing a more natural darkfield contrast image, and (4) the motorized system produces darkfield, brightfield and fluorescence images. The WSI method sometimes allows us to image using fewer stains. For instance, diaminobenzidine (DAB) and fluorescent staining are helpful tools for observing protein localization and volume in tissues. However, these methods usually require counter-staining in order to visualize tissue structure, limiting the accuracy of localization of labeled cells within the complex multiple regions of typical neurohistological preparations. Darkfield imaging works on the basis of light scattering from refractive index mismatches in the sample. It is a label-free method of producing contrast in a sample. We propose that adapting darkfield imaging to WSI is very useful, particularly when researchers require additional structural information without the use of further staining. PMID:23520500

In-situ stress measurement of single and multilayer thin-films used in x-ray astronomy optics applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broadway, David M.; Ramsey, Brian D.; O'Dell, Stephen L.; Gurgew, Danielle

2017-09-01

We present in-situ stress measurement results for single and multilayer thin-films deposited by magnetron sputtering. In particular, we report on the influence of the material interfaces on the ensuing stress in both the transient and steady-state regimes of film growth. This behavior is used to determine the appropriate thicknesses of the constituent layers that will result in a net tensile stress in multilayers composed of various material combinations. These multilayers can then be used to compensate the compressive integrated stress in single and multilayer EUV and x-ray optical coatings. The use of multilayers to compensate the integrated stress might be advantageous because, unlike single layers of chromium, the roughness is not expected to increase with the total thickness of the multilayer. In this paper, we demonstrate the technique for W/Si and Mo/Si multilayers and discuss its application to other material combinations.

Dawn of the digital diagnosis assisting system, can it open a new age for pathology?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Akira; Cosatto, Eric; Kiyuna, Tomoharu; Sakamoto, Michiie

2013-03-01

Digital pathology is developing based on the improvement and popularization of WSI (whole slide imaging) scanners. WSI scanners are widely expected to be used as the next generation microscope for diagnosis; however, their usage is currently mostly limited to education and archiving. Indeed, there are still many hindrances in using WSI scanners for diagnosis (not research purpose), two of the main reasons being the perceived high cost and small gain in productivity obtained by switching from the microscope to a WSI system and the lack of WSI standardization. We believe that a key factor for advancing digital pathology is the creation of computer assisted diagnosis systems (CAD). Such systems require high-resolution digitization of slides and provide a clear added value to the often costly conversion to WSI. We (NEC Corporation) are creating a CAD system, named e-Pathologist ®. This system is currently used at independent pathology labs for quality control (QC/QA), double-checking pathologists diagnosis and preventing missed cancers. At the end of 2012, about 80,000 slides, 200,000 tissues of gastric and colorectal samples will have been analyzed by e-Pathologist ®. Through the development of e-Pathologist ®, it has become clear that a computer program should be inspired by the pathologist diagnosis process, yet it should not be a mere copy or simulation of it. Indeed pathologists often approach the diagnosis of slides in a "holistic" manner, examining them at various magnifications, panning and zooming in a seemingly haphazard way that they often have a hard time to precisely describe. Hence there has been no clear recipe emerging from numerous interviews with pathologists on how to exactly computer code a diagnosis expert system. Instead, we focused on extracting a small set of histopathological features that were consistently indicated as important by the pathologists and then let the computer figure out how to interpret in a quantitative way the presence or absence of these features over the entire slide. Using the overall pathologists diagnosis (into a class of disease), we train the computer system using advanced machine learning techniques to predict the disease based on the extracted features. By considering the diagnosis of several expert pathologists during the training phase, we insure that the machine is learning a "gold standard" that will be applied consistently and objectively for all subsequent diagnosis, making them more predictable and reliable. Considering the future of digital pathology, it is essential for a CAD system to produce effective and accurate clinical data. To this effect, there remain many hurdles, including standardization as well as more research into seeking clinical evidences from "computer-friendly" objective measurements of histological images. Currently the most commonly used staining method is H&E (Hematoxylin and Eosin), but it is extremely difficult to standardize the H&E staining process. Current pathology criteria, category, definitions, and thresholds are all on based pathologists subjective observations. Digital pathology is an emerging field and researchers should bear responsibility not only for developing new algorithms, but also for understanding the meaning of measured quantitative data.

Water withdrawals reduce native fish diversity across the sunbelt of the US

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabo, J. L.; Bowling, L. C.; Roath, J.; Sinha, T.; Kominoski, J.; Fuller, P.

2012-12-01

Water withdrawals for urban, industrial and agricultural uses are known to have negative effects on freshwater biodiversity, but this conclusion is based largely on a small number of place based studies. In this talk we will present results from a continental scale analysis of water withdrawals on the species richness of native and non-native fishes in the coterminous US. To do this we compiled data from the USGS on water withdrawals and the species richness of non-native fishes. We obtained data on the native fish species richness from NatureServe's native fish database. We also compiled spatial data on cropland area and urban impervious surfaces. Finally, we used gridded estimates of streamflow from the Variable Infiltration Capacity model and a routing model to estimate streamflow (less upstream water withdrawal). We estimate the water stress index (WSI) as withdrawals standardized by streamflow (local and upstream deliveries) and use this as a metric of sustainability of human water use. All data were compiled at the spatial resolution of 8-digit hydrologic unit code hydrologic accounting units. Our key finding is that human water use (WSI)--and not impervious surfaces or cropland area--has a strong negative effect on native, but not non-native biodiversity in rivers. This result was robust across the US sunbelt but weaker across the coterminous US. Our result suggests that the effects of cities and farms on native freshwater fauna are outweighed by the upstream and cross-basin extraction of water to support these land uses.

The Contribution of Psychosocial Stressors to Sleep among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study.

PubMed

Johnson, Dayna A; Lisabeth, Lynda; Lewis, Tené T; Sims, Mario; Hickson, DeMarc A; Samdarshi, Tandaw; Taylor, Herman; Diez Roux, Ana V

2016-07-01

Studies have shown that psychosocial stressors are related to poor sleep. However, studies of African Americans, who may be more vulnerable to the impact of psychosocial stressors, are lacking. Using the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) baseline data, we examined associations of psychosocial stressors with sleep in 4,863 African Americans. We examined cross-sectional associations between psychosocial stressors and sleep duration and quality in a large population sample of African Americans. Three measures of psychosocial stress were investigated: the Global Perceived Stress Scale (GPSS); Major Life Events (MLE); and the Weekly Stress Inventory (WSI). Sleep was assessed using self-reported hours of sleep and sleep quality rating (1 = poor; 5 = excellent). Multinomial logistic and linear regression models were used to examine the association of each stress measure (in quartiles) with continuous and categorical sleep duration (< 5 ("very short"), 5-6 h ("short") and > 9 h ("long") versus 7 or 8 h ("normal"); and with sleep quality after adjustment for demographics and risk factors (body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, physical activity). Mean age of the sample was 54.6 years and 64% were female. Mean sleep duration was 6.4 + 1.5 hours, 54% had a short sleep duration, 5% had a long sleep duration, and 34% reported a "poor" or "fair" sleep quality. Persons in the highest GPSS quartile had higher odds of very short sleep (odds ratio: 2.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.02, 4.08), higher odds of short sleep (1.72, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.12), shorter average sleep duration (Δ = -33.6 min (95% CI: -41.8, -25.4), and reported poorer sleep quality (Δ = -0.73 (95% CI: -0.83, -0.63) compared to those in the lowest quartile of GPSS after adjustment for covariates. Similar patterns were observed for WSI and MLE. Psychosocial stressors were not associated with long sleep. For WSI, effects of stress on sleep duration were stronger for younger (< 60 y) and college-educated African-Americans. Psychosocial stressors are associated with higher odds of short sleep, lower average sleep duration, and lower sleep quality in African Americans. Psychosocial stressors may be a point of intervention among African Americans for the improvement of sleep and downstream health outcomes. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

The potential of pigeons as surrogate observers in medical image perception studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krupinski, Elizabeth A.; Levenson, Richard M.; Navarro, Victor; Wasserman, Edward A.

2016-03-01

Assessment of medical image quality and how changes in image appearance impact performance are critical but assessment can be expensive and time-consuming. Could an animal (pigeon) observer with well-known visual skills and documented ability to distinguish complex visual stimuli serve as a surrogate for the human observer? Using sets of whole slide pathology (WSI) and mammographic images we trained pigeons (cohorts of 4) to detect and/or classify lesions in medical images. Standard training methods were used. A chamber equipped with a 15' display with a resistive touchscreen was used to display the images and record responses (pecks). Pigeon pellets were dispensed for correct responses. The pigeons readily learned to distinguish benign from malignant breast cancer histopathology in WSI (mean % correct responses rose 50% to 85% over 15 days) and generalized readily from 4X to 10X and 20X magnifications; to detect microcalcifications (mean % correct responses rose 50% to over 85% over 25 days); to distinguish benign from malignant breast masses (3 of 4 birds learned this task to around 80% and 60% over 10 days); and ignore compression artifacts in WSI (performance with uncompressed slides averaged 95% correct; 15:1 and 27:1 compression slides averaged 92% and 90% correct). Pigeons models may help us better understand medical image perception and may be useful in quality assessment by serving as surrogate observers for certain types of studies.

Dual light-emitting diode-based multichannel microscopy for whole-slide multiplane, multispectral and phase imaging.

PubMed

Liao, Jun; Wang, Zhe; Zhang, Zibang; Bian, Zichao; Guo, Kaikai; Nambiar, Aparna; Jiang, Yutong; Jiang, Shaowei; Zhong, Jingang; Choma, Michael; Zheng, Guoan

2018-02-01

We report the development of a multichannel microscopy for whole-slide multiplane, multispectral and phase imaging. We use trinocular heads to split the beam path into 6 independent channels and employ a camera array for parallel data acquisition, achieving a maximum data throughput of approximately 1 gigapixel per second. To perform single-frame rapid autofocusing, we place 2 near-infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at the back focal plane of the condenser lens to illuminate the sample from 2 different incident angles. A hot mirror is used to direct the near-infrared light to an autofocusing camera. For multiplane whole-slide imaging (WSI), we acquire 6 different focal planes of a thick specimen simultaneously. For multispectral WSI, we relay the 6 independent image planes to the same focal position and simultaneously acquire information at 6 spectral bands. For whole-slide phase imaging, we acquire images at 3 focal positions simultaneously and use the transport-of-intensity equation to recover the phase information. We also provide an open-source design to further increase the number of channels from 6 to 15. The reported platform provides a simple solution for multiplexed fluorescence imaging and multimodal WSI. Acquiring an instant focal stack without z-scanning may also enable fast 3-dimensional dynamic tracking of various biological samples. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

New Trends of Emerging Technologies in Digital Pathology.

PubMed

Bueno, Gloria; Fernández-Carrobles, M Milagro; Deniz, Oscar; García-Rojo, Marcial

2016-01-01

The future paradigm of pathology will be digital. Instead of conventional microscopy, a pathologist will perform a diagnosis through interacting with images on computer screens and performing quantitative analysis. The fourth generation of virtual slide telepathology systems, so-called virtual microscopy and whole-slide imaging (WSI), has allowed for the storage and fast dissemination of image data in pathology and other biomedical areas. These novel digital imaging modalities encompass high-resolution scanning of tissue slides and derived technologies, including automatic digitization and computational processing of whole microscopic slides. Moreover, automated image analysis with WSI can extract specific diagnostic features of diseases and quantify individual components of these features to support diagnoses and provide informative clinical measures of disease. Therefore, the challenge is to apply information technology and image analysis methods to exploit the new and emerging digital pathology technologies effectively in order to process and model all the data and information contained in WSI. The final objective is to support the complex workflow from specimen receipt to anatomic pathology report transmission, that is, to improve diagnosis both in terms of pathologists' efficiency and with new information. This article reviews the main concerns about and novel methods of digital pathology discussed at the latest workshop in the field carried out within the European project AIDPATH (Academia and Industry Collaboration for Digital Pathology). © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Physicochemical properties of quinoa starch.

PubMed

Li, Guantian; Wang, Sunan; Zhu, Fan

2016-02-10

Physicochemical properties of quinoa starches isolated from 26 commercial samples from a wide range of collection were studied. Swelling power (SP), water solubility index (WSI), amylose leaching (AML), enzyme susceptibility, pasting, thermal and textural properties were analyzed. Apparent amylose contents (AAM) ranged from 7.7 to 25.7%. Great variations in the diverse physicochemical properties were observed. Correlation analysis showed that AAM was the most significant factor related to AML, WSI, and pasting parameters. Correlations among diverse physicochemical parameters were analyzed. Principal component analysis using twenty three variables were used to visualize the difference among samples. Six principal components were extracted which could explain 88.8% of the total difference. The wide variations in physicochemical properties could contribute to innovative utilization of quinoa starch for food and non-food applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relative impact of climate change mitigation policies and socioeconomic drivers on water scarcity - An integrated assessment modeling approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hejazi, M. I.; Edmonds, J. A.; Clarke, L. E.; Kyle, P.; Davies, E. G.; Chaturvedi, V.; Patel, P.; Eom, J.; Wise, M.; Kim, S.; Calvin, K. V.; Moss, R. H.

2012-12-01

We investigate the relative effects of climate emission mitigation policies and socioeconomic drivers on water scarcity conditions over the 21st century both globally and regionally, by estimating both water availability and demand within a technologically-detailed global integrated assessment model of energy, agriculture, and climate change - the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM). We first develop a global gridded monthly hydrologic model that reproduces historical streamflow observations and simulates the future availability of freshwater under both a changing climate and an evolving landscape, and incorporate this model into GCAM. We then develop and incorporate technologically oriented representations of water demands for the agricultural (irrigation and livestock), energy (electricity generation, primary energy production and processing), industrial (manufacturing and mining), and municipal sectors. The energy, industrial, and municipal sectors are represented in fourteen geopolitical regions, with the agricultural sector further disaggregated into as many as eighteen agro-ecological zones (AEZs) within each region. To perform the water scarcity analysis at the grid scale, the global water demands for the six demand sectors are spatially downscaled to 0.5 o x 0.5o resolution to match the scale of GWAM. The water scarcity index (WSI) compares total water demand to the total amount of renewable water available, and defines extreme water scarcity in any region as demand greater than 40% of total water availability. Using a reference scenario (i.e., no climate change mitigation policy) with radiative forcing reaching 8.8 W/m2 by 2095 and a global population of 14 billion, global annual water demand grows from about 9% of total annual renewable freshwater in 2005 to about 32% by 2095. This results in almost half of the world population living under extreme water scarcity by the end of the 21st century. Regionally, the demands for water exceed the total renewable freshwater available in two GCAM regions, the Middle East and India. Additionally, 20% and 27% of the global population in years 2050 and 2095, respectively, is projected to live in areas (grid cells) that will experience greater water demands than the amount of renewable water available in a year (i.e., WSI > 1.0). We also investigate the effects of emission mitigation policies on water demand and compare them to the contribution of socioeconomic drivers both globally and regionally. Three climate policy scenarios with increasing mitigation stringency of 7.7, 5.5, and 4.2 W/m2 in year 2095, under two carbon tax regimes (a universal carbon tax (UCT) which includes land use change emissions, and a fossil fuel and industrial emissions carbon tax (FFICT) which excludes land use change emissions) are analyzed. With more stringent climate mitigation targets, water scarcity declines under a UCT mitigation policy while increases with a FFICT mitigation scenario by the year 2095. The decreasing trend with UCT policy stringency is due to substitution from more water-intensive to less water-intensive choices in food, energy, and land use. Under the FFICT scenario, water scarcity is projected to increase driven by higher water demands for bio-energy crops.

Investigation of process and product parameters for physicochemical properties of rice and mung bean (Vigna radiata) flour based extruded snacks.

PubMed

Sharma, Chetan; Singh, Baljit; Hussain, Syed Zameer; Sharma, Savita

2017-05-01

PR 106 and SML 668 cultivars of rice and mung bean respectively, were studied for their potential to serve as a nutritious snack with improved protein quality and quantity. The effect of extrusion conditions, including feed moisture content (14-18%), screw speed (400-550 rpm) and barrel temperature (130-170°C) on the physicochemical properties (bulk density, water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI) and hardness) was investigated. The replacement of rice flour at 30% level with mung bean flour for making extruded snacks was evaluated. Pasting temperature increased (84-93 °C) while peak viscosity (2768-408 cP), hold viscosity (2018-369 cP), breakdown (750-39 cP), setback (2697-622 cP) and final viscosity (4715-991 cP) decreased with increasing mung bean flour addition. Increasing feed moisture lowered the specific mechanical energy (SME), WAI and WSI of extrudates whereas increased bulk density and hardness. Higher screw speed had linear positive effect on SME of extruder and negative linear effect on WAI. Positive curvilinear quadratic effect of screw speed was also observed on WSI and density. Higher barrel temperature linearly decreased the SME, density and hardness of extrudates. Developed extrusion cooked rice-mung bean snacks with increased protein content and improved protein quality along with higher dietary fibre and minerals have good potential in effectively delivering the nutrition to the population.

Clinical features and the degree of cerebrovascular stenosis in different types and subtypes of cerebral watershed infarction.

PubMed

Li, Yue; Li, Man; Zhang, Xiaoyu; Yang, Shuna; Fan, Huimin; Qin, Wei; Yang, Lei; Yuan, Junliang; Hu, Wenli

2017-08-29

Whether there are differences in pathogenesis among different types and subtypes of cerebral watershed infarction (WSI) is controversial since they have been combined into a single group in most previous studies. We prospectively identified 340 supratentorial WSI patients at Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, China and classified them based on diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI) templates. Baseline characteristics, clinical courses and neuroradiological features were compared among patients with different types and subtypes of WSI. We identified 92 patients with cortical watershed infarction (CWI), 112 with internal watershed infarction (IWI) and 136 with mixed-type infarction. Compared with CWI patients, more IWI patients had critical stenosis of internal carotid artery (ICA) (P < 0.001). For the CWI group, patients with anterior watershed infarction (AWI) were more prone to critical ICA stenosis than those with posterior watershed infarction (PWI) (P = 0.011). For the IWI group, critical ICA stenosis was more prevalent in patients with partial IWI (P-IWI) than in those with confluent IWI (C-IWI) (P = 0.026). IWI patients were more frequently found to have clinical deterioration during the first 7 days of hospitalization and a poor prognosis at the 90th day than in CWI patients (P = 0.003 and P = 0.014, respectively). IWI, especially the P-IWI subtype, is associated with hemodynamic impairment (HDI), whereas CWI has a weaker correlation with ICA steno-occlusion. Furthermore, IWI patients are more prone to poor prognosis.

Application of Airborne Hydrographic Laser Scanning for Mapping Shallow Water Riverine Environments in the Pacific Northwest, United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, C.; Nayegandhi, A.; Faux, R.

2013-12-01

Small-footprint, green wavelength airborne LiDAR systems can provide seamless topography across the land-water interface at very high spatial resolution. These data have the potential to improve floodplain modeling, fisheries habitat assessments, stream restoration efforts, and other applications by continuously mapping shallow water depths that are difficult or impossible to measure using traditional ground-based or water-borne survey techniques. WSI (Corvallis, Oregon) in collaboration with Dewberry, (Tampa, Florida) and Riegl (Orlando, Florida), deployed the Riegl VQ-820-G hydrographic airborne laser scanner to map riverine and lacustrine environments from Oregon to Minnesota. Discussion will focus on the ability to accurately map depth and underwater structure, as well as riparian vegetation and terrain under different conditions. Results indicate that depth penetration varies with both water (i.e. clarity and surface conditions) and bottom conditions (i.e. substrate, depth, and landform). Depth penetration was typically limited to 1 Secchi depth or less across selected project areas. As an example, the green LiDAR system effectively mapped 83% of a shallow water river system, the Sandy River, with typical depths ranging from 0-2.5 meters. WSI will show quantitative comparisons of Green LiDAR surveys against more traditional methods such as rod or sonar surveys. WSI will also discuss advantages and limitations of Green LiDAR surveys for bathymetric modeling including survey accuracy, density, and efficiency along with data processing challenges not inherent with traditional NIR LiDAR processing.

Periodic Application of Concurrent Error Detection in Processor Array Architectures. PhD. Thesis -

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Paul Peichuan

1993-01-01

Processor arrays can provide an attractive architecture for some applications. Featuring modularity, regular interconnection and high parallelism, such arrays are well-suited for VLSI/WSI implementations, and applications with high computational requirements, such as real-time signal processing. Preserving the integrity of results can be of paramount importance for certain applications. In these cases, fault tolerance should be used to ensure reliable delivery of a system's service. One aspect of fault tolerance is the detection of errors caused by faults. Concurrent error detection (CED) techniques offer the advantage that transient and intermittent faults may be detected with greater probability than with off-line diagnostic tests. Applying time-redundant CED techniques can reduce hardware redundancy costs. However, most time-redundant CED techniques degrade a system's performance.

Sintering activation energy MoSi2-WSi2-Si3N4 ceramic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titov, D. D.; Lysenkov, A. S.; Kargin, Yu F.; Frolova, M. G.; Gorshkov, V. A.; Perevislov, S. N.

2018-04-01

The activation energy of sintering process was calculated based on dilatometric studies of shrinkage processes (Mo,W)Si2 + Si3N4 composite ceramic. (Mo,W)Si2 powders was obtained by solid-phase solutions of 70 wt% MoSi2 and 30 wt% WSi2 by SHS in the ISMAN RAS. The concentration rate Si3N4 was from 1 to 15 wt.%. The sintering was carried out to 1850°C in Ar atmosphere the heating rate of 5, 10, 12 and 15°C/min by the way of dilatometer tests. Based on the differential kinetic analysis method (Friedman’s method), the sintering process activation energy of (Mo,W)Si2 + Si3N4 were calculated. The two-stage sintering process and the dependence of the activation energy on the Si3N4 content was shown. Average value of 370 kJ/mol for Q was obtained.

A 3-Year Climatology of Cloud and Radiative Properties Derived from GOES-8 Data Over the Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khaiyer, M. M.; Rapp, A. D.; Doelling, D. R.; Nordeen, M. L.; Minnis, P.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Nguyen, L.

2001-01-01

While the various instruments maintained at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility (CF) provide detailed cloud and radiation measurements for a small area, satellite cloud property retrievals provide a means of examining the large-scale properties of the surrounding region over an extended period of time. Seasonal and inter-annual climatological trends can be analyzed with such a dataset. For this purpose, monthly datasets of cloud and radiative properties from December 1996 through November 1999 over the SGP region have been derived using the layered bispectral threshold method (LBTM). The properties derived include cloud optical depths (ODs), temperatures and albedos, and are produced on two grids of lower (0.5 deg) and higher resolution (0.3 deg) centered on the ARM SGP CF. The extensive time period and high-resolution of the inner grid of this dataset allows for comparison with the suite of instruments located at the ARM CF. In particular, Whole-Sky Imager (WSI) and the Active Remote Sensing of Clouds (ARSCL) cloud products can be compared to the cloud amounts and heights of the LBTM 0.3 deg grid box encompassing the CF site. The WSI provides cloud fraction and the ARSCL computes cloud fraction, base, and top heights using the algorithms by Clothiaux et al. (2001) with a combination of Belfort Laser Ceilometer (BLC), Millimeter Wave Cloud Radar (MMCR), and Micropulse Lidar (MPL) data. This paper summarizes the results of the LBTM analysis for 3 years of GOES-8 data over the SGP and examines the differences between surface and satellite-based estimates of cloud fraction.

Subsurface event detection and classification using Wireless Signal Networks.

PubMed

Yoon, Suk-Un; Ghazanfari, Ehsan; Cheng, Liang; Pamukcu, Sibel; Suleiman, Muhannad T

2012-11-05

Subsurface environment sensing and monitoring applications such as detection of water intrusion or a landslide, which could significantly change the physical properties of the host soil, can be accomplished using a novel concept, Wireless Signal Networks (WSiNs). The wireless signal networks take advantage of the variations of radio signal strength on the distributed underground sensor nodes of WSiNs to monitor and characterize the sensed area. To characterize subsurface environments for event detection and classification, this paper provides a detailed list and experimental data of soil properties on how radio propagation is affected by soil properties in subsurface communication environments. Experiments demonstrated that calibrated wireless signal strength variations can be used as indicators to sense changes in the subsurface environment. The concept of WSiNs for the subsurface event detection is evaluated with applications such as detection of water intrusion, relative density change, and relative motion using actual underground sensor nodes. To classify geo-events using the measured signal strength as a main indicator of geo-events, we propose a window-based minimum distance classifier based on Bayesian decision theory. The window-based classifier for wireless signal networks has two steps: event detection and event classification. With the event detection, the window-based classifier classifies geo-events on the event occurring regions that are called a classification window. The proposed window-based classification method is evaluated with a water leakage experiment in which the data has been measured in laboratory experiments. In these experiments, the proposed detection and classification method based on wireless signal network can detect and classify subsurface events.

Rapid thermal annealing of WSi x. In-situ resistance measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nobili, C.; Bosi, M.; Ottaviani, G.; Queirolo, G.; Bacci, L.

1991-11-01

In-situ sheet resistance measurements have been performed on amorphous WSi 2.5 alloy films deposited by low pressure chemical vapour deposition either on thermal oxide or on polysilicon. The heat treatments were performed in vacuum up to 1000°C at a heating rate ranging from 5 to 6000°C/min. The temperature was measured with a thermocouple placed underneath and in contact with the sample; the film sheet resistance was measured with a four-point probe in van der Pauw configuration. The in-depth elemental composition was determined by 2 MeV 4He + backscattering technique. Nuclear reaction was used to monitor the quantity of flourine present in the sample. The phases formed were identified by X-ray diffraction. The sheet resistance versus temperature curves are all similar and present, after a small initial decrease, first a sharp increase followed, after about 200°C, by a decrease. X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that the increase is due to the amorphous-hexagonal phase transformation; the decrease is due to the formation of the tetragonal WSi 2 phase. The temperature at which the two variations occur increases with the heating rate indicating thermally activated processes. The activation energies are 1.4 ±0.1 and 2.4 ±0.1 eV for the amorphous-hexagonal and hexagonal-tetragonal transformation, respectively. Silicon segregation at the inner interface occurs only on the samples where the silicide alloy was deposited on polysilicon and for heating rates lower than 200°C/min. The total flourine content is not affected by the kind of heat treatment performed.

Subsurface Event Detection and Classification Using Wireless Signal Networks

PubMed Central

Yoon, Suk-Un; Ghazanfari, Ehsan; Cheng, Liang; Pamukcu, Sibel; Suleiman, Muhannad T.

2012-01-01

Subsurface environment sensing and monitoring applications such as detection of water intrusion or a landslide, which could significantly change the physical properties of the host soil, can be accomplished using a novel concept, Wireless Signal Networks (WSiNs). The wireless signal networks take advantage of the variations of radio signal strength on the distributed underground sensor nodes of WSiNs to monitor and characterize the sensed area. To characterize subsurface environments for event detection and classification, this paper provides a detailed list and experimental data of soil properties on how radio propagation is affected by soil properties in subsurface communication environments. Experiments demonstrated that calibrated wireless signal strength variations can be used as indicators to sense changes in the subsurface environment. The concept of WSiNs for the subsurface event detection is evaluated with applications such as detection of water intrusion, relative density change, and relative motion using actual underground sensor nodes. To classify geo-events using the measured signal strength as a main indicator of geo-events, we propose a window-based minimum distance classifier based on Bayesian decision theory. The window-based classifier for wireless signal networks has two steps: event detection and event classification. With the event detection, the window-based classifier classifies geo-events on the event occurring regions that are called a classification window. The proposed window-based classification method is evaluated with a water leakage experiment in which the data has been measured in laboratory experiments. In these experiments, the proposed detection and classification method based on wireless signal network can detect and classify subsurface events. PMID:23202191

Professional burnout and work stress among Israeli dental assistants.

PubMed

Uziel, Nir; Meyerson, Joseph; Birenzweig, Yonatan; Eli, Ilana

2018-05-16

Professional burnout and work-related stress are known problems that have been the subject of in-depth examination among dentists. Nevertheless, these issues have not been widely studied among dental assistants. The aims of this study were threefold: to confirm the structure of a Work Stress Inventory (WSI) for Dental Assistants which was originally developed for Jordanian dental assistants (factor analysis); to evaluate work stress and burnout among Israeli dental assistants and to discover the factors predicting Israeli assistants' burnout (regression analyses). The Maslach Burnout Inventory and the WSI were distributed by mail and in person. Varimax factor analysis revealed that the items which contribute to different aspects of work stress are similar among both Jordanian and Israeli populations. Among the 299 Israeli dental assistants who completed the questionnaires, the most stressful work-related factors were income, workload, and work hazards. Eighteen percent of the participants exhibited a high to very high level of burnout. Participants exhibited a moderate level of emotional exhaustion (EE), low level of depersonalization (DP), and high level of personal accomplishment (PA). Most WSI factors were found to correlate positively with EE and DP. Linear stepwise regression analyses revealed that the best predictor of EE was the dentist‒assistant relationship, followed by workload, patient type, and salary. The best predictor of DP was patient suffering followed by dentist‒assistant relationship, years of professional experience, and work hazards. Professional stress and burnout among dental assistants are important factors that can possibly affect the wellbeing of both dental personnel and their patients. Further studies are necessary to better understand these factors in addition to the effects of personal relationships on burnout among dentists and their assistants.

In situ acidity and pH of size-fractionated aerosols during a recent smoke-haze episode in Southeast Asia.

PubMed

Behera, Sailesh N; Cheng, Jinping; Balasubramanian, Rajasekhar

2015-10-01

The characterization of aerosol acidity has received increased attention in recent years due to its influence on atmospheric visibility, climate change and human health. Distribution of water soluble inorganic (WSI) ions in 12 different size fractions of aerosols was investigated under two different atmospheric conditions (smoke-haze and non-haze periods) in 2012 using the Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) and nano-MOUDI for the first time in Singapore. To estimate the in situ acidity ([H(+)]Ins) and in situ aerosol pH (pHIS), the Aerosol Inorganic Model version-IV under deliquescent mode of airborne particles was used at prevailing ambient temperature and relative humidity. The study revealed an increase in the levels of airborne particulate matter (PM) mass and concentrations of WSI ions for all size fractions during the smoke-haze period, which was caused by the trans-boundary transport of biomass burning-impacted air masses from Indonesia. A bimodal distribution was observed for concentrations of SO4(2-), NO3(-), Cl(-), K(+) and Na(+), whereas concentrations of NH4(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) showed a single mode distribution. The concentration of WSI ions in PM1.8 during the smoke-haze period increased by 3.8 (for SO4(2-)) to 10.5 (for K(+)) times more than those observed during the non-haze period. The pHIS were observed to be lower during the smoke-haze period than that during the non-haze period for all size fractions of PM, indicating that atmospheric aerosols were more acidic due to the influence of biomass burning emissions. The particles in the accumulation mode were more acidic than those in the coarse mode.

Psychosocial Factors Are Associated With Blood Pressure Progression Among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study

PubMed Central

Sims, Mario; Higginbotham, John C.; Crowther, Martha R.; Wyatt, Sharon B.; Musani, Solomon K.; Payne, Thomas J.; Fox, Ervin R.; Parton, Jason M.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND Research that examines the associations of psychosocial factors with incident hypertension among African Americans (AA) is limited. Using Jackson Heart Study (JHS) data, we examined associations of negative affect and stress with incident hypertension and blood pressure (BP) progression among AA. METHODS Our sample consisted of 1,656 normotensive participants at baseline (2000–2004) (mean age 47±12; 61% women). We investigated associations of negative affect (cynical distrust, anger-in, anger-out, and depressive symptoms) and stress (perceived stress, weekly stress inventory (WSI)-event, WSI-impact, and major life events) with BP progression (an increase by one BP stage as defined by JNC VII) and incident hypertension by examination 2 (2005–2008). Poisson regression analysis was utilized to examine the prevalence ratios (PRs; 95% confidence interval (CI)) of BP tracking and incident hypertension with psychosocial factors, adjusting for baseline age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), and hypertension risk factors. RESULTS Fifty-six percentage of the sample (922 cases) had BP progression from 2005 to 2008. After adjustment for age, sex, and SES, a high anger-out score was associated with a 20% increased risk of BP progression compared to a low anger-out score (PR 1.20; 95% CI 1.05–1.36). High depressive symptoms score was associated with BP progression in the age, sex, and SES-adjusted model (PR 1.14; 95% CI 1.00–1.30). High WSI-event scores were associated with BP progression in the fully adjusted model (PR 1.21; 95% CI 1.04–1.40). We did not observe significant associations with any of the psychosocial measures and incident hypertension. CONCLUSIONS Psychosocial factors were associated with BP progression, with the strongest evidence for number of stressful events that occurred. PMID:26964661

Pre-existing Epithelial Diversity in Normal Human Livers: A Tissue-tethered Cytometric Analysis in Portal/Periportal Epithelial Cells

PubMed Central

Isse, Kumiko; Lesniak, Andrew; Grama, Kedar; Maier, John; Specht, Susan; Castillo-Rama, Marcela; Lunz, John; Roysam, Badrinath; Michalopoulos, George; Demetris, Anthony J.

2012-01-01

Routine light microscopy identifies two distinct epithelial cell populations in normal human livers: hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells (BEC). Considerable epithelial diversity, however, arises during disease states when a variety of hepatocyte-BEC hybrid cells appear. This has been attributed to activation and differentiation of putative hepatic progenitor cells (HPC) residing in the Canals of Hering and/or metaplasia of pre-existing mature epithelial cells. A novel analytic approach consisting of multiplex labeling, high resolution whole slide imaging (WSI), and automated image analysis was used to determine if more complex epithelial cell phenotypes pre-existed in normal adult human livers, which might provide an alternative explanation for disease-induced epithelial diversity. “Virtually digested” WSI enabled quantitative cytometric analyses of individual cells displayed in a variety of formats (e.g. scatter plots) while still tethered to the WSI and tissue structure. We employed biomarkers specifically-associated with mature epithelial forms (HNF4α for hepatocytes, CK19 and HNF1β for BEC) and explored for the presence of cells with hybrid biomarker phenotypes. Results showed abundant hybrid cells in portal bile duct BEC, canals of Hering, and immediate periportal hepatocytes. These bi-potential cells likely serve as a reservoir for the epithelial diversity of ductular reactions, appearance of hepatocytes in bile ducts, and the rapid and fluid transition of BEC to hepatocytes, and vice versa. Conclusion Novel imaging and computational tools enable increased information extraction from tissue samples and quantify the considerable pre-existent hybrid epithelial diversity in normal human liver. This computationally-enabled tissue analysis approach offers much broader potential beyond the results presented here. PMID:23150208

Statistical Analysis And Treatment Of Accident Black Spots: A Case Study Of Nandyal Mandal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudharshan Reddy, B.; Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, L.; Sreenivasa Reddy, G., Dr

2017-08-01

Background: Increased, economic activity raised the consumption levels of the people across the country. This created scope for increase in travel and transportation. The increase in the vehicles since last 10 years has put lot of pressure on the existing roads and ultimately resulting in road accidents. Nandyal Mandal is located in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh and well developed in both agricultural and industrial sectors after Kurnool. 567 accidents occurred in the last seven years at 143 locations shows the severity of the accidents in the Nandyal Mandal. There is a need to carry out some work in the Nandyal Mandal to improve the accidents black spots for reducing the accidents. Methods: Last seven years (2010-2016) of accident data collected from Police Stations. Weighted Severity Index (WSI), a scientific method is used for identifying the accident black spots. Statistical analysis has carried out for the collected data using Chi-Square Test to determine the independence of accidents with other attributes. Chi-Square Goodness of fit test conducted for test whether the accidents are occurring by chance or following any pattern. Results: WSI values are determined for the 143 locations. The Locations with high WSI are treated as accident black spots. Five black spots are taken for field study. After field observations and interaction with the public, some improvements are suggested for improving the accident black spots. There is no relationship between the severity of accidents and the other attributes like month, season, day, hours in day and the age group except type of vehicle. Road accidents are distributed throughout the Year, Month and Season. Road accidents are not distributed throughout the day.

Color accuracy and reproducibility in whole slide imaging scanners

PubMed Central

Shrestha, Prarthana; Hulsken, Bas

2014-01-01

Abstract We propose a workflow for color reproduction in whole slide imaging (WSI) scanners, such that the colors in the scanned images match to the actual slide color and the inter-scanner variation is minimum. We describe a new method of preparation and verification of the color phantom slide, consisting of a standard IT8-target transmissive film, which is used in color calibrating and profiling the WSI scanner. We explore several International Color Consortium (ICC) compliant techniques in color calibration/profiling and rendering intents for translating the scanner specific colors to the standard display (sRGB) color space. Based on the quality of the color reproduction in histopathology slides, we propose the matrix-based calibration/profiling and absolute colorimetric rendering approach. The main advantage of the proposed workflow is that it is compliant to the ICC standard, applicable to color management systems in different platforms, and involves no external color measurement devices. We quantify color difference using the CIE-DeltaE2000 metric, where DeltaE values below 1 are considered imperceptible. Our evaluation on 14 phantom slides, manufactured according to the proposed method, shows an average inter-slide color difference below 1 DeltaE. The proposed workflow is implemented and evaluated in 35 WSI scanners developed at Philips, called the Ultra Fast Scanners (UFS). The color accuracy, measured as DeltaE between the scanner reproduced colors and the reference colorimetric values of the phantom patches, is improved on average to 3.5 DeltaE in calibrated scanners from 10 DeltaE in uncalibrated scanners. The average inter-scanner color difference is found to be 1.2 DeltaE. The improvement in color performance upon using the proposed method is apparent with the visual color quality of the tissue scans. PMID:26158041

A methodology for comprehensive breast cancer Ki67 labeling index with intra-tumor heterogeneity appraisal based on hexagonal tiling of digital image analysis data.

PubMed

Plancoulaine, Benoit; Laurinaviciene, Aida; Herlin, Paulette; Besusparis, Justinas; Meskauskas, Raimundas; Baltrusaityte, Indra; Iqbal, Yasir; Laurinavicius, Arvydas

2015-10-19

Digital image analysis (DIA) enables higher accuracy, reproducibility, and capacity to enumerate cell populations by immunohistochemistry; however, the most unique benefits may be obtained by evaluating the spatial distribution and intra-tissue variance of markers. The proliferative activity of breast cancer tissue, estimated by the Ki67 labeling index (Ki67 LI), is a prognostic and predictive biomarker requiring robust measurement methodologies. We performed DIA on whole-slide images (WSI) of 302 surgically removed Ki67-stained breast cancer specimens; the tumour classifier algorithm was used to automatically detect tumour tissue but was not trained to distinguish between invasive and non-invasive carcinoma cells. The WSI DIA-generated data were subsampled by hexagonal tiling (HexT). Distribution and texture parameters were compared to conventional WSI DIA and pathology report data. Factor analysis of the data set, including total numbers of tumor cells, the Ki67 LI and Ki67 distribution, and texture indicators, extracted 4 factors, identified as entropy, proliferation, bimodality, and cellularity. The factor scores were further utilized in cluster analysis, outlining subcategories of heterogeneous tumors with predominant entropy, bimodality, or both at different levels of proliferative activity. The methodology also allowed the visualization of Ki67 LI heterogeneity in tumors and the automated detection and quantitative evaluation of Ki67 hotspots, based on the upper quintile of the HexT data, conceptualized as the "Pareto hotspot". We conclude that systematic subsampling of DIA-generated data into HexT enables comprehensive Ki67 LI analysis that reflects aspects of intra-tumor heterogeneity and may serve as a methodology to improve digital immunohistochemistry in general.

Diffraction properties of multilayer Laue lenses with an aperture of 102 µm and WSi 2/Al bilayers

DOE PAGES

Kubec, Adam; Kujala, Naresh; Conley, Raymond; ...

2015-01-01

Here, we report on the characterization of a multilayer Laue lens (MLL) with large acceptance, made of a novel WSi2/Al bilayer system. Fabrication of multilayers with large deposition thickness is required to obtain MLL structures with sufficient apertures capable of accepting the full lateral coherence length of x-rays at typical nanofocusing beamlines. To date, the total deposition thickness has been limited by stress-buildup in the multilayer. We were able to grow WSi2/Al with low grown-in stress, and asses the degree of stress reduction. X-ray diffraction experiments were conducted at beamline 1-BM at the Advanced Photon Source. We used monochromatic x-raysmore » with a photon energy of 12 keV and a bandwidth of ΔE/E=5.4 ∙ 10 -4. The MLL was grown with parallel layer interfaces, and was designed to have a large focal length of 9.6 mm. The mounted lens was 2.7 mm in width. We found and quantified kinks and bending of sections of the MLL. Sections with bending were found to partly have a systematic progression in the interface angles. We also observed kinking in some, but not all, areas. The measurements are compared with dynamic diffraction calculations made with Coupled Wave Theory. Finally our data are plotted showing the diffraction efficiency as a function of the external tilting angle of the entire mounted lens. This way of plotting the data was found to provide an overview into the diffraction properties of the whole lens, and enabled the following layer tilt analyses.« less

An adaptable navigation strategy for Virtual Microscopy from mobile platforms.

PubMed

Corredor, Germán; Romero, Eduardo; Iregui, Marcela

2015-04-01

Real integration of Virtual Microscopy with the pathologist service workflow requires the design of adaptable strategies for any hospital service to interact with a set of Whole Slide Images. Nowadays, mobile devices have the actual potential of supporting an online pervasive network of specialists working together. However, such devices are still very limited. This article introduces a novel highly adaptable strategy for streaming and visualizing WSI from mobile devices. The presented approach effectively exploits and extends the granularity of the JPEG2000 standard and integrates it with different strategies to achieve a lossless, loosely-coupled, decoder and platform independent implementation, adaptable to any interaction model. The performance was evaluated by two expert pathologists interacting with a set of 20 virtual slides. The method efficiently uses the available device resources: the memory usage did not exceed a 7% of the device capacity while the decoding times were smaller than the 200 ms per Region of Interest, i.e., a window of 256×256 pixels. This model is easily adaptable to other medical imaging scenarios. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of heat treatment on phase composition and crystal structure of thin WSi2 films on silicon substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biryukov, Y. P.; Dostanko, A. P.; Maltsev, A. A.; Shakhlevich, G. M.

1984-10-01

An experimental study of WSi2 films on silicon substrates with either 111 or 100 orientation was made, for the purpose of determining the effect of annealing by heat treatment on their phase composition and crystal structure. Films of 0.2 micron thickness were deposited at a rate of 0.5 nm/s on a silicon surface which was predecontaminated of SiO2 layers and adsorbate atoms by ion sputtering in one vacuum cycle. Deposition was by condensation, with the substrate held at various temperatures from 390 to 500 C, and then annealed in an argon atmosphere at various temperatures from 700 to 1000 C for 30 min. Subsequent phase analysis at room temperature was performed with a DRON-2 X-ray diffractometer, using a CuK (sub alpha)-radiation source and covering the 20 = 10 to 130 deg range of angles by the Debye-Sherer method, while the surface morphology was examined under an electron microscope.

The effect of moisture content on physicochemical properties of extruded waxy and non-waxy rice flour.

PubMed

Jongsutjarittam, Ornpicha; Charoenrein, Sanguansri

2014-12-19

The properties of waxy rice flour (WRF) and non-waxy rice flour (RF) were modified using an extrusion process with different feeding material moisture contents. WRF was more affected by the thermomechanical stress from extrusion; consequently, it had a lower glass transition temperature but higher water solubility index (WSI) indicating higher molecular degradation than extruded RF. The lower moisture content of the feeding flour caused more severe flour damage (coarser surface of the extruded flour) and lowered relative crystallinity compared to higher moisture content processing. Moreover, low moisture content processing led to complete gelatinization, whereas, partial gelatinization occurred in the higher moisture content extrusion. Consequently, the extruded flours had a lower peak viscosity and gelatinization enthalpy but a higher water absorption index and WSI than native flour. In conclusion, the rice flour type and the moisture content of the extrusion feeding flour affected the physicochemical properties of the extruded flour. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A sparse representation of the pathologist's interaction with whole slide images to improve the assigned relevance of regions of interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santiago, Daniel; Corredor, Germán.; Romero, Eduardo

2017-11-01

During a diagnosis task, a Pathologist looks over a Whole Slide Image (WSI), aiming to find out relevant pathological patterns. Nonetheless, a virtual microscope captures these structures, but also other cellular patterns with different or none diagnostic meaning. Annotation of these images depends on manual delineation, which in practice becomes a hard task. This article contributes a new method for detecting relevant regions in WSI using the routine navigations in a virtual microscope. This method constructs a sparse representation or dictionary of each navigation path and determines the hidden relevance by maximizing the incoherence between several paths. The resulting dictionaries are then projected onto each other and relevant information is set to the dictionary atoms whose similarity is higher than a custom threshold. Evaluation was performed with 6 pathological images segmented from a skin biopsy already diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Results show that our proposal outperforms the baseline by more than 20%.

Effect of extrusion process parameters and pregelatinized rice flour on physicochemical properties of ready-to-eat expanded snacks.

PubMed

Gat, Yogesh; Ananthanarayan, Laxmi

2015-05-01

Present study was conducted to investigate effects of pregelatinized rice flour and extrusion process parameters such as feed moisture (16-19 %), die temperature (115-145 °C) and screw speed (150-250 rpm) on physicochemical properties of ready-to-eat expanded snacks by using co-rotating twin-screw extruder. Higher die temperature increased extrudate density and WSI but reduced die pressure, torque and expansion. Increased feed moisture content resulted in extrudates with increased density, WAI and hardness but reduced die pressure, expansion and WSI. Screw speed was found to have no significant effect on expansion and hardness of extrudates, while increase in screw speed resulted in increased WAI of extrudates and reduced torque of extrudates. Effect of pregelatinized rice flour on extrudate expansion and hardness was analysed at 16 % feed moisture, 135 °C die temperature and 150 rpm screw speed. Use of pregelatinized rice flour increased expansion while it reduced hardness of extrudates.

Time dependent changes in Schottky barrier mapping of the W/Si(001) interface utilizing ballistic electron emission microscopy

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

Durcan, Chris A.; Balsano, Robert; LaBella, Vincent P., E-mail: vlabella@albany.edu

2015-06-28

The W/Si(001) Schottky barrier height is mapped to nanoscale dimensions using ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM) over a period of 21 days to observe changes in the interface electrostatics. Initially, the average spectrum is fit to a Schottky barrier height of 0.71 eV, and the map is uniform with 98% of the spectra able to be fit. After 21 days, the average spectrum is fit to a Schottky barrier height of 0.62 eV, and the spatial map changes dramatically with only 27% of the spectra able to be fit. Transmission electron microscopy shows the formation of an ultra-thin tungsten silicide at themore » interface, which increases in thickness over the 21 days. This increase is attributed to an increase in electron scattering and the changes are observed in the BEEM measurements. Interestingly, little to no change is observed in the I-V measurements throughout the 21 day period.« less

The Contribution of Psychosocial Stressors to Sleep among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study

PubMed Central

Johnson, Dayna A.; Lisabeth, Lynda; Lewis, Tené T.; Sims, Mario; Hickson, DeMarc A.; Samdarshi, Tandaw; Taylor, Herman; Diez Roux, Ana V.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Studies have shown that psychosocial stressors are related to poor sleep. However, studies of African Americans, who may be more vulnerable to the impact of psychosocial stressors, are lacking. Using the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) baseline data, we examined associations of psychosocial stressors with sleep in 4,863 African Americans. Methods: We examined cross-sectional associations between psychosocial stressors and sleep duration and quality in a large population sample of African Americans. Three measures of psychosocial stress were investigated: the Global Perceived Stress Scale (GPSS); Major Life Events (MLE); and the Weekly Stress Inventory (WSI). Sleep was assessed using self-reported hours of sleep and sleep quality rating (1 = poor; 5 = excellent). Multinomial logistic and linear regression models were used to examine the association of each stress measure (in quartiles) with continuous and categorical sleep duration (< 5 (“very short”), 5–6 h (“short”) and > 9 h (“long”) versus 7 or 8 h (“normal”); and with sleep quality after adjustment for demographics and risk factors (body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, physical activity). Results: Mean age of the sample was 54.6 years and 64% were female. Mean sleep duration was 6.4 + 1.5 hours, 54% had a short sleep duration, 5% had a long sleep duration, and 34% reported a “poor” or “fair” sleep quality. Persons in the highest GPSS quartile had higher odds of very short sleep (odds ratio: 2.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.02, 4.08), higher odds of short sleep (1.72, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.12), shorter average sleep duration (Δ = −33.6 min (95% CI: −41.8, −25.4), and reported poorer sleep quality (Δ = −0.73 (95% CI: −0.83, −0.63) compared to those in the lowest quartile of GPSS after adjustment for covariates. Similar patterns were observed for WSI and MLE. Psychosocial stressors were not associated with long sleep. For WSI, effects of stress on sleep duration were stronger for younger (< 60 y) and college-educated African-Americans. Conclusions: Psychosocial stressors are associated with higher odds of short sleep, lower average sleep duration, and lower sleep quality in African Americans. Psychosocial stressors may be a point of intervention among African Americans for the improvement of sleep and downstream health outcomes. Citation: Johnson DA, Lisabeth L, Lewis TT, Sims M, Hickson DA, Samdarshi T, Taylor H, Diez Roux AV. The contribution of psychosocial stressors to sleep among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study. SLEEP 2016;39(7):1411–1419. PMID:27166234

Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Programs: Results from a National Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conway, Maureen; Gerber, Allison

2009-01-01

This publication shares findings from a WSI-conducted survey of pre-apprenticeship programs in the construction trades. Based on responses from 260 programs nationwide, the report presents information about program size, services offered, populations served, funding sources, and successes and challenges in placing trainees in apprenticeships or…

Work Stations in Industry. An Alternative for the Training and Employment of Handicapped Individuals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagner, David; Como, Perry

This resource manual is intended for use by vocational rehabilitation professionals and students interested in learning more about Work Stations in Industry (WSI). Chapter 1 discusses sheltered employment without the traditional sheltered workshop. This type of program is accomplished by establishing training and employment stations within…

Courses to Employment: Partnering to Create Paths to Education and Careers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conway, Maureen; Blair, Amy; Helmer, Matt

2012-01-01

This publication summarizes research from AspenWSI's Courses to Employment project, which studied how six community college-nonprofit partnerships work together to help low-income adults succeed in the classroom and the labor market. The report provides an overview of the approach and strategies these partnerships use, how these partnerships are…

Multilayer diffraction at 104 keV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krieger, Allen S.; Blake, Richard L.; Siddons, D. P.

1993-01-01

We have measured the diffraction peak of a W:Si synthetic multilayer reflector at 104 keV using the High Energy Bonse-Hart Camera at the X-17B hard X-ray wiggler beam line of the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The characteristics of the diffraction peak are described and compared to theory.

Measured reflectance of graded multilayer mirrors designed for astronomical hard X-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Windt, D. L.; Jimenez-Garate, M. A.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Mao, P. H.; Chakan, J. M.; Ziegler, E.; Honkimaki, V.

2000-09-01

Future astronomical X-ray telescopes, including the balloon-borne High-Energy Focusing Telescope (HEFT) and the Constellation-X Hard X-ray Telescope (Con-X HXT) plan to incorporate depth-graded multilayer coatings in order to extend sensitivity into the hard X-ray (10<~E<~80keV) band. In this paper, we present measurements of the reflectance in the 18-170 keV energy range of a cylindrical prototype nested optic taken at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). The mirror segments, mounted in a single bounce stack, are coated with depth-graded W/Si multilayers optimized for broadband performance up to 69.5 keV (WK-edge). These designs are ideal for both the HEFT and Con-X HXT applications. We compare the measurements to model calculations to demonstrate that the reflectivity can be well described by the intended power law distribution of the bilayer thicknesses, and that the coatings are uniform at the 5% level over the mirror surface. Finally, we apply the measurements to predict effective areas achievable for HEFT and Con-X HXT using these W/Si designs.

A High-Resolution Tile-Based Approach for Classifying Biological Regions in Whole-Slide Histopathological Images

PubMed Central

Hoffman, R.A.; Kothari, S.; Phan, J.H.; Wang, M.D.

2016-01-01

Computational analysis of histopathological whole slide images (WSIs) has emerged as a potential means for improving cancer diagnosis and prognosis. However, an open issue relating to the automated processing of WSIs is the identification of biological regions such as tumor, stroma, and necrotic tissue on the slide. We develop a method for classifying WSI portions (512x512-pixel tiles) into biological regions by (1) extracting a set of 461 image features from each WSI tile, (2) optimizing tile-level prediction models using nested cross-validation on a small (600 tile) manually annotated tile-level training set, and (3) validating the models against a much larger (1.7x106 tile) data set for which ground truth was available on the whole-slide level. We calculated the predicted prevalence of each tissue region and compared this prevalence to the ground truth prevalence for each image in an independent validation set. Results show significant correlation between the predicted (using automated system) and reported biological region prevalences with p < 0.001 for eight of nine cases considered. PMID:27532012

A High-Resolution Tile-Based Approach for Classifying Biological Regions in Whole-Slide Histopathological Images.

PubMed

Hoffman, R A; Kothari, S; Phan, J H; Wang, M D

Computational analysis of histopathological whole slide images (WSIs) has emerged as a potential means for improving cancer diagnosis and prognosis. However, an open issue relating to the automated processing of WSIs is the identification of biological regions such as tumor, stroma, and necrotic tissue on the slide. We develop a method for classifying WSI portions (512x512-pixel tiles) into biological regions by (1) extracting a set of 461 image features from each WSI tile, (2) optimizing tile-level prediction models using nested cross-validation on a small (600 tile) manually annotated tile-level training set, and (3) validating the models against a much larger (1.7x10 6 tile) data set for which ground truth was available on the whole-slide level. We calculated the predicted prevalence of each tissue region and compared this prevalence to the ground truth prevalence for each image in an independent validation set. Results show significant correlation between the predicted (using automated system) and reported biological region prevalences with p < 0.001 for eight of nine cases considered.

Waardenburg syndrome: clinical differentiation between types I and II.

PubMed

Pardono, Eliete; van Bever, Yolande; van den Ende, Jenneke; Havrenne, Poti C; Iughetti, Paula; Maestrelli, Sylvia R P; Costa F, Orozimbo; Richieri-Costa, Antonio; Frota-Pessoa, Oswaldo; Otto, Paulo A

2003-03-15

Here we present the results of a study performed on 59 patients affected by Waardenburg syndrome (WS), 30 with the I variant, 21 having the type II, and 8 of them being isolated cases without telecanthus. These patients belong to 37 families; the main contributions and conclusions are based on the detailed study of 25 of these families, examined using standard procedures. All patients were examined as to the presence of eight cardinal signs important for the diagnosis of the condition; from each patient, from many of his/her normal relatives, and from a control sample of 300 normal individuals stratified by age and sex, 23 different craniofacial measurements were obtained. We also estimated, using our own data as well those collected from the literature, the frequencies of the cardinal signs, based on a total sample of 461 affected individuals with WSI and 121 with WSII. In order to originate discriminant functions to separate individuals affected by one of the two variants, both metric (from craniofacial measurements) as well as categoric data (based on the frequencies of the cardinal signs or symptoms) were used. Discriminant analysis based on the frequency of the eight cardinal signs can improve the separation of WSI patients without telecanthus from those presenting the variant II. We present also a Table with the conditional probabilities favoring the diagnosis of WSI for suspect subjects without telecanthus and any combination of the other seven signs/symptoms. The discriminant function based on the four ocular measurements (inner and outer intercanthal, interpupillary, and inferior lacrymal distances), on the other side, perfectly classifies patients affected by one of the variants of WS, the same taking place when the average values of the W index of all affected individuals per family are used. The discriminant function based solely in the individual W index values of patients correctly classifies 93% of WSII subjects, but only 60% of the patients with the I variant of WS. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Carbohydrate composition, viscosity, solubility, and sensory acceptance of sweetpotato- and maize-based complementary foods

PubMed Central

Amagloh, Francis Kweku; Mutukumira, Anthony N.; Brough, Louise; Weber, Janet L.; Hardacre, Allan; Coad, Jane

2013-01-01

Background Cereal-based complementary foods from non-malted ingredients form a relatively high viscous porridge. Therefore, excessive dilution, usually with water, is required to reduce the viscosity to be appropriate for infant feeding. The dilution invariably leads to energy and nutrient thinning, that is, the reduction of energy and nutrient densities. Carbohydrate is the major constituent of food that significantly influences viscosity when heated in water. Objectives To compare the sweetpotato-based complementary foods (extrusion-cooked ComFa, roller-dried ComFa, and oven-toasted ComFa) and enriched Weanimix (maize-based formulation) regarding their 1) carbohydrate composition, 2) viscosity and water solubility index (WSI), and 3) sensory acceptance evaluated by sub-Sahara African women as model caregivers. Methods The level of simple sugars/carbohydrates was analysed by spectrophotometry, total dietary fibre by enzymatic-gravimetric method, and total carbohydrate and starch levels estimated by calculation. A Rapid Visco™ Analyser was used to measure viscosity. WSI was determined gravimetrically. A consumer sensory evaluation was used to evaluate the product acceptance of the roller-dried ComFa, oven-toasted ComFa, and enriched Weanimix. Results The sweetpotato-based complementary foods were, on average, significantly higher in maltose, sucrose, free glucose and fructose, and total dietary fibre, but they were markedly lower in starch content compared with the levels in the enriched Weanimix. Consequently, the sweetpotato-based complementary foods had relatively low apparent viscosity, and high WSI, than that of enriched Weanimix. The scores of sensory liking given by the caregivers were highest for the roller-dried ComFa, followed by the oven-toasted ComFa, and, finally, the enriched Weanimix. Conclusion The sweetpotato-based formulations have significant advantages as complementary food due to the high level of endogenous sugars and low starch content that reduce the viscosity, increase the solubility, impart desirable sensory characteristics, and potentially avoid excessive energy and nutrient thinning. PMID:23516115

Psychosocial Factors Are Associated With Blood Pressure Progression Among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study.

PubMed

Ford, Cassandra D; Sims, Mario; Higginbotham, John C; Crowther, Martha R; Wyatt, Sharon B; Musani, Solomon K; Payne, Thomas J; Fox, Ervin R; Parton, Jason M

2016-08-01

Research that examines the associations of psychosocial factors with incident hypertension among African Americans (AA) is limited. Using Jackson Heart Study (JHS) data, we examined associations of negative affect and stress with incident hypertension and blood pressure (BP) progression among AA. Our sample consisted of 1,656 normotensive participants at baseline (2000-2004) (mean age 47±12; 61% women). We investigated associations of negative affect (cynical distrust, anger-in, anger-out, and depressive symptoms) and stress (perceived stress, weekly stress inventory (WSI)-event, WSI-impact, and major life events) with BP progression (an increase by one BP stage as defined by JNC VII) and incident hypertension by examination 2 (2005-2008). Poisson regression analysis was utilized to examine the prevalence ratios (PRs; 95% confidence interval (CI)) of BP tracking and incident hypertension with psychosocial factors, adjusting for baseline age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), and hypertension risk factors. Fifty-six percentage of the sample (922 cases) had BP progression from 2005 to 2008. After adjustment for age, sex, and SES, a high anger-out score was associated with a 20% increased risk of BP progression compared to a low anger-out score (PR 1.20; 95% CI 1.05-1.36). High depressive symptoms score was associated with BP progression in the age, sex, and SES-adjusted model (PR 1.14; 95% CI 1.00-1.30). High WSI-event scores were associated with BP progression in the fully adjusted model (PR 1.21; 95% CI 1.04-1.40). We did not observe significant associations with any of the psychosocial measures and incident hypertension. Psychosocial factors were associated with BP progression, with the strongest evidence for number of stressful events that occurred. © American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2016. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Measuring scarce water saving from interregional virtual water flows in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, X.; Li, Y. P.; Yang, H.; Liu, W. F.; Tillotson, M. R.; Guan, D.; Yi, Y.; Wang, H.

2018-05-01

Trade of commodities can lead to virtual water flows between trading partners. When commodities flow from regions of high water productivity to regions of low water productivity, the trade has the potential to generate water saving. However, this accounting of water saving does not account for the water scarcity status in different regions. It could be that the water saving generated from this trade occurs at the expense of the intensified water scarcity in the exporting region, and exerts limited effect on water stress alleviation in importing regions. In this paper, we propose an approach to measure the scarce water saving associated with virtual water trade (measuring in water withdrawal/use). The scarce water is quantified by multiplying the water use in production with the water stress index (WSI). We assessed the scarce water saving/loss through interprovincial trade within China using a multi-region input-output table from 2010. The results show that interprovincial trade resulted in 14.2 km3 of water loss without considering water stress, but only 0.4 km3 scarce water loss using the scarce water concept. Among the 435 total connections of virtual water flows, 254 connections contributed to 20.2 km3 of scarce water saving. Most of these connections are virtual water flows from provinces with lower WSI to that with higher WSI. Conversely, 175 connections contributed to 20.6 km3 of scarce water loss. The virtual water flow connections between Xinjiang and other provinces stood out as the biggest contributors, accounting for 66% of total scarce water loss. The results show the importance of assessing water savings generated from trade with consideration of both water scarcity status and water productivity across regions. Identifying key connections of scarce water saving is useful in guiding interregional economic restructuring towards water stress alleviation, a major goal of China’s sustainable development strategy.

Exploring virtual reality technology and the Oculus Rift for the examination of digital pathology slides.

PubMed

Farahani, Navid; Post, Robert; Duboy, Jon; Ahmed, Ishtiaque; Kolowitz, Brian J; Krinchai, Teppituk; Monaco, Sara E; Fine, Jeffrey L; Hartman, Douglas J; Pantanowitz, Liron

2016-01-01

Digital slides obtained from whole slide imaging (WSI) platforms are typically viewed in two dimensions using desktop personal computer monitors or more recently on mobile devices. To the best of our knowledge, we are not aware of any studies viewing digital pathology slides in a virtual reality (VR) environment. VR technology enables users to be artificially immersed in and interact with a computer-simulated world. Oculus Rift is among the world's first consumer-targeted VR headsets, intended primarily for enhanced gaming. Our aim was to explore the use of the Oculus Rift for examining digital pathology slides in a VR environment. An Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2) was connected to a 64-bit computer running Virtual Desktop software. Glass slides from twenty randomly selected lymph node cases (ten with benign and ten malignant diagnoses) were digitized using a WSI scanner. Three pathologists reviewed these digital slides on a 27-inch 5K display and with the Oculus Rift after a 2-week washout period. Recorded endpoints included concordance of final diagnoses and time required to examine slides. The pathologists also rated their ease of navigation, image quality, and diagnostic confidence for both modalities. There was 90% diagnostic concordance when reviewing WSI using a 5K display and Oculus Rift. The time required to examine digital pathology slides on the 5K display averaged 39 s (range 10-120 s), compared to 62 s with the Oculus Rift (range 15-270 s). All pathologists confirmed that digital pathology slides were easily viewable in a VR environment. The ratings for image quality and diagnostic confidence were higher when using the 5K display. Using the Oculus Rift DK2 to view and navigate pathology whole slide images in a virtual environment is feasible for diagnostic purposes. However, image resolution using the Oculus Rift device was limited. Interactive VR technologies such as the Oculus Rift are novel tools that may be of use in digital pathology.

LiDAR and Image Point Cloud Comparison

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

UAV unmanned aerial vehicle USGS United States Geological Survey UTM Universal Transverse Mercator WGS 84 World Geodetic System 1984 WSI...19  1.  Physics of LiDAR Systems ................................................................20  III.  DATA AND SOFTWARE...ground control point GPS Global Positioning System IMU inertial measurements unit LiDAR light detection and ranging MI mutual information MVS

Cloud Computing-based Platform for Drought Decision-Making using Remote Sensing and Modeling Products: Preliminary Results for Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vivoni, E.; Mascaro, G.; Shupe, J. W.; Hiatt, C.; Potter, C. S.; Miller, R. L.; Stanley, J.; Abraham, T.; Castilla-Rubio, J.

2012-12-01

Droughts and their hydrological consequences are a major threat to food security throughout the world. In arid and semiarid regions dependent on irrigated agriculture, prolonged droughts lead to significant and recurring economic and social losses. In this contribution, we present preliminary results on integrating a set of multi-resolution drought indices into a cloud computing-based visualization platform. We focused our initial efforts on Brazil due to a severe, on-going drought in a large agricultural area in the northeastern part of the country. The online platform includes drought products developed from: (1) a MODIS-based water stress index (WSI) based on inferences from normalized difference vegetation index and land surface temperature fields, (2) a volumetric water content (VWC) index obtained from application of the NASA CASA model, and (3) a set of AVHRR-based vegetation health indices obtained from NOAA/NESDIS. The drought indices are also presented in terms of anomalies with respect to a baseline period. Since our main objective is to engage stakeholders and decision-makers in Brazil, we incorporated other relevant geospatial data into the platform, including irrigation areas, dams and reservoirs, administrative units and annual climate information. We will also present a set of use cases developed to help stakeholders explore, query and provide feedback that allowed fine-tuning of the drought product delivery, presentation and analysis tools. Finally, we discuss potential next steps in development of the online platform, including applications at finer resolutions in specific basins and at a coarser global scale.

Finite Element Analysis of Eutectic Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-12

Reported are the details of processing conditions, microstructure development, and temperature dependent thermoelectric properties . The material system...Sootsman et al ., Microstructure and Thermoelectric Properties of Mechanically Robust PbTe-Si Eutectic Composites, Chem. Mater. 22 (2010) 869. 7. J...Professor) CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSTY Thermoelectric Properties of WSi2-SixGe1-x Composites Thermoelectric properties of the W/Si/Ge alloy

Hotspot relaxation dynamics in a current-carrying superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsili, F.; Stevens, M. J.; Kozorezov, A.; Verma, V. B.; Lambert, Colin; Stern, J. A.; Horansky, R. D.; Dyer, S.; Duff, S.; Pappas, D. P.; Lita, A. E.; Shaw, M. D.; Mirin, R. P.; Nam, S. W.

2016-03-01

We experimentally studied the dynamics of optically excited hotspots in current-carrying WSi superconducting nanowires as a function of bias current, bath temperature, and excitation wavelength. We observed that the hotspot relaxation time depends on bias current, temperature, and wavelength. We explained this effect with a model based on quasiparticle recombination, which provides insight into the quasiparticle dynamics of superconductors.

Baseline Assessment of the Use of Weather Information in Airline Systems Operations Centers

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-01

QicP.------------Qualified.internet.communications.Provider sigMeT.--------significant.Meteorological.information TaF ...conditions, Lifted / K index Aviation Terminal Forecast, TAFs CCFP Dispatch Supervisor 163 Bombardier CRJ100/200 CRJ700 CRJ900 Dash 8-200...ceiling Sabre TAFs , METARs, NOTAMs, AIRMETs WSI winds aloft 6..... after. interviewing,. we. observed. the. dispatchers. to. determine

Digital slides and ACGME resident competencies in anatomic pathology: An altered paradigm for acquisition and assessment

PubMed Central

Hassell, Lewis A.; Fung, Kar-Ming; Chaser, Brad

2011-01-01

Whole slide digital imaging technology has matured considerably over the past decade. Applications in pathology education are widespread and are rapidly transforming the manner in which medical students learn pathology and histology, and they have a novel and significant impact on postgraduate continuing medical education. Whole slide digital images for use in pathology graduate education have been slower in adoption and remain much less widespread. Emphasis on professional competency by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and credentialing organizations, however, appear poised to significantly increase. The convergence of these two forces is propitious for pathology training. This article examines the opportunities for the use of whole slide images (WSI) in pathology residency training along with the developing potential uses in each of the areas of competency, as categorized by the ACGME. Barriers to WSI adoption in the pathology community are identified along with potentially significant promoters for adoption in training and practice. Current literature and recent presentations are reviewed. Digital pathology coupled with emphasis on competency is a shift of tremendous magnitude that can dramatically improve our abilities to help trainees acquire, demonstrate, and maintain the skills to practice pathology in the generation ahead. PMID:21773058

Hard x-ray characterization of a HEFT single-reflection prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, Finn E.; Craig, William W.; Hailey, Charles J.; Jimenez-Garate, Mario A.; Windt, David L.; Harrison, Fiona A.; Mao, Peter H.; Ziegler, Eric; Honkimaki, Veijo; Sanchez del Rio, Manuel; Freund, Andreas K.; Ohler, M.

2000-07-01

We have measured the hard X-ray reflectivity and imaging performance from depth graded W/Si multilayer coated mirror segments mounted in a single reflection cylindrical prototype for the hard X-ray telescopes to be flown on the High Energy Focusing Telescope (HEFT) balloon mission. Data have been obtained in the energy range from 18 - 170 keV at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and at the Danish Space Research Institute at 8 keV. The modeling of the reflectivity data demonstrate that the multilayer structure can be well described by the intended power law distribution of the bilayer thicknesses optimized for the telescope performance and we find that all the data is consistent with an interfacial width of 4.5 angstroms. We have also demonstrated that the required 5% uniformity of the coatings is obtained over the mirror surface and we have shown that it is feasible to use similar W/Si coatings for much higher energies than the nominal energy range of HEFT leading the way for designing Gamma-ray telescopes for future astronomical applications. Finally we have demonstrate 35 arcsecond Half Power Diameter imaging performance of the one bounce prototype throughout the energy range of the HEFT telescopes.

Virtual microscopy beyond the pyramids, applications of WSI in Cairo University for E-education & telepathology.

PubMed

Ayad, Essam; Yagi, Yukako

2012-01-01

Telepathology, the practice of pathology at a long distance, has advanced continuously since 1986. The progress of telepathology passed through four stages: Static, Dynamic, Hybrid & Whole Slide Imaging. A pilot project between the Italian Hospital in Cairo & the Civico Hospital in Palermo was completed successfully, applying the static & dynamic techniques of telepathology. This project began in 2003 and continued till now. In 2004, centers in Venice, London and Pittsburgh participated actively in our project. Over eight years we consulted on many problematic pathological cases with specialized pathological centers in Italy, U.K. & U.S.A. In addition to the highly specialized scientific value, we saved a lot of time and money. We concluded from our experience that telepathology is a very useful and applicable tool for additional consulting on difficult pathological cases especially for emerging countries. In view of this success we have already established our Digital Telepathology Unit in Cairo University, using the WSI technique in teaching which was greatly successful and encouraged us to build a huge digital pathology library which will expand our telepathology & E-learning programs to cover staff and students in Egypt and Eastern Mediterranean.

Virtual Microscopy Beyond the Pyramids, Applications of WSI in Cairo University for E-Education & Telepathology

PubMed Central

Ayad, Essam; Yagi, Yukako

2012-01-01

Background: Telepathology, the practice of pathology at a long distance, has advanced continuously since 1986. The progress of telepathology passed through four stages: Static, Dynamic, Hybrid & Whole Slide Imaging. Materials and Methods: A pilot project between the Italian Hospital in Cairo & the Civico Hospital in Palermo was completed successfully, applying the static & dynamic techniques of telepathology. This project began in 2003 and continued till now. In 2004, centers in Venice, London and Pittsburgh participated actively in our project. Results: Over eight years we consulted on many problematic pathological cases with specialized pathological centers in Italy, UK & USA. In addition to the highly specialized scientific value, we saved a lot of time and money. Conclusion: We concluded from our experience that telepathology is a very useful and applicable tool for additional consulting on difficult pathological cases especially for emerging countries. In view of this success we have already established our Digital Telepathology Unit in Cairo University, using the WSI technique in teaching which was greatly successful and encouraged us to build a huge digital pathology library which will expand our telepathology & E-learning programs to cover staff and students in Egypt and Eastern Mediterranean. PMID:22297472

Integrated assessment of global water scarcity over the 21st century under multiple climate change mitigation policies

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

Hejazi, Mohamad I.; Edmonds, James A.; Clarke, Leon E.

2014-08-01

Water scarcity conditions over the 21st century both globally and regionally are assessed in the context of climate change and climate mitigation policies, by estimating both water availability and water demand within the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM), a leading community integrated assessment model of energy, agriculture, climate, and water. To quantify changes in future water availability, a new gridded water-balance global hydrologic model – namely, the Global Water Availability Model (GWAM) – is developed and evaluated. Global water demands for six major demand sectors (irrigation, livestock, domestic, electricity generation, primary energy production, and manufacturing) are modeled in GCAM atmore » the regional scale (14 geopolitical regions, 151 sub-regions) and then spatially downscaled to 0.5 o x 0.5o resolution to match the scale of GWAM. Using a baseline scenario (i.e., no climate change mitigation policy) with radiative forcing reaching 8.8 W/m2 (equivalent to the SRES A1Fi emission scenario) and three climate policy scenarios with increasing mitigation stringency of 7.7, 5.5, and 4.2 W/m2 (equivalent to the SRES A2, B2, and B1 emission scenarios, respectively), we investigate the effects of emission mitigation policies on water scarcity. Two carbon tax regimes (a universal carbon tax (UCT) which includes land use change emissions, and a fossil fuel and industrial emissions carbon tax (FFICT) which excludes land use change emissions) are analyzed. The baseline scenario results in more than half of the world population living under extreme water scarcity by the end of the 21st century. Additionally, in years 2050 and 2095, 36% (28%) and 44% (39%) of the global population, respectively, is projected to live in grid cells (in basins) that will experience greater water demands than the amount of available water in a year (i.e., the water scarcity index (WSI) > 1.0). When comparing the climate policy scenarios to the baseline scenario while maintaining the same baseline socioeconomic assumptions, water scarcity declines under a UCT mitigation policy but increases with a FFICT mitigation scenario by the year 2095 particularly with more stringent climate mitigation targets. Under the FFICT scenario, water scarcity is projected to increase driven by higher water demands for bio-energy crops.« less

Integrated assessment of global water scarcity over the 21st century under multiple climate change mitigation policies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hejazi, M. I.; Edmonds, J.; Clarke, L.; Kyle, P.; Davies, E.; Chaturvedi, V.; Wise, M.; Patel, P.; Eom, J.; Calvin, K.

2014-08-01

Water scarcity conditions over the 21st century both globally and regionally are assessed in the context of climate change and climate mitigation policies, by estimating both water availability and water demand within the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM), a leading community-integrated assessment model of energy, agriculture, climate, and water. To quantify changes in future water availability, a new gridded water-balance global hydrologic model - namely, the Global Water Availability Model (GWAM) - is developed and evaluated. Global water demands for six major demand sectors (irrigation, livestock, domestic, electricity generation, primary energy production, and manufacturing) are modeled in GCAM at the regional scale (14 geopolitical regions, 151 sub-regions) and then spatially downscaled to 0.5° × 0.5° resolution to match the scale of GWAM. Using a baseline scenario (i.e., no climate change mitigation policy) with radiative forcing reaching 8.8 W m-2 (equivalent to the SRES A1Fi emission scenario) and three climate policy scenarios with increasing mitigation stringency of 7.7, 5.5, and 4.2 W m-2 (equivalent to the SRES A2, B2, and B1 emission scenarios, respectively), we investigate the effects of emission mitigation policies on water scarcity. Two carbon tax regimes (a universal carbon tax (UCT) which includes land use change emissions, and a fossil fuel and industrial emissions carbon tax (FFICT) which excludes land use change emissions) are analyzed. The baseline scenario results in more than half of the world population living under extreme water scarcity by the end of the 21st century. Additionally, in years 2050 and 2095, 36% (28%) and 44% (39%) of the global population, respectively, is projected to live in grid cells (in basins) that will experience greater water demands than the amount of available water in a year (i.e., the water scarcity index (WSI) > 1.0). When comparing the climate policy scenarios to the baseline scenario while maintaining the same baseline socioeconomic assumptions, water scarcity declines under a UCT mitigation policy but increases with a FFICT mitigation scenario by the year 2095, particularly with more stringent climate mitigation targets. Under the FFICT scenario, water scarcity is projected to increase, driven by higher water demands for bio-energy crops.

Digital pathology: A systematic evaluation of the patent landscape.

PubMed

Cucoranu, Ioan C; Parwani, Anil V; Vepa, Suryanarayana; Weinstein, Ronald S; Pantanowitz, Liron

2014-01-01

Digital pathology is a relatively new field. Inventors of technology in this field typically file for patents to protect their intellectual property. An understanding of the patent landscape is crucial for companies wishing to secure patent protection and market dominance for their products. To our knowledge, there has been no prior systematic review of patents related to digital pathology. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically identify and evaluate United States patents and patent applications related to digital pathology. Issued patents and patent applications related to digital pathology published in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database (www.uspto.gov) (through January 2014) were searched using the Google Patents search engine (Google Inc., Mountain View, California, USA). Keywords and phrases related to digital pathology, whole-slide imaging (WSI), image analysis, and telepathology were used to query the USPTO database. Data were downloaded and analyzed using the Papers application (Mekentosj BV, Aalsmeer, Netherlands). A total of 588 United States patents that pertain to digital pathology were identified. In addition, 228 patent applications were identified, including 155 that were pending, 65 abandoned, and eight rejected. Of the 588 patents granted, 348 (59.18%) were specific to pathology, while 240 (40.82%) included more general patents also usable outside of pathology. There were 70 (21.12%) patents specific to pathology and 57 (23.75%) more general patents that had expired. Over 120 unique entities (individual inventors, academic institutions, and private companies) applied for pathology specific patents. Patents dealt largely with telepathology and image analysis. WSI related patents addressed image acquisition (scanning and focus), quality (z-stacks), management (storage, retrieval, and transmission of WSI files), and viewing (graphical user interface (GUI), workflow, slide navigation and remote control). An increasing number of recent patents focused on computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) and digital consultation networks. In the last 2 decades, there have been an increasing number of patents granted and patent applications filed related to digital pathology. The number of these patents quadrupled during the last decade, and this trend is predicted to intensify based on the number of patent applications already published by the USPTO.

Digital pathology: A systematic evaluation of the patent landscape

PubMed Central

Cucoranu, Ioan C.; Parwani, Anil V.; Vepa, Suryanarayana; Weinstein, Ronald S.; Pantanowitz, Liron

2014-01-01

Introduction: Digital pathology is a relatively new field. Inventors of technology in this field typically file for patents to protect their intellectual property. An understanding of the patent landscape is crucial for companies wishing to secure patent protection and market dominance for their products. To our knowledge, there has been no prior systematic review of patents related to digital pathology. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically identify and evaluate United States patents and patent applications related to digital pathology. Materials and Methods: Issued patents and patent applications related to digital pathology published in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database (www.uspto.gov) (through January 2014) were searched using the Google Patents search engine (Google Inc., Mountain View, California, USA). Keywords and phrases related to digital pathology, whole-slide imaging (WSI), image analysis, and telepathology were used to query the USPTO database. Data were downloaded and analyzed using the Papers application (Mekentosj BV, Aalsmeer, Netherlands). Results: A total of 588 United States patents that pertain to digital pathology were identified. In addition, 228 patent applications were identified, including 155 that were pending, 65 abandoned, and eight rejected. Of the 588 patents granted, 348 (59.18%) were specific to pathology, while 240 (40.82%) included more general patents also usable outside of pathology. There were 70 (21.12%) patents specific to pathology and 57 (23.75%) more general patents that had expired. Over 120 unique entities (individual inventors, academic institutions, and private companies) applied for pathology specific patents. Patents dealt largely with telepathology and image analysis. WSI related patents addressed image acquisition (scanning and focus), quality (z-stacks), management (storage, retrieval, and transmission of WSI files), and viewing (graphical user interface (GUI), workflow, slide navigation and remote control). An increasing number of recent patents focused on computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) and digital consultation networks. Conclusion: In the last 2 decades, there have been an increasing number of patents granted and patent applications filed related to digital pathology. The number of these patents quadrupled during the last decade, and this trend is predicted to intensify based on the number of patent applications already published by the USPTO. PMID:25057430

Exploring virtual reality technology and the Oculus Rift for the examination of digital pathology slides

PubMed Central

Farahani, Navid; Post, Robert; Duboy, Jon; Ahmed, Ishtiaque; Kolowitz, Brian J.; Krinchai, Teppituk; Monaco, Sara E.; Fine, Jeffrey L.; Hartman, Douglas J.; Pantanowitz, Liron

2016-01-01

Background: Digital slides obtained from whole slide imaging (WSI) platforms are typically viewed in two dimensions using desktop personal computer monitors or more recently on mobile devices. To the best of our knowledge, we are not aware of any studies viewing digital pathology slides in a virtual reality (VR) environment. VR technology enables users to be artificially immersed in and interact with a computer-simulated world. Oculus Rift is among the world's first consumer-targeted VR headsets, intended primarily for enhanced gaming. Our aim was to explore the use of the Oculus Rift for examining digital pathology slides in a VR environment. Methods: An Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2) was connected to a 64-bit computer running Virtual Desktop software. Glass slides from twenty randomly selected lymph node cases (ten with benign and ten malignant diagnoses) were digitized using a WSI scanner. Three pathologists reviewed these digital slides on a 27-inch 5K display and with the Oculus Rift after a 2-week washout period. Recorded endpoints included concordance of final diagnoses and time required to examine slides. The pathologists also rated their ease of navigation, image quality, and diagnostic confidence for both modalities. Results: There was 90% diagnostic concordance when reviewing WSI using a 5K display and Oculus Rift. The time required to examine digital pathology slides on the 5K display averaged 39 s (range 10–120 s), compared to 62 s with the Oculus Rift (range 15–270 s). All pathologists confirmed that digital pathology slides were easily viewable in a VR environment. The ratings for image quality and diagnostic confidence were higher when using the 5K display. Conclusion: Using the Oculus Rift DK2 to view and navigate pathology whole slide images in a virtual environment is feasible for diagnostic purposes. However, image resolution using the Oculus Rift device was limited. Interactive VR technologies such as the Oculus Rift are novel tools that may be of use in digital pathology. PMID:27217972

Development of X-ray Microscopy at IPOE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, J.; Mu, B.; Huang, Q.; Huang, C.; Yi, S.; Zhang, Z.; Wang, F.; Wang, Z.; Chen, L.

2011-09-01

In order to meet the different requirements of applications in synchrotron radiation and plasma diagnosis in China, focusing and imaging optics based on Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) mirrors, compound refractive lenses (CRLs), and multilayer Laue lenses (MLLs) were studied in our lab. A one-dimensional KB microscope using mirrors with a dual-periodic multilayer coating was developed. The multilayer mirror can reflect both 4.75 keV (Ti K-line) and 8.05 keV (Cu K-line) simultaneously, which makes alignment easier. For hard x-ray microscopy, CRL was studied. Using a SU-8 resist planar parabolic CRL, a focal line of 28.8-μm width was obtained. To focus hard x-rays to nanometer levels efficiently, an MLL was fabricated using a WSi2/Si multilayer. The MLL consists of 324 alternating WSi2 and Si layers with a total thickness of 7.9 μm. (Recently, a much thicker multilayer has been deposited with a layer number of n = 1582 and a total thickness of 27 μm.) After deposition, the sample was sliced and polished into an approximate ideal aspect ratio (depth of the zone plate to outmost layer thickness); the measured results show an intact structure remains, and the surface roughness of the cross section is about 0.4 nm after grinding and polishing processes.

Effect of extrusion cooking on the physicochemical properties, resistant starch, phenolic content and antioxidant capacities of green banana flour.

PubMed

Sarawong, Chonthira; Schoenlechner, Regine; Sekiguchi, Ken; Berghofer, Emmerich; Ng, Perry K W

2014-01-15

Green banana flour was extruded through a co-rotating twin-screw extruder with constant barrel temperature. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of extrusion cooking variables (feed moisture, FM, 20% and 50%; screw speed, SS, 200 and 400rpm) and storing of the extruded flours at 4°C for 24h on the physicochemical properties, resistant starch (RS), pasting properties and antioxidant capacities. Extrusion cooking at higher FM and lower SS increased the amylose content, which was expressed in highest RS content. Water adsorption index (WAI) and pasting properties were increased, while water solubility index (WSI), total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activities (FRAP, ABTS(+), DPPH) in free and bound phenolics were decreased compared to the other extruded samples. Storing the extruded flours at 4°C for 24h prior to oven drying was the main factor leading to a further increase in the content of amylose, RS, TPC and WSI values, as well as pasting properties - in particular peak viscosity. Compared to native banana flour, extrusion cooking caused significant changes in all studied properties of the extruded flours, except for soluble DF and antioxidant capacity (ABTS(+) and DPPH) of bound phenolics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Diagnostic Approach for Rodent Progressive Cardiomyopathy and Like Lesions in Toxicology Studies up to 28 Days in the Sprague Dawley Rat (Part 2 of 2).

PubMed

Hailey, James R; Maleeff, Beverly E; Thomas, Heath C; Pearse, Gail; Klapwijk, Jan C; Cristofori, Patrizia G; Berridge, Brian; Kimbrough, Carie L; Parker, George A; Morton, Daniel; Elmore, Susan; Hardisty, Jerry F; Dybdal, Noel O; Rehagen, David A; Fikes, James D; Lamb, Martin; Biddle, Kathleen; Buetow, Bernard S; Carreira, Vinicius; Nyska, Abraham; Tripathi, Niraj K; Workman, Heather C; Bienvenu, Jean-Guy; Brees, Ingrid; Turk, James R; Adler, Rick R

2017-12-01

To test the diagnostic approach described in part 1 of this article, 2 exercises were completed by pathologists from multiple companies/agencies. Pathologist's examination of whole slide image (WSI) heart sections from rats using personal diagnostic approaches (exercise #1) corroborated conclusions from study #1. Using the diagnostic approach described in part 1, these pathologists examined the same WSI heart sections (exercise #2) to determine whether that approach increased consistency of diagnosis of rodent progressive cardiomyopathy (PCM) lesions. In exercise #2, there was improved consistency of categorization of small borderline morphologies and mild lesions, but a decrement in consistency of categorizing minimal lesions. Exercises 1 and 2 suggest the described diagnostic approach is representative of that in use by the majority of toxicologic pathologists across companies/agencies and that application by all may improve diagnostic consistency of PCM/like lesions. Additionally, a criterion of approximately 5% heart section involvement is suggested for separating mild from moderate or greater severity. While evidence is not absolute, until further investigation shows otherwise, microscopic changes resembling PCM, but located in the epicardial and subepicardial region of the right ventricle, may be considered as part of the spectrum of PCM.

Optimizing spray drying conditions of sour cherry juice based on physicochemical properties, using response surface methodology (RSM).

PubMed

Moghaddam, Arasb Dabbagh; Pero, Milad; Askari, Gholam Reza

2017-01-01

In this study, the effects of main spray drying conditions such as inlet air temperature (100-140 °C), maltodextrin concentration (MDC: 30-60%), and aspiration rate (AR) (30-50%) on the physicochemical properties of sour cherry powder such as moisture content (MC), hygroscopicity, water solubility index (WSI), and bulk density were investigated. This investigation was carried out by employing response surface methodology and the process conditions were optimized by using this technique. The MC of the powder was negatively related to the linear effect of the MDC and inlet air temperature (IT) and directly related to the AR. Hygroscopicity of the powder was significantly influenced by the MDC. By increasing MDC in the juice, the hygroscopicity of the powder was decreased. MDC and inlet temperature had a positive effect, but the AR had a negative effect on the WSI of powder. MDC and inlet temperature negatively affected the bulk density of powder. By increasing these two variables, the bulk density of powder was decreased. The optimization procedure revealed that the following conditions resulted in a powder with the maximum solubility and minimum hygroscopicity: MDC = 60%, IT = 134 °C, and AR = 30% with a desirability of 0.875.

[The influence of music on pictorial expression of young women--a comparative study of different music styles].

PubMed

Schiltz, L; Maugendre, M; Brytek-Matera, A

2010-01-01

Questing one's personal identity and developing a coherent representation of oneself, the other and the world are major tasks in adolescence. Research showed that a satisfactory resolution of the crisis of adolescence can be favoured by psychological counselling based on artistic mediations. The objective of this study consisted in exploring the effect of music on the pictorial expression of a non clinical sample of female adolescents (N=157) aged from 17 to 28 years. We analysed free drawings realised by the test group with the help of a rating scale constructed in a phenomenological and structural perspective (Schiltz, 2006). The adolescents painted under musical induction. We proposed three different styles of music, i.e. baroque music (Georg Friedrich Händel and Johann Sebastian Bach), classical music (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven) and polish ethnical music (Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa-Warsaw Village Band). By using non parametric inferential and multi dimensional statistics, we could show that structural characteristics of music styles lead to differences in formal and content variables on the rating scales for the pictures. The results of our exploratory study open some tracks for future research. It would be pertinent to enlarge the population to other categories of age and to investigate the influence of gender.

Depression, Stress and Body Fat are Associated with Binge Eating in a Community Sample of African American and Hispanic Women

PubMed Central

Adamus-Leach, Heather J.; Wilson, Penny L.; O’Connor, Daniel P.; Rhode, Paula C.; Mama, Scherezade K.; Lee, Rebecca E.

2013-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among depressive symptoms, stress and severity of binge eating symptoms in a community sample of African American and Hispanic or Latina women. Method Women (African American n=127, Hispanic or Latina n=44) completed measures of body composition, stress, depression, and binge eating. Results Scores on a depressive symptom scale indicated that 24.0% of participants exhibited clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms. Mean binge eating scores were below the threshold for clinically diagnosed binge eating (12.99±7.90). Mean stressful event scores were 25.86±14.26 and the average stress impact score was 78.36±55.43. Linear regression models found that body composition, stress impact score, and being classified as having clinically significant levels of depression, were associated with severity of binge eating symptoms. Conclusion Higher levels of percent body fat, a CES-D score ≥16 and higher WSI-Impact scores were associated with greater severity of binge eating symptoms. PMID:23760851

Tutorial Conference on Neural Modeling

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

83 2’. ~ 4,~T~’E’~u. 1 -ivot oF mcpoqr & wiploo covE~to TUTORIAL CONFERENCE Oil NEURAL MODELING FINAL REPORT to 1 , PERFORMING OG..-AOT NUM..R I...necea wsy ang Identlif by block nw.berj nerve cell modeling ; stability-plasticity, diletma 20. ASTRACT lConrinue on tevot., side It necosasiY and...results of neural modelling , and to explore its implications for associated pyshcological disciplines. The format devoted the mornings to lectures by

Defatted flaxseed meal incorporated corn-rice flour blend based extruded product by response surface methodology.

PubMed

Ganorkar, Pravin M; Patel, Jhanvi M; Shah, Vrushti; Rangrej, Vihang V

2016-04-01

Considering the evidence of flaxseed and its defatted flaxseed meal (DFM) for human health benefits, response surface methodology (RSM) based on three level four factor central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was employed for the development of DFM incorporated corn - rice flour blend based extruded snack. The effect of DFM fortification (7.5-20 %), moisture content of feed (14-20 %, wb), extruder barrel temperature (115-135 °C) and screw speed (300-330 RPM) on expansion ratio (ER), breaking strength (BS), overall acceptability (OAA) score and water solubility index (WSI) of extrudates were investigated using central composite rotatable design (CCRD). Significant regression models explained the effect of considered variables on all responses. DFM incorporation level was found to be most significant independent variable affecting on extrudates characteristics followed by extruder barrel temperature and then screw rpm. Feed moisture content did not affect extrudates characteristics. As DFM level increased (7.5 % to 20 %), ER and OAA value decreased. However, BS and WSI values were found to increase with increase in DFM level. Based on the defined criteria for numerical optimization, the combination for the production of DFM incorporated extruded snack with desired sensory attributes was achieved by incorporating 10 % DFM (replacing rice flour in flour blend) and by keeping 20 % moisture content, 312 screw rpm and 125 °C barrel temperature.

Automated high-grade prostate cancer detection and ranking on whole slide images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chao-Hui; Racoceanu, Daniel

2017-03-01

Recently, digital pathology (DP) has been largely improved due to the development of computer vision and machine learning. Automated detection of high-grade prostate carcinoma (HG-PCa) is an impactful medical use-case showing the paradigm of collaboration between DP and computer science: given a field of view (FOV) from a whole slide image (WSI), the computer-aided system is able to determine the grade by classifying the FOV. Various approaches have been reported based on this approach. However, there are two reasons supporting us to conduct this work: first, there is still room for improvement in terms of detection accuracy of HG-PCa; second, a clinical practice is more complex than the operation of simple image classification. FOV ranking is also an essential step. E.g., in clinical practice, a pathologist usually evaluates a case based on a few FOVs from the given WSI. Then, makes decision based on the most severe FOV. This important ranking scenario is not yet being well discussed. In this work, we introduce an automated detection and ranking system for PCa based on Gleason pattern discrimination. Our experiments suggested that the proposed system is able to perform high-accuracy detection ( 95:57% +/- 2:1%) and excellent performance of ranking. Hence, the proposed system has a great potential to support the daily tasks in the medical routine of clinical pathology.

Physico-chemical, nutritional and infrared spectroscopy evaluation of an optimized soybean/corn flour extrudate.

PubMed

Guzmán-Ortiz, Fabiola Araceli; Hernández-Sánchez, Humberto; Yee-Madeira, Hernani; San Martín-Martínez, Eduardo; Robles-Ramírez, María Del Carmen; Rojas-López, Marlon; Berríos, Jose De J; Mora-Escobedo, Rosalva

2015-07-01

A central composite design using RMS (Response Surface Methodology) successfully described the effect of independent variables (feed moisture, die temperature and soybean proportion) on the specific parameters of product quality as expansion index (EI), water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI) and total color difference (ΔE) studied. The regression model indicated that EI, WAI, WSI and ΔE were significant (p < 0.05) with coefficients of determination (R(2)) of 0.7371, 0.7588, 0.7622, 0.8150, respectively. The optimized processing conditions were obtained with 25.8 % feed moisture, 160 °C die temperature and 58 %/42 % soybean/corn proportion. It was not found statistically changes in amino acid profile due to extrusion process. The electrophoretic profile of extruded soybean/corn mix presented low intensity molecular weight bands, compared to the unprocessed sample. The generation of low molecular weight polypeptides was associated to an increased in In vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of the extrudate. The FTIR spectra of the soybean/corn mix before and after extrusion showed that the α-helix structure remained unchanged after extrusion. However, the band associated with β-sheet structure showed to be split into two bands at 1624 and 1640 cm(-1) . The changes in the β-sheet structures may be also associated to the increased in IVPD in the extruded sample.

Community Detection in Sparse Random Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-13

if, (i, j) ∈ E , meaning there is an edge between nodes i, j ∈ V. Note that W is symmetric, and we assume that Wii = 0 for all i. Under the null... Wii = 0.) Our arguments are parallel to those we used under P0, the only difficulty being that Wi is not binomial anymore. Indeed, WSi ∼ Bin(n − 1, p1...Berlin: Springer. Alon, N. and S. Gutner (2010). Balanced families of perfect hash functions and their applications. ACM Trans. Algorithms 6 (3), Art

Design and Evaluation of Fault-Tolerant VLSI/WSI Processor Arrays.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-31

studies reported in this paper. In Section .3, the reliabuility characteristics of single-level FTPA’s are discusseri. Four different type of FTPA’s are...for processor arrays are proposed and studied . Stu- dies on algorithmic and software aspects relevant to systems are reported in items 4, 5, 8, 12 and...O’Keefe M., and Fortes, J. A. B., "A Comparative Study of Two Systematic Design Methodologies for Systolic Arrays," (Long Version) International Workshop on

Handheld computing in pathology

PubMed Central

Park, Seung; Parwani, Anil; Satyanarayanan, Mahadev; Pantanowitz, Liron

2012-01-01

Handheld computing has had many applications in medicine, but relatively few in pathology. Most reported uses of handhelds in pathology have been limited to experimental endeavors in telemedicine or education. With recent advances in handheld hardware and software, along with concurrent advances in whole-slide imaging (WSI), new opportunities and challenges have presented themselves. This review addresses the current state of handheld hardware and software, provides a history of handheld devices in medicine focusing on pathology, and presents future use cases for such handhelds in pathology. PMID:22616027

Development of a Paradigm to Assess Nutritive and Biochemical Substances in Humans: A Preliminary Report on the Effects of Tyrosine upon Altitude- and Cold-Induced Stress Responses

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-01

3/4 hours. Performance tests evaluated simple and choice reaction time to visual stimuli, vigilance, and processing of symbolic, numerical, verbal...minimize the adverse consequences of these stressors. Tyrosine enhanced performance (e.g. complex information processing , vigilance, and reaction time... processes inherent in many real-world tasks. For example, Map Compass requires association of Wsi PL AFCm uA O-SV CHETCLtISS) direction and degree

21st century projections of snowfall and winter severity across central-eastern North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Notaro, M.; Lorenz, D. J.; Hoving, C.; Schummer, M.

2014-12-01

Statistically downscaled climate projections from nine global climate models (GCMs) are used to force a snow accumulation and ablation model (SNOW-17) across the central-eastern North American Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) to develop high-resolution projections of snowfall, snow depth, and winter severity index (WSI) by the mid- and late 21st century. Here, we use projections of a cumulative WSI (CWSI) known to influence autumn-winter waterfowl migration to demonstrate the utility of SNOW-17 results. The application of statistically downscaled climate data and a snow model leads to a better representation of lake processes in the Great Lakes Basin, topographic effects in the Appalachian Mountains, and spatial patterns of climatological snowfall, compared to the original GCMs. Annual mean snowfall is simulated to decline across the region, particularly in early winter (December-January), leading to a delay in the mean onset of the snow season. Due to a warming-induced acceleration of snowmelt, the percentage loss in snow depth exceeds that of snowfall. Across the Plains and Prairie Potholes LCC and Upper Midwest and Great Lakes LCC, daily snowfall events are projected to become less common, but more intense. The greatest reductions in the number of days per year with a present snowpack are expected close to the historical position of the -5°C isotherm in DJFM, around 44°N. The CWSI is projected to decline substantially during December-January, leading to increased likelihood of delays in timing and intensity of autumn-winter waterfowl migrations.

Young bamboo culm: Potential food as source of fiber and starch.

PubMed

Felisberto, Mária Herminia Ferrari; Miyake, Patricia Satie Endo; Beraldo, Antonio Ludovico; Clerici, Maria Teresa Pedrosa Silva

2017-11-01

With the objective of widening the use of bamboo in the food industry, the present work aimed to produce and characterize the young bamboo culm flours from varieties Dendrocalamus asper, Bambusa tuldoides and Bambusa vulgaris as potential sources of fiber and starch. The young culms were collected, cut in three sections (bottom, middle, top), processed into flour, and they were physically, chemically and technologically analyzed. The data were obtained in triplicate and evaluated by means of average differences, using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scott-Knott test (p<0.05). The young bamboo culms flours presented low values for moisture content (<10g/100g), protein, lipids and ash contents (<3g/100g). Regarding the carbohydrates profile, the flours were significantly different in their sugar, starch and total fiber contents. All flour samples presented a potential for fiber extraction (>60g/100g), and the varieties B. vulgaris and D. asper, presented an additional potential for starch extraction (16 and 10g/100g, respectively). Regarding technological characteristics, all flours presented bright yellow color, lightly acidic pH (>5.0), water solubility index (WSI) lower to 2.5%, excepting D. asper, which presented a WSI superior to 7.5%. In this way, the evaluated young bamboo culms present potential application in the food industry as flours and as source of fibers; in addition, the varieties D. asper and B. vulgaris can also be used for starch extraction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of the Soak and the Malt on the Physicochemical Properties of the Sorghum Starches

PubMed Central

Claver, Irakoze Pierre; Zhang, Haihua; Li, Qin; Zhu, Kexue; Zhou, Huiming

2010-01-01

Starches were isolated from soaked and malted sorghum and studied to understand their physicochemical and functional properties. The swelling power (SP) and the water solubility index (WSI) of both starches were nearly similar at temperatures below 50 °C, but at more than 50 °C, the starch isolated from malted sorghum showed lower SP and high WSI than those isolated from raw and soaked sorghum. The pasting properties of starches determined by rapid visco-analyzer (RVA) showed that malted sorghum starch had a lower viscosity peak value (86 BU/RVU) than raw sorghum starch (454 BU/RVU). For both sorghum, X-ray diffractograms exhibited an A-type diffraction pattern, typical of cereal starches and the relative degrees of crystallinity ranged from 9.62 to 15.50%. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed that raw sorghum starch showed an endotherm with a peak temperature (Tp) at 78.06 °C and gelatinization enthalpies of 2.83 J/g whereas five-day malted sorghum starch had a Tp at 47.22 °C and gelatinization enthalpies of 2.06 J/g. Storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) of all starch suspensions increased steeply to a maximum at 70 °C and then decreased with continuous heating. The structural analysis of malted sorghum starch showed porosity on the granule’s surface susceptible to the amylolysis. The results showed that physicochemical and functional properties of sorghum starches are influenced by soaking and malting methods. PMID:21152287

eeDAP: An Evaluation Environment for Digital and Analog Pathology.

PubMed

Gallas, Brandon D; Cheng, Wei-Chung; Gavrielides, Marios A; Ivansky, Adam; Keay, Tyler; Wunderlich, Adam; Hipp, Jason; Hewitt, Stephen M

2014-01-01

The purpose of this work is to present a platform for designing and executing studies that compare pathologists interpreting histopathology of whole slide images (WSI) on a computer display to pathologists interpreting glass slides on an optical microscope. Here we present eeDAP, an evaluation environment for digital and analog pathology. The key element in eeDAP is the registration of the WSI to the glass slide. Registration is accomplished through computer control of the microscope stage and a camera mounted on the microscope that acquires images of the real time microscope view. Registration allows for the evaluation of the same regions of interest (ROIs) in both domains. This can reduce or eliminate disagreements that arise from pathologists interpreting different areas and focuses the comparison on image quality. We reduced the pathologist interpretation area from an entire glass slide (≈10-30 mm) 2 to small ROIs <(50 um) 2 . We also made possible the evaluation of individual cells. We summarize eeDAP's software and hardware and provide calculations and corresponding images of the microscope field of view and the ROIs extracted from the WSIs. These calculations help provide a sense of eeDAP's functionality and operating principles, while the images provide a sense of the look and feel of studies that can be conducted in the digital and analog domains. The eeDAP software can be downloaded from code.google.com (project: eeDAP) as Matlab source or as a precompiled stand-alone license-free application.

Continuing Support of Cloud Free Line of Sight Determination Including Whole Sky Imaging of Clouds

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-30

which is documented in Shields et al. 2007a, Technical Note 271, and Contract N00014-01-D- 0043 DO #11, which is reviewed in Section 2 and documented in...Shields et al. 2007b, Technical Note 272. Under DO #13, we finished preparation of two of the WSI units and their software, and fielded them...and b, and 2005b and c). One of the first two units was fielded at the Air Force’s Starfire Optical Range in October 1992. Technical Memo AV06

Exploring viewing behavior data from whole slide images to predict correctness of students' answers during practical exams in oral pathology.

PubMed

Walkowski, Slawomir; Lundin, Mikael; Szymas, Janusz; Lundin, Johan

2015-01-01

The way of viewing whole slide images (WSI) can be tracked and analyzed. In particular, it can be useful to learn how medical students view WSIs during exams and how their viewing behavior is correlated with correctness of the answers they give. We used software-based view path tracking method that enabled gathering data about viewing behavior of multiple simultaneous WSI users. This approach was implemented and applied during two practical exams in oral pathology in 2012 (88 students) and 2013 (91 students), which were based on questions with attached WSIs. Gathered data were visualized and analyzed in multiple ways. As a part of extended analysis, we tried to use machine learning approaches to predict correctness of students' answers based on how they viewed WSIs. We compared the results of analyses for years 2012 and 2013 - done for a single question, for student groups, and for a set of questions. The overall patterns were generally consistent across these 3 years. Moreover, viewing behavior data appeared to have certain potential for predicting answers' correctness and some outcomes of machine learning approaches were in the right direction. However, general prediction results were not satisfactory in terms of precision and recall. Our work confirmed that the view path tracking method is useful for discovering viewing behavior of students analyzing WSIs. It provided multiple useful insights in this area, and general results of our analyses were consistent across two exams. On the other hand, predicting answers' correctness appeared to be a difficult task - students' answers seem to be often unpredictable.

eeDAP: An Evaluation Environment for Digital and Analog Pathology

PubMed Central

Gallas, Brandon D.; Cheng, Wei-Chung; Gavrielides, Marios A.; Ivansky, Adam; Keay, Tyler; Wunderlich, Adam; Hipp, Jason; Hewitt, Stephen M.

2017-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this work is to present a platform for designing and executing studies that compare pathologists interpreting histopathology of whole slide images (WSI) on a computer display to pathologists interpreting glass slides on an optical microscope. Methods Here we present eeDAP, an evaluation environment for digital and analog pathology. The key element in eeDAP is the registration of the WSI to the glass slide. Registration is accomplished through computer control of the microscope stage and a camera mounted on the microscope that acquires images of the real time microscope view. Registration allows for the evaluation of the same regions of interest (ROIs) in both domains. This can reduce or eliminate disagreements that arise from pathologists interpreting different areas and focuses the comparison on image quality. Results We reduced the pathologist interpretation area from an entire glass slide (≈10–30 mm)2 to small ROIs <(50 um)2. We also made possible the evaluation of individual cells. Conclusions We summarize eeDAP’s software and hardware and provide calculations and corresponding images of the microscope field of view and the ROIs extracted from the WSIs. These calculations help provide a sense of eeDAP’s functionality and operating principles, while the images provide a sense of the look and feel of studies that can be conducted in the digital and analog domains. The eeDAP software can be downloaded from code.google.com (project: eeDAP) as Matlab source or as a precompiled stand-alone license-free application. PMID:28845079

New insight into enhanced superconductivity in metals near the metal-insulator transition.

PubMed

Osofsky, M S; Soulen, R J; Claassen, J H; Trotter, G; Kim, H; Horwitz, J S

2001-11-05

We have studied the transport properties of disordered WSi films near the metal/insulator transition (MIT) and we have also reviewed the data for several other disordered materials near their MIT. In all cases, we found the presence of enhanced superconductivity. We constructed a superconductivity "phase diagram" (i.e., T(c) versus sigma) for each system, which reveals a striking correlation: In all cases, T(c) values are significantly enhanced only for samples whose conductivities lie within a narrow range on the metallic side of, and moderately near, the MIT. We present a heuristic model to explain this phenomenon.

Automated tubule nuclei quantification and correlation with oncotype DX risk categories in ER+ breast cancer whole slide images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romo-Bucheli, David; Janowczyk, Andrew; Romero, Eduardo; Gilmore, Hannah; Madabhushi, Anant

2016-03-01

Early stage estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer (BCa) treatment is based on the presumed aggressiveness and likelihood of cancer recurrence. The primary conundrum in treatment and management of early stage ER+ BCa is identifying which of these cancers are candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy and which patients will respond to hormonal therapy alone. This decision could spare some patients the inherent toxicity associated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Oncotype DX (ODX) and other gene expression tests have allowed for distinguishing the more aggressive ER+ BCa requiring adjuvant chemotherapy from the less aggressive cancers benefiting from hormonal therapy alone. However these gene expression tests tend to be expensive, tissue destructive and require physical shipping of tissue blocks for the test to be done. Interestingly breast cancer grade in these tumors has been shown to be highly correlated with the ODX risk score. Unfortunately studies have shown that Bloom-Richardson (BR) grade determined by pathologists can be highly variable. One of the constituent categories in BR grading is the quantification of tubules. The goal of this study was to develop a deep learning neural network classifier to automatically identify tubule nuclei from whole slide images (WSI) of ER+ BCa, the hypothesis being that the ratio of tubule nuclei to overall number of nuclei would correlate with the corresponding ODX risk categories. The performance of the tubule nuclei deep learning strategy was evaluated with a set of 61 high power fields. Under a 5-fold cross-validation, the average precision and recall measures were 0:72 and 0:56 respectively. In addition, the correlation with the ODX risk score was assessed in a set of 7513 high power fields extracted from 174 WSI, each from a different patient (At most 50 high power fields per patient study were used). The ratio between the number of tubule and non-tubule nuclei was computed for each WSI. The results suggests that for BCa cases with both low ODX score and low BR grade, the mean tubule nuclei ratio was significantly higher than that obtained for the BCa cases with both high ODX score and high BR grade (p < 0:01). The low ODX and low BR grade cases also presented a significantly higher average tubule nuclei ratio when compared with the rest of the BCa cases (p < 0:05). Finally, the BCa cases that presented both a high ODX and high BR grade show a mean tubule nuclei to total number of nuclei ratio which was significantly smaller than that obtained for the rest of BCa cases (p < 0:01).

Enrichment of extruded snack products with coproducts from chestnut mushroom (Agrocybe aegerita) production: interactions between dietary fiber, physicochemical characteristics, and glycemic load.

PubMed

Brennan, Margaret A; Derbyshire, Emma; Tiwari, Brijesh K; Brennan, Charles S

2012-05-02

Mushrooms are a common vegetable product that have also been linked to pharmaceutical and medicinal uses. However, the production of the fruiting bodies of mushrooms results in a large quantity of food waste in the form of spent compost. Hyphae and the base of fruit bodies from Agrocybe aegerita were retrieved from spent mushroom compost and refined as a freeze-dried powder. This fiber-rich ingredient was used in the manufacture of ready-to-eat extruded cereal snack products. Inclusions rates were 0, 5, 10, and 15% w/w replacement levels for wheat flour from a control recipe. Inclusion of mushroom coproduct material (MCM) was significantly correlated to increased product expansion (r = 0.848) and density (r = 0.949) but negatively correlated to water absorption index (WAI; r = -0.928) and water solubility index (WSI; r = -0.729). Fiber content could not be correlated to differences in pasting properties of extruded snacks even though snack products with MCM showed significantly lower final viscosity values compared to the control. The potential glycemic response of foods was significantly lowered by including MCM (p < 0.05) with a negative correlation between fiber content and overall AUC following a standardized in vitro digestion method (r = -0.910). Starch content, WAI, and WSI were positively correlated to AUC of extruded snacks (r = 0.916, 0.851, and 0.878. respectively). The results illustrate a reduction in the potential glycemic response from including 5% (w/w) of MCM in extruded snacks exceeds 20%. Thus, the incorporation of MCM in ready-to-eat snack foods may be of considerable interest to the food industry in trying to regulate the glycemic response of foods.

Free digital image analysis software helps to resolve equivocal scores in HER2 immunohistochemistry.

PubMed

Helin, Henrik O; Tuominen, Vilppu J; Ylinen, Onni; Helin, Heikki J; Isola, Jorma

2016-02-01

Evaluation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) immunohistochemistry (IHC) is subject to interobserver variation and lack of reproducibility. Digital image analysis (DIA) has been shown to improve the consistency and accuracy of the evaluation and its use is encouraged in current testing guidelines. We studied whether digital image analysis using a free software application (ImmunoMembrane) can assist in interpreting HER2 IHC in equivocal 2+ cases. We also compared digital photomicrographs with whole-slide images (WSI) as material for ImmunoMembrane DIA. We stained 750 surgical resection specimens of invasive breast cancers immunohistochemically for HER2 and analysed staining with ImmunoMembrane. The ImmunoMembrane DIA scores were compared with the originally responsible pathologists' visual scores, a researcher's visual scores and in situ hybridisation (ISH) results. The originally responsible pathologists reported 9.1 % positive 3+ IHC scores, for the researcher this was 8.4 % and for ImmunoMembrane 9.5 %. Equivocal 2+ scores were 34 % for the pathologists, 43.7 % for the researcher and 10.1 % for ImmunoMembrane. Negative 0/1+ scores were 57.6 % for the pathologists, 46.8 % for the researcher and 80.8 % for ImmunoMembrane. There were six false positive cases, which were classified as 3+ by ImmunoMembrane and negative by ISH. Six cases were false negative defined as 0/1+ by IHC and positive by ISH. ImmunoMembrane DIA using digital photomicrographs and WSI showed almost perfect agreement. In conclusion, digital image analysis by ImmunoMembrane can help to resolve a majority of equivocal 2+ cases in HER2 IHC, which reduces the need for ISH testing.

Comparison study of five different display modalities for whole slide images in surgical pathology and cytopathology in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Haene, Nicky; Maris, Calliope; Rorive, Sandrine; Moles Lopez, Xavier; Rostang, Johan; Marchessoux, Cédric; Pantanowitz, Liron; Parwani, Anil V.; Salmon, Isabelle

2013-03-01

User experience with viewing images in pathology is crucial for accurate interpretation and diagnosis. With digital pathology, images are being read on a display system, and this poses new types of questions: such as what is the difference in terms of pixelation, refresh lag or obscured features compared to an optical microscope. Is there a resultant change in user performance in terms of speed of slide review, perception of adequacy and quality or in diagnostic confidence? A prior psychophysical study was carried out comparing various display modalities on whole slide imaging (WSI) in pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in the USA. This prior study compared professional and non-professional grade display modalities and highlighted the importance of using a medical grade display to view pathological digital images. This study was duplicated in Europe at the Department of Pathology in Erasme Hospital (Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)) in an attempt to corroborate these findings. Digital WSI with corresponding glass slides of 58 cases including surgical pathology and cytopathology slides of varying difficulty were employed. Similar non-professional and professional grade display modalities were compared to an optical microscope (Olympus BX51). Displays ranged from a laptop (DELL Latitude D620), to a consumer grade display (DELL E248WFPb), to two professional grade monitors (Eizo CG245W and Barco MDCC-6130). Three pathologists were selected from the Department of Pathology in Erasme Hospital (ULB) in Belgium to view and interpret the pathological images on these different displays. The results show that non-professional grade displays (laptop and consumer) have inferior user experience compared to professional grade monitors and the optical microscope.

Aerosol chemical properties and related pollutants measured in Dongsha Island in the northern South China Sea during 7-SEAS/Dongsha Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuang, Ming-Tung; Chang, Shuenn-Chin; Lin, Neng-Huei; Wang, Jia-Lin; Sheu, Guey-Rong; Chang, You-Jia; Lee, Chung-Te

2013-10-01

Aerosol observations were conducted at Dongsha Island in two batches from 19 to 23 March and 10 to 19 April 2010. Dongsha Island is located in a remote area over the northern South China Sea (SCS), distantly surrounded by southern China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Indochinese Peninsula. During the study period, the average PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations were 26.5 ± 19.4 and 12.6 ± 6.0 μg m-3, respectively. In particular, a daily PM10 concentration of 94.1 μg m-3 caused by a yellow-dust event originating from the Asian Continent was recorded on 21 March. Other than this event, the PM2.5 and PM10-2.5 daily levels were 7.1 ± 1.2 and 12.6 ± 5.0 μg m-3, respectively, on days without pollution from anthropogenic sources in the surrounding areas. Water-soluble ions (WSIs) were the predominant components that accounted for 58.7% ± 10.5% and 51.1% ± 7.2% of the PM10 and PM2.5 mass. The second most abundant component was carbonaceous content, which accounted for 9.5% ± 4.7% and 17.5% ± 5.3% of PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. SO42- was the most abundant PM2.5 WSI, whereas the Na+ and Cl- pair was the most abundant PM10-2.5 WSI. Based on the U.S. IMPROVE protocol, the resolved carbonaceous fractions were mainly distributed in PM2.5 and influenced by coal combustion, mobile vehicles, and biomass burning. Most of the resolved WSIs in particles were in the liquid phase due to the humid environment around the northern SCS.

Bimodality of intratumor Ki67 expression is an independent prognostic factor of overall survival in patients with invasive breast carcinoma.

PubMed

Laurinavicius, Arvydas; Plancoulaine, Benoit; Rasmusson, Allan; Besusparis, Justinas; Augulis, Renaldas; Meskauskas, Raimundas; Herlin, Paulette; Laurinaviciene, Aida; Abdelhadi Muftah, Abir A; Miligy, Islam; Aleskandarany, Mohammed; Rakha, Emad A; Green, Andrew R; Ellis, Ian O

2016-04-01

Proliferative activity, assessed by Ki67 immunohistochemistry (IHC), is an established prognostic and predictive biomarker of breast cancer (BC). However, it remains under-utilized due to lack of standardized robust measurement methodologies and significant intratumor heterogeneity of expression. A recently proposed methodology for IHC biomarker assessment in whole slide images (WSI), based on systematic subsampling of tissue information extracted by digital image analysis (DIA) into hexagonal tiling arrays, enables computation of a comprehensive set of Ki67 indicators, including intratumor variability. In this study, the tiling methodology was applied to assess Ki67 expression in WSI of 152 surgically removed Ki67-stained (on full-face sections) BC specimens and to test which, if any, Ki67 indicators can predict overall survival (OS). Visual Ki67 IHC estimates and conventional clinico-pathologic parameters were also included in the study. Analysis revealed linearly independent intrinsic factors of the Ki67 IHC variance: proliferation (level of expression), disordered texture (entropy), tumor size and Nottingham Prognostic Index, bimodality, and correlation. All visual and DIA-generated indicators of the level of Ki67 expression provided significant cutoff values as single predictors of OS. However, only bimodality indicators (Ashman's D, in particular) were independent predictors of OS in the context of hormone receptor and HER2 status. From this, we conclude that spatial heterogeneity of proliferative tumor activity, measured by DIA of Ki67 IHC expression and analyzed by the hexagonal tiling approach, can serve as an independent prognostic indicator of OS in BC patients that outperforms the prognostic power of the level of proliferative activity.

X-ray mirror development and testing for the ATHENA mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Della Monica Ferreira, Desiree; Jakobsen, Anders C.; Massahi, Sonny; Christensen, Finn E.; Shortt, Brian; Garnæs, Jørgen; Torras-Rosell, Antoni; Krumrey, Michael; Cibik, Levent; Marggraf, Stefanie

2016-07-01

This study reports development and testing of coatings on silicon pore optics (SPO) substrates including pre and post coating characterisation of the x-ray mirrors using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray reflectometry (XRR) performed at the 8 keV X-ray facility at DTU Space and with synchrotron radiation in the laboratory of PTB at BESSY II. We report our findings on surface roughness and coating reflectivity of Ir/B4C coatings considering the grazing incidence angles and energies of ATHENA and long term stability of Ir/B4C, Pt/B4C, W/Si and W/B4C coatings.

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

Yashchuk, Valeriy V; Conley, Raymond; Anderson, Erik H.

We discuss the results of SEM and TEM measurements with the BPRML test samples fabricated from a BPRML (WSi2/Si with fundamental layer thickness of 3 nm) with a Dual Beam FIB (focused ion beam)/SEM technique. In particular, we demonstrate that significant information about the metrological reliability of the TEM measurements can be extracted even when the fundamental frequency of the BPRML sample is smaller than the Nyquist frequency of the measurements. The measurements demonstrate a number of problems related to the interpretation of the SEM and TEM data. Note that similar BPRML test samples can be used to characterize x-raymore » microscopes. Corresponding work with x-ray microscopes is in progress.« less

Patch-based Convolutional Neural Network for Whole Slide Tissue Image Classification

PubMed Central

Hou, Le; Samaras, Dimitris; Kurc, Tahsin M.; Gao, Yi; Davis, James E.; Saltz, Joel H.

2016-01-01

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are state-of-the-art models for many image classification tasks. However, to recognize cancer subtypes automatically, training a CNN on gigapixel resolution Whole Slide Tissue Images (WSI) is currently computationally impossible. The differentiation of cancer subtypes is based on cellular-level visual features observed on image patch scale. Therefore, we argue that in this situation, training a patch-level classifier on image patches will perform better than or similar to an image-level classifier. The challenge becomes how to intelligently combine patch-level classification results and model the fact that not all patches will be discriminative. We propose to train a decision fusion model to aggregate patch-level predictions given by patch-level CNNs, which to the best of our knowledge has not been shown before. Furthermore, we formulate a novel Expectation-Maximization (EM) based method that automatically locates discriminative patches robustly by utilizing the spatial relationships of patches. We apply our method to the classification of glioma and non-small-cell lung carcinoma cases into subtypes. The classification accuracy of our method is similar to the inter-observer agreement between pathologists. Although it is impossible to train CNNs on WSIs, we experimentally demonstrate using a comparable non-cancer dataset of smaller images that a patch-based CNN can outperform an image-based CNN. PMID:27795661

Warthin-like Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma: A Combined Study of Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and Whole-slide Imaging.

PubMed

Ishibashi, Kenichiro; Ito, Yohei; Masaki, Ayako; Fujii, Kana; Beppu, Shintaro; Sakakibara, Takeo; Takino, Hisashi; Takase, Hiroshi; Ijichi, Kei; Shimozato, Kazuo; Inagaki, Hiroshi

2015-11-01

There has been some debate as to whether a subset of metaplastic Warthin tumors (mWTs) harbor the mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC)-associated CRTC1-MAML2 fusion. We analyzed 15 tumors originally diagnosed as mWT (mWT-like tumors), 2 of which had concurrent MECs. We looked for the CRTC1/3-MAML2 fusion transcripts and performed immunohistochemistry for p63 and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for the MAML2 split. To localize MAML2 split-positive cells at the cellular level, whole tumor tissue sections were digitalized (whole-slide imaging [WSI]). The CRTC1-MAML2, but not CRTC3-MAML2 was detected in 5/15 mWT-like tumors. FISH-WSI results showed that all epithelial cells harbored the MAML2 split in fusion-positive mWT-like tumors and were totally negative in fusion-negative mWT-like tumors. A review of the hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides showed that morphology of the "metaplastic" epithelium was virtually indistinguishable between fusion-positive and fusion-negative tumors. However, oncocytic bilayered tumor epithelium, characteristic to typical WT, was always found somewhere in the fusion-negative tumors but not in the fusion-positive tumors. This distinguishing histologic finding enabled 5 pathologists to easily differentiate the 2 tumor groups with 100% accuracy. The age and sex distribution of fusion-positive mWT-like tumor cases was similar to that of fusion-positive MEC cases and significantly different from those of fusion-negative mWT-like tumor and typical WT cases. In addition, only fusion-positive mWT-like tumors possessed concurrent low-grade MECs. In conclusion, a subset of mWT-like tumors were positive for the CRTC1-MAML2 fusion and had many features that are more in accord with MEC than with WT. The term Warthin-like MEC should be considered for fusion-positive mWT-like tumors.

Development of beamline U3A for AXAF synchrotron reflectivity calibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burek, Anthony J.; Cobuzzi, J. C.; Fitch, Jonathan J.; Graessle, Dale E.; Ingram, R. H.; Sweeney, J. B.; Blake, Richard L.; Francoeur, R.; Sullivan, E. S.

1998-11-01

We discuss the development of beamline U3A at NSLS for AXAF telescope witness mirror reflectivity calibrations in the 1- 2 keV energy range. The beamline was originally constructed as a white light beamline and has been upgraded with the addition of a monochromator to meet the needs of the AXAF calibration program. The beamline consists of an upstream horizontally focussing gold coated elliptical mirror, a differential pumping section, a sample/filter chamber, a monochromator and a downstream filter set. The mirror is set at a 2 degree incident angle for a nominal high energy cutoff at 2 keV. The monochromator is a separated element, scanning, double crystal/multilayer design having low to moderate energy resolution. A fixed exit beam is maintained through the 7-70 degree Bragg angle range by longitudinal translation of the second scanning crystal. Tracking is achieved by computer control of the scan motors with lookup table positioning of the crystal rotary tables. All motors are in vacuum and there are no motional feedthroughs. Several different multilayer or crystal pairs are co-mounted on the monochromator crystal holders and can be exchanged in situ. Currently installed are a W/Si multilayer pair, beryl, and Na-(beta) alumina allowing energy coverage from 180 eV to 2000 eV. Measurements with Na-(beta) alumina and beryl show that beam impurity less than 0.1 percent can be achieved in the 1-2 keV energy range. Measured resolving powers are E/(Delta) E equals 60 for W/Si, 500-800 for (beta) alumina and 1500 to 3000 for beryl. Initial results suggest that signal to noise and beam purity are adequate in the 1-2 keV region to achieve the 1 percent calibration accuracy required by AXAF. This allows overlap of Ir MV edge data taken on x-ray beamline X8A and with low energy data taken on ALS beamline 6.3.2.

Intra-Wellbore Head Losses in a Horizontal Well with both Kinematic and Frictional Effects in an Anisotropic Confined Aquifer between Two Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Q.; Zhan, H.

2017-12-01

Horizontal drilling becomes an appealing technology for water exploration or aquifer remediation in recent decades, due to the decreasing operational cost and many technical advantages over the vertical wells. However, many previous studies on the flow into horizontal wells were based on the uniform flux boundary condition (UFBC) for treating horizontal wells, which could not reflect the physical processes of flow inside the well accurately. In this study, we investigated transient flow into a horizontal well in an anisotropic confined aquifer between two streams for three types of boundary conditions of treating the horizontal well, including UFBC, uniform head boundary condition (UHBC), and mixed-type boundary condition (MTBC). The MTBC model considered both kinematic and frictional effects inside the horizontal well, in which the kinematic effect referred to the accelerational and fluid inflow effects. The new solution of UFBC was derived by superimposing the point sink/source solutions along the axis of the horizontal well with a uniform strength. The solutions of UHBC and MTBC were obtained by a hybrid analytical-numerical method, and an iterative method was proposed to determine the minimum well segment number required to yield sufficiently accurate answer. The results showed that the differences among the UFBC, UHBC, MTBCFriction and MTBC solutions were obvious, in which MTBCFriction represented the solutions considering the frictional effect but ignoring the kinematic effect. The MTBCFriction and MTBC solutions were sensitive to the flow rate, and the difference of these two solutions increases with the flow rate, suggesting that the kinematic effect could not be ignored for studying flow to a horizontal well, especially when the flow rate is great. The well specific inflow (WSI) (which is the inflow per unit screen length at a specified location of the horizontal well) increased with the distance along the wellbore for the MTBC model at early stage, while the minimum WSI moved to the well center with time going, following a cubic polynomial function.

Differentiation among prostate cancer patients with Gleason score of 7 using histopathology whole-slide image and genomic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Jian; Karagoz, Kubra; Gatza, Michael; Foran, David J.; Qi, Xin

2018-03-01

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin related cancer affecting 1 in 7 men in the United States. Treatment of patients with prostate cancer still remains a difficult decision-making process that requires physicians to balance clinical benefits, life expectancy, comorbidities, and treatment-related side effects. Gleason score (a sum of the primary and secondary Gleason patterns) solely based on morphological prostate glandular architecture has shown as one of the best predictors of prostate cancer outcome. Significant progress has been made on molecular subtyping prostate cancer delineated through the increasing use of gene sequencing. Prostate cancer patients with Gleason score of 7 show heterogeneity in recurrence and survival outcomes. Therefore, we propose to assess the correlation between histopathology images and genomic data with disease recurrence in prostate tumors with a Gleason 7 score to identify prognostic markers. In the study, we identify image biomarkers within tissue WSIs by modeling the spatial relationship from automatically created patches as a sequence within WSI by adopting a recurrence network model, namely long short-term memory (LSTM). Our preliminary results demonstrate that integrating image biomarkers from CNN with LSTM and genomic pathway scores, is more strongly correlated with patients recurrence of disease compared to standard clinical markers and engineered image texture features. The study further demonstrates that prostate cancer patients with Gleason score of 4+3 have a higher risk of disease progression and recurrence compared to prostate cancer patients with Gleason score of 3+4.

SSI/MSI/LSI/VLSI/ULSI.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, George

1984-01-01

Discusses small-scale integrated (SSI), medium-scale integrated (MSI), large-scale integrated (LSI), very large-scale integrated (VLSI), and ultra large-scale integrated (ULSI) chips. The development and properties of these chips, uses of gallium arsenide, Josephson devices (two superconducting strips sandwiching a thin insulator), and future…

Consumer acceptability of gluten-free cookies containing raw cooked and germinated pinto bean flours.

PubMed

Simons, Courtney Wayne; Hall, Clifford

2018-01-01

Beany and grassy flavors in raw edible bean flours reduce consumer acceptability of bean-based baked products. In order to improve consumer acceptability, beans may be further processed by cooking and germination. However, these operations drive up the cost of end-products. Therefore, it is necessary to develop formulations, using raw edible bean flours that have acceptable sensory attributes. In this study, cooked, germinated, and germinated/steam-blanched (GSB) pinto bean flours were used to make gluten-free cookies, and their sensory characteristics evaluated to determine how their consumer acceptability scores compared. Taste panelists (31) graded cookies made from raw pinto beans with an overall value of 6 on a 9-point hedonic scale ( p  < .05). This rating was not significantly different from cookies formulated with germinated and GSB flours. Therefore, gluten-free cookies can be made using raw pinto bean flours at a 40% inclusion level, with similar sensory characteristics as those prepared with flours treated by cooking and germination. Instrumental measurement of cookie hardness and color showed no significant difference in hardness, but significant differences in color. The germinated bean flour produced cookies with a significantly lower L* value and significantly higher a*, b*, Chroma and hue values compared to the other treatments. There was no significant difference in the cookie spread ratio. Proximate composition, water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI) and gelatinization properties of the flour treatments were characterized.

WIWS: a protein structure bioinformatics Web service collection.

PubMed

Hekkelman, M L; Te Beek, T A H; Pettifer, S R; Thorne, D; Attwood, T K; Vriend, G

2010-07-01

The WHAT IF molecular-modelling and drug design program is widely distributed in the world of protein structure bioinformatics. Although originally designed as an interactive application, its highly modular design and inbuilt control language have recently enabled its deployment as a collection of programmatically accessible web services. We report here a collection of WHAT IF-based protein structure bioinformatics web services: these relate to structure quality, the use of symmetry in crystal structures, structure correction and optimization, adding hydrogens and optimizing hydrogen bonds and a series of geometric calculations. The freely accessible web services are based on the industry standard WS-I profile and the EMBRACE technical guidelines, and are available via both REST and SOAP paradigms. The web services run on a dedicated computational cluster; their function and availability is monitored daily.

Amorphous metallizations for high-temperature semiconductor device applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiley, J. D.; Perepezko, J. H.; Nordman, J. E.; Kang-Jin, G.

1981-01-01

The initial results of work on a class of semiconductor metallizations which appear to hold promise as primary metallizations and diffusion barriers for high temperature device applications are presented. These metallizations consist of sputter-deposited films of high T sub g amorphous-metal alloys which (primarily because of the absence of grain boundaries) exhibit exceptionally good corrosion-resistance and low diffusion coefficients. Amorphous films of the alloys Ni-Nb, Ni-Mo, W-Si, and Mo-Si were deposited on Si, GaAs, GaP, and various insulating substrates. The films adhere extremely well to the substrates and remain amorphous during thermal cycling to at least 500 C. Rutherford backscattering and Auger electron spectroscopy measurements indicate atomic diffussivities in the 10 to the -19th power sq cm/S range at 450 C.

[Non-alcoholic fatty liver in children and adolescents with excess weight and obesity].

PubMed

Guijarro de Armas, M Guadalupe; Monereo Megías, Susana; Navea Aguilera, Cristina; Merino Viveros, María; Vega Piñero, M Belén

2015-01-20

Hepatic steatosis, also known as non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), is the most frequent liver disease in obese children. Due to an increase in infantile obesity, it is experiencing a significant increment in incidence. Our objetives are: Estimate the prevalence of NAFL in children with excess weight and obesity using the glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) value as a biochemical test and an abdominal ultrasound, and correlate the presence of hepatic steatosis with various anthropometric and biochemical parameters. Cross-sectional prevalence study which includes children with excess weight and obesity between the ages of 5 and 15 years, between the years 2004-2012. The independent variables included were: age, sex, weight, size, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist size index (WSI), insulinemia, Homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-R), total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), high density lipoproteins (HDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), GPT and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). One hundred and twenty-six patients, with an average age of 11.94 (3.12) years were recruited. A percentage of 19.66 of the patients presented elevated GPT pathology. Of the 126 abdominal ultrasounds performed, 38 patients presented hepatic steatosis (30.15%). The levels of insulinemia, HOMA-R and LDL were significantly higher in patients with altered GPT, compared to those with normal GPT values (P=.015, P=.008 and P=.002, respectively). The patients with an objective HGNA in ultrasound, also showed greater levels of insulinemia, WC, WSI, total cholesterol, TG, LDL, GLT, GPT and GGT than the patients with normal ultrasounds, thereby achieving statistical significance in insulinemia, HOMA-R, LDL and GPT values. NAFL is a relatively frequent disorder in obese children and adolescents. In our study, 2 of 10 children -using GPT- and 3 of every 10 -using abdominal ultrasound- present the same. The biochemical marker which best defines it is an elevation in GPT. A modification in lifestyle which includes weight loss as a principal means of avoiding complications in adult life, is essential and necessary. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Potential Water Availability Index (PWAI): A New Water Vulnerability Index for Africa Based on GRACE Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, E.; Tarhule, A.; Hong, Y.; Moore, B., III

2016-12-01

The critical role of water in enabling or constraining human wellbeing and socio-economic activities has led to interest in quantitatively establishing the status or index of water (in)sufficiency over time and space. Introduced in 1989, the first widely accepted index expressed the status of water resources availability in terms of vulnerability, stress, or scarcity. Since then, numerous refinements and modifications to the concept have been published but nearly all adopt the same basic formulation; water status is a function of available water resources and demand or use. However, accurately defining and assessing `available water' has proved problematic especially in data scarce regions, such as Africa. In this paper, we use Total Water Storage (TWS) estimated from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) in lieu of observational hydrologic data, to estimate the Water Scarcity Index (WSI) for Africa at country level. The monthly TWS Positive anomalies represent periods of net system recharge while negative anomalies represent net system loss due to evapotranspiration and anthropogenic withdrawals. The procedure is as follows. First, we calculated the long-term (2002-2014) Internal Water Storage (IWS) for each country using the monthly precipitation data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC). Next, the yearly cumulative positive and negative anomalies were added to the long-term IWS to obtain volumetric Potential Water Storage (VPWS) per country. By dividing VPWS by population, we obtain estimates of per capita water availability which can be grouped into vulnerability classes using established thresholds. Our VPWS showed very high correlation (R2 =0.94, p=0.0001) with the values of Internal Renewable Water Resources (IRWR) estimated by AQUSTAT. Additionally, the GWSI is highly correlated (R2 =0.94, p=0.0001) with the existing WSI index from the world bank data center. The novelty and contribution of our approach is in using GRACE anomalies to efficiently estimate total available water, including groundwater which is at best poorly estimated and, frequently, completely ignored in conventional approaches due to absent or unreliable data. The available water estimated in this way represent the potential amount of water that could be theoretically exploited.

Ballistic Deposition of Nanoclusters.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulbrandt, Jeffrey; Li, Yang; Headrick, Randall

Nanoporous thin-films are an important class of materials, possessing a large surface area to volume ratio, with applications ranging from thermoelectric and photovoltaic materials to supercapacitors. In-Situ X-ray Reflectivity and Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (GISAXS) were used to monitor thin-films grown from Tungsten Silicide (WSi2) and Copper (Cu) nanoclusters. The nanoclusters ranged in size from 2 nm to 6 nm diameter and were made by high-pressure magnetron sputtering via plasma gas condensation (PGC). X-Ray Reflectivity (XRR) measurements of the films at various stages of growth reveal that the resulting films exhibit very low density, approaching 15% of bulk density. This is consistent with a simple off-lattice ballistic deposition model where particles stick at the point of first contact without further restructuring. DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences under contract DE-FG02-07ER46380.

Carnegie Mellon University bioimaging day 2014: Challenges and opportunities in digital pathology

PubMed Central

Rohde, Gustavo K.; Ozolek, John A.; Parwani, Anil V.; Pantanowitz, Liron

2014-01-01

Recent advances in digital imaging is impacting the practice of pathology. One of the key enabling technologies that is leading the way towards this transformation is the use of whole slide imaging (WSI) which allows glass slides to be converted into large image files that can be shared, stored, and analyzed rapidly. Many applications around this novel technology have evolved in the last decade including education, research and clinical applications. This publication highlights a collection of abstracts, each corresponding to a talk given at Carnegie Mellon University's (CMU) Bioimaging Day 2014 co-sponsored by the Biomedical Engineering and Lane Center for Computational Biology Departments at CMU. Topics related specifically to digital pathology are presented in this collection of abstracts. These include topics related to digital workflow implementation, imaging and artifacts, storage demands, and automated image analysis algorithms. PMID:25250190

Carnegie Mellon University bioimaging day 2014: Challenges and opportunities in digital pathology.

PubMed

Rohde, Gustavo K; Ozolek, John A; Parwani, Anil V; Pantanowitz, Liron

2014-01-01

Recent advances in digital imaging is impacting the practice of pathology. One of the key enabling technologies that is leading the way towards this transformation is the use of whole slide imaging (WSI) which allows glass slides to be converted into large image files that can be shared, stored, and analyzed rapidly. Many applications around this novel technology have evolved in the last decade including education, research and clinical applications. This publication highlights a collection of abstracts, each corresponding to a talk given at Carnegie Mellon University's (CMU) Bioimaging Day 2014 co-sponsored by the Biomedical Engineering and Lane Center for Computational Biology Departments at CMU. Topics related specifically to digital pathology are presented in this collection of abstracts. These include topics related to digital workflow implementation, imaging and artifacts, storage demands, and automated image analysis algorithms.

Effect of Acacia Gum, NaCl, and Sucrose on Physical Properties of Lotus Stem Starch

PubMed Central

Gill, Balmeet Singh

2014-01-01

Consumer preferences in east Asian part of the world pave the way for consumption of lotus stem starch (LSS) in preparations such as breakfast meals, fast foods, and traditional confectioneries. The present study envisaged the investigation and optimization of additives, that is, acacia gum, sodium chloride (NaCl), and sucrose, on water absorption (WA), water absorption index (WAI), and water solubility index (WSI) of LSS employing response surface methodology (RSM). Acacia gum resulted in increased water uptake and swelling of starch; however, NaCl reduced the swelling power of starch by making water unavailable to starch and also due to starch-ion electrostatic interaction. Sucrose restricted the water absorption by binding free water and decreased amylose leaching by building bridges with starch chains and thus forming rigid structure. PMID:26904639

The International Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, G.; Pierce, M.; Rundle, J.; Donnellan, A.; Parker, J.; Granat, R.; Lyzenga, G.; McLeod, D.; Grant, L.

2004-12-01

We describe the architecture and initial implementation of the International Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory (iSERVO). This has been prototyped within the USA as SERVOGrid and expansion is planned to Australia, China, Japan and other countries. We base our design on a globally scalable distributed "cyber-infrastructure" or Grid built around a Web Services-based approach consistent with the extended Web Service Interoperability approach. The Solid Earth Science Working Group of NASA has identified several challenges for Earth Science research. In order to investigate these, we need to couple numerical simulation codes and data mining tools to observational data sets. This observational data are now available on-line in internet-accessible forms, and the quantity of this data is expected to grow explosively over the next decade. We architect iSERVO as a loosely federated Grid of Grids with each country involved supporting a national Solid Earth Research Grid. The national Grid Operations, possibly with dedicated control centers, are linked together to support iSERVO where an International Grid control center may eventually be necessary. We address the difficult multi-administrative domain security and ownership issues by exposing capabilities as services for which the risk of abuse is minimized. We support large scale simulations within a single domain using service-hosted tools (mesh generation, data repository and sensor access, GIS, visualization). Simulations typically involve sequential or parallel machines in a single domain supported by cross-continent services. We use Web Services implement Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) using WSDL for service description and SOAP for message formats. These are augmented by UDDI, WS-Security, WS-Notification/Eventing and WS-ReliableMessaging in the WS-I+ approach. Support for the latter two capabilities will be available over the next 6 months from the NaradaBrokering messaging system. We augment these specifications with the powerful portlet architecture using WSRP and JSR168 supported by such portal containers as uPortal, WebSphere, and Apache JetSpeed2. The latter portal aggregates component user interfaces for each iSERVO service allowing flexible customization of the user interface. We exploit the portlets produced by the NSF NMI (Middleware initiative) OGCE activity. iSERVO also uses specifications from the Open Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Consortium (OGC) that defines a number of standards for modeling earth surface feature data and services for interacting with this data. The data models are expressed in the XML-based Geography Markup Language (GML), and the OGC service framework are being adapted to use the Web Service model. The SERVO prototype includes a GIS Grid that currently includes the core WMS and WFS (Map and Feature) services. We will follow the best practice in the Grid and Web Service field and will adapt our technology as appropriate. For example, we expect to support services built on WS-RF when is finalized and to make use of the database interfaces OGSA-DAI and its WS-I+ versions. Finally, we review advances in Web Service scripting (such as HPSearch) and workflow systems (such as GCF) and their applications to iSERVO.

An Integrated Scale for Measuring an Organizational Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jyothibabu, C.; Farooq, Ayesha; Pradhan, Bibhuti Bhusan

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated measurement scale for an organizational learning system by capturing the learning enablers, learning results and performance outcome in an organization. Design/methodology/approach: A new measurement scale was developed by integrating and modifying two existing scales, identified…

Breast cancer histopathology image analysis: a review.

PubMed

Veta, Mitko; Pluim, Josien P W; van Diest, Paul J; Viergever, Max A

2014-05-01

This paper presents an overview of methods that have been proposed for the analysis of breast cancer histopathology images. This research area has become particularly relevant with the advent of whole slide imaging (WSI) scanners, which can perform cost-effective and high-throughput histopathology slide digitization, and which aim at replacing the optical microscope as the primary tool used by pathologist. Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancers among women, and image analysis methods that target this disease have a huge potential to reduce the workload in a typical pathology lab and to improve the quality of the interpretation. This paper is meant as an introduction for nonexperts. It starts with an overview of the tissue preparation, staining and slide digitization processes followed by a discussion of the different image processing techniques and applications, ranging from analysis of tissue staining to computer-aided diagnosis, and prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Effects of milling on functional properties of rice flour.

PubMed

Kadan, R S; Bryant, R J; Miller, J A

2008-05-01

A commercial long-grain rice flour (CRF) and the flours made by using a pin mill and the Udy mill from the same batch of broken second-head white long-grain rice were evaluated for their particle size and functional properties. The purpose of this study was to compare the commercial rice flour milling method to the pin and Udy milling methods used in our laboratory and pilot plant. The results showed that pin milled flour had more uniform particle size than the other 2 milled flours. The chalky kernels found in broken white milled rice were pulverized more into fines in both Udy milled flour and CRF than in the pin milled flour. The excessive amount of fines in flours affected their functional properties, for example, WSI and their potential usage in the novel foods such as rice breads (RB). The RB made from CRF collapsed more than loaves made from pin milled Cypress long-grain flours.

Clinical Neuropathology Views - 2/2016: Digital networking in European neuropathology: An initiative to facilitate truly interactive consultations.

PubMed

Idoate, Miguel A; García-Rojo, Marcial

2016-01-01

Digital technology is progressively changing our vision of the practice of neuropathology. There are a number of facts that support the introduction of digital neuropathology. With the development of wholeslide imaging (WSI) systems the difficulties involved in implementing a neuropathology network have been solved. A relevant difficulty has been image standardization, but an open digital image communication protocol defined by the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard is already a reality. The neuropathology network should be established in Europe because it is the expected geographic context for relationships among European neuropathologists. There are several limitations in the implementation of a digital neuropathology consultancy network such as financial support, operational costs, legal issues, and technical assistance of clients. All of these items have been considered and should be solved before implementing the proposal. Finally, the authors conclude that a European digital neuropathology network should be created for patients' benefit.

Nonbolometric bottleneck in electron-phonon relaxation in ultrathin WSi films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidorova, Mariia V.; Kozorezov, A. G.; Semenov, A. V.; Korneeva, Yu. P.; Mikhailov, M. Yu.; Devizenko, A. Yu.; Korneev, A. A.; Chulkova, G. M.; Goltsman, G. N.

2018-05-01

We developed the model of the internal phonon bottleneck to describe the energy exchange between the acoustically soft ultrathin metal film and acoustically rigid substrate. Discriminating phonons in the film into two groups, escaping and nonescaping, we show that electrons and nonescaping phonons may form a unified subsystem, which is cooled down only due to interactions with escaping phonons, either due to direct phonon conversion or indirect sequential interaction with an electronic system. Using an amplitude-modulated absorption of the sub-THz radiation technique, we studied electron-phonon relaxation in ultrathin disordered films of tungsten silicide. We found an experimental proof of the internal phonon bottleneck. The experiment and simulation based on the proposed model agree well, resulting in τe -ph˜14 0 -19 0 ps at TC=3.4 K , supporting the results of earlier measurements by independent techniques.

Optimizing process and equipment efficiency using integrated methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Elia, Michael J.; Alfonso, Ted F.

1996-09-01

The semiconductor manufacturing industry is continually riding the edge of technology as it tries to push toward higher design limits. Mature fabs must cut operating costs while increasing productivity to remain profitable and cannot justify large capital expenditures to improve productivity. Thus, they must push current tool production capabilities to cut manufacturing costs and remain viable. Working to continuously improve mature production methods requires innovation. Furthermore, testing and successful implementation of these ideas into modern production environments require both supporting technical data and commitment from those working with the process daily. At AMD, natural work groups (NWGs) composed of operators, technicians, engineers, and supervisors collaborate to foster innovative thinking and secure commitment. Recently, an AMD NWG improved equipment cycle time on the Genus tungsten silicide (WSi) deposition system. The team used total productive manufacturing (TPM) to identify areas for process improvement. Improved in-line equipment monitoring was achieved by constructing a real time overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) calculator which tracked equipment down, idle, qualification, and production times. In-line monitoring results indicated that qualification time associated with slow Inspex turn-around time and machine downtime associated with manual cleans contributed greatly to reduced availability. Qualification time was reduced by 75% by implementing a new Inspex monitor pre-staging technique. Downtime associated with manual cleans was reduced by implementing an in-situ plasma etch back to extend the time between manual cleans. A designed experiment was used to optimize the process. Time between 18 hour manual cleans has been improved from every 250 to every 1500 cycles. Moreover defect density realized a 3X improvement. Overall, the team achieved a 35% increase in tool availability. This paper details the above strategies and accomplishments.

Semantic focusing allows fully automated single-layer slide scanning of cervical cytology slides.

PubMed

Lahrmann, Bernd; Valous, Nektarios A; Eisenmann, Urs; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Grabe, Niels

2013-01-01

Liquid-based cytology (LBC) in conjunction with Whole-Slide Imaging (WSI) enables the objective and sensitive and quantitative evaluation of biomarkers in cytology. However, the complex three-dimensional distribution of cells on LBC slides requires manual focusing, long scanning-times, and multi-layer scanning. Here, we present a solution that overcomes these limitations in two steps: first, we make sure that focus points are only set on cells. Secondly, we check the total slide focus quality. From a first analysis we detected that superficial dust can be separated from the cell layer (thin layer of cells on the glass slide) itself. Then we analyzed 2,295 individual focus points from 51 LBC slides stained for p16 and Ki67. Using the number of edges in a focus point image, specific color values and size-inclusion filters, focus points detecting cells could be distinguished from focus points on artifacts (accuracy 98.6%). Sharpness as total focus quality of a virtual LBC slide is computed from 5 sharpness features. We trained a multi-parameter SVM classifier on 1,600 images. On an independent validation set of 3,232 cell images we achieved an accuracy of 94.8% for classifying images as focused. Our results show that single-layer scanning of LBC slides is possible and how it can be achieved. We assembled focus point analysis and sharpness classification into a fully automatic, iterative workflow, free of user intervention, which performs repetitive slide scanning as necessary. On 400 LBC slides we achieved a scanning-time of 13.9±10.1 min with 29.1±15.5 focus points. In summary, the integration of semantic focus information into whole-slide imaging allows automatic high-quality imaging of LBC slides and subsequent biomarker analysis.

A note on the stability and discriminability of graph-based features for classification problems in digital pathology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz-Roa, Angel; Xu, Jun; Madabhushi, Anant

2015-01-01

Nuclear architecture or the spatial arrangement of individual cancer nuclei on histopathology images has been shown to be associated with different grades and differential risk for a number of solid tumors such as breast, prostate, and oropharyngeal. Graph-based representations of individual nuclei (nuclei representing the graph nodes) allows for mining of quantitative metrics to describe tumor morphology. These graph features can be broadly categorized into global and local depending on the type of graph construction method. While a number of local graph (e.g. Cell Cluster Graphs) and global graph (e.g. Voronoi, Delaunay Triangulation, Minimum Spanning Tree) features have been shown to associated with cancer grade, risk, and outcome for different cancer types, the sensitivity of the preceding segmentation algorithms in identifying individual nuclei can have a significant bearing on the discriminability of the resultant features. This therefore begs the question as to which features while being discriminative of cancer grade and aggressiveness are also the most resilient to the segmentation errors. These properties are particularly desirable in the context of digital pathology images, where the method of slide preparation, staining, and type of nuclear segmentation algorithm employed can all dramatically affect the quality of the nuclear graphs and corresponding features. In this paper we evaluated the trade off between discriminability and stability of both global and local graph-based features in conjunction with a few different segmentation algorithms and in the context of two different histopathology image datasets of breast cancer from whole-slide images (WSI) and tissue microarrays (TMA). Specifically in this paper we investigate a few different performance measures including stability, discriminability and stability vs discriminability trade off, all of which are based on p-values from the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance for local and global graph features. Apart from identifying the set of local and global features that satisfied the trade off between stability and discriminability, our most interesting finding was that a simple segmentation method was sufficient to identify the most discriminant features for invasive tumour detection in TMAs, whereas for tumour grading in WSI, the graph based features were more sensitive to the accuracy of the segmentation algorithm employed.

ClearFuels-Rentech Integrated Biorefinery Final Report

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

Pearson, Joshua

The project Final Report describes the validation of the performance of the integration of two technologies that were proven individually on a pilot scale and were demonstrated as a pilot scale integrated biorefinery. The integrated technologies were a larger scale ClearFuels’ (CF) advanced flexible biomass to syngas thermochemical high efficiency hydrothermal reformer (HEHTR) technology with Rentech’s (RTK) existing synthetic gas to liquids (GTL) technology.

[Development of a scale to measure Korean ego-integrity in older adults].

PubMed

Chang, Sung Ok; Kong, Eun Sook; Kim, Kwuy Bun; Kim, Nam Cho; Kim, Ju Hee; Kim, Chun Gill; Kim, Hee Kyung; Song, Mi Soon; Ahn, Soo Yeon; Lee, Kyung Ja; Lee, Young Whee; Chon, Si Ja; Cho, Nam Ok; Cho, Myung Ok; Choi, Kyung Sook

2007-04-01

Ego-integrity in older adults is the central concept related to quality of life in later life. Therefore, for effective interventions to enhance the quality of later life, a scale to measure ego-integrity in older adults is necessary. This study was carried out to develop a scale to measure ego-integrity in older adults. This study utilized cronbach's alpha in analyzing the reliability of the collected data and expert group, and factor analysis and item analysis to analyze validity. Seventeen items were selected from a total of 21 items. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was .88 for the 17 items of ego-integrity in the older adults scale. Three factors evolved by factor analysis, which explained 50.71% of the total variance. The scale for measuring ego-integrity in Korean older adults in this study was evaluated as a tool with a high degree of reliability and validity.

Chip-scale sensor system integration for portable health monitoring.

PubMed

Jokerst, Nan M; Brooke, Martin A; Cho, Sang-Yeon; Shang, Allan B

2007-12-01

The revolution in integrated circuits over the past 50 yr has produced inexpensive computing and communications systems that are powerful and portable. The technologies for these integrated chip-scale sensing systems, which will be miniature, lightweight, and portable, are emerging with the integration of sensors with electronics, optical systems, micromachines, microfluidics, and the integration of chemical and biological materials (soft/wet material integration with traditional dry/hard semiconductor materials). Hence, we stand at a threshold for health monitoring technology that promises to provide wearable biochemical sensing systems that are comfortable, inauspicious, wireless, and battery-operated, yet that continuously monitor health status, and can transmit compressed data signals at regular intervals, or alarm conditions immediately. In this paper, we explore recent results in chip-scale sensor integration technology for health monitoring. The development of inexpensive chip-scale biochemical optical sensors, such as microresonators, that are customizable for high sensitivity coupled with rapid prototyping will be discussed. Ground-breaking work in the integration of chip-scale optical systems to support these optical sensors will be highlighted, and the development of inexpensive Si complementary metal-oxide semiconductor circuitry (which makes up the vast majority of computational systems today) for signal processing and wireless communication with local receivers that lie directly on the chip-scale sensor head itself will be examined.

Improving the integration of recreation management with management of other natural resources by applying concepts of scale from ecology.

PubMed

Morse, Wayde C; Hall, Troy E; Kruger, Linda E

2009-03-01

In this article, we examine how issues of scale affect the integration of recreation management with the management of other natural resources on public lands. We present two theories used to address scale issues in ecology and explore how they can improve the two most widely applied recreation-planning frameworks. The theory of patch dynamics and hierarchy theory are applied to the recreation opportunity spectrum (ROS) and the limits of acceptable change (LAC) recreation-planning frameworks. These frameworks have been widely adopted internationally, and improving their ability to integrate with other aspects of natural resource management has significant social and conservation implications. We propose that incorporating ecologic criteria and scale concepts into these recreation-planning frameworks will improve the foundation for integrated land management by resolving issues of incongruent boundaries, mismatched scales, and multiple-scale analysis. Specifically, we argue that whereas the spatially explicit process of the ROS facilitates integrated decision making, its lack of ecologic criteria, broad extent, and large patch size decrease its usefulness for integration at finer scales. The LAC provides explicit considerations for weighing competing values, but measurement of recreation disturbances within an LAC analysis is often done at too fine a grain and at too narrow an extent for integration with other recreation and resource concerns. We suggest that planners should perform analysis at multiple scales when making management decisions that involve trade-offs among competing values. The United States Forest Service is used as an example to discuss how resource-management agencies can improve this integration.

Effect of banana flour, screw speed and temperature on extrusion behaviour of corn extrudates.

PubMed

Kaur, Amritpal; Kaur, Seeratpreet; Singh, Mrinal; Singh, Narpinder; Shevkani, Khetan; Singh, Baljit

2015-07-01

Effect of extrusion parameters (banana flour, screw speed, extrusion temperature) on extrusion behaviour of corn grit extrudates were studied. Second order quadratic equations for extrusion properties as function of banana flour (BF), screwspeed (SS) and extrusion temperature (ET) were computed. BF had predominant effect on the Hunter color (L*, a*, b*) parameters of the extrudates. Addition of BF resulted in corn extrudates with higher L* and lower a* and b* values. Higher ET resulted in dark colored extrudates with lower L* and a* value. Higher SS enhanced the lightness of the extrudates. Expansion of the extrudates increased with increase in the level of BF and ET. WAI of the extrudates decreased with BF whereas increased with SS. However, reversed effect of BF and SS on WSI was observed. Flextural strength of the extrudates increased with increase in SS followed by BF and ET. The addition of BF and higher ET resulted in extrudates with higher oil uptake.

Observational artifacts of Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array: ghost rays and stray light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, Kristin K.; Christensen, Finn E.; Craig, William W.; Forster, Karl W.; Grefenstette, Brian W.; Harrison, Fiona A.; Miyasaka, Hiromasa; Rana, Vikram

2017-10-01

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) launched in June 2012, flies two conical approximation Wolter-I mirrors at the end of a 10.15-m mast. The optics are coated with multilayers of Pt/C and W/Si that operate from 3 to 80 keV. Since the optical path is not shrouded, aperture stops are used to limit the field of view (FoV) from background and sources outside the FoV. However, there is still a sliver of sky (˜1.0 deg to 4.0 deg) where photons may bypass the optics altogether and fall directly on the detector array. We term these photons stray light. Additionally, there are also photons that do not undergo the focused double reflections in the optics, and we term these ghost rays. We present detailed analysis and characterization of these two components and discuss how they impact observations. Finally, we discuss how they could have been prevented and should be in future observatories.

Technique for etching monolayer and multilayer materials

DOEpatents

Bouet, Nathalie C. D.; Conley, Raymond P.; Divan, Ralu; Macrander, Albert

2015-10-06

A process is disclosed for sectioning by etching of monolayers and multilayers using an RIE technique with fluorine-based chemistry. In one embodiment, the process uses Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) alone or in combination with Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) using fluorine-based chemistry alone and using sufficient power to provide high ion energy to increase the etching rate and to obtain deeper anisotropic etching. In a second embodiment, a process is provided for sectioning of WSi.sub.2/Si multilayers using RIE in combination with ICP using a combination of fluorine-based and chlorine-based chemistries and using RF power and ICP power. According to the second embodiment, a high level of vertical anisotropy is achieved by a ratio of three gases; namely, CHF.sub.3, Cl.sub.2, and O.sub.2 with RF and ICP. Additionally, in conjunction with the second embodiment, a passivation layer can be formed on the surface of the multilayer which aids in anisotropic profile generation.

Direct measurement of the propagation velocity of defects using coherent X-rays

DOE PAGES

Ulbrandt, Jeffrey G.; Rainville, Meliha G.; Wagenbach, Christa; ...

2016-03-28

The properties of artificially grown thin films are often strongly affected by the dynamic relationships between surface growth processes and subsurface structure. Coherent mixing of X-ray signals promises to provide an approach to better understand such processes. Here, we demonstrate the continuously variable mixing of surface and bulk scattering signals during realtime studies of sputter deposition of a-Si and a-WSi2 films by controlling the X-ray penetration and escape depths in coherent grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering. Under conditions where the X-ray signal comes from both the growth surface and the thin film bulk, oscillations in temporal correlations arise from coherent interferencemore » between scattering from stationary bulk features and from the advancing surface. We also observe evidence that elongated bulk features propagate upwards at the same velocity as the surface. Moreover, a highly surface-sensitive mode is demonstrated that can access the surface dynamics independently of the subsurface structure.« less

Microwave plasma synthesis of Si/Ge and Si/WSi2 nanoparticles for thermoelectric applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petermann, Nils; Schneider, Tom; Stötzel, Julia; Stein, Niklas; Weise, Claudia; Wlokas, Irenäus; Schierning, Gabi; Wiggers, Hartmut

2015-08-01

The utilization of microwave-based plasma systems enables a contamination-free synthesis of highly specific nanoparticles in the gas phase. A reactor setup allowing stable, long-term operation was developed with the support of computational fluid dynamics. This paper highlights the prospects of gas-phase plasma synthesis to produce specific materials for bulk thermoelectrics. Taking advantage of specific plasma reactor properties such as Coulomb repulsion in combination with gas temperatures considerably higher than 1000 K, spherical and non-aggregated nanoparticles of multiple compositions are accessible. Different strategies towards various nanostructured composites and alloys are discussed. It is shown that, based on doped silicon/germanium alloys and composites, thermoelectric materials with zT values up to almost unity can be synthesized in one step. First experimental results concerning silicon/tungsten silicide thermoelectrics applying the nanoparticle-in-alloy idea are presented indicating that this concept might work. However, it is found that tungsten silicides show a surprising sinter activity more than 1000 K below their melting temperature.

Physicochemical properties of flakes made from three varieties of banana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratnawati, Lia; Afifah, Nok

2017-11-01

Ripe and unripe banana flour from three varieties of banana (Kepok, Raja and Ambon) were used to make a flake. This study aims to determine the physicochemical properties of flakes made from three types of banana varieties. The moisture, ash, protein, fat and carbohydrate content of flakes ranged from 1.01 to 4.40%, 2.40 to 2.99%, 7.38 to 9.19%, 4.71 to 8.32 % and 77.78 to 82.65%, respectively. WAI, WSI and TDF values of flakes ranged from 1.81 to 2.11 g/g, 34.54 to 52.64% and 8.64 to 10.04%, respectively. Values of hardness and fracturability were ranging from 346.65 to 563.50 g and 15.16 to 17.62 mm. The colour parameter values are lightness (L*), redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) of flakes ranged from 42.56 to 55.82, 3.34 to 6.60 and 3.99 to 13.09, respectively.

TABLET: The personal computer of the year 2000

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mel, Bartlett W.; Omohundro, Stephen M.; Robison, Arch D.; Skiena, Steven S.; Thearling, Kurt H.; Young, Luke T.; Wolfram, Stephen

1988-01-01

The University of Illinois design of the TABLET portable computer extends the freedom of pen and notepad with a machine that draws on the projected power of 21st century technology. Without assuming any new, major technological breakthroughs, it seeks to balance the promises of today's growing technologies with the changing role of computers in tomorrow's education, research, security, and commerce. It seeks to gather together in one basket the matured fruits of such buzzword technologies as LCD, GPS, CCD, WSI, and DSP. The design is simple, yet sleek. Roughly the size and weight of a notebook, the machine is a dark, featureless monolith with no moving parts. Through magneto-optics, a simple LaserCard provides exchangeable, mass data storage. Its I/O surface, in concert with built-in infrared and cellular transceivers, puts the user in touch with anyone and anything. The ensemble of these components, directed by software that can transform it into anything from a keyboard or notepad to an office or video studio, suggests an instrument of tremendous power and freedom.

Adaptation of ICT Integration Approach Scale to Kosovo Culture: A Study of Validity and Reliability Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kervan, Serdan; Tezci, Erdogan

2018-01-01

The aim of this study is to adapt ICT integration approach scale to Kosovo culture, which measures ICT integration approaches of university faculty to teaching and learning process. The scale developed in Turkish has been translated into Albanian to provide linguistic equivalence. The survey was given to a total of 303 instructors [161 (53.1%)…

[Development of the theoretical framework and the item pool of the peri-operative recovery scale for integrative medicine].

PubMed

Su, Bi-ying; Liu, Shao-nan; Li, Xiao-yan

2011-11-01

To study the train of thoughts and procedures for developing the theoretical framework and the item pool of the peri-operative recovery scale for integrative medicine, thus making preparation for the development of this scale and psychometric testing. Under the guidance for Chinese medicine theories and the guidance for developing psychometric scale, the theoretical framework and the item pool of the scale were initially laid out by literature retrieval, and expert consultation, etc. The scale covered the domains of physical function, mental function, activity function, pain, and general assessment. Besides, social function is involved, which is suitable for pre-operative testing and long-term therapeutic efficacy testing after discharge from hospital. Each domain should cover correlated Zang-Fu organs, qi, blood, and the patient-reported outcomes. Totally 122 items were initially covered in the item pool according to theoretical framework of the scale. The peri-operative recovery scale of integrative medicine was the embodiment of the combination of Chinese medicine theories and patient-reported outcome concepts. The scale could reasonably assess the peri-operative recovery outcomes of patients treated by integrative medicine.

WSi2/Si multilayer sectioning by reactive ion etching for multilayer Laue lens fabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouet, N.; Conley, R.; Biancarosa, J.; Divan, R.; Macrander, A. T.

2010-09-01

Reactive ion etching (RIE) has been employed in a wide range of fields such as semiconductor fabrication, MEMS (microelectromechanical systems), and refractive x-ray optics with a large investment put towards the development of deep RIE. Due to the intrinsic differing chemistries related to reactivity, ion bombardment, and passivation of materials, the development of recipes for new materials or material systems can require intense effort and resources. For silicon in particular, methods have been developed to provide reliable anisotropic profiles with good dimensional control and high aspect ratios1,2,3, high etch rates, and excellent material to mask etch selectivity. A multilayer Laue lens4 is an x-ray focusing optic, which is produced by depositing many layers of two materials with differing electron density in a particular stacking sequence where the each layer in the stack satisfies the Fresnel zone plate law. When this stack is sectioned to allow side-illumination with radiation, the diffracted exiting radiation will constructively interfere at the focal point. Since the first MLLs were developed at Argonne in the USA in 20064, there have been published reports of MLL development efforts in Japan5, and, very recently, also in Germany6. The traditional technique for sectioning multilayer Laue lens (MLL) involves mechanical sectioning and polishing7, which is labor intensive and can induce delamination or structure damage and thereby reduce yield. If a non-mechanical technique can be used to section MLL, it may be possible to greatly shorten the fabrication cycle, create more usable optics from the same amount of deposition substrate, and perhaps develop more advanced structures to provide greater stability or flexibility. Plasma etching of high aspect-ratio multilayer structures will also expand the scope for other types of optics fabrication (such as gratings, zone plates, and so-on). However, well-performing reactive ion etching recipes have been developed for only a small number of materials, and even less recipes exist for concurrent etching of more than one element so a fully material specific process needs to be developed. In this paper, sectioning of WSi2/Si multilayers for MLL fabrication using fluorinated gases is investigated. The main goals were to demonstrate the feasibility of this technique, achievement of high anisotropy, adequate sidewall roughness control and high etching rates. We note that this development for MLL sidewalls should be distinguished from work on improving aspect ratios in traditional Fresnel zone plates. Aspect ratios for MLL sidewalls are not similarly constrained.

Integrated optic head for sensing a two-dimensional displacement of a grating scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ura, Shogo; Endoh, Toshiaki; Suhara, Toshiaki; Nishihara, Hiroshi

1996-11-01

An integrated optic sensor head was proposed for sensing a two-dimensional displacement of a scale consisting of crossed gratings. Two interferometers, crossing each other, are constructed by the integration of two pairs of linearly focusing grating couplers (LFGC's) and two pairs of photodiodes (PD's) on a Si substrate. Four beams radiated by the LFGC's from the sensor head overlap on the grating scale, and the beams are diffracted by the grating scale and interfere on the PD's. The period of the interference signal variation is just half of the scale grating period. The device was designed and fabricated with a grating scale of 3.2- mu m period, and the sensing principle was experimentally confirmed.

Fabrication of nano-scale Cu bond pads with seal design in 3D integration applications.

PubMed

Chen, K N; Tsang, C K; Wu, W W; Lee, S H; Lu, J Q

2011-04-01

A method to fabricate nano-scale Cu bond pads for improving bonding quality in 3D integration applications is reported. The effect of Cu bonding quality on inter-level via structural reliability for 3D integration applications is investigated. We developed a Cu nano-scale-height bond pad structure and fabrication process for improved bonding quality by recessing oxides using a combination of SiO2 CMP process and dilute HF wet etching. In addition, in order to achieve improved wafer-level bonding, we introduced a seal design concept that prevents corrosion and provides extra mechanical support. Demonstrations of these concepts and processes provide the feasibility of reliable nano-scale 3D integration applications.

Mems: Platform for Large-Scale Integrated Vacuum Electronic Circuits

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-20

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: The objective of the LIVEC advanced study project was to develop a platform for large-scale integrated vacuum electronic ...Distribution Unlimited UU UU UU UU 20-03-2017 1-Jul-2014 30-Jun-2015 Final Report: MEMS Platform for Large-Scale Integrated Vacuum Electronic ... Electronic Circuits (LIVEC) Contract No: W911NF-14-C-0093 COR Dr. James Harvey U.S. ARO RTP, NC 27709-2211 Phone: 702-696-2533 e-mail

Topological Properties of Some Integrated Circuits for Very Large Scale Integration Chip Designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanson, S.; Lanzerotti, M.; Vernizzi, G.; Kujawski, J.; Weatherwax, A.

2015-03-01

This talk presents topological properties of integrated circuits for Very Large Scale Integration chip designs. These circuits can be implemented in very large scale integrated circuits, such as those in high performance microprocessors. Prior work considered basic combinational logic functions and produced a mathematical framework based on algebraic topology for integrated circuits composed of logic gates. Prior work also produced an historically-equivalent interpretation of Mr. E. F. Rent's work for today's complex circuitry in modern high performance microprocessors, where a heuristic linear relationship was observed between the number of connections and number of logic gates. This talk will examine topological properties and connectivity of more complex functionally-equivalent integrated circuits. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.

MAINTAINING DATA QUALITY IN THE PERFORMANCE OF A LARGE SCALE INTEGRATED MONITORING EFFORT

EPA Science Inventory

Macauley, John M. and Linda C. Harwell. In press. Maintaining Data Quality in the Performance of a Large Scale Integrated Monitoring Effort (Abstract). To be presented at EMAP Symposium 2004: Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Effective Water Quality Management, 3-7 May 200...

The Development and Validation of the Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oxhandler, Holly K.; Parrish, Danielle E.

2016-01-01

Objective: This article describes the development and validation of the Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale (RSIPAS). The RSIPAS is designed to assess social work practitioners' self-efficacy, attitudes, behaviors, and perceived feasibility concerning the assessment or integration of clients' religious and spiritual beliefs…

Resource integration and shared outcomes at the watershed scale

Treesearch

Eleanor S. Towns

2000-01-01

Shared resources are universal resources that are vital for sustaining communities, enhancing our quality of life and preserving ecosystem health. We have a shared responsibility to conserve shared resources and preserve their integrity for future generations. Resource integration is accomplished through ecosystem management, often at a watershed scale. The shared...

Structural Integrity in Measures of Self Concept.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stenner, A. Jackson; Katzenmeyer, W.G.

Structural integrity of a measure is defined in terms of its replicability, constancy, invariance, and stability. Work completed in the development and validation of the Self Observation Scales (SOS) Primary Level (Stenner and Katzenmeyer, 1973) serves to illustrate one method of establishing structural integrity. The name of each scale of the SOS…

76 FR 14688 - In the Matter of Certain Large Scale Integrated Circuit Semiconductor Chips and Products...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-17

... Integrated Circuit Semiconductor Chips and Products Containing the Same; Notice of a Commission Determination... certain large scale integrated circuit semiconductor chips and products containing same by reason of... existence of a domestic industry. The Commission's notice of investigation named several respondents...

Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeaman, Andrew R. J.

Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI), the state-of-the-art production techniques for computer chips, promises such powerful, inexpensive computing that, in the future, people will be able to communicate with computer devices in natural language or even speech. However, before full-scale VLSI implementation can occur, certain salient factors must be…

Generating and controlling homogeneous air turbulence using random jet arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Douglas; Petersen, Alec; Amili, Omid; Coletti, Filippo

2016-12-01

The use of random jet arrays, already employed in water tank facilities to generate zero-mean-flow homogeneous turbulence, is extended to air as a working fluid. A novel facility is introduced that uses two facing arrays of individually controlled jets (256 in total) to force steady homogeneous turbulence with negligible mean flow, shear, and strain. Quasi-synthetic jet pumps are created by expanding pressurized air through small straight nozzles and are actuated by fast-response low-voltage solenoid valves. Velocity fields, two-point correlations, energy spectra, and second-order structure functions are obtained from 2D PIV and are used to characterize the turbulence from the integral-to-the Kolmogorov scales. Several metrics are defined to quantify how well zero-mean-flow homogeneous turbulence is approximated for a wide range of forcing and geometric parameters. With increasing jet firing time duration, both the velocity fluctuations and the integral length scales are augmented and therefore the Reynolds number is increased. We reach a Taylor-microscale Reynolds number of 470, a large-scale Reynolds number of 74,000, and an integral-to-Kolmogorov length scale ratio of 680. The volume of the present homogeneous turbulence, the largest reported to date in a zero-mean-flow facility, is much larger than the integral length scale, allowing for the natural development of the energy cascade. The turbulence is found to be anisotropic irrespective of the distance between the jet arrays. Fine grids placed in front of the jets are effective at modulating the turbulence, reducing both velocity fluctuations and integral scales. Varying the jet-to-jet spacing within each array has no effect on the integral length scale, suggesting that this is dictated by the length scale of the jets.

Integrated simulation of continuous-scale and discrete-scale radiative transfer in metal foams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Xin-Lin; Li, Yang; Sun, Chuang; Ai, Qing; Tan, He-Ping

2018-06-01

A novel integrated simulation of radiative transfer in metal foams is presented. It integrates the continuous-scale simulation with the direct discrete-scale simulation in a single computational domain. It relies on the coupling of the real discrete-scale foam geometry with the equivalent continuous-scale medium through a specially defined scale-coupled zone. This zone holds continuous but nonhomogeneous volumetric radiative properties. The scale-coupled approach is compared to the traditional continuous-scale approach using volumetric radiative properties in the equivalent participating medium and to the direct discrete-scale approach employing the real 3D foam geometry obtained by computed tomography. All the analyses are based on geometrical optics. The Monte Carlo ray-tracing procedure is used for computations of the absorbed radiative fluxes and the apparent radiative behaviors of metal foams. The results obtained by the three approaches are in tenable agreement. The scale-coupled approach is fully validated in calculating the apparent radiative behaviors of metal foams composed of very absorbing to very reflective struts and that composed of very rough to very smooth struts. This new approach leads to a reduction in computational time by approximately one order of magnitude compared to the direct discrete-scale approach. Meanwhile, it can offer information on the local geometry-dependent feature and at the same time the equivalent feature in an integrated simulation. This new approach is promising to combine the advantages of the continuous-scale approach (rapid calculations) and direct discrete-scale approach (accurate prediction of local radiative quantities).

Integrated detection of fractures and caves in carbonate fractured-vuggy reservoirs based on seismic data and well data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Zhanning; Li, Xiangyang; Sun, Shaohan; Liu, Qun; Deng, Guangxiao

2018-04-01

Aiming at the prediction of carbonate fractured-vuggy reservoirs, we put forward an integrated approach based on seismic and well data. We divide a carbonate fracture-cave system into four scales for study: micro-scale fracture, meso-scale fracture, macro-scale fracture and cave. Firstly, we analyze anisotropic attributes of prestack azimuth gathers based on multi-scale rock physics forward modeling. We select the frequency attenuation gradient attribute to calculate azimuth anisotropy intensity, and we constrain the result with Formation MicroScanner image data and trial production data to predict the distribution of both micro-scale and meso-scale fracture sets. Then, poststack seismic attributes, variance, curvature and ant algorithms are used to predict the distribution of macro-scale fractures. We also constrain the results with trial production data for accuracy. Next, the distribution of caves is predicted by the amplitude corresponding to the instantaneous peak frequency of the seismic imaging data. Finally, the meso-scale fracture sets, macro-scale fractures and caves are combined to obtain an integrated result. This integrated approach is applied to a real field in Tarim Basin in western China for the prediction of fracture-cave reservoirs. The results indicate that this approach can well explain the spatial distribution of carbonate reservoirs. It can solve the problem of non-uniqueness and improve fracture prediction accuracy.

Size Scales for Thermal Inhomogeneities in Mars' Atmosphere Surface Layer: Mars Pathfinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mihalov, John D.; Haberle, Robert M.; Seiff, Alvin; Murphy, James R.; Schofield, John T.; DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Atmospheric temperature measurement at three heights with thin wire thermocouples on the 1.1 m Mars Pathfinder meteorology must allow estimates of the integral scale of the atmospheric thermal turbulence during an 83 sol period that begins in the summer. The integral scale is a measure for regions of perturbations. In turbulent media that roughly characterizes locations where the perturbations are correlated. Excluding some to intervals with violent excursions of the mean temperatures, integral scale values are found that increase relatively rapidly from a few tenths meters or less near down to several meters by mid-morning. During mid-morning, the diurnal and shorter time scale wind direction variations often place the meteorology mast in the thermal wake of the Lander.

75 FR 24742 - In the Matter of Certain Large Scale Integrated Circuit Semiconductor Chips and Products...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-05

... Integrated Circuit Semiconductor Chips and Products Containing Same; Notice of Investigation AGENCY: U.S... of certain large scale integrated circuit semiconductor chips and products containing same by reason... alleges that an industry in the United States exists as required by subsection (a)(2) of section 337. The...

Timing of Formal Phase Safety Reviews for Large-Scale Integrated Hazard Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massie, Michael J.; Morris, A. Terry

2010-01-01

Integrated hazard analysis (IHA) is a process used to identify and control unacceptable risk. As such, it does not occur in a vacuum. IHA approaches must be tailored to fit the system being analyzed. Physical, resource, organizational and temporal constraints on large-scale integrated systems impose additional direct or derived requirements on the IHA. The timing and interaction between engineering and safety organizations can provide either benefits or hindrances to the overall end product. The traditional approach for formal phase safety review timing and content, which generally works well for small- to moderate-scale systems, does not work well for very large-scale integrated systems. This paper proposes a modified approach to timing and content of formal phase safety reviews for IHA. Details of the tailoring process for IHA will describe how to avoid temporary disconnects in major milestone reviews and how to maintain a cohesive end-to-end integration story particularly for systems where the integrator inherently has little to no insight into lower level systems. The proposal has the advantage of allowing the hazard analysis development process to occur as technical data normally matures.

Cyclic Oxidation Behavior of Simulated Post-Weld Heat-Treated P91

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajendran Pillai, S.; Dayal, R. K.

2011-10-01

For long-term service life it is desirable that the high-temperature components posses slow-growing oxide scale. The growth and degradation of the oxide scale on P91 were studied by a thermal cycling method. The oxidation temperature was 780 °C and the duration of each cycle was 2 h. The mass gain and integrity of the scale was examined using a thermogravimetric balance. Any lack of integrity is monitored by the transient mass gain associated with the exposure of fresh surface. The scale retained the integrity throughout 100 cycles. Post-oxidation examination was carried out by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and laser Raman spectroscopy. The nature of the scale was characterized and the reason for the compositional segregation is analyzed.

Assessing water scarcity in agricultural production system based on the generalized water resources and water footprint framework.

PubMed

Xinchun, Cao; Mengyang, Wu; Xiangping, Guo; Yalian, Zheng; Yan, Gong; Nan, Wu; Weiguang, Wang

2017-12-31

An indicator, agricultural water stress index (AWSI), was established based blue-green water resources and water footprint framework for regional water scarcity in agricultural production industry evaluation. AWSI is defined as the ratio of the total agricultural water footprint (AWF) to water resources availability (AWR) in a single year. Then, the temporal and spatial patterns of AWSI in China during 1999-2014 were analyzed based on the provincial AWR and AWF quantification. The results show that the annual AWR in China has been maintained at approximately 2540Gm 3 , of which blue water accounted for >70%. The national annual AWF was approximately 1040Gm 3 during the study period and comprised 65.6% green, 12.7% blue and 21.7% grey WFs The space difference in both the AWF for per unit arable land (AWFI) and its composition was significant. National AWSI was calculated as 0.413 and showed an increasing trend in the observed period. This index increased from 0.320 (mid-water stress level) in 2000 to 0.490 (high water stress level) in the present due to the expansion of the agricultural production scale. The Northern provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities (PAMs) have been facing high water stress, particularly the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, which was at a very high water stress level (AWSI>0.800). Humid South China faces increasingly severe water scarcity, and most of the PAMs in the region have converted from low water stress level (AWSI=0.100-0.200) to mid water stress level (AWSI=0.200-0.400). The AWSI is more appropriate for reflecting the regional water scarcity than the existing water stress index (WSI) or the blue water scarcity (BWS) indicator, particularly for the arid agricultural production regions due to the revealed environmental impacts of agricultural production. China should guarantee the sustainable use of agricultural water resources by reducing its crop water footprint. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of spatial resolution on water scarcity estimates in Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gevaert, Anouk; Veldkamp, Ted; van Dijk, Albert; Ward, Philip

2017-04-01

Water scarcity is an important global issue with severe socio-economic consequences, and its occurrence is likely to increase in many regions due to population growth, economic development and climate change. This has prompted a number of global and regional studies to identify areas that are vulnerable to water scarcity and to determine how this vulnerability will change in the future. A drawback of these studies, however, is that they typically have coarse spatial resolutions. Here, we studied the effect of increasing the spatial resolution of water scarcity estimates in Australia, and the Murray-Darling Basin in particular. This was achieved by calculating the water stress index (WSI), an indicator showing the ratio of water use to water availability, at 0.5 and 0.05 degree resolution for the period 1990-2010. Monthly water availability data were based on outputs of the Australian Water Resources Assessment Landscape model (AWRA-L), which was run at both spatial resolutions and at a daily time scale. Water use information was obtained from a monthly 0.5 degree global dataset that distinguishes between water consumption for irrigation, livestock, industrial and domestic uses. The data were downscaled to 0.05 degree by dividing the sectoral water uses over the areas covered by relevant land use types using a high resolution ( 0.5km) land use dataset. The monthly WSIs at high and low resolution were then used to evaluate differences in the patterns of water scarcity frequency and intensity. In this way, we assess to what extent increasing the spatial resolution can improve the identification of vulnerable areas and thereby assist in the development of strategies to lower this vulnerability. The results of this study provide insight into the scalability of water scarcity estimates and the added value of high resolution water scarcity information in water resources management.

Managing harvest and habitat as integrated components

USGS Publications Warehouse

Osnas, Erik; Runge, Michael C.; Mattsson, Brady J.; Austin, Jane E.; Boomer, G. S.; Clark, R. G.; Devers, P.; Eadie, J. M.; Lonsdorf, E. V.; Tavernia, Brian G.

2014-01-01

In 2007, several important initiatives in the North American waterfowl management community called for an integrated approach to habitat and harvest management. The essence of the call for integration is that harvest and habitat management affect the same resources, yet exist as separate endeavours with very different regulatory contexts. A common modelling framework could help these management streams to better understand their mutual effects. Particularly, how does successful habitat management increase harvest potential? Also, how do regional habitat programmes and large-scale harvest strategies affect continental population sizes (a metric used to express habitat goals)? In the ensuing five years, several projects took on different aspects of these challenges. While all of these projects are still on-going, and are not yet sufficiently developed to produce guidance for management decisions, they have been influential in expanding the dialogue and producing some important emerging lessons. The first lesson has been that one of the more difficult aspects of integration is not the integration across decision contexts, but the integration across spatial and temporal scales. Habitat management occurs at local and regional scales. Harvest management decisions are made at a continental scale. How do these actions, taken at different scales, combine to influence waterfowl population dynamics at all scales? The second lesson has been that consideration of the interface of habitat and harvest management can generate important insights into the objectives underlying the decision context. Often the objectives are very complex and trade-off against one another. The third lesson follows from the second – if an understanding of the fundamental objectives is paramount, there is no escaping the need for a better understanding of human dimensions, specifically the desires of hunters and nonhunters and the role they play in conservation. In the end, the compelling question is how to better understand, guide and justify decisions about conservation investments in waterfowl management. Future efforts to integrate harvest and habitat management will include completion of the species-specific case-studies, initiation of policy discussions around how to integrate the decision contexts and governing institutions, and possible consideration of a new level of integration – integration of harvest and habitats management decisions across waterfowl stocks.

Development of a survey instrument to measure patient experience of integrated care.

PubMed

Walker, Kara Odom; Stewart, Anita L; Grumbach, Kevin

2016-06-01

Healthcare systems are working to move towards more integrated, patient-centered care. This study describes the development and testing of a multidimensional self-report measure of patients' experiences of integrated care. Random-digit-dial telephone survey in 2012 of 317 adults aged 40 years or older in the San Francisco region who had used healthcare at least twice in the past 12 months. One-time cross-sectional survey; psychometric evaluation to confirm dimensions and create multi-item scales. Survey data were analyzed using VARCLUS and confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency reliability testing. Scales measuring five domains were confirmed: coordination within and between care teams, navigation (arranging appointments and visits), communication between specialist and primary care doctor, and communication between primary care doctor and specialist. Four of these demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability. Mean scale scores indicated low levels of integration. These scales measuring integrated care capture meaningful domains of patients' experiences of health care. The low levels of care integration reported by patients in the study sample suggest that these types of measures should be considered in ongoing evaluations of health system performance and improvement. Further research should examine whether differences in patient experience of integrated care are associated with differences in the processes and outcomes of care received.

Identification of a new fault and associated lineament features in Oregon's Summer Lake Valley using high-resolution LiDAR data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, L.; Madin, I.

2012-12-01

In 2012, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) contracted WSI to co-acquire airborne Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR) and Thermal Infrared Imagery (TIR) data within the region surrounding Summer Lake, Oregon. The objective of this project was to detect surficial expressions of geothermal activity and associated geologic features. An analysis of the LiDAR data revealed one newly identified fault and several accompanying lineaments that strike northwest, similar to the trend of the Ana River, Brothers, and Eugene-Denio Fault Zones in Central Oregon. The age of the Ana River Fault Zone and Summer Lake bed is known to be within the Holocene epoch. Apparent scarp height observed from the LiDAR is up to 8 meters. While detailed analysis is ongoing, the data illustrated the effectiveness of using high resolution remote sensing data for surficial analysis of geologic displacement. This presentation will focus on direct visual detection of features in the Summer Lake, Oregon landscape using LiDAR data.

Modeling multilayer x-ray reflectivity using genetic algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez del Río, M.; Pareschi, G.; Michetschläger, C.

2000-06-01

The x-ray reflectivity of a multilayer is a non-linear function of many parameters (materials, layer thickness, density, roughness). Non-linear fitting of experimental data with simulations requires the use of initial values sufficiently close to the optimum value. This is a difficult task when the topology of the space of the variables is highly structured. We apply global optimization methods to fit multilayer reflectivity. Genetic algorithms are stochastic methods based on the model of natural evolution: the improvement of a population along successive generations. A complete set of initial parameters constitutes an individual. The population is a collection of individuals. Each generation is built from the parent generation by applying some operators (selection, crossover, mutation, etc.) on the members of the parent generation. The pressure of selection drives the population to include "good" individuals. For large number of generations, the best individuals will approximate the optimum parameters. Some results on fitting experimental hard x-ray reflectivity data for Ni/C and W/Si multilayers using genetic algorithms are presented. This method can also be applied to design multilayers optimized for a target application.

Assuring the privacy and security of transmitting sensitive electronic health information.

PubMed

Peng, Charlie; Kesarinath, Gautam; Brinks, Tom; Young, James; Groves, David

2009-11-14

The interchange of electronic health records between healthcare providers and public health organizations has become an increasingly desirable tool in reducing healthcare costs, improving healthcare quality, and protecting population health. Assuring privacy and security in nationwide sharing of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in an environment such as GRID has become a top challenge and concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) and The Science Application International Corporation (SAIC) have jointly conducted a proof of concept study to find and build a common secure and reliable messaging platform (the SRM Platform) to handle this challenge. The SRM Platform is built on the open standards of OASIS, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) web-services standards, and Web Services Interoperability (WS-I) specifications to provide the secure transport of sensitive EHR or electronic medical records (EMR). Transmitted data may be in any digital form including text, data, and binary files, such as images. This paper identifies the business use cases, architecture, test results, and new connectivity options for disparate health networks among PHIN, NHIN, Grid, and others.

Efficiency of a multilayer-Laue-lens with a 102 μm aperture

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

Macrander, Albert T., E-mail: atm@anl.gov; Wojcik, Michael; Maser, Jorg

2015-08-24

A multilayer-Laue-lens (MLL) comprised of WSi{sub 2}/Al layers stacked to a full thickness of 102 μm was characterized for its diffraction efficiency and dynamical diffraction properties by x-ray measurements made in the far field. The achieved aperture roughly doubles the previous maximum reported aperture for an MLL, thereby doubling the working distance. Negative and positive first orders were found to have 14.2% and 13.0% efficiencies, respectively. A section thickness of 9.6 μm was determined from Laue-case thickness fringes in the diffraction data. A background gas consisting of 90% Ar and 10% N{sub 2} was used for sputtering. This material system wasmore » chosen to reduce grown-in stress as the multilayer is deposited. Although some regions of the full MLL exhibited defects, the presently reported results were obtained for a region devoid of defects. The data compare well to dynamical diffraction calculations with Coupled Wave Theory (CWT) which provided confirmation of the optical constants and densities assumed for the CWT calculations.« less

Efficiency of a multilayer-Laue-lens with a 102 μm aperture

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

Macrander, Albert T.; Kubec, Adam; Conley, Raymond

2015-08-25

A multilayer-Laue-lens (MLL) comprised of WSi 2/Al layers stacked to a full thickness of 102 microns was characterized for its diffraction efficiency and dynamical diffraction properties by x-ray measurements made in the far field. The achieved aperture roughly doubles the previous maximum reported aperture for an MLL, thereby doubling the working distance. Negative and positive first orders were found to have 14.2 % and 13.0 % efficiencies, respectively. A section thickness of 9.6 μm was determined from Laue-case thickness fringes in the diffraction data. A background gas consisting of 90 % Ar and 10 % N 2 was used formore » sputtering. This material system was chosen to reduce grown-in stress as the multilayer is deposited. Although some regions of the full MLL exhibited defects, the presently reported results were obtained for a region devoid of defects. The data compare well to dynamical diffraction calculations with Coupled Wave Theory (CWT) which provided confirmation of the optical constants and densities assumed for the CWT calculations.« less

Reducing the two-loop large-scale structure power spectrum to low-dimensional, radial integrals

DOE PAGES

Schmittfull, Marcel; Vlah, Zvonimir

2016-11-28

Modeling the large-scale structure of the universe on nonlinear scales has the potential to substantially increase the science return of upcoming surveys by increasing the number of modes available for model comparisons. One way to achieve this is to model nonlinear scales perturbatively. Unfortunately, this involves high-dimensional loop integrals that are cumbersome to evaluate. Here, trying to simplify this, we show how two-loop (next-to-next-to-leading order) corrections to the density power spectrum can be reduced to low-dimensional, radial integrals. Many of those can be evaluated with a one-dimensional fast Fourier transform, which is significantly faster than the five-dimensional Monte-Carlo integrals thatmore » are needed otherwise. The general idea of this fast fourier transform perturbation theory method is to switch between Fourier and position space to avoid convolutions and integrate over orientations, leaving only radial integrals. This reformulation is independent of the underlying shape of the initial linear density power spectrum and should easily accommodate features such as those from baryonic acoustic oscillations. We also discuss how to account for halo bias and redshift space distortions.« less

An Instrument to Measure Maturity of Integrated Care: A First Validation Study

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Introduction: Lessons captured from interviews with 12 European regions are represented in a new instrument, the B3-Maturity Model (B3-MM). B3-MM aims to assess maturity along 12 dimensions reflecting the various aspects that need to be managed in order to deliver integrated care. The objective of the study was to test the content validity of B3-MM as part of SCIROCCO (Scaling Integrated Care into Context), a European Union funded project. Methods: A literature review was conducted to compare B3-MM’s 12 dimensions and their measurement scales with existing measures and instruments that focus on assessing the development of integrated care. Subsequently, a three-round survey conducted through a Delphi study with international experts in the field of integrated care was performed to test the relevance of: 1) the dimensions, 2) the maturity indicators and 3) the assessment scale used in B3-MM. Results: The 11 articles included in the literature review confirmed all the dimensions described in the original version of B3-MM. The Delphi study rounds resulted in various phrasing amendments of indicators and assessment scale. Full agreement among the experts on the relevance of the 12 B3-MM dimensions, their indicators, and assessment scale was reached after the third Delphi round. Conclusion and discussion: The B3-MM dimensions, maturity indicators and assessment scale showed satisfactory content validity. While the B3-MM is a unique instrument based on existing knowledge and experiences of regions in integrated care, further testing is needed to explore other measurement properties of B3-MM. PMID:29588644

Hardware in the Loop at Megawatt-Scale Power | Energy Systems Integration

Science.gov Websites

Facility | NREL Hardware in the Loop at Megawatt-Scale Power Hardware in the Loop at Megawatt -Scale Power Hardware-in-the-loop simulation is not new, but the Energy System Integration Facility's -in-the-loop co-simulation. For more information, read the power hardware-in-the-loop factsheet. Text

Energy Systems Integration News | Energy Systems Integration Facility |

Science.gov Websites

laboratories to attend the workshop on best practices for distributed energy resource (DER) security. Exploring grid. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) H2@Scale initiative is exploring the potential for wide-scale

Fractionaly Integrated Flux model and Scaling Laws in Weather and Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schertzer, Daniel; Lovejoy, Shaun

2013-04-01

The Fractionaly Integrated Flux model (FIF) has been extensively used to model intermittent observables, like the velocity field, by defining them with the help of a fractional integration of a conservative (i.e. strictly scale invariant) flux, such as the turbulent energy flux. It indeed corresponds to a well-defined modelling that yields the observed scaling laws. Generalised Scale Invariance (GSI) enables FIF to deal with anisotropic fractional integrations and has been rather successful to define and model a unique regime of scaling anisotropic turbulence up to planetary scales. This turbulence has an effective dimension of 23/9=2.55... instead of the classical hypothesised 2D and 3D turbulent regimes, respectively for large and small spatial scales. It therefore theoretically eliminates a non plausible "dimension transition" between these two regimes and the resulting requirement of a turbulent energy "mesoscale gap", whose empirical evidence has been brought more and more into question. More recently, GSI-FIF was used to analyse climate, therefore at much larger time scales. Indeed, the 23/9-dimensional regime necessarily breaks up at the outer spatial scales. The corresponding transition range, which can be called "macroweather", seems to have many interesting properties, e.g. it rather corresponds to a fractional differentiation in time with a roughly flat frequency spectrum. Furthermore, this transition yields the possibility to have at much larger time scales scaling space-time climate fluctuations with a much stronger scaling anisotropy between time and space. Lovejoy, S. and D. Schertzer (2013). The Weather and Climate: Emergent Laws and Multifractal Cascades. Cambridge Press (in press). Schertzer, D. et al. (1997). Fractals 5(3): 427-471. Schertzer, D. and S. Lovejoy (2011). International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos 21(12): 3417-3456.

Using Hybrid Techniques for Generating Watershed-scale Flood Models in an Integrated Modeling Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saksena, S.; Merwade, V.; Singhofen, P.

2017-12-01

There is an increasing global trend towards developing large scale flood models that account for spatial heterogeneity at watershed scales to drive the future flood risk planning. Integrated surface water-groundwater modeling procedures can elucidate all the hydrologic processes taking part during a flood event to provide accurate flood outputs. Even though the advantages of using integrated modeling are widely acknowledged, the complexity of integrated process representation, computation time and number of input parameters required have deterred its application to flood inundation mapping, especially for large watersheds. This study presents a faster approach for creating watershed scale flood models using a hybrid design that breaks down the watershed into multiple regions of variable spatial resolution by prioritizing higher order streams. The methodology involves creating a hybrid model for the Upper Wabash River Basin in Indiana using Interconnected Channel and Pond Routing (ICPR) and comparing the performance with a fully-integrated 2D hydrodynamic model. The hybrid approach involves simplification procedures such as 1D channel-2D floodplain coupling; hydrologic basin (HUC-12) integration with 2D groundwater for rainfall-runoff routing; and varying spatial resolution of 2D overland flow based on stream order. The results for a 50-year return period storm event show that hybrid model (NSE=0.87) performance is similar to the 2D integrated model (NSE=0.88) but the computational time is reduced to half. The results suggest that significant computational efficiency can be obtained while maintaining model accuracy for large-scale flood models by using hybrid approaches for model creation.

Cross-scale phenological data integration to benefit resource management and monitoring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richardson, Andrew D.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Morisette, Jeffrey T.

2017-01-01

Climate change is presenting new challenges for natural resource managers charged with maintaining sustainable ecosystems and landscapes. Phenology, a branch of science dealing with seasonal natural phenomena (bird migration or plant flowering in response to weather changes, for example), bridges the gap between the biosphere and the climate system. Phenological processes operate across scales that span orders of magnitude—from leaf to globe and from days to seasons—making phenology ideally suited to multiscale, multiplatform data integration and delivery of information at spatial and temporal scales suitable to inform resource management decisions.A workshop report: Workshop held June 2016 to investigate opportunities and challenges facing multi-scale, multi-platform integration of phenological data to support natural resource management decision-making.

Optical correlator using very-large-scale integrated circuit/ferroelectric-liquid-crystal electrically addressed spatial light modulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Richard M.; Jared, David A.; Sharp, Gary D.; Johnson, Kristina M.

1993-01-01

The use of 2-kHz 64 x 64 very-large-scale integrated circuit/ferroelectric-liquid-crystal electrically addressed spatial light modulators as the input and filter planes of a VanderLugt-type optical correlator is discussed. Liquid-crystal layer thickness variations that are present in the devices are analyzed, and the effects on correlator performance are investigated through computer simulations. Experimental results from the very-large-scale-integrated / ferroelectric-liquid-crystal optical-correlator system are presented and are consistent with the level of performance predicted by the simulations.

How Does Scale of Implementation Impact the Environmental Sustainability of Wastewater Treatment Integrated with Resource Recovery?

PubMed

Cornejo, Pablo K; Zhang, Qiong; Mihelcic, James R

2016-07-05

Energy and resource consumptions required to treat and transport wastewater have led to efforts to improve the environmental sustainability of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Resource recovery can reduce the environmental impact of these systems; however, limited research has considered how the scale of implementation impacts the sustainability of WWTPs integrated with resource recovery. Accordingly, this research uses life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate how the scale of implementation impacts the environmental sustainability of wastewater treatment integrated with water reuse, energy recovery, and nutrient recycling. Three systems were selected: a septic tank with aerobic treatment at the household scale, an advanced water reclamation facility at the community scale, and an advanced water reclamation facility at the city scale. Three sustainability indicators were considered: embodied energy, carbon footprint, and eutrophication potential. This study determined that as with economies of scale, there are benefits to centralization of WWTPs with resource recovery in terms of embodied energy and carbon footprint; however, the community scale was shown to have the lowest eutrophication potential. Additionally, technology selection, nutrient control practices, system layout, and topographical conditions may have a larger impact on environmental sustainability than the implementation scale in some cases.

Semi-implicit time integration of atmospheric flows with characteristic-based flux partitioning

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

Ghosh, Debojyoti; Constantinescu, Emil M.

2016-06-23

Here, this paper presents a characteristic-based flux partitioning for the semi-implicit time integration of atmospheric flows. Nonhydrostatic models require the solution of the compressible Euler equations. The acoustic time scale is significantly faster than the advective scale, yet it is typically not relevant to atmospheric and weather phenomena. The acoustic and advective components of the hyperbolic flux are separated in the characteristic space. High-order, conservative additive Runge-Kutta methods are applied to the partitioned equations so that the acoustic component is integrated in time implicitly with an unconditionally stable method, while the advective component is integrated explicitly. The time step ofmore » the overall algorithm is thus determined by the advective scale. Benchmark flow problems are used to demonstrate the accuracy, stability, and convergence of the proposed algorithm. The computational cost of the partitioned semi-implicit approach is compared with that of explicit time integration.« less

Improving predictions of large scale soil carbon dynamics: Integration of fine-scale hydrological and biogeochemical processes, scaling, and benchmarking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riley, W. J.; Dwivedi, D.; Ghimire, B.; Hoffman, F. M.; Pau, G. S. H.; Randerson, J. T.; Shen, C.; Tang, J.; Zhu, Q.

2015-12-01

Numerical model representations of decadal- to centennial-scale soil-carbon dynamics are a dominant cause of uncertainty in climate change predictions. Recent attempts by some Earth System Model (ESM) teams to integrate previously unrepresented soil processes (e.g., explicit microbial processes, abiotic interactions with mineral surfaces, vertical transport), poor performance of many ESM land models against large-scale and experimental manipulation observations, and complexities associated with spatial heterogeneity highlight the nascent nature of our community's ability to accurately predict future soil carbon dynamics. I will present recent work from our group to develop a modeling framework to integrate pore-, column-, watershed-, and global-scale soil process representations into an ESM (ACME), and apply the International Land Model Benchmarking (ILAMB) package for evaluation. At the column scale and across a wide range of sites, observed depth-resolved carbon stocks and their 14C derived turnover times can be explained by a model with explicit representation of two microbial populations, a simple representation of mineralogy, and vertical transport. Integrating soil and plant dynamics requires a 'process-scaling' approach, since all aspects of the multi-nutrient system cannot be explicitly resolved at ESM scales. I will show that one approach, the Equilibrium Chemistry Approximation, improves predictions of forest nitrogen and phosphorus experimental manipulations and leads to very different global soil carbon predictions. Translating model representations from the site- to ESM-scale requires a spatial scaling approach that either explicitly resolves the relevant processes, or more practically, accounts for fine-resolution dynamics at coarser scales. To that end, I will present recent watershed-scale modeling work that applies reduced order model methods to accurately scale fine-resolution soil carbon dynamics to coarse-resolution simulations. Finally, we contend that creating believable soil carbon predictions requires a robust, transparent, and community-available benchmarking framework. I will present an ILAMB evaluation of several of the above-mentioned approaches in ACME, and attempt to motivate community adoption of this evaluation approach.

Hypoxia-elicited impairment of cell wall integrity, glycosylation precursor synthesis, and growth in scaled-up high-cell density fed-batch cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Aon, Juan C; Sun, Jianxin; Leighton, Julie M; Appelbaum, Edward R

2016-08-15

In this study we examine the integrity of the cell wall during scale up of a yeast fermentation process from laboratory scale (10 L) to industrial scale (10,000 L). In a previous study we observed a clear difference in the volume fraction occupied by yeast cells as revealed by wet cell weight (WCW) measurements between these scales. That study also included metabolite analysis which suggested hypoxia during scale up. Here we hypothesize that hypoxia weakens the yeast cell wall during the scale up, leading to changes in cell permeability, and/or cell mechanical resistance, which in turn may lead to the observed difference in WCW. We tested the cell wall integrity by probing the cell wall sensitivity to Zymolyase. Also exometabolomics data showed changes in supply of precursors for the glycosylation pathway. The results show a more sensitive cell wall later in the production process at industrial scale, while the sensitivity at early time points was similar at both scales. We also report exometabolomics data, in particular a link with the protein glycosylation pathway. Significantly lower levels of Man6P and progressively higher GDP-mannose indicated partially impaired incorporation of this sugar nucleotide during co- or post-translational protein glycosylation pathways at the 10,000 L compared to the 10 L scale. This impairment in glycosylation would be expected to affect cell wall integrity. Although cell viability from samples obtained at both scales were similar, cells harvested from 10 L bioreactors were able to re-initiate growth faster in fresh shake flask media than those harvested from the industrial scale. The results obtained help explain the WCW differences observed at both scales by hypoxia-triggered weakening of the yeast cell wall during the scale up.

Integrative Systems Models of Cardiac Excitation Contraction Coupling

PubMed Central

Greenstein, Joseph L.; Winslow, Raimond L.

2010-01-01

Excitation-contraction coupling in the cardiac myocyte is mediated by a number of highly integrated mechanisms of intracellular Ca2+ transport. The complexity and integrative nature of heart cell electrophysiology and Ca2+-cycling has led to an evolution of computational models that have played a crucial role in shaping our understanding of heart function. An important emerging theme in systems biology is that the detailed nature of local signaling events, such as those that occur in the cardiac dyad, have important consequences at higher biological scales. Multi-scale modeling techniques have revealed many mechanistic links between micro-scale events, such as Ca2+ binding to a channel protein, and macro-scale phenomena, such as excitation-contraction coupling gain. Here we review experimentally based multi-scale computational models of excitation-contraction coupling and the insights that have been gained through their application. PMID:21212390

Scale relativity theory and integrative systems biology: 1. Founding principles and scale laws.

PubMed

Auffray, Charles; Nottale, Laurent

2008-05-01

In these two companion papers, we provide an overview and a brief history of the multiple roots, current developments and recent advances of integrative systems biology and identify multiscale integration as its grand challenge. Then we introduce the fundamental principles and the successive steps that have been followed in the construction of the scale relativity theory, and discuss how scale laws of increasing complexity can be used to model and understand the behaviour of complex biological systems. In scale relativity theory, the geometry of space is considered to be continuous but non-differentiable, therefore fractal (i.e., explicitly scale-dependent). One writes the equations of motion in such a space as geodesics equations, under the constraint of the principle of relativity of all scales in nature. To this purpose, covariant derivatives are constructed that implement the various effects of the non-differentiable and fractal geometry. In this first review paper, the scale laws that describe the new dependence on resolutions of physical quantities are obtained as solutions of differential equations acting in the scale space. This leads to several possible levels of description for these laws, from the simplest scale invariant laws to generalized laws with variable fractal dimensions. Initial applications of these laws to the study of species evolution, embryogenesis and cell confinement are discussed.

Microfluidic large-scale integration: the evolution of design rules for biological automation.

PubMed

Melin, Jessica; Quake, Stephen R

2007-01-01

Microfluidic large-scale integration (mLSI) refers to the development of microfluidic chips with thousands of integrated micromechanical valves and control components. This technology is utilized in many areas of biology and chemistry and is a candidate to replace today's conventional automation paradigm, which consists of fluid-handling robots. We review the basic development of mLSI and then discuss design principles of mLSI to assess the capabilities and limitations of the current state of the art and to facilitate the application of mLSI to areas of biology. Many design and practical issues, including economies of scale, parallelization strategies, multiplexing, and multistep biochemical processing, are discussed. Several microfluidic components used as building blocks to create effective, complex, and highly integrated microfluidic networks are also highlighted.

Thermochemical Users Facility | Bioenergy | NREL

Science.gov Websites

collaborate on research and development efforts or to use our equipment to test their materials and processes NREL's thermochemical process integration, scale-up, and piloting research. Schematic diagram of NRELs about NREL's thermochemical process integration, scale-up, and piloting research. Thermochemical

INTEGRATION OF PHOTOCATALYTIC OXIDATION WITH AIR STRIPPING OF CONTAMINATED AQUIFERS

EPA Science Inventory

Bench scale laboratory studies and pilot scale studies in a simulated field-test situation were performed to evaluate the integration of gas-solid ultaviolet (UV) photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) downstream if an air stripper unit as a technology for cost-effectively treating water...

Studies of Sub-Synchronous Oscillations in Large-Scale Wind Farm Integrated System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Liu; Hang, Mend

2018-01-01

With the rapid development and construction of large-scale wind farms and grid-connected operation, the series compensation wind power AC transmission is gradually becoming the main way of power usage and improvement of wind power availability and grid stability, but the integration of wind farm will change the SSO (Sub-Synchronous oscillation) damping characteristics of synchronous generator system. Regarding the above SSO problem caused by integration of large-scale wind farms, this paper focusing on doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind farms, aim to summarize the SSO mechanism in large-scale wind power integrated system with series compensation, which can be classified as three types: sub-synchronous control interaction (SSCI), sub-synchronous torsional interaction (SSTI), sub-synchronous resonance (SSR). Then, SSO modelling and analysis methods are categorized and compared by its applicable areas. Furthermore, this paper summarizes the suppression measures of actual SSO projects based on different control objectives. Finally, the research prospect on this field is explored.

Impact of basin scale and time-weighted mercury metrics on intra-/inter-basin mercury comparisons

Treesearch

Paul Bradley; Mark E. Brigham

2016-01-01

Understanding anthropogenic and environmental controls on fluvial Mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation over global and national gradients can be challenging due to the need to integrate discrete-sample results from numerous small scale investigations. Two fundamental issues for such integrative Hg assessments are the wide range of basin scales for included studies and how well...

Improving the integration of recreation management with management of other natural resources by applying concepts of scale from ecology

Treesearch

Wayde c. Morse; Troy E. Hall; Linda E. Kruger

2008-01-01

In this article, we examine how issues of scale affect the integration of recreation management with the management of other natural resources on public lands. We present two theories used to address scale issues in ecology and explore how they can improve the two most widely applied recreation-planning frameworks. The theory of patch dynamics and hierarchy theory are...

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

Trujillo, Angelina Michelle

Strategy, Planning, Acquiring- very large scale computing platforms come and go and planning for immensely scalable machines often precedes actual procurement by 3 years. Procurement can be another year or more. Integration- After Acquisition, machines must be integrated into the computing environments at LANL. Connection to scalable storage via large scale storage networking, assuring correct and secure operations. Management and Utilization – Ongoing operations, maintenance, and trouble shooting of the hardware and systems software at massive scale is required.

Method and appartus for converting static in-ground vehicle scales into weigh-in-motion systems

DOEpatents

Muhs, Jeffrey D.; Scudiere, Matthew B.; Jordan, John K.

2002-01-01

An apparatus and method for converting in-ground static weighing scales for vehicles to weigh-in-motion systems. The apparatus upon conversion includes the existing in-ground static scale, peripheral switches and an electronic module for automatic computation of the weight. By monitoring the velocity, tire position, axle spacing, and real time output from existing static scales as a vehicle drives over the scales, the system determines when an axle of a vehicle is on the scale at a given time, monitors the combined weight output from any given axle combination on the scale(s) at any given time, and from these measurements automatically computes the weight of each individual axle and gross vehicle weight by an integration, integration approximation, and/or signal averaging technique.

A new heterogeneous asynchronous explicit-implicit time integrator for nonsmooth dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fekak, Fatima-Ezzahra; Brun, Michael; Gravouil, Anthony; Depale, Bruno

2017-07-01

In computational structural dynamics, particularly in the presence of nonsmooth behavior, the choice of the time-step and the time integrator has a critical impact on the feasibility of the simulation. Furthermore, in some cases, as in the case of a bridge crane under seismic loading, multiple time-scales coexist in the same problem. In that case, the use of multi-time scale methods is suitable. Here, we propose a new explicit-implicit heterogeneous asynchronous time integrator (HATI) for nonsmooth transient dynamics with frictionless unilateral contacts and impacts. Furthermore, we present a new explicit time integrator for contact/impact problems where the contact constraints are enforced using a Lagrange multiplier method. In other words, the aim of this paper consists in using an explicit time integrator with a fine time scale in the contact area for reproducing high frequency phenomena, while an implicit time integrator is adopted in the other parts in order to reproduce much low frequency phenomena and to optimize the CPU time. In a first step, the explicit time integrator is tested on a one-dimensional example and compared to Moreau-Jean's event-capturing schemes. The explicit algorithm is found to be very accurate and the scheme has generally a higher order of convergence than Moreau-Jean's schemes and provides also an excellent energy behavior. Then, the two time scales explicit-implicit HATI is applied to the numerical example of a bridge crane under seismic loading. The results are validated in comparison to a fine scale full explicit computation. The energy dissipated in the implicit-explicit interface is well controlled and the computational time is lower than a full-explicit simulation.

Vertical and lateral heterogeneous integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geske, Jon; Okuno, Yae L.; Bowers, John E.; Jayaraman, Vijay

2001-09-01

A technique for achieving large-scale monolithic integration of lattice-mismatched materials in the vertical direction and the lateral integration of dissimilar lattice-matched structures has been developed. The technique uses a single nonplanar direct-wafer-bond step to transform vertically integrated epitaxial structures into lateral epitaxial variation across the surface of a wafer. Nonplanar wafer bonding is demonstrated by integrating four different unstrained multi-quantum-well active regions lattice matched to InP on a GaAs wafer surface. Microscopy is used to verify the quality of the bonded interface, and photoluminescence is used to verify that the bonding process does not degrade the optical quality of the laterally integrated wells. The authors propose this technique as a means to achieve greater levels of wafer-scale integration in optical, electrical, and micromechanical devices.

Real-time adaptive ramp metering : phase I, MILOS proof of concept (multi-objective, integrated, large-scale, optimized system).

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-12-01

Over the last several years, researchers at the University of Arizonas ATLAS Center have developed an adaptive ramp : metering system referred to as MILOS (Multi-Objective, Integrated, Large-Scale, Optimized System). The goal of this project : is ...

Ecosystem informaties for natural history data - Developing an integrated framework for biological and geographic data

EPA Science Inventory

Threats to the ecological integrity of marine and estuarine systems operate over many spatial scales, from nutrient enrichment at watershed/estuarine linkages to invasive species and climate change at regional/global scales. Decision support tools and information systems needed t...

Community integration following multidisciplinary rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Goranson, Tamara E; Graves, Roger E; Allison, Deborah; La Freniere, Ron

2003-09-01

To determine the extent to which participation in a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme and patient characteristics predict improvement in community integration following mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). A non-randomized case-control study was conducted employing a pre-test-post-test multiple regression design. Archival data for 42 patients with mild-to-moderate TBI who completed the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) at intake and again 6-18 months later were analysed. Half the sample participated in an intensive outpatient rehabilitation programme that provided multi-modal interventions, while the other half received no rehabilitation. The two groups were matched on age, education and time since injury. On the CIQ Home Integration scale, participation in rehabilitation and female gender predicted better outcome. On the Productivity scale, patients with a lower age at injury had better outcome. Outcome on both of these scales, as well as on the Social Integration scale, was predicted by the baseline pre-test score (initial severity). Overall, multidisciplinary rehabilitation appeared to increase personal independence. It is also concluded that: (1) multivariate analysis can reveal the relative importance of multiple predictors of outcome; (2) different predictors may predict different aspects of outcome; and (3) more sensitive and specific outcome measures are needed.

The Integrative Psychotherapy Alliance: Family, Couple and Individual Therapy Scales.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinsof, William M.; Catherall, Donald R.

1986-01-01

Presents an integrative definition of the therapeutic alliance that conceptualizes individual, couple and family therapy as occurring within the same systemic framework. The implications of this concept for therapy reserach are examined. Three new systematically oriented scales to measure the alliance are presented along with some preliminary data…

A multi-scale metrics approach to forest fragmentation for Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment

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

Kim, Eunyoung, E-mail: eykim@kei.re.kr; Song, Wonkyong, E-mail: wksong79@gmail.com; Lee, Dongkun, E-mail: dklee7@snu.ac.kr

Forests are becoming severely fragmented as a result of land development. South Korea has responded to changing community concerns about environmental issues. The nation has developed and is extending a broad range of tools for use in environmental management. Although legally mandated environmental compliance requirements in South Korea have been implemented to predict and evaluate the impacts of land-development projects, these legal instruments are often insufficient to assess the subsequent impact of development on the surrounding forests. It is especially difficult to examine impacts on multiple (e.g., regional and local) scales in detail. Forest configuration and size, including forest fragmentationmore » by land development, are considered on a regional scale. Moreover, forest structure and composition, including biodiversity, are considered on a local scale in the Environmental Impact Assessment process. Recently, the government amended the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, including the SEA, EIA, and small-scale EIA, to require an integrated approach. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish an impact assessment system that minimizes the impacts of land development using an approach that is integrated across multiple scales. This study focused on forest fragmentation due to residential development and road construction sites in selected Congestion Restraint Zones (CRZs) in the Greater Seoul Area of South Korea. Based on a review of multiple-scale impacts, this paper integrates models that assess the impacts of land development on forest ecosystems. The applicability of the integrated model for assessing impacts on forest ecosystems through the SEIA process is considered. On a regional scale, it is possible to evaluate the location and size of a land-development project by considering aspects of forest fragmentation, such as the stability of the forest structure and the degree of fragmentation. On a local scale, land-development projects should consider the distances at which impacts occur in the vicinity of the forest ecosystem, and these considerations should include the impacts on forest vegetation and bird species. Impacts can be mitigated by considering the distances at which these influences occur. In particular, this paper presents an integrated environmental impact assessment system to be applied in the SEIA process. The integrated assessment system permits the assessment of the cumulative impacts of land development on multiple scales. -- Highlights: • The model is to assess the impact of forest fragmentation across multiple scales. • The paper suggests the type of forest fragmentation on a regional scale. • The type can be used to evaluate the location and size of a land development. • The paper shows the influence distance of land development on a local scale. • The distance can be used to mitigate the impact at an EIA process.« less

Micro-scale heat-exchangers for Joule-Thomson cooling.

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

Gross, Andrew John

2014-01-01

This project focused on developing a micro-scale counter flow heat exchangers for Joule-Thomson cooling with the potential for both chip and wafer scale integration. This project is differentiated from previous work by focusing on planar, thin film micromachining instead of bulk materials. A process will be developed for fabricating all the devices mentioned above, allowing for highly integrated micro heat exchangers. The use of thin film dielectrics provides thermal isolation, increasing efficiency of the coolers compared to designs based on bulk materials, and it will allow for wafer-scale fabrication and integration. The process is intended to implement a CFHX asmore » part of a Joule-Thomson cooling system for applications with heat loads less than 1mW. This report presents simulation results and investigation of a fabrication process for such devices.« less

Scale-adaptive compressive tracking with feature integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wei; Li, Jicheng; Chen, Xiao; Li, Shuxin

2016-05-01

Numerous tracking-by-detection methods have been proposed for robust visual tracking, among which compressive tracking (CT) has obtained some promising results. A scale-adaptive CT method based on multifeature integration is presented to improve the robustness and accuracy of CT. We introduce a keypoint-based model to achieve the accurate scale estimation, which can additionally give a prior location of the target. Furthermore, by the high efficiency of data-independent random projection matrix, multiple features are integrated into an effective appearance model to construct the naïve Bayes classifier. At last, an adaptive update scheme is proposed to update the classifier conservatively. Experiments on various challenging sequences demonstrate substantial improvements by our proposed tracker over CT and other state-of-the-art trackers in terms of dealing with scale variation, abrupt motion, deformation, and illumination changes.

The impact of depression and sense of coherence on emotional and social loneliness among nursing home residents without cognitive impairment - a questionnaire survey.

PubMed

Drageset, Jorunn; Espehaug, Birgitte; Kirkevold, Marit

2012-04-01

To analyse the relationships between depressive symptoms, sense of coherence and emotional and social loneliness among nursing home residents without cognitive impairment. Depression symptoms and loneliness are major health problems for older people. Sense of coherence, which is based on a salutogenic theoretical framework, is a strong determinant of positive health and successful coping and is associated with well-being and depression among older people. Few studies have explored the relationships between depression symptoms, sense of coherence and emotional and social loneliness among nursing home residents. A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational design. Sample - 227 residents 65-102 years old from 30 nursing home residing ≥ six months. All had a Clinical Dementia Rating ≤ 0·5 and could converse. Residents were interviewed using the Social Provisions Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale and Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-13). Possible relationships between these were analysed, controlled for sex, age, marital status, education, length of stay and comorbidity. Before adjustment, Geriatric Depression Scale was associated with attachment and social integration. After adjustment, Geriatric Depression Scale was still associated with attachment and social integration. Further adjusting for Sense of Coherence Scale reduced the association between Geriatric Depression Scale and attachment and even more so for the association between Geriatric Depression Scale and social integration. Sense of coherence and Geriatric Depression Scale did not interact, and SOC-13 was associated with attachment and social integration. Depression symptoms contribute to emotional and social loneliness. Independent of sense of coherence, depression symptoms are associated with emotional loneliness, sense of coherence influence emotional and social loneliness. Clinical nurses should observe residents closely for signs of depression and loneliness and support their sense of coherence to reduce emotional and social loneliness. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Dissociable effects of local inhibitory and excitatory theta-burst stimulation on large-scale brain dynamics

PubMed Central

Sale, Martin V.; Lord, Anton; Zalesky, Andrew; Breakspear, Michael; Mattingley, Jason B.

2015-01-01

Normal brain function depends on a dynamic balance between local specialization and large-scale integration. It remains unclear, however, how local changes in functionally specialized areas can influence integrated activity across larger brain networks. By combining transcranial magnetic stimulation with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we tested for changes in large-scale integration following the application of excitatory or inhibitory stimulation on the human motor cortex. After local inhibitory stimulation, regions encompassing the sensorimotor module concurrently increased their internal integration and decreased their communication with other modules of the brain. There were no such changes in modular dynamics following excitatory stimulation of the same area of motor cortex nor were there changes in the configuration and interactions between core brain hubs after excitatory or inhibitory stimulation of the same area. These results suggest the existence of selective mechanisms that integrate local changes in neural activity, while preserving ongoing communication between brain hubs. PMID:25717162

Wafer-scale integrated micro-supercapacitors on an ultrathin and highly flexible biomedical platform.

PubMed

Maeng, Jimin; Meng, Chuizhou; Irazoqui, Pedro P

2015-02-01

We present wafer-scale integrated micro-supercapacitors on an ultrathin and highly flexible parylene platform, as progress toward sustainably powering biomedical microsystems suitable for implantable and wearable applications. All-solid-state, low-profile (<30 μm), and high-density (up to ~500 μF/mm(2)) micro-supercapacitors are formed on an ultrathin (~20 μm) freestanding parylene film by a wafer-scale parylene packaging process in combination with a polyaniline (PANI) nanowire growth technique assisted by surface plasma treatment. These micro-supercapacitors are highly flexible and shown to be resilient toward flexural stress. Further, direct integration of micro-supercapacitors into a radio frequency (RF) rectifying circuit is achieved on a single parylene platform, yielding a complete RF energy harvesting microsystem. The system discharging rate is shown to improve by ~17 times in the presence of the integrated micro-supercapacitors. This result suggests that the integrated micro-supercapacitor technology described herein is a promising strategy for sustainably powering biomedical microsystems dedicated to implantable and wearable applications.

Exploring the History of Time in an Integrated System: the Ramifications for Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, M. B.; Adams, L. E.; Allen, T. L.; Arrigo, J. S.; Bain, D. J.; Bray, E. N.; Duncan, J. M.; Hermans, C. M.; Pastore, C.; Schlosser, C. A.; Vorosmarty, C. J.; Witherell, B. B.; Wollheim, W. M.; Wreschnig, A. J.

2009-12-01

Characteristic time scales are useful and simple descriptors of geophysical and socio-economic system dynamics. Focusing on the integrative nature of the hydrologic cycle, new insights into system couplings can be gained by compiling characteristic time scales of important processes driving these systems. There are many examples of changing characteristic time scales. Human life expectancy has increased over the recent history of medical advancement. The transport time of goods has decreased with the progression from horse to rail to car to plane. The transport time of information changed with the progression from letter to telegraph to telephone to networked computing. Soil residence time (pedogenesis to estuary deposition) has been influenced by changing agricultural technology, urbanization, and forest practices. Surface water residence times have varied as beaver dams have disappeared and been replaced with modern reservoirs, flood control works, and channelization. These dynamics raise the question of how these types of time scales interact with each other to form integrated Earth system dynamics? Here we explore the coupling of geophysical and socio-economic systems in the northeast United States over the 1600 to 2010 period by examining characteristic time scales. This visualization of many time scales serves as an exploratory analysis, producing new hypotheses about how the integrated system dynamics have evolved over the last 400 years. Specifically, exponential population growth and the evolving strategies to maintain that population appears as fundamental to many of the time scales.

Construction and validation of a measure of integrative well-being in seven languages: the Pemberton Happiness Index.

PubMed

Hervás, Gonzalo; Vázquez, Carmelo

2013-04-22

We introduce the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI), a new integrative measure of well-being in seven languages, detailing the validation process and presenting psychometric data. The scale includes eleven items related to different domains of remembered well-being (general, hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being) and ten items related to experienced well-being (i.e., positive and negative emotional events that possibly happened the day before); the sum of these items produces a combined well-being index. A distinctive characteristic of this study is that to construct the scale, an initial pool of items, covering the remembered and experienced well-being domains, were subjected to a complete selection and validation process. These items were based on widely used scales (e.g., PANAS, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scales). Both the initial items and reference scales were translated into seven languages and completed via Internet by participants (N = 4,052) aged 16 to 60 years from nine countries (Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and USA). Results from this initial validation study provided very good support for the psychometric properties of the PHI (i.e., internal consistency, a single-factor structure, and convergent and incremental validity). Given the PHI's good psychometric properties, this simple and integrative index could be used as an instrument to monitor changes in well-being. We discuss the utility of this integrative index to explore well-being in individuals and communities.

Moving Beyond 3D Hetero-Integration and Towards Monolithic Integration of Phase-Change RF Switches with SiGe BiCMOS

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-31

Corporation, Linthicum, Maryland *Corresponding author: Pavel.Borodulin@ngc.com Abstract: A chip -scale, highly-reconfigurable transmitter and...the technology has been used in a chip -scale, reconfigurable receiver demonstration and ongoing efforts to increase the level of performance and...circuit (RF-FPGA). It consists of a heterogeneous assembly of a SiGe BiCMOS chip with multiple 3D-integrated, low-loss, phase-change switch chiplets

Data integration in the era of omics: current and future challenges

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

To integrate heterogeneous and large omics data constitutes not only a conceptual challenge but a practical hurdle in the daily analysis of omics data. With the rise of novel omics technologies and through large-scale consortia projects, biological systems are being further investigated at an unprecedented scale generating heterogeneous and often large data sets. These data-sets encourage researchers to develop novel data integration methodologies. In this introduction we review the definition and characterize current efforts on data integration in the life sciences. We have used a web-survey to assess current research projects on data-integration to tap into the views, needs and challenges as currently perceived by parts of the research community. PMID:25032990

Going the distance: spatial scale of athletic experience affects the accuracy of path integration.

PubMed

Smith, Alastair D; Howard, Christina J; Alcock, Niall; Cater, Kirsten

2010-09-01

Evidence suggests that athletically trained individuals are more accurate than untrained individuals in updating their spatial position through idiothetic cues. We assessed whether training at different spatial scales affects the accuracy of path integration. Groups of rugby players (large-scale training) and martial artists (small-scale training) participated in a triangle-completion task: they were led (blindfolded) along two sides of a right-angled triangle and were required to complete the hypotenuse by returning to the origin. The groups did not differ in their assessment of the distance to the origin, but rugby players were more accurate than martial artists in assessing the correct angle to turn (heading), and landed significantly closer to the origin. These data support evidence that distance and heading components can be dissociated. Furthermore, they suggest that the spatial scale at which an individual is trained may affect the accuracy of one component of path integration but not the other.

Robopedia: Leveraging Sensorpedia for Web-Enabled Robot Control

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

Resseguie, David R

There is a growing interest in building Internetscale sensor networks that integrate sensors from around the world into a single unified system. In contrast, robotics application development has primarily focused on building specialized systems. These specialized systems take scalability and reliability into consideration, but generally neglect exploring the key components required to build a large scale system. Integrating robotic applications with Internet-scale sensor networks will unify specialized robotics applications and provide answers to large scale implementation concerns. We focus on utilizing Internet-scale sensor network technology to construct a framework for unifying robotic systems. Our framework web-enables a surveillance robot smore » sensor observations and provides a webinterface to the robot s actuators. This lets robots seamlessly integrate into web applications. In addition, the framework eliminates most prerequisite robotics knowledge, allowing for the creation of general web-based robotics applications. The framework also provides mechanisms to create applications that can interface with any robot. Frameworks such as this one are key to solving large scale mobile robotics implementation problems. We provide an overview of previous Internetscale sensor networks, Sensorpedia (an ad-hoc Internet-scale sensor network), our framework for integrating robots with Sensorpedia, two applications which illustrate our frameworks ability to support general web-based robotic control, and offer experimental results that illustrate our framework s scalability, feasibility, and resource requirements.« less

Sound radiation from a subsonic rotor subjected to turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sevik, M.

1974-01-01

The broadband sound radiated by a subsonic rotor subjected to turbulence in the approach stream has been analyzed. The power spectral density of the sound intensity has been found to depend on a characteristic time scale-namely, the integral scale of the turbulence divided by the axial flow velocity-as well as several length-scale ratios. These consist of the ratio of the integral scale to the acoustic wavelength, rotor radius, and blade chord. Due to the simplified model chosen, only a limited number of cascade parameters appear. Limited comparisons with experimental data indicate good agreement with predicted values.

Silicon Hybrid Wafer Scale Integration Interconnect Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

perform Wafer Scale Integration on a routine basis is being vigorously pursued by a number of interests in military, academic , and commercial sectors...A iliciosi rip1 St -110 illic. (;11ptai / W. -a ;,tcd Ihat Ilesc hybhrid futl liods separiltely soI lie llixiiiul’upw~v~ ielts andl ~il (otii’ie thli

SITE EMERGING TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY: INTEGRATION OF PHOTOCATALYTIC OXIDATION WITH AIR STRIPPING OF CONTAMINATED AQUIFERS

EPA Science Inventory

In a recently completed test program, bench-scale laboratory studies at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, AZ, and pilot-scale studies in a simulated field test situation at Zentox Corp in Ocala, FL, were performed to evaluate the integration of gas-solid ultraviolet (UV) p...

A Step for Evaluating Constructivist Approach Integrated Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gazi, Zehra A.

2011-01-01

This research aims to reveal the validation of 86-items in order to develop a scale for evaluating constructivist approach integrated online courses in higher education practices. The main aim of this research process is to reveal a scale to further evaluate whether the online education practices in higher education have the notions of…

Ordinal Logistic Regression to Detect Differential Item Functioning for Gender in the Institutional Integration Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breidenbach, Daniel H.; French, Brian F.

2011-01-01

Many factors can influence a student's decision to withdraw from college. Intervention programs aimed at retention can benefit from understanding the factors related to such decisions, especially in underrepresented groups. The Institutional Integration Scale (IIS) has been suggested as a predictor of student persistence. Accurate prediction of…

When Can Information from Ordinal Scale Variables Be Integrated?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemp, Simon; Grace, Randolph C.

2010-01-01

Many theoretical constructs of interest to psychologists are multidimensional and derive from the integration of several input variables. We show that input variables that are measured on ordinal scales cannot be combined to produce a stable weakly ordered output variable that allows trading off the input variables. Instead a partial order is…

Diagnosing scaling behavior of groundwater with a fully-integrated, high resolution hydrologic model simulated over the continental US (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maxwell, R. M.; Condon, L. E.; Kollet, S. J.

2013-12-01

Groundwater is an important component of the hydrologic cycle yet its importance is often overlooked. Aquifers are a critical water resource, particularly in irrigation, but also participates in moderating the land-energy balance over the so-called critical zone of 2-10m in water table depth. Yet,the scaling behavior of groundwater is not well known. Here, we present the results of a fully-integrated hydrologic model run over a 6.3M km2 domain that covers much of North America focused on the continental United States. This model encompasses both the Mississippi and Colorado River watersheds in their entirety at 1km resolution and is constructed using the fully-integrated groundwater-vadose zone-surface water-land surface model, ParFlow. Results from this work are compared to observations (both of surface water flow and groundwater depths) and approaches are presented for observing of these integrated systems. Furthermore, results are used to understand the scaling behavior of groundwater over the continent at high resolution. Implications for understanding dominant hydrological processes at large scales will be discussed.

Can Integrated Micro-Optical Concentrator Technology Revolutionize Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Solar Energy Harvesting?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haney, Michael W.

2015-12-01

The economies-of-scale and enhanced performance of integrated micro-technologies have repeatedly delivered disruptive market impact. Examples range from microelectronics to displays to lighting. However, integrated micro-scale technologies have yet to be applied in a transformational way to solar photovoltaic panels. The recently announced Micro-scale Optimized Solar-cell Arrays with Integrated Concentration (MOSAIC) program aims to create a new paradigm in solar photovoltaic panel technology based on the incorporation of micro-concentrating photo-voltaic (μ-CPV) cells. As depicted in Figure 1, MOSAIC will integrate arrays of micro-optical concentrating elements and micro-scale PV elements to achieve the same aggregated collection area and high conversion efficiency of a conventional (i.e., macro-scale) CPV approach, but with the low profile and mass, and hopefully cost, of a conventional non-concentrated PV panel. The reduced size and weight, and enhanced wiring complexity, of the MOSAIC approach provide the opportunity to access the high-performance/low-cost region between the conventional CPV and flat-plate (1-sun) PV domains shown in Figure 2. Accessing this portion of the graph in Figure 2 will expand the geographic and market reach of flat-plate PV. This talk reviews the motivation and goals for the MOSAIC program. The diversity of the technical approaches to micro-concentration, embedded solar tracking, and hybrid direct/diffuse solar resource collection found in the MOSAIC portfolio of projects will also be highlighted.

Teachers' instructional efficacy and teachers' efficacy toward integration of information technologies in the classroom.

PubMed

Dussault, Marc; Deaudelin, Colette; Brodeur, Monique

2004-06-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between teachers' instructional efficacy and their efficacy toward integration of technologies in the classroom. A sample of 309 French Canadian elementary school teachers volunteered and were administered a French Canadian version of the Teacher Efficacy Scale and Teachers' efficacy scale toward integration of technologies in the classroom. Analysis yielded, as expected, a positive and significant partial correlation between the two types of self-efficacy beliefs (.27 and .36).

Miniaturized integration of a fluorescence microscope

PubMed Central

Ghosh, Kunal K.; Burns, Laurie D.; Cocker, Eric D.; Nimmerjahn, Axel; Ziv, Yaniv; Gamal, Abbas El; Schnitzer, Mark J.

2013-01-01

The light microscope is traditionally an instrument of substantial size and expense. Its miniaturized integration would enable many new applications based on mass-producible, tiny microscopes. Key prospective usages include brain imaging in behaving animals towards relating cellular dynamics to animal behavior. Here we introduce a miniature (1.9 g) integrated fluorescence microscope made from mass-producible parts, including semiconductor light source and sensor. This device enables high-speed cellular-level imaging across ∼0.5 mm2 areas in active mice. This capability allowed concurrent tracking of Ca2+ spiking in >200 Purkinje neurons across nine cerebellar microzones. During mouse locomotion, individual microzones exhibited large-scale, synchronized Ca2+ spiking. This is a mesoscopic neural dynamic missed by prior techniques for studying the brain at other length scales. Overall, the integrated microscope is a potentially transformative technology that permits distribution to many animals and enables diverse usages, such as portable diagnostics or microscope arrays for large-scale screens. PMID:21909102

Scalable ion-photon quantum interface based on integrated diffractive mirrors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghadimi, Moji; Blūms, Valdis; Norton, Benjamin G.; Fisher, Paul M.; Connell, Steven C.; Amini, Jason M.; Volin, Curtis; Hayden, Harley; Pai, Chien-Shing; Kielpinski, David; Lobino, Mirko; Streed, Erik W.

2017-12-01

Quantum networking links quantum processors through remote entanglement for distributed quantum information processing and secure long-range communication. Trapped ions are a leading quantum information processing platform, having demonstrated universal small-scale processors and roadmaps for large-scale implementation. Overall rates of ion-photon entanglement generation, essential for remote trapped ion entanglement, are limited by coupling efficiency into single mode fibers and scaling to many ions. Here, we show a microfabricated trap with integrated diffractive mirrors that couples 4.1(6)% of the fluorescence from a 174Yb+ ion into a single mode fiber, nearly triple the demonstrated bulk optics efficiency. The integrated optic collects 5.8(8)% of the π transition fluorescence, images the ion with sub-wavelength resolution, and couples 71(5)% of the collected light into the fiber. Our technology is suitable for entangling multiple ions in parallel and overcomes mode quality limitations of existing integrated optical interconnects.

Miniaturized integration of a fluorescence microscope.

PubMed

Ghosh, Kunal K; Burns, Laurie D; Cocker, Eric D; Nimmerjahn, Axel; Ziv, Yaniv; Gamal, Abbas El; Schnitzer, Mark J

2011-09-11

The light microscope is traditionally an instrument of substantial size and expense. Its miniaturized integration would enable many new applications based on mass-producible, tiny microscopes. Key prospective usages include brain imaging in behaving animals for relating cellular dynamics to animal behavior. Here we introduce a miniature (1.9 g) integrated fluorescence microscope made from mass-producible parts, including a semiconductor light source and sensor. This device enables high-speed cellular imaging across ∼0.5 mm2 areas in active mice. This capability allowed concurrent tracking of Ca2+ spiking in >200 Purkinje neurons across nine cerebellar microzones. During mouse locomotion, individual microzones exhibited large-scale, synchronized Ca2+ spiking. This is a mesoscopic neural dynamic missed by prior techniques for studying the brain at other length scales. Overall, the integrated microscope is a potentially transformative technology that permits distribution to many animals and enables diverse usages, such as portable diagnostics or microscope arrays for large-scale screens.

Airframe-Jet Engine Integration Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tam, Christopher; Antcliff, Richard R. (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

It has been found experimentally that the noise radiated by a jet mounted under the wing of an aircraft exceeds that of the same jet in a stand-alone environment. The increase in noise is referred to as jet engine airframe integration noise. The objectives of the present investigation are, (1) To obtain a better understanding of the physical mechanisms responsible for jet engine airframe integration noise or installation noise. (2) To develop a prediction model for jet engine airframe integration noise. It is known that jet mixing noise consists of two principal components. They are the noise from the large turbulence structures of the jet flow and the noise from the fine scale turbulence. In this investigation, only the effect of jet engine airframe interaction on the fine scale turbulence noise of a jet is studied. The fine scale turbulence noise is the dominant noise component in the sideline direction. Thus we limit out consideration primarily to the sideline.

A Cross-Course Investigation of Integrative Cases for Evolution Education.

PubMed

White, Peter John Thomas; Heidemann, Merle K; Smith, James J

2015-12-01

Evolution is a cornerstone theory in biology, yet many undergraduate students have difficulty understanding it. One reason for this is that evolution is often taught in a macro-scale context without explicit links to micro-scale processes. To address this, we developed a series of integrative evolution cases that present the evolution of various traits from their origin in genetic mutation, to the synthesis of modified proteins, to how these proteins produce novel phenotypes, to the related macro-scale impacts that the novel phenotypes have on populations in ecological communities. We postulated that students would develop a fuller understanding of evolution when learning biology in a context where these integrative evolution cases are used. We used a previously developed assessment tool, the ATEEK (Assessment Tool for Evaluating Evolution Knowledge), within a pre-course/post-course assessment framework. Students who learned biology in courses using the integrative cases performed significantly better on the evolution assessment than did students in courses that did not use the cases. We also found that student understanding of evolution increased with increased exposure to the integrative evolution cases. These findings support the general hypothesis that students acquire a more complete understanding of evolution when they learn about its genetic and molecular mechanisms along with macro-scale explanations.

A Cross-Course Investigation of Integrative Cases for Evolution Education †

PubMed Central

White, Peter John Thomas; Heidemann, Merle K.; Smith, James J.

2015-01-01

Evolution is a cornerstone theory in biology, yet many undergraduate students have difficulty understanding it. One reason for this is that evolution is often taught in a macro-scale context without explicit links to micro-scale processes. To address this, we developed a series of integrative evolution cases that present the evolution of various traits from their origin in genetic mutation, to the synthesis of modified proteins, to how these proteins produce novel phenotypes, to the related macro-scale impacts that the novel phenotypes have on populations in ecological communities. We postulated that students would develop a fuller understanding of evolution when learning biology in a context where these integrative evolution cases are used. We used a previously developed assessment tool, the ATEEK (Assessment Tool for Evaluating Evolution Knowledge), within a pre-course/post-course assessment framework. Students who learned biology in courses using the integrative cases performed significantly better on the evolution assessment than did students in courses that did not use the cases. We also found that student understanding of evolution increased with increased exposure to the integrative evolution cases. These findings support the general hypothesis that students acquire a more complete understanding of evolution when they learn about its genetic and molecular mechanisms along with macro-scale explanations. PMID:26753023

Fuzzy logic knowledge bases in integrated landscape assessment: examples and possibilities.

Treesearch

Keith M. Reynolds

2001-01-01

The literature on ecosystem management has articulated the need for integration across disciplines and spatial scales, but convincing demonstrations of integrated analysis to support ecosystem management are lacking. This paper focuses on integrated ecological assessment because ecosystem management fundamentally is concerned with integrated management, which...

The role of planetary waves in the tropospheric jet response to stratospheric cooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Karen L.; Scott, Richard K.

2016-03-01

An idealized general circulation model is used to assess the importance of planetary-scale waves in determining the position of the tropospheric jet, specifically its tendency to shift poleward as winter stratospheric cooling is increased. Full model integrations are compared against integrations in which planetary waves are truncated in the zonal direction, and only synoptic-scale waves are retained. Two series of truncated integrations are considered, using (i) a modified radiative equilibrium temperature or (ii) a nudged-bias correction technique. Both produce tropospheric climatologies that are similar to the full model when stratospheric cooling is weak. When stratospheric cooling is increased, the results indicate that the interaction between planetary- and synoptic-scale waves plays an important role in determining the structure of the tropospheric mean flow and rule out the possibility that the jet shift occurs purely as a response to changes in the planetary- or synoptic-scale wave fields alone.

Scaling prospects in mechanical energy harvesting with piezo nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardila, Gustavo; Hinchet, Ronan; Mouis, Mireille; Montès, Laurent

2013-07-01

The combination of 3D processing technologies, low power circuits and new materials integration makes it conceivable to build autonomous integrated systems, which would harvest their energy from the environment. In this paper, we focus on mechanical energy harvesting and discuss its scaling prospects toward the use of piezoelectric nanostructures, able to be integrated in a CMOS environment. It is shown that direct scaling of present MEMS-based methodologies would be beneficial for high-frequency applications only. For the range of applications which is presently foreseen, a different approach is needed, based on energy harvesting from direct real-time deformation instead of energy harvesting from vibration modes at or close to resonance. We discuss the prospects of such an approach based on simple scaling rules Contribution to the Topical Issue “International Semiconductor Conference Dresden-Grenoble - ISCDG 2012”, Edited by Gérard Ghibaudo, Francis Balestra and Simon Deleonibus.

Solazyme Integrated Biorefinery (SzIBR): Diesel Fuels from Heterotrophic Algae

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

Brinkmann, David

2014-12-23

Under Department of Energy Award Number DE-EE0002877 (the “DOE Award”), Solazyme, Inc. (“Solazyme”) has built a demonstration scale “Solazyme Integrated Biorefinery (SzlBR).” The SzIBR was built to provide integrated scale-up of Solazyme’s novel heterotrophic algal oil biomanufacturing process, validate the projected commercial-scale economics of producing multiple algal oils, and to enable Solazyme to collect the data necessary to complete the design of its first commercial-scale facility. Solazyme’s technology enables it to convert a range of low-cost plant-based sugars into high-value oils. Solazyme’s renewable products replace or enhance oils derived from the world’s three existing sources—petroleum, plants, and animal fats. Solazymemore » tailors the composition of its oils to address specific customer requirements, offering superior performance characteristics and value. This report summarizes history and the results of the project.« less

A Differential Monolithically Integrated Inductive Linear Displacement Measurement Microsystem

PubMed Central

Podhraški, Matija; Trontelj, Janez

2016-01-01

An inductive linear displacement measurement microsystem realized as a monolithic Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is presented. The system comprises integrated microtransformers as sensing elements, and analog front-end electronics for signal processing and demodulation, both jointly fabricated in a conventional commercially available four-metal 350-nm CMOS process. The key novelty of the presented system is its full integration, straightforward fabrication, and ease of application, requiring no external light or magnetic field source. Such systems therefore have the possibility of substituting certain conventional position encoder types. The microtransformers are excited by an AC signal in MHz range. The displacement information is modulated into the AC signal by a metal grating scale placed over the microsystem, employing a differential measurement principle. Homodyne mixing is used for the demodulation of the scale displacement information, returned by the ASIC as a DC signal in two quadrature channels allowing the determination of linear position of the target scale. The microsystem design, simulations, and characterization are presented. Various system operating conditions such as frequency, phase, target scale material and distance have been experimentally evaluated. The best results have been achieved at 4 MHz, demonstrating a linear resolution of 20 µm with steel and copper scale, having respective sensitivities of 0.71 V/mm and 0.99 V/mm. PMID:26999146

A Differential Monolithically Integrated Inductive Linear Displacement Measurement Microsystem.

PubMed

Podhraški, Matija; Trontelj, Janez

2016-03-17

An inductive linear displacement measurement microsystem realized as a monolithic Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is presented. The system comprises integrated microtransformers as sensing elements, and analog front-end electronics for signal processing and demodulation, both jointly fabricated in a conventional commercially available four-metal 350-nm CMOS process. The key novelty of the presented system is its full integration, straightforward fabrication, and ease of application, requiring no external light or magnetic field source. Such systems therefore have the possibility of substituting certain conventional position encoder types. The microtransformers are excited by an AC signal in MHz range. The displacement information is modulated into the AC signal by a metal grating scale placed over the microsystem, employing a differential measurement principle. Homodyne mixing is used for the demodulation of the scale displacement information, returned by the ASIC as a DC signal in two quadrature channels allowing the determination of linear position of the target scale. The microsystem design, simulations, and characterization are presented. Various system operating conditions such as frequency, phase, target scale material and distance have been experimentally evaluated. The best results have been achieved at 4 MHz, demonstrating a linear resolution of 20 µm with steel and copper scale, having respective sensitivities of 0.71 V/mm and 0.99 V/mm.

Development and Applications of a Modular Parallel Process for Large Scale Fluid/Structures Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guruswamy, Guru P.; Kwak, Dochan (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A modular process that can efficiently solve large scale multidisciplinary problems using massively parallel supercomputers is presented. The process integrates disciplines with diverse physical characteristics by retaining the efficiency of individual disciplines. Computational domain independence of individual disciplines is maintained using a meta programming approach. The process integrates disciplines without affecting the combined performance. Results are demonstrated for large scale aerospace problems on several supercomputers. The super scalability and portability of the approach is demonstrated on several parallel computers.

Development and Applications of a Modular Parallel Process for Large Scale Fluid/Structures Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guruswamy, Guru P.; Byun, Chansup; Kwak, Dochan (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A modular process that can efficiently solve large scale multidisciplinary problems using massively parallel super computers is presented. The process integrates disciplines with diverse physical characteristics by retaining the efficiency of individual disciplines. Computational domain independence of individual disciplines is maintained using a meta programming approach. The process integrates disciplines without affecting the combined performance. Results are demonstrated for large scale aerospace problems on several supercomputers. The super scalability and portability of the approach is demonstrated on several parallel computers.

Waardenburg syndrome type 3 (Klein-Waardenburg syndrome) segregating with a heterozygous deletion in the paired box domain of PAX3: a simple variant or a true syndrome?

PubMed

Tekin, M; Bodurtha, J N; Nance, W E; Pandya, A

2001-10-01

Klein-Waardenburg syndrome or Waardenburg syndrome type 3 (WS-III; MIM 148820) is characterized by the presence of musculoskeletal abnormalities in association with clinical features of Waardenburg syndrome type 1 (WS-I). Since the description of the first patient in 1947 (D. Klein, Arch Klaus Stift Vererb Forsch 1947: 22: 336-342), a few cases have been reported. Only occasional families have demonstrated autosomal-dominant inheritance of WS-III. In a previous report, a missense mutation in the paired domain of the PAX3 gene has been described in a family with dominant segregation of WS-III. In this report, we present a second family (mother and son) with typical clinical findings of WS-III segregating with a heterozygous 13-bp deletion in the paired domain of the PAX3 gene. Although homozygosity or compound heterozygosity has also been documented in patients with severe limb involvement, a consistent genotype-phenotype correlation for limb abnormalities associated with heterozygous PAX3 mutations has not previously been apparent. Heterozygous mutations could either reflect a unique dominant-negative effect or possibly the contribution of other unlinked genetic modifiers in determining the phenotype.

Teaching Scales in the Climate System: An example of interdisciplinary teaching and learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baehr, Johanna; Behrens, Jörn; Brüggemann, Michael; Frisius, Thomas; Glessmer, Mirjam S.; Hartmann, Jens; Hense, Inga; Kaleschke, Lars; Kutzbach, Lars; Rödder, Simone; Scheffran, Jürgen

2016-04-01

Climate change is commonly regarded as one of 21st century's grand challenges that needs to be addressed by conducting integrated research combining natural and social sciences. To meet this need, how to best train future climate researchers should be reconsidered. Here, we present our experience from a team-taught semester-long course with students of the international master program "Integrated Climate System Sciences" (ICSS) at the University of Hamburg, Germany. Ten lecturers with different backgrounds in physical, mathematical, biogeochemical and social sciences accompanied by a researcher trained in didactics prepared and regularly participated in a course which consisted of weekly classes. The foundation of the course was the use of the concept of 'scales' - climate varying on different temporal and spatial scales - by developing a joint definition of 'scales in the climate system' that is applicable in the natural sciences and in the social sciences. By applying this interdisciplinary definition of 'scales' to phenomena from all components of the climate system and the socio-economic dimensions, we aimed for an integrated description of the climate system. Following the concept of research-driven teaching and learning and using a variety of teaching techniques, the students designed their own scale diagram to illustrate climate-related phenomena in different disciplines. The highlight of the course was the presentation of individually developed scale diagrams by every student with all lecturers present. Based on the already conducted course, we currently re-design the course concept to be teachable by a similarly large group of lecturers but with alternating presence in class. With further refinement and also a currently ongoing documentation of the teaching material, we will continue to use the concept of 'scales' as a vehicle for teaching an integrated view of the climate system.

St. Louis Initiative for Integrated Care Excellence (SLI(2)CE): integrated-collaborative care on a large scale model.

PubMed

Brawer, Peter A; Martielli, Richard; Pye, Patrice L; Manwaring, Jamie; Tierney, Anna

2010-06-01

The primary care health setting is in crisis. Increasing demand for services, with dwindling numbers of providers, has resulted in decreased access and decreased satisfaction for both patients and providers. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of primary care visits are for behavioral and mental health concerns rather than issues of a purely medical etiology. Integrated-collaborative models of health care delivery offer possible solutions to this crisis. The purpose of this article is to review the existing data available after 2 years of the St. Louis Initiative for Integrated Care Excellence; an example of integrated-collaborative care on a large scale model within a regional Veterans Affairs Health Care System. There is clear evidence that the SLI(2)CE initiative rather dramatically increased access to health care, and modified primary care practitioners' willingness to address mental health issues within the primary care setting. In addition, data suggests strong fidelity to a model of integrated-collaborative care which has been successful in the past. Integrated-collaborative care offers unique advantages to the traditional view and practice of medical care. Through careful implementation and practice, success is possible on a large scale model. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Integrating Carbon Nanotubes For Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ye, Qi; Cassell, Alan M.; Liu, Hongbing; Han, Jie; Meyyappan, Meyya

2004-01-01

Carbon nanotube (CNT) related nanostructures possess remarkable electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. To produce these nanostructures for real world applications, a large-scale controlled growth of carbon nanotubes is crucial for the integration and fabrication of nanodevices and nanosensors. We have taken the approach of integrating nanopatterning and nanomaterials synthesis with traditional silicon micro fabrication techniques. This integration requires a catalyst or nanomaterial protection scheme. In this paper, we report our recent work on fabricating wafer-scale carbon nanotube AFM cantilever probe tips. We will address the design and fabrication considerations in detail, and present the preliminary scanning probe test results. This work may serve as an example of rational design, fabrication, and integration of nanomaterials for advanced nanodevice and nanosensor applications.

Construction and validation of a measure of integrative well-being in seven languages: The Pemberton Happiness Index

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Purpose We introduce the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI), a new integrative measure of well-being in seven languages, detailing the validation process and presenting psychometric data. The scale includes eleven items related to different domains of remembered well-being (general, hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being) and ten items related to experienced well-being (i.e., positive and negative emotional events that possibly happened the day before); the sum of these items produces a combined well-being index. Methods A distinctive characteristic of this study is that to construct the scale, an initial pool of items, covering the remembered and experienced well-being domains, were subjected to a complete selection and validation process. These items were based on widely used scales (e.g., PANAS, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scales). Both the initial items and reference scales were translated into seven languages and completed via Internet by participants (N = 4,052) aged 16 to 60 years from nine countries (Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and USA). Results Results from this initial validation study provided very good support for the psychometric properties of the PHI (i.e., internal consistency, a single-factor structure, and convergent and incremental validity). Conclusions Given the PHI’s good psychometric properties, this simple and integrative index could be used as an instrument to monitor changes in well-being. We discuss the utility of this integrative index to explore well-being in individuals and communities. PMID:23607679

Integrated Graduate and Continuing Education in Protein Chromatography for Bioprocess Development and Scale-Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carta, Jungbauer

2011-01-01

We describe an intensive course that integrates graduate and continuing education focused on the development and scale-up of chromatography processes used for the recovery and purification of proteins with special emphasis on biotherapeutics. The course includes lectures, laboratories, teamwork, and a design exercise and offers a complete view of…

Grid-scale Indirect Radiative Forcing of Climate due to aerosols over the northern hemisphere simulated by the integrated WRF-CMAQ model: Preliminary results

EPA Science Inventory

In this study, indirect aerosol effects on grid-scale clouds were implemented in the integrated WRF3.3-CMAQ5.0 modeling system by including parameterizations for both cloud droplet and ice number concentrations calculated from the CMAQ-predicted aerosol particles. The resulting c...

HMC algorithm with multiple time scale integration and mass preconditioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urbach, C.; Jansen, K.; Shindler, A.; Wenger, U.

2006-01-01

We present a variant of the HMC algorithm with mass preconditioning (Hasenbusch acceleration) and multiple time scale integration. We have tested this variant for standard Wilson fermions at β=5.6 and at pion masses ranging from 380 to 680 MeV. We show that in this situation its performance is comparable to the recently proposed HMC variant with domain decomposition as preconditioner. We give an update of the "Berlin Wall" figure, comparing the performance of our variant of the HMC algorithm to other published performance data. Advantages of the HMC algorithm with mass preconditioning and multiple time scale integration are that it is straightforward to implement and can be used in combination with a wide variety of lattice Dirac operators.

The OLI Radiometric Scale Realization Round Robin Measurement Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cutlip, Hansford; Cole,Jerold; Johnson, B. Carol; Maxwell, Stephen; Markham, Brian; Ong, Lawrence; Hom, Milton; Biggar, Stuart

2011-01-01

A round robin radiometric scale realization was performed at the Ball Aerospace Radiometric Calibration Laboratory in January/February 2011 in support of the Operational Land Imager (OLI) Program. Participants included Ball Aerospace, NIST, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the University of Arizona. The eight day campaign included multiple observations of three integrating sphere sources by nine radiometers. The objective of the campaign was to validate the radiance calibration uncertainty ascribed to the integrating sphere used to calibrate the OLI instrument. The instrument level calibration source uncertainty was validated by quatnifying: (1) the long term stability of the NIST calibrated radiance artifact, (2) the responsivity scale of the Ball Aerospace transfer radiometer and (3) the operational characteristics of the large integrating sphere.

A data-model integration approach toward improved understanding on wetland functions and hydrological benefits at the catchment scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeo, I. Y.; Lang, M.; Lee, S.; Huang, C.; Jin, H.; McCarty, G.; Sadeghi, A.

2017-12-01

The wetland ecosystem plays crucial roles in improving hydrological function and ecological integrity for the downstream water and the surrounding landscape. However, changing behaviours and functioning of wetland ecosystems are poorly understood and extremely difficult to characterize. Improved understanding on hydrological behaviours of wetlands, considering their interaction with surrounding landscapes and impacts on downstream waters, is an essential first step toward closing the knowledge gap. We present an integrated wetland-catchment modelling study that capitalizes on recently developed inundation maps and other geospatial data. The aim of the data-model integration is to improve spatial prediction of wetland inundation and evaluate cumulative hydrological benefits at the catchment scale. In this paper, we highlight problems arising from data preparation, parameterization, and process representation in simulating wetlands within a distributed catchment model, and report the recent progress on mapping of wetland dynamics (i.e., inundation) using multiple remotely sensed data. We demonstrate the value of spatially explicit inundation information to develop site-specific wetland parameters and to evaluate model prediction at multi-spatial and temporal scales. This spatial data-model integrated framework is tested using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) with improved wetland extension, and applied for an agricultural watershed in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, USA. This study illustrates necessity of spatially distributed information and a data integrated modelling approach to predict inundation of wetlands and hydrologic function at the local landscape scale, where monitoring and conservation decision making take place.

Concepts of scale and scaling

Treesearch

Jianguo Wu; Harbin Li

2006-01-01

The relationship between pattern and process is of great interest in all natural and social sciences, and scale is an integral part of this relationship. It is now well documented that biophysical and socioeconomic patterns and processes operate on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. In particular, the scale multiplicity and scale dependence of pattern,...

Subsurface Hydrology: Data Integration for Properties and Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyndman, David W.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Singha, Kamini

Groundwater is a critical resource and the PrinciPal source of drinking water for over 1.5 billion people. In 2001, the National Research Council cited as a "grand challenge" our need to understand the processes that control water movement in the subsurface. This volume faces that challenge in terms of data integration between complex, multi-scale hydrologie processes, and their links to other physical, chemical, and biological processes at multiple scales. Subsurface Hydrology: Data Integration for Properties and Processes presents the current state of the science in four aspects: • Approaches to hydrologie data integration • Data integration for characterization of hydrologie properties • Data integration for understanding hydrologie processes • Meta-analysis of current interpretations Scientists and researchers in the field, the laboratory, and the classroom will find this work an important resource in advancing our understanding of subsurface water movement.

The Air-Carbon-Water Synergies and Trade-Offs in China's Natural Gas Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Yue

China's coal-dominated energy structure is partly responsible for its domestic air pollution, local water stress, and the global climate change. Primarily to tackle the haze issue, China has been actively promoting a nationwide coal to natural gas end-use switch. My dissertation focuses on evaluating the air quality, carbon, and water impacts and their interactions in China's natural gas industry. Chapter 2 assesses the lifecycle climate performance of China's shale gas in comparison to coal based on stage-level energy consumption and methane leakage rates. I find the mean lifecycle carbon footprint of shale gas is about 30-50% lower than that of coal under both 20 year and 100 year global warming potentials (GWP20 and GWP100). However, primarily due to large uncertainties in methane leakage, the lifecycle carbon footprint of shale gas in China could be 15-60% higher than that of coal across sectors under GWP20. Chapter 3 evaluates the air quality, human health, and the climate impacts of China's coal-based synthetic natural gas (SNG) development. Based on earlier 2020 SNG production targets, I conduct an integrated assessment to identify production technologies and end-use applications that will bring as large air quality and health benefits as possible while keeping carbon penalties as small as possible. I find that, due to inefficient and uncontrolled coal combustion in households, allocating currently available SNG to the residential sector proves to be the best SNG allocation option. Chapter 4 compares the air quality, carbon, and water impacts of China's six major gas sources under three end-use substitution scenarios, which are focused on maximizing air pollutant emission reductions, CO 2 emission reductions, and water stress index (WSI)-weighted water consumption reductions, respectively. I find striking national air-carbon/water trade-offs due to SNG, which also significantly increases water demands and carbon emissions in regions already suffering from severe water stress and having the largest per capita carbon footprint. Gas sources other than SNG may bring national air-carbon-water co-benefits. However, end-use deployment can cause enormous variations in air quality, carbon, and water impacts, with notable air-carbon synergies but air-water trade-offs.

Impact of model complexity and multi-scale data integration on the estimation of hydrogeological parameters in a dual-porosity aquifer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamayo-Mas, Elena; Bianchi, Marco; Mansour, Majdi

2018-03-01

This study investigates the impact of model complexity and multi-scale prior hydrogeological data on the interpretation of pumping test data in a dual-porosity aquifer (the Chalk aquifer in England, UK). In order to characterize the hydrogeological properties, different approaches ranging from a traditional analytical solution (Theis approach) to more sophisticated numerical models with automatically calibrated input parameters are applied. Comparisons of results from the different approaches show that neither traditional analytical solutions nor a numerical model assuming a homogenous and isotropic aquifer can adequately explain the observed drawdowns. A better reproduction of the observed drawdowns in all seven monitoring locations is instead achieved when medium and local-scale prior information about the vertical hydraulic conductivity (K) distribution is used to constrain the model calibration process. In particular, the integration of medium-scale vertical K variations based on flowmeter measurements lead to an improvement in the goodness-of-fit of the simulated drawdowns of about 30%. Further improvements (up to 70%) were observed when a simple upscaling approach was used to integrate small-scale K data to constrain the automatic calibration process of the numerical model. Although the analysis focuses on a specific case study, these results provide insights about the representativeness of the estimates of hydrogeological properties based on different interpretations of pumping test data, and promote the integration of multi-scale data for the characterization of heterogeneous aquifers in complex hydrogeological settings.

50 Years of ``Scaling'' Jack Kilby's Invention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doering, Robert

2008-03-01

This year is the 50th anniversary of Jack Kilby's 1958 invention of the integrated circuit (IC), for which he won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics. Since that invention in a laboratory at Texas Instruments, IC components have been continuously miniaturized, which has resulted in exponential improvement trends in their performance, energy efficiency, and cost per function. These improvements have created a semiconductor industry that has grown to over 250B in annual sales. The process of reducing integrated-circuit component size and associated parameters in a coordinated fashion is traditionally called ``feature-size scaling.'' Kilby's original circuit had active (transistor) and passive (resistor, capacitor) components with dimensions of a few millimeters. Today, the minimum feature sizes on integrated circuits are less than 30 nanometers for patterned line widths and down to about one nanometer for film thicknesses. Thus, we have achieved about five orders of magnitude in linear-dimension scaling over the past fifty years, which has resulted in about ten orders of magnitude increase in the density of IC components, a representation of ``Moore's Law.'' As IC features are approaching atomic dimensions, increasing emphasis is now being given to the parallel effort of further diversifying the types of components in integrated circuits. This is called ``functional scaling'' and ``more then Moore.'' Of course, the enablers for both types of scaling have been developed at many laboratories around the world. This talk will review a few of the highlights in scaling and its applications from R&D projects at Texas Instruments.

Survey of organizational research climates in three research intensive, doctoral granting universities.

PubMed

Wells, James A; Thrush, Carol R; Martinson, Brian C; May, Terry A; Stickler, Michelle; Callahan, Eileen C; Klomparens, Karen L

2014-12-01

The Survey of Organizational Research Climate (SOuRCe) is a new instrument that assesses dimensions of research integrity climate, including ethical leadership, socialization and communication processes, and policies, procedures, structures, and processes to address risks to research integrity. We present a descriptive analysis to characterize differences on the SOuRCe scales across departments, fields of study, and status categories (faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students) for 11,455 respondents from three research-intensive universities. Among the seven SOuRCe scales, variance explained by status and fields of study ranged from 7.6% (Advisor-Advisee Relations) to 16.2% (Integrity Norms). Department accounted for greater than 50% of the variance explained for each of the SOuRCe scales, ranging from 52.6% (Regulatory Quality) to 80.3% (Integrity Inhibitors). It is feasible to implement this instrument in large university settings across a broad range of fields, department types, and individual roles within academic units. Published baseline results provide initial data for institutions using the SOuRCe who wish to compare their own research integrity climates. © The Author(s) 2014.

An Integrated Assessment of Location-Dependent Scaling for Microalgae Biofuel Production Facilities

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

Coleman, Andre M.; Abodeely, Jared; Skaggs, Richard

Successful development of a large-scale microalgae-based biofuels industry requires comprehensive analysis and understanding of the feedstock supply chain—from facility siting/design through processing/upgrading of the feedstock to a fuel product. The evolution from pilot-scale production facilities to energy-scale operations presents many multi-disciplinary challenges, including a sustainable supply of water and nutrients, operational and infrastructure logistics, and economic competitiveness with petroleum-based fuels. These challenges are addressed in part by applying the Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF)—an integrated multi-scale modeling, analysis, and data management suite—to address key issues in developing and operating an open-pond facility by analyzing how variability and uncertainty in space andmore » time affect algal feedstock production rates, and determining the site-specific “optimum” facility scale to minimize capital and operational expenses. This approach explicitly and systematically assesses the interdependence of biofuel production potential, associated resource requirements, and production system design trade-offs. The IAF was applied to a set of sites previously identified as having the potential to cumulatively produce 5 billion-gallons/year in the southeastern U.S. and results indicate costs can be reduced by selecting the most effective processing technology pathway and scaling downstream processing capabilities to fit site-specific growing conditions, available resources, and algal strains.« less

Tethys – A Python Package for Spatial and Temporal Downscaling of Global Water Withdrawals

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

Li, Xinya; Vernon, Chris R.; Hejazi, Mohamad I.

Downscaling of water withdrawals from regional/national to local scale is a fundamental step and also a common problem when integrating large scale economic and integrated assessment models with high-resolution detailed sectoral models. Tethys, an open-access software written in Python, is developed with statistical downscaling algorithms, to spatially and temporally downscale water withdrawal data to a finer scale. The spatial resolution will be downscaled from region/basin scale to grid (0.5 geographic degree) scale and the temporal resolution will be downscaled from year to month. Tethys is used to produce monthly global gridded water withdrawal products based on estimates from the Globalmore » Change Assessment Model (GCAM).« less

Tethys – A Python Package for Spatial and Temporal Downscaling of Global Water Withdrawals

DOE PAGES

Li, Xinya; Vernon, Chris R.; Hejazi, Mohamad I.; ...

2018-02-09

Downscaling of water withdrawals from regional/national to local scale is a fundamental step and also a common problem when integrating large scale economic and integrated assessment models with high-resolution detailed sectoral models. Tethys, an open-access software written in Python, is developed with statistical downscaling algorithms, to spatially and temporally downscale water withdrawal data to a finer scale. The spatial resolution will be downscaled from region/basin scale to grid (0.5 geographic degree) scale and the temporal resolution will be downscaled from year to month. Tethys is used to produce monthly global gridded water withdrawal products based on estimates from the Globalmore » Change Assessment Model (GCAM).« less

Cross-scale interactions, legacies, and spatial connectivity: integrating time and space to predict post-disturbance response across scales

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Emergent properties and cross-scale interactions are important in driving landscape-scale dynamics during a disturbance event, such as wildfire. We used these concepts related to changing pattern-process relationships across scales to explain ecological responses following disturbance that resulted ...

Operating Reserves and Wind Power Integration: An International Comparison; Preprint

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

Milligan, M.; Donohoo, P.; Lew, D.

2010-10-01

This paper provides a high-level international comparison of methods and key results from both operating practice and integration analysis, based on an informal International Energy Agency Task 25: Large-scale Wind Integration.

Utility of the Community Integration Questionnaire in a sample of adults with neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders receiving prevocational training.

PubMed

Tomaszewski, Robert; Mitrushina, Maura

2016-01-01

To investigate utility of the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) in a mixed sample of adults with neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Cross-sectional, interview-based study. Participants were community-dwelling adults with disabilities resulting from neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders (N = 54), who participated in a pre-vocational readiness and social skills training program. Psychometric properties of the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) were assessed and validated against Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory (MPAI) and The Problem Checklist from the New York University Head Injury Family Interview (PCL). Based on the revised scoring procedures, psychometric properties of the CIQ Home Competency scale were excellent, followed by the Total score and Social Integration scale. Productive Activity scale had low content validity and a weak association with the total score. Convergent and discriminant validity of the CIQ were demonstrated by correlation patterns with MPAI scales in the expected direction. Significant relationship was found with PCL Physical/Dependency scale. Significant associations were found with sex, living status, and record of subsequent employment. The results provide support for the use of the CIQ as a measure of participation in individuals with neurological and neuropsychiatric diagnoses and resulting disabilities. An important goal of rehabilitation and training programs for individuals with dysfunction of the central nervous system is to promote their participation in social, vocational, and domestic activities. The Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) is a brief and efficient instrument for measuring these participation domains. This study demonstrated good psychometric properties and high utility of the CIQ in a sample of 54 individuals participating in a prevocational training program.

Effects of operative conditions on products obtained of starch-oil mixtures by single-screw extrusion.

PubMed

Włodarczyk-Stasiak, Marzena; Mazurek, Artur; Jamroz, Jerzy

2017-01-01

d. The aim of the study was to evaluate the fat binding and physicochemical properties of the products under conditions of potato starch extrusion containing rapeseed or linseed oil and rapeseed oil with glycerol. The study dealt with the extrudates of potato starch produced with the addition of rape seed or linseed oil and rapeseed oil and glycerol at 22% humidity. The extrudates were obtained at two screw speeds: 80 rpm and 100 rpm. Extrudates containing rapeseed oil and glycerol (R6G) were obtained at a temperature distribution of 115/130/150°C, while those with the participation of rapeseed oil and linseed oil were obtained at 120/135/128°C. Water solubility index (WSI), water absorption index (WAI), specific surface area (SBET) and quantity of fat permanently bound were determined for the products obtained. When oils were added, the solubility of extrudates decreased as compared to the control samples (starch without oil; S). Rapeseed oil added to the starch mixture at the levels of 3 g and 6 g in had no sig- nificant effect on the solubility of the product and amounted to: 80.3–82.6% and 78–79.6%. The largest decrease in solubility (WSI, 55.4–57.1%) was demonstrated for samples with 6% addition of rapeseed oil and 10 g glycerol. For these samples (R6G), a significant increase in the index WAI (376–397%) was recorded. Extrudates obtained with the addition of 3 g of rapeseed oil absorbed slightly more water than those with 6 g of oil added. The specific surface area (SBET 230–256 m2/g) determined from the water vapor adsorption isotherm indicates no statistically significant difference at α = 0.05 for products with rapeseed oil, linseed oil, and controls. A significant increase in the specific surface area (SBET 284–347 m2/g) was observed for samples with 6g rapeseed oil and 10 g glycerol added. For samples with 3 g of rapeseed oil, the amount of bound fat was 1.9–2.1 g/100 g of starch and for 6% the starch percentage was 2.96–3.5 g/100 g. The water solubility of starch extrudates with the addition of oils decreases with an increase   in screw speed. Starch extrudates with linseed oil and rapeseed oil plus added glycerol are characterized by an increase in water-absorption capacity with respect to the control extrudates. The products obtained with the addition of rapeseed oil and glycerol exhibit a significant increase in their specific surface area. The quan- tity of fat permanently bound during extrusion depended on: the oil type, its percentage in the mixture and the screw speed. The linseed oil was the least absorbed in the starch structure, but rapeseed oil binding increased with the increase in its level in the mixture.

The association between social resources and depression among female migrants affected by domestic violence

PubMed Central

Teng, Pan; Hall, Brian J.; Li, Ling

2014-01-01

Background Interpersonal violence (IPV) is associated with higher risk of depression. Female Chinese rural-to-urban migrants may experience greater depression following exposure to IPV due to lack of social support and integration within their receiving communities. The current study estimated the prevalence of IPV among rural-to-urban migrants in Guangzhou, China, and evaluated the moderating effects of social resources on migrant's depression symptoms. Method We recruited 1,368 women (1,003 migrants and 365 local-born) of childbearing age from population and family planning centers in two districts using a quota sampling method matched to the 2012 population census. Chinese versions of the Conflict Tactics Scale 2 Short Form, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the Social Support Rating Scale measured IPV, depression, and social support. Social integration was measured with a locally derived scale. Results Migrants reported a similar prevalence for IPV (41.20%) to local women (39.20%). Bivariate comparisons demonstrated that migrants reported greater depression (11.8±8.9 vs. 10.0±8.8, t=−3.27, p<0.001) and less social support (22.2±5.1 vs. 27.1±5.5, t=14.84, p<0.001). Regression analysis indicated that the effect of violence on depression symptoms for migrant women was moderated by social integration. Women who experienced violence and had greater integration in their community reported less depression than women who experienced violence but reported less social integration. Conclusion A high prevalence of IPV was reported in our sample. Social integration is a key risk factor for migrant mental health. Social services aimed to reduce IPV and integrate migrants in their new communities are needed. PMID:25511732

Plans for Embedding ICTs into Teaching and Learning through a Large-Scale Secondary Education Reform in the Country of Georgia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Jayson W.; Sales, Gregory; Sentocnik, Sonja

2015-01-01

Integrating ICTs into international development projects is common. However, focusing on how ICTs support leading, teaching, and learning is often overlooked. This article describes a team's approach to technology integration into the design of a large-scale, five year, teacher and leader professional development project in the country of Georgia.…

Approaches of Integrated Watershed Management Project: Experiences of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mula, Rosana P.; Wani, Suhas P.; Dar, William D.

2008-01-01

The process of innovation-development to scaling is varied and complex. Various actors are involved in every stage of the process. In scaling the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)-led integrated watershed management projects in India and South Asia, three drivers were identified--islanding approach,…

A promising future for integrative biodiversity research: an increased role of scale-dependency and functional biology.

PubMed

Price, S A; Schmitz, L

2016-04-05

Studies into the complex interaction between an organism and changes to its biotic and abiotic environment are fundamental to understanding what regulates biodiversity. These investigations occur at many phylogenetic, temporal and spatial scales and within a variety of biological and geological disciplines but often in relative isolation. This issue focuses on what can be achieved when ecological mechanisms are integrated into analyses of deep-time biodiversity patterns through the union of fossil and extant data and methods. We expand upon this perspective to argue that, given its direct relevance to the current biodiversity crisis, greater integration is needed across biodiversity research. We focus on the need to understand scaling effects, how lower-level ecological and evolutionary processes scale up and vice versa, and the importance of incorporating functional biology. Placing function at the core of biodiversity research is fundamental, as it establishes how an organism interacts with its abiotic and biotic environment and it is functional diversity that ultimately determines important ecosystem processes. To achieve full integration, concerted and ongoing efforts are needed to build a united and interactive community of biodiversity researchers, with education and interdisciplinary training at its heart. © 2016 The Author(s).

A promising future for integrative biodiversity research: an increased role of scale-dependency and functional biology

PubMed Central

Schmitz, L.

2016-01-01

Studies into the complex interaction between an organism and changes to its biotic and abiotic environment are fundamental to understanding what regulates biodiversity. These investigations occur at many phylogenetic, temporal and spatial scales and within a variety of biological and geological disciplines but often in relative isolation. This issue focuses on what can be achieved when ecological mechanisms are integrated into analyses of deep-time biodiversity patterns through the union of fossil and extant data and methods. We expand upon this perspective to argue that, given its direct relevance to the current biodiversity crisis, greater integration is needed across biodiversity research. We focus on the need to understand scaling effects, how lower-level ecological and evolutionary processes scale up and vice versa, and the importance of incorporating functional biology. Placing function at the core of biodiversity research is fundamental, as it establishes how an organism interacts with its abiotic and biotic environment and it is functional diversity that ultimately determines important ecosystem processes. To achieve full integration, concerted and ongoing efforts are needed to build a united and interactive community of biodiversity researchers, with education and interdisciplinary training at its heart. PMID:26977068

The small length scale effect for a non-local cantilever beam: a paradox solved.

PubMed

Challamel, N; Wang, C M

2008-08-27

Non-local continuum mechanics allows one to account for the small length scale effect that becomes significant when dealing with microstructures or nanostructures. This paper presents some simplified non-local elastic beam models, for the bending analyses of small scale rods. Integral-type or gradient non-local models abandon the classical assumption of locality, and admit that stress depends not only on the strain value at that point but also on the strain values of all points on the body. There is a paradox still unresolved at this stage: some bending solutions of integral-based non-local elastic beams have been found to be identical to the classical (local) solution, i.e. the small scale effect is not present at all. One example is the Euler-Bernoulli cantilever nanobeam model with a point load which has application in microelectromechanical systems and nanoelectromechanical systems as an actuator. In this paper, it will be shown that this paradox may be overcome with a gradient elastic model as well as an integral non-local elastic model that is based on combining the local and the non-local curvatures in the constitutive elastic relation. The latter model comprises the classical gradient model and Eringen's integral model, and its application produces small length scale terms in the non-local elastic cantilever beam solution.

Sensitivity of the two-dimensional shearless mixing layer to the initial turbulent kinetic energy and integral length scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathali, M.; Deshiri, M. Khoshnami

2016-04-01

The shearless mixing layer is generated from the interaction of two homogeneous isotropic turbulence (HIT) fields with different integral scales ℓ1 and ℓ2 and different turbulent kinetic energies E1 and E2. In this study, the sensitivity of temporal evolutions of two-dimensional, incompressible shearless mixing layers to the parametric variations of ℓ1/ℓ2 and E1/E2 is investigated. The sensitivity methodology is based on the nonintrusive approach; using direct numerical simulation and generalized polynomial chaos expansion. The analysis is carried out at Reℓ 1=90 for the high-energy HIT region and different integral length scale ratios 1 /4 ≤ℓ1/ℓ2≤4 and turbulent kinetic energy ratios 1 ≤E1/E2≤30 . It is found that the most influential parameter on the variability of the mixing layer evolution is the turbulent kinetic energy while variations of the integral length scale show a negligible influence on the flow field variability. A significant level of anisotropy and intermittency is observed in both large and small scales. In particular, it is found that large scales have higher levels of intermittency and sensitivity to the variations of ℓ1/ℓ2 and E1/E2 compared to the small scales. Reconstructed response surfaces of the flow field intermittency and the turbulent penetration depth show monotonic dependence on ℓ1/ℓ2 and E1/E2 . The mixing layer growth rate and the mixing efficiency both show sensitive dependence on the initial condition parameters. However, the probability density function of these quantities shows relatively small solution variations in response to the variations of the initial condition parameters.

The use of concept mapping for scale development and validation in evaluation.

PubMed

Rosas, Scott R; Camphausen, Lauren C

2007-05-01

Evaluators often make key decisions about what content to include when designing new scales. However, without clear conceptual grounding, there is a risk these decisions may compromise the scale's validity. Techniques such as concept mapping are available to evaluators for the specification of conceptual frameworks, but have not been used as a fully integrated part of scale development. As part of a multi-site evaluation of family support programs, we integrated concept mapping with traditional scale-development processes to strengthen the creation of a scale for inclusion in an evaluation instrument. Using concept mapping, we engaged staff and managers in the development of a framework of intended benefits of program participation and used the information to systematically select the scale's content. The psychometric characteristics of the scale were then formally assessed using a sample of program participants. The implications of the approach for supporting construct validity, inclusion of staff and managers, and theory-driven evaluation are discussed.

Effect of Integrating Hydrologic Scaling Concepts on Students Learning and Decision Making Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Najm, Majdi R. Abou; Mohtar, Rabi H.; Cherkauer, Keith A.; French, Brian F.

2010-01-01

Proper understanding of scaling and large-scale hydrologic processes is often not explicitly incorporated in the teaching curriculum. This makes it difficult for students to connect the effect of small scale processes and properties (like soil texture and structure, aggregation, shrinkage, and cracking) on large scale hydrologic responses (like…

An examination of the psychometric properties of the community integration questionnaire (CIQ) in spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Kratz, Anna L; Chadd, Edmund; Jensen, Mark P; Kehn, Matthew; Kroll, Thilo

2015-07-01

To examine the psychometric properties of the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) in large samples of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Longitudinal 12-month survey study. Nation-wide, community dwelling. Adults with SCI: 627 at Time 1, 494 at Time 2. Not applicable. The CIQ is a 15-item measure developed to measure three domains of community integration in individuals with traumatic brain injury: home integration, social integration, and productive activity. SCI consumer input suggested the need for two additional items assessing socializing at home and internet/email activity. Exploratory factor analyses at Time 1 indicated three factors. Time 2 confirmatory factor analysis did not show a good fit of the 3-factor model. CIQ scores were normally distributed and only the Productive subscale demonstrated problems with high (25%) ceiling effects. Internal reliability was acceptable for the Total and Home scales, but low for the Social and Productive activity scales. Validity of the CIQ is suggested by significant differences by sex, age, and wheelchair use. The factor structure of the CIQ was not stable over time. The CIQ may be most useful for assessing home integration, as this is the subscale with the most scale stability and internal reliability. The CIQ may be improved for use in SCI by including items that reflect higher levels of productive functioning, integration across the life span, and home- and internet-based social functioning.

Do large-scale assessments measure students' ability to integrate scientific knowledge?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hee-Sun

2010-03-01

Large-scale assessments are used as means to diagnose the current status of student achievement in science and compare students across schools, states, and countries. For efficiency, multiple-choice items and dichotomously-scored open-ended items are pervasively used in large-scale assessments such as Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS). This study investigated how well these items measure secondary school students' ability to integrate scientific knowledge. This study collected responses of 8400 students to 116 multiple-choice and 84 open-ended items and applied an Item Response Theory analysis based on the Rasch Partial Credit Model. Results indicate that most multiple-choice items and dichotomously-scored open-ended items can be used to determine whether students have normative ideas about science topics, but cannot measure whether students integrate multiple pieces of relevant science ideas. Only when the scoring rubric is redesigned to capture subtle nuances of student open-ended responses, open-ended items become a valid and reliable tool to assess students' knowledge integration ability.

Cytopathology whole slide images and adaptive tutorials for senior medical students: a randomized crossover trial.

PubMed

Van Es, Simone L; Kumar, Rakesh K; Pryor, Wendy M; Salisbury, Elizabeth L; Velan, Gary M

2016-01-08

Diagnostic cytopathology is an essential part of clinical decision-making. However, due to a combination of factors including curriculum reform and shortage of pathologists to teach introductory cytopathology, this area of pathology receives little or no formal attention in most medical school curricula. We have previously described the successful use of efficient and effective digital learning resources, including whole slide images (WSI) and virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials (VMATs), to teach cytopathology to pathology specialist trainees - a group that had prior exposure to cytopathology in their day to day practice. Consequently, in the current study we attempted to demonstrate the efficiency and efficacy of this eLearning resource in a cohort of senior medical students that was completely naïve to the subject matter (cytopathology). We evaluated both the quantitative and qualitative impact of these digital educational materials for learning cytopathology compared with existing resources (e-textbooks and online atlases). The senior medical students were recruited from The University of New South Wales Australia for a randomized cross-over trial. Online assessments, administered after each arm of the trial, contained questions which related directly to a whole slide image. Two categories of questions in the assessments (focusing on either diagnosis or identification of cellular features) were utilized to determine efficacy. User experience and perceptions of efficiency were evaluated using online questionnaires containing Likert scale items and open-ended questions. For this cohort of senior medical students, virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials (VMATs) proved to be at least as effective as existing digital resources for learning cytopathology. Importantly, virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials had superior efficacy in facilitating accurate diagnosis on whole slide images. Student perceptions of VMATs were positive, particularly regarding the immediate feedback, interactivity and equity of learning which this learning resource provides. Virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials have the potential to improve the efficacy of learning microscopic pathology for medical students. The enhanced learning experience provided by these eLearning tools merits further investigation of their utility for other cohorts, including specialist trainees.

Conflict-driven adaptive control is enhanced by integral negative emotion on a short time scale.

PubMed

Yang, Qian; Pourtois, Gilles

2018-02-05

Negative emotion influences cognitive control, and more specifically conflict adaptation. However, discrepant results have often been reported in the literature. In this study, we broke down negative emotion into integral and incidental components using a modern motivation-based framework, and assessed whether the former could change conflict adaptation. In the first experiment, we manipulated the duration of the inter-trial-interval (ITI) to assess the actual time-scale of this effect. Integral negative emotion was induced by using loss-related feedback contingent on task performance, and measured at the subjective and physiological levels. Results showed that conflict-driven adaptive control was enhanced when integral negative emotion was elicited, compared to a control condition without changes in defensive motivation. Importantly, this effect was only found when a short, as opposed to long ITI was used, suggesting that it had a short time scale. In the second experiment, we controlled for effects of feature repetition and contingency learning, and replicated an enhanced conflict adaptation effect when integral negative emotion was elicited and a short ITI was used. We interpret these new results against a standard cognitive control framework assuming that integral negative emotion amplifies specific control signals transiently, and in turn enhances conflict adaptation.

Scaling of graphene integrated circuits.

PubMed

Bianchi, Massimiliano; Guerriero, Erica; Fiocco, Marco; Alberti, Ruggero; Polloni, Laura; Behnam, Ashkan; Carrion, Enrique A; Pop, Eric; Sordan, Roman

2015-05-07

The influence of transistor size reduction (scaling) on the speed of realistic multi-stage integrated circuits (ICs) represents the main performance metric of a given transistor technology. Despite extensive interest in graphene electronics, scaling efforts have so far focused on individual transistors rather than multi-stage ICs. Here we study the scaling of graphene ICs based on transistors from 3.3 to 0.5 μm gate lengths and with different channel widths, access lengths, and lead thicknesses. The shortest gate delay of 31 ps per stage was obtained in sub-micron graphene ROs oscillating at 4.3 GHz, which is the highest oscillation frequency obtained in any strictly low-dimensional material to date. We also derived the fundamental Johnson limit, showing that scaled graphene ICs could be used at high frequencies in applications with small voltage swing.

Traits Without Borders: Integrating Functional Diversity Across Scales.

PubMed

Carmona, Carlos P; de Bello, Francesco; Mason, Norman W H; Lepš, Jan

2016-05-01

Owing to the conceptual complexity of functional diversity (FD), a multitude of different methods are available for measuring it, with most being operational at only a small range of spatial scales. This causes uncertainty in ecological interpretations and limits the potential to generalize findings across studies or compare patterns across scales. We solve this problem by providing a unified framework expanding on and integrating existing approaches. The framework, based on trait probability density (TPD), is the first to fully implement the Hutchinsonian concept of the niche as a probabilistic hypervolume in estimating FD. This novel approach could revolutionize FD-based research by allowing quantification of the various FD components from organismal to macroecological scales, and allowing seamless transitions between scales. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Integrated Computational Materials Engineering Method for Woven Carbon Fiber Composites Preforming Process

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

Zhang, Weizhao; Ren, Huaqing; Wang, Zequn

2016-10-19

An integrated computational materials engineering method is proposed in this paper for analyzing the design and preforming process of woven carbon fiber composites. The goal is to reduce the cost and time needed for the mass production of structural composites. It integrates the simulation methods from the micro-scale to the macro-scale to capture the behavior of the composite material in the preforming process. In this way, the time consuming and high cost physical experiments and prototypes in the development of the manufacturing process can be circumvented. This method contains three parts: the micro-scale representative volume element (RVE) simulation to characterizemore » the material; the metamodeling algorithm to generate the constitutive equations; and the macro-scale preforming simulation to predict the behavior of the composite material during forming. The results show the potential of this approach as a guidance to the design of composite materials and its manufacturing process.« less

System-Integrated Finite Element Analysis of a Full-Scale Helicopter Crash Test with Deployable Energy Absorbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Annett, Martin S.; Polanco, Michael A.

2010-01-01

A full-scale crash test of an MD-500 helicopter was conducted in December 2009 at NASA Langley's Landing and Impact Research facility (LandIR). The MD-500 helicopter was fitted with a composite honeycomb Deployable Energy Absorber (DEA) and tested under vertical and horizontal impact velocities of 26-ft/sec and 40-ft/sec, respectively. The objectives of the test were to evaluate the performance of the DEA concept under realistic crash conditions and to generate test data for validation of a system integrated finite element model. In preparation for the full-scale crash test, a series of sub-scale and MD-500 mass simulator tests was conducted to evaluate the impact performances of various components, including a new crush tube and the DEA blocks. Parameters defined within the system integrated finite element model were determined from these tests. The objective of this paper is to summarize the finite element models developed and analyses performed, beginning with pre-test predictions and continuing through post-test validation.

Globus | Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR)

Cancer.gov

Globus software services provide secure cancer research data transfer, synchronization, and sharing in distributed environments at large scale. These services can be integrated into applications and research data gateways, leveraging Globus identity management, single sign-on, search, and authorization capabilities. Globus Genomics integrates Globus with the Galaxy genomics workflow engine and Amazon Web Services to enable cancer genomics analysis that can elastically scale compute resources with demand.

Evolution of natural history information in the 21st century – developing an integrated framework for biological and geographical data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reusser, Deborah A.; Lee, Henry

2011-01-01

Threats to marine and estuarine species operate over many spatial scales, from nutrient enrichment at the watershed/estuarine scale to invasive species and climate change at regional and global scales. To help address research questions across these scales, we provide here a standardized framework for a biogeographical information system containing queriable biological data that allows extraction of information on multiple species, across a variety of spatial scales based on species distributions, natural history attributes and habitat requirements. As scientists shift from research on localized impacts on individual species to regional and global scale threats, macroecological approaches of studying multiple species over broad geographical areas are becoming increasingly important. The standardized framework described here for capturing and integrating biological and geographical data is a critical first step towards addressing these macroecological questions and we urge organizations capturing biogeoinformatics data to consider adopting this framework.

Spin diffusion from an inhomogeneous quench in an integrable system.

PubMed

Ljubotina, Marko; Žnidarič, Marko; Prosen, Tomaž

2017-07-13

Generalized hydrodynamics predicts universal ballistic transport in integrable lattice systems when prepared in generic inhomogeneous initial states. However, the ballistic contribution to transport can vanish in systems with additional discrete symmetries. Here we perform large scale numerical simulations of spin dynamics in the anisotropic Heisenberg XXZ spin 1/2 chain starting from an inhomogeneous mixed initial state which is symmetric with respect to a combination of spin reversal and spatial reflection. In the isotropic and easy-axis regimes we find non-ballistic spin transport which we analyse in detail in terms of scaling exponents of the transported magnetization and scaling profiles of the spin density. While in the easy-axis regime we find accurate evidence of normal diffusion, the spin transport in the isotropic case is clearly super-diffusive, with the scaling exponent very close to 2/3, but with universal scaling dynamics which obeys the diffusion equation in nonlinearly scaled time.

An integrated assessment of location-dependent scaling for microalgae biofuel production facilities

DOE PAGES

Coleman, André M.; Abodeely, Jared M.; Skaggs, Richard L.; ...

2014-06-19

Successful development of a large-scale microalgae-based biofuels industry requires comprehensive analysis and understanding of the feedstock supply chain—from facility siting and design through processing and upgrading of the feedstock to a fuel product. The evolution from pilot-scale production facilities to energy-scale operations presents many multi-disciplinary challenges, including a sustainable supply of water and nutrients, operational and infrastructure logistics, and economic competitiveness with petroleum-based fuels. These challenges are partially addressed by applying the Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF) – an integrated multi-scale modeling, analysis, and data management suite – to address key issues in developing and operating an open-pond microalgae production facility.more » This is done by analyzing how variability and uncertainty over space and through time affect feedstock production rates, and determining the site-specific “optimum” facility scale to minimize capital and operational expenses. This approach explicitly and systematically assesses the interdependence of biofuel production potential, associated resource requirements, and production system design trade-offs. To provide a baseline analysis, the IAF was applied in this paper to a set of sites in the southeastern U.S. with the potential to cumulatively produce 5 billion gallons per year. Finally, the results indicate costs can be reduced by scaling downstream processing capabilities to fit site-specific growing conditions, available and economically viable resources, and specific microalgal strains.« less

Integration: the firm and the health care sector.

PubMed

Laugesen, Miriam J; France, George

2014-07-01

Integration in health care is a key goal of health reform in United States and England. Yet past efforts in the 1990s to better integrate the delivery system were of limited success. Building on work by Bevan and Janus on delivery integration, this article explores integration through the lens of economic theories of integration. Firms generally integrate to increase efficiency through economies of scale, to improve their market power, and resolve the transaction costs involved with multiple external suppliers. Using the United States and England as laboratories, we apply concepts of economic integration to understand why integration does or does not occur in health care, and whether expectations of integrating different kinds of providers (hospital, primary care) and health and social services are realistic. Current enthusiasm for a more integrated health care system expands the scope of integration to include social services in England, but retains the focus on health care in the United States. We find mixed applicability of economic theories of integration. Economies of scale have not played a significant role in stimulating integration in both countries. Managerial incentives for monopoly or oligopoly may be more compelling in the United States, since hospitals seek higher prices and more leverage over payers. In both countries the concept of transaction costs could explain the success of new payment and budgeting methods, since health care integration ultimately requires resolving transaction costs across different delivery organizations.

Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Waste Integrated Performance and Safety Codes (NEAMS Waste IPSC).

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

Schultz, Peter Andrew

The objective of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Waste Integrated Performance and Safety Codes (NEAMS Waste IPSC) is to provide an integrated suite of computational modeling and simulation (M&S) capabilities to quantitatively assess the long-term performance of waste forms in the engineered and geologic environments of a radioactive-waste storage facility or disposal repository. Achieving the objective of modeling the performance of a disposal scenario requires describing processes involved in waste form degradation and radionuclide release at the subcontinuum scale, beginning with mechanistic descriptions of chemical reactions and chemical kinetics at the atomicmore » scale, and upscaling into effective, validated constitutive models for input to high-fidelity continuum scale codes for coupled multiphysics simulations of release and transport. Verification and validation (V&V) is required throughout the system to establish evidence-based metrics for the level of confidence in M&S codes and capabilities, including at the subcontiunuum scale and the constitutive models they inform or generate. This Report outlines the nature of the V&V challenge at the subcontinuum scale, an approach to incorporate V&V concepts into subcontinuum scale modeling and simulation (M&S), and a plan to incrementally incorporate effective V&V into subcontinuum scale M&S destined for use in the NEAMS Waste IPSC work flow to meet requirements of quantitative confidence in the constitutive models informed by subcontinuum scale phenomena.« less

A scale-based approach to interdisciplinary research and expertise in sports.

PubMed

Ibáñez-Gijón, Jorge; Buekers, Martinus; Morice, Antoine; Rao, Guillaume; Mascret, Nicolas; Laurin, Jérome; Montagne, Gilles

2017-02-01

After more than 20 years since the introduction of ecological and dynamical approaches in sports research, their promising opportunity for interdisciplinary research has not been fulfilled yet. The complexity of the research process and the theoretical and empirical difficulties associated with an integrated ecological-dynamical approach have been the major factors hindering the generalisation of interdisciplinary projects in sports sciences. To facilitate this generalisation, we integrate the major concepts from the ecological and dynamical approaches to study behaviour as a multi-scale process. Our integration gravitates around the distinction between functional (ecological) and execution (organic) scales, and their reciprocal intra- and inter-scale constraints. We propose an (epistemological) scale-based definition of constraints that accounts for the concept of synergies as emergent coordinative structures. To illustrate how we can operationalise the notion of multi-scale synergies we use an interdisciplinary model of locomotor pointing. To conclude, we show the value of this approach for interdisciplinary research in sport sciences, as we discuss two examples of task-specific dimensionality reduction techniques in the context of an ongoing project that aims to unveil the determinants of expertise in basketball free throw shooting. These techniques provide relevant empirical evidence to help bootstrap the challenging modelling efforts required in sport sciences.

Regional-scale integration of hydrological and geophysical data using Bayesian sequential simulation: application to field data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruggeri, Paolo; Irving, James; Gloaguen, Erwan; Holliger, Klaus

2013-04-01

Significant progress has been made with regard to the quantitative integration of geophysical and hydrological data at the local scale. However, extending corresponding approaches to the regional scale still represents a major challenge, yet is critically important for the development of groundwater flow and contaminant transport models. To address this issue, we have developed a regional-scale hydrogeophysical data integration technique based on a two-step Bayesian sequential simulation procedure. The objective is to simulate the regional-scale distribution of a hydraulic parameter based on spatially exhaustive, but poorly resolved, measurements of a pertinent geophysical parameter and locally highly resolved, but spatially sparse, measurements of the considered geophysical and hydraulic parameters. To this end, our approach first involves linking the low- and high-resolution geophysical data via a downscaling procedure before relating the downscaled regional-scale geophysical data to the high-resolution hydraulic parameter field. We present the application of this methodology to a pertinent field scenario, where we consider collocated high-resolution measurements of the electrical conductivity, measured using a cone penetrometer testing (CPT) system, and the hydraulic conductivity, estimated from EM flowmeter and slug test measurements, in combination with low-resolution exhaustive electrical conductivity estimates obtained from dipole-dipole ERT meausurements.

Integrating geo-referenced multiscale and multidisciplinary data for the management of biodiversity in livestock genetic resources.

PubMed

Joost, S; Colli, L; Baret, P V; Garcia, J F; Boettcher, P J; Tixier-Boichard, M; Ajmone-Marsan, P

2010-05-01

In livestock genetic resource conservation, decision making about conservation priorities is based on the simultaneous analysis of several different criteria that may contribute to long-term sustainable breeding conditions, such as genetic and demographic characteristics, environmental conditions, and role of the breed in the local or regional economy. Here we address methods to integrate different data sets and highlight problems related to interdisciplinary comparisons. Data integration is based on the use of geographic coordinates and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In addition to technical problems related to projection systems, GIS have to face the challenging issue of the non homogeneous scale of their data sets. We give examples of the successful use of GIS for data integration and examine the risk of obtaining biased results when integrating datasets that have been captured at different scales.

Does integration of HIV and SRH services achieve economies of scale and scope in practice? A cost function analysis of the Integra Initiative.

PubMed

Obure, Carol Dayo; Guinness, Lorna; Sweeney, Sedona; Initiative, Integra; Vassall, Anna

2016-03-01

Policy-makers have long argued about the potential efficiency gains and cost savings from integrating HIV and sexual reproductive health (SRH) services, particularly in resource-constrained settings with generalised HIV epidemics. However, until now, little empirical evidence exists on whether the hypothesised efficiency gains associated with such integration can be achieved in practice. We estimated a quadratic cost function using data obtained from 40 health facilities, over a 2-year-period, in Kenya and Swaziland. The quadratic specification enables us to determine the existence of economies of scale and scope. The empirical results reveal that at the current output levels, only HIV counselling and testing services are characterised by service-specific economies of scale. However, no overall economies of scale exist as all outputs are increased. The results also indicate cost complementarities between cervical cancer screening and HIV care; post-natal care and HIV care and family planning and sexually transmitted infection treatment combinations only. The results from this analysis reveal that contrary to expectation, efficiency gains from the integration of HIV and SRH services, if any, are likely to be modest. Efficiency gains are likely to be most achievable in settings that are currently delivering HIV and SRH services at a low scale with high levels of fixed costs. The presence of cost complementarities for only three service combinations implies that careful consideration of setting-specific clinical practices and the extent to which they can be combined should be made when deciding which services to integrate. NCT01694862. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Does integration of HIV and SRH services achieve economies of scale and scope in practice? A cost function analysis of the Integra Initiative

PubMed Central

Obure, Carol Dayo; Guinness, Lorna; Sweeney, Sedona; Initiative, Integra; Vassall, Anna

2016-01-01

Objective Policy-makers have long argued about the potential efficiency gains and cost savings from integrating HIV and sexual reproductive health (SRH) services, particularly in resource-constrained settings with generalised HIV epidemics. However, until now, little empirical evidence exists on whether the hypothesised efficiency gains associated with such integration can be achieved in practice. Methods We estimated a quadratic cost function using data obtained from 40 health facilities, over a 2-year-period, in Kenya and Swaziland. The quadratic specification enables us to determine the existence of economies of scale and scope. Findings The empirical results reveal that at the current output levels, only HIV counselling and testing services are characterised by service-specific economies of scale. However, no overall economies of scale exist as all outputs are increased. The results also indicate cost complementarities between cervical cancer screening and HIV care; post-natal care and HIV care and family planning and sexually transmitted infection treatment combinations only. Conclusions The results from this analysis reveal that contrary to expectation, efficiency gains from the integration of HIV and SRH services, if any, are likely to be modest. Efficiency gains are likely to be most achievable in settings that are currently delivering HIV and SRH services at a low scale with high levels of fixed costs. The presence of cost complementarities for only three service combinations implies that careful consideration of setting-specific clinical practices and the extent to which they can be combined should be made when deciding which services to integrate. Trial registration number NCT01694862. PMID:26438349

Utility of the Community Integration Questionnaire in a sample of adults with neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders receiving prevocational training.

PubMed

Tomaszewski, Robert; Mitrushina, Maura

2015-08-03

To investigate utility of the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) in a mixed sample of adults with neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Cross-sectional, interview-based study. Participants were community-dwelling adults with disabilities resulting from neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders (N = 54), who participated in a pre-vocational readiness and social skills training program. Psychometric properties of the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) were assessed and validated against Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory (MPAI) and The Problem Checklist from the New York University Head Injury Family Interview (PCL). Based on the revised scoring procedures, psychometric properties of the CIQ Home Competency scale were excellent, followed by the Total score and Social Integration scale. Productive Activity scale had low content validity and a weak association with the total score. Convergent and discriminant validity of the CIQ were demonstrated by correlation patterns with MPAI scales in the expected direction. Significant relationship was found with PCL Physical/Dependency scale. Significant associations were found with sex, living status, and record of subsequent employment. The results provide support for the use of the CIQ as a measure of participation in individuals with neurological and neuropsychiatric diagnoses and resulting disabilities. Implications for Rehabilitation An important goal of rehabilitation and training programs for individuals with dysfunction of the central nervous system is to promote their participation in social, vocational, and domestic activities. The Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) is a brief and efficient instrument for measuring these participation domains. This study demonstrated good psychometric properties and high utility of the CIQ in a sample of 54 individuals participating in a prevocational training program.

Towards an integrated understanding of how micro scale processes shape groundwater ecosystem functions.

PubMed

Schmidt, Susanne I; Cuthbert, Mark O; Schwientek, Marc

2017-08-15

Micro scale processes are expected to have a fundamental role in shaping groundwater ecosystems and yet they remain poorly understood and under-researched. In part, this is due to the fact that sampling is rarely carried out at the scale at which microorganisms, and their grazers and predators, function and thus we lack essential information. While set within a larger scale framework in terms of geochemical features, supply with energy and nutrients, and exchange intensity and dynamics, the micro scale adds variability, by providing heterogeneous zones at the micro scale which enable a wider range of redox reactions. Here we outline how understanding micro scale processes better may lead to improved appreciation of the range of ecosystems functions taking place at all scales. Such processes are relied upon in bioremediation and we demonstrate that ecosystem modelling as well as engineering measures have to take into account, and use, understanding at the micro scale. We discuss the importance of integrating faunal processes and computational appraisals in research, in order to continue to secure sustainable water resources from groundwater. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Downscaling remotely sensed imagery using area-to-point cokriging and multiple-point geostatistical simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yunwei; Atkinson, Peter M.; Zhang, Jingxiong

2015-03-01

A cross-scale data integration method was developed and tested based on the theory of geostatistics and multiple-point geostatistics (MPG). The goal was to downscale remotely sensed images while retaining spatial structure by integrating images at different spatial resolutions. During the process of downscaling, a rich spatial correlation model in the form of a training image was incorporated to facilitate reproduction of similar local patterns in the simulated images. Area-to-point cokriging (ATPCK) was used as locally varying mean (LVM) (i.e., soft data) to deal with the change of support problem (COSP) for cross-scale integration, which MPG cannot achieve alone. Several pairs of spectral bands of remotely sensed images were tested for integration within different cross-scale case studies. The experiment shows that MPG can restore the spatial structure of the image at a fine spatial resolution given the training image and conditioning data. The super-resolution image can be predicted using the proposed method, which cannot be realised using most data integration methods. The results show that ATPCK-MPG approach can achieve greater accuracy than methods which do not account for the change of support issue.

An Integrated Approach for Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Düzgün, H. S.; Yücemen, M. S.; Kalaycioglu, H. S.

2009-04-01

The earthquake risk for an urban area has increased over the years due to the increasing complexities in urban environments. The main reasons are the location of major cities in hazard prone areas, growth in urbanization and population and rising wealth measures. In recent years physical examples of these factors are observed through the growing costs of major disasters in urban areas which have stimulated a demand for in-depth evaluation of possible strategies to manage the large scale damaging effects of earthquakes. Understanding and formulation of urban earthquake risk requires consideration of a wide range of risk aspects, which can be handled by developing an integrated approach. In such an integrated approach, an interdisciplinary view should be incorporated into the risk assessment. Risk assessment for an urban area requires prediction of vulnerabilities related to elements at risk in the urban area and integration of individual vulnerability assessments. However, due to complex nature of an urban environment, estimating vulnerabilities and integrating them necessities development of integrated approaches in which vulnerabilities of social, economical, structural (building stock and infrastructure), cultural and historical heritage are estimated for a given urban area over a given time period. In this study an integrated urban earthquake vulnerability assessment framework, which considers vulnerability of urban environment in a holistic manner and performs the vulnerability assessment for the smallest administrative unit, namely at neighborhood scale, is proposed. The main motivation behind this approach is the inability to implement existing vulnerability assessment methodologies for countries like Turkey, where the required data are usually missing or inadequate and decision makers seek for prioritization of their limited resources in risk reduction in the administrative districts from which they are responsible. The methodology integrates socio-economical, structural, coastal, ground condition, organizational vulnerabilities, as well as accessibility to critical services within the framework. The proposed framework has the following eight components: Seismic hazard analysis, soil response analysis, tsunami inundation analysis, structural vulnerability analysis, socio-economic vulnerability analysis, accessibility to critical services, GIS-based integrated vulnerability assessment, and visualization of vulnerabilities in 3D virtual city model The integrated model for various vulnerabilities obtained for the urban area is developed in GIS environment by using individual vulnerability assessments for considered elements at risk and serve for establishing the backbone of the spatial decision support system. The stages followed in the model are: Determination of a common mapping unit for each aspect of urban earthquake vulnerability, formation of a geo-database for the vulnerabilities, evaluation of urban vulnerability based on multi attribute utility theory with various weighting algorithms, mapping of the evaluated integrated earthquake risk in geographic information systems (GIS) in the neighborhood scale. The framework is also applicable to larger geographical mapping scales, for example, the building scale. When illustrating the results in building scale, 3-D visualizations with remote sensing data is used so that decision-makers can easily interpret the outputs. The proposed vulnerability assessment framework is flexible and can easily be applied to urban environments at various geographical scales with different mapping units. The obtained total vulnerability maps for the urban area provide a baseline for the development of risk reduction strategies for the decision makers. Moreover, as several aspects of elements at risk for an urban area is considered through vulnerability analyses, effect on changes in vulnerability conditions on the total can easily be determined. The developed approach also enables decision makers to monitor temporal and spatial changes in the urban environment due to implementation of risk reduction strategies.

An integrated view of complex landscapes: a big data-model integration approach to trans-disciplinary science

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Earth is a complex system comprised of many interacting spatial and temporal scales. Understanding, predicting, and managing for these dynamics requires a trans-disciplinary integrated approach. Although there have been calls for this integration, a general approach is needed. We developed a Tra...

Integrating Phenological, Trait and Environmental Data For Continental Scale Analysis: A Community Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weltzin, J. F.; Walls, R.; Guralnick, R. P.; Rosemartin, A.; Deck, J.; Powers, L. A.

2014-12-01

There is a wealth of biodiversity and environmental data that can provide the basis for addressing global scale questions of societal concern. However, our ability to discover, access and integrate these data for use in broader analyses is hampered by the lack of standardized languages and systems. New tools (e.g. ontologies, data standards, integration tools, unique identifiers) are being developed that enable establishment of a framework for linked and open data. Relative to other domains, these tools are nascent in biodiversity and environmental sciences and will require effort to develop, though work can capitalize on lessons learned from previous efforts. Here we discuss needed next steps to provide consistently described and formatted ecological data for immediate application in ecological analysis, focusing on integrating phenology, trait and environmental data to understand local to continental-scale biophysical processes and inform natural resource management practices. As more sources of data become available at finer spatial and temporal resolution, e.g., from national standardized earth observing systems (e.g., NEON, LTER and LTAR Networks, USA NPN), these challenges will become more acute. Here we provide an overview of the standards and ontology development landscape specifically related to phenological and trait data, and identify requirements to overcome current challenges. Second, we outline a workflow for formatting and integrating existing datasets to address key scientific and resource management questions such as: "What traits determine differential phenological responses to changing environmental conditions?" or "What is the role of granularity of observation, and of spatiotemporal scale, in controlling phenological responses to different driving variables?" Third, we discuss methods to semantically annotate datasets to greatly decrease time needed to assemble heterogeneous data for use in ecological analyses on varying spatial scales. We close by making a call to interested community members for a working group to model phenology, trait and environmental data products from continental-scale efforts (e.g. NEON, USA-NPN and others) focusing on ways to assure discoverability and interoperability.

A statistically rigorous sampling design to integrate avian monitoring and management within Bird Conservation Regions.

PubMed

Pavlacky, David C; Lukacs, Paul M; Blakesley, Jennifer A; Skorkowsky, Robert C; Klute, David S; Hahn, Beth A; Dreitz, Victoria J; George, T Luke; Hanni, David J

2017-01-01

Monitoring is an essential component of wildlife management and conservation. However, the usefulness of monitoring data is often undermined by the lack of 1) coordination across organizations and regions, 2) meaningful management and conservation objectives, and 3) rigorous sampling designs. Although many improvements to avian monitoring have been discussed, the recommendations have been slow to emerge in large-scale programs. We introduce the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program designed to overcome the above limitations. Our objectives are to outline the development of a statistically defensible sampling design to increase the value of large-scale monitoring data and provide example applications to demonstrate the ability of the design to meet multiple conservation and management objectives. We outline the sampling process for the IMBCR program with a focus on the Badlands and Prairies Bird Conservation Region (BCR 17). We provide two examples for the Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri) in BCR 17 demonstrating the ability of the design to 1) determine hierarchical population responses to landscape change and 2) estimate hierarchical habitat relationships to predict the response of the Brewer's sparrow to conservation efforts at multiple spatial scales. The collaboration across organizations and regions provided economy of scale by leveraging a common data platform over large spatial scales to promote the efficient use of monitoring resources. We designed the IMBCR program to address the information needs and core conservation and management objectives of the participating partner organizations. Although it has been argued that probabilistic sampling designs are not practical for large-scale monitoring, the IMBCR program provides a precedent for implementing a statistically defensible sampling design from local to bioregional scales. We demonstrate that integrating conservation and management objectives with rigorous statistical design and analyses ensures reliable knowledge about bird populations that is relevant and integral to bird conservation at multiple scales.

A statistically rigorous sampling design to integrate avian monitoring and management within Bird Conservation Regions

PubMed Central

Hahn, Beth A.; Dreitz, Victoria J.; George, T. Luke

2017-01-01

Monitoring is an essential component of wildlife management and conservation. However, the usefulness of monitoring data is often undermined by the lack of 1) coordination across organizations and regions, 2) meaningful management and conservation objectives, and 3) rigorous sampling designs. Although many improvements to avian monitoring have been discussed, the recommendations have been slow to emerge in large-scale programs. We introduce the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program designed to overcome the above limitations. Our objectives are to outline the development of a statistically defensible sampling design to increase the value of large-scale monitoring data and provide example applications to demonstrate the ability of the design to meet multiple conservation and management objectives. We outline the sampling process for the IMBCR program with a focus on the Badlands and Prairies Bird Conservation Region (BCR 17). We provide two examples for the Brewer’s sparrow (Spizella breweri) in BCR 17 demonstrating the ability of the design to 1) determine hierarchical population responses to landscape change and 2) estimate hierarchical habitat relationships to predict the response of the Brewer’s sparrow to conservation efforts at multiple spatial scales. The collaboration across organizations and regions provided economy of scale by leveraging a common data platform over large spatial scales to promote the efficient use of monitoring resources. We designed the IMBCR program to address the information needs and core conservation and management objectives of the participating partner organizations. Although it has been argued that probabilistic sampling designs are not practical for large-scale monitoring, the IMBCR program provides a precedent for implementing a statistically defensible sampling design from local to bioregional scales. We demonstrate that integrating conservation and management objectives with rigorous statistical design and analyses ensures reliable knowledge about bird populations that is relevant and integral to bird conservation at multiple scales. PMID:29065128

Effects of sediment burial on tropical ruderal seagrasses are moderated by clonal integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ooi, Jillian Lean Sim; Kendrick, Gary A.; Van Niel, Kimberly P.

2011-12-01

Seagrasses are clonal plants that grow submerged in dynamic sedimentary environments where burial is a common occurrence. Clonal organisms may respond to burial in very different ways depending on how strongly integrated they are through horizontal rhizomes, but the effect of clonal integration under conditions of stress such as burial is poorly studied for seagrasses. We test the effect of burial on tropical seagrasses that occur in multispecific meadows by subjecting plants in mixed stands to burial of 0, 2, 4, 8 and 16 cm for 27 days. Treatments were divided into those where rhizomes were severed and those where rhizomes were left intact. We hypothesize that species withstand burial better if clonal integration is maintained (intact rhizomes). Results showed that all species tolerated burial of up to 4 cm without adverse effects but significant reductions in shoot density and biomass become evident at 8 cm of burial. Furthermore, Cymodocea serrulata and Syringodium isoetifolium were strong integrators, i.e. they provide support for buried shoots, whereas Halophila ovalis and Halodule uninervis were weak integrators that did not show evidence of subsidizing buried shoots. Vertical elongation was observed for C. serrulata and H. uninervis as a response to burial only when rhizomes were severed, leading us to speculate on whether species rely on vertical elongation as an escape strategy only in the absence of resource translocation. Our distinction between the responses of treatments with intact rhizomes from those with severed rhizomes may be extended to an interpretation of burial scale (intact rhizomes=broad spatial-scale burial; severed rhizomes=fine spatial-scale burial). We concluded that broad spatial-scale burial exceeding 4 cm leads to rapid loss or reduction of all species. However, fine spatial-scale burial exceeding 4 cm, such as those caused by shrimp mounds (bioturbation), is expected to favor C. serrulata and S. isoetifolium, while H. ovalis and H. uninervis are disadvantaged. Clonal integration is an important trait in moderating the response of seagrasses to sediment burial and in this way, helps them to cope in high-stress habitats.

Wafer integrated micro-scale concentrating photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Tian; Li, Duanhui; Li, Lan; Jared, Bradley; Keeler, Gordon; Miller, Bill; Sweatt, William; Paap, Scott; Saavedra, Michael; Das, Ujjwal; Hegedus, Steve; Tauke-Pedretti, Anna; Hu, Juejun

2017-09-01

Recent development of a novel micro-scale PV/CPV technology is presented. The Wafer Integrated Micro-scale PV approach (WPV) seamlessly integrates multijunction micro-cells with a multi-functional silicon platform that provides optical micro-concentration, hybrid photovoltaic, and mechanical micro-assembly. The wafer-embedded micro-concentrating elements is shown to considerably improve the concentration-acceptance-angle product, potentially leading to dramatically reduced module materials and fabrication costs, sufficient angular tolerance for low-cost trackers, and an ultra-compact optical architecture, which makes the WPV module compatible with commercial flat panel infrastructures. The PV/CPV hybrid architecture further allows the collection of both direct and diffuse sunlight, thus extending the geographic and market domains for cost-effective PV system deployment. The WPV approach can potentially benefits from both the high performance of multijunction cells and the low cost of flat plate Si PV systems.

Concepts for on-board satellite image registration. Volume 3: Impact of VLSI/VHSIC on satellite on-board signal processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aanstoos, J. V.; Snyder, W. E.

1981-01-01

Anticipated major advances in integrated circuit technology in the near future are described as well as their impact on satellite onboard signal processing systems. Dramatic improvements in chip density, speed, power consumption, and system reliability are expected from very large scale integration. Improvements are expected from very large scale integration enable more intelligence to be placed on remote sensing platforms in space, meeting the goals of NASA's information adaptive system concept, a major component of the NASA End-to-End Data System program. A forecast of VLSI technological advances is presented, including a description of the Defense Department's very high speed integrated circuit program, a seven-year research and development effort.

A fully reconfigurable photonic integrated signal processor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Weilin; Li, Ming; Guzzon, Robert S.; Norberg, Erik J.; Parker, John S.; Lu, Mingzhi; Coldren, Larry A.; Yao, Jianping

2016-03-01

Photonic signal processing has been considered a solution to overcome the inherent electronic speed limitations. Over the past few years, an impressive range of photonic integrated signal processors have been proposed, but they usually offer limited reconfigurability, a feature highly needed for the implementation of large-scale general-purpose photonic signal processors. Here, we report and experimentally demonstrate a fully reconfigurable photonic integrated signal processor based on an InP-InGaAsP material system. The proposed photonic signal processor is capable of performing reconfigurable signal processing functions including temporal integration, temporal differentiation and Hilbert transformation. The reconfigurability is achieved by controlling the injection currents to the active components of the signal processor. Our demonstration suggests great potential for chip-scale fully programmable all-optical signal processing.

Multimodel Simulation of Water Flow: Uncertainty Analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Simulations of soil water flow require measurements of soil hydraulic properties which are particularly difficult at the field scale. Laboratory measurements provide hydraulic properties at scales finer than the field scale, whereas pedotransfer functions (PTFs) integrate information on hydraulic pr...

An Experimental Investigation of Unsteady Surface Pressure on an Airfoil in Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mish, Patrick F.; Devenport, William J.

2003-01-01

Measurements of fluctuating surface pressure were made on a NACA 0015 airfoil immersed in grid generated turbulence. The airfoil model has a 2 ft chord and spans the 6 ft Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel test section. Two grids were used to investigate the effects of turbulence length scale on the surface pressure response. A large grid which produced turbulence with an integral scale 13% of the chord and a smaller grid which produced turbulence with an integral scale 1.3% of the chord. Measurements were performed at angles of attack, alpha from 0 to 20 . An array of microphones mounted subsurface was used to measure the unsteady surface pressure. The goal of this measurement was to characterize the effects of angle of attack on the inviscid response. Lift spectra calculated from pressure measurements at each angle of attack revealed two distinct interaction regions; for omega(sub r) = omega b / U(sub infinity) is less than 10 a reduction in unsteady lift of up to 7 decibels (dB) occurs while an increase occurs for omega(sub r) is greater than 10 as the angle of attack is increased. The reduction in unsteady lift at low omega(sub r) with increasing angle of attack is a result that has never before been shown either experimentally or theoretically. The source of the reduction in lift spectral level appears to be closely related to the distortion of inflow turbulence based on analysis of surface pressure spanwise correlation length scales. Furthermore, while the distortion of the inflow appears to be critical in this experiment, this effect does not seem to be significant in larger integral scale (relative to the chord) flows based on the previous experimental work of McKeough suggesting the airfoils size relative to the inflow integral scale is critical in defining how the airfoil will respond under variation of angle of attack. A prediction scheme is developed that correctly accounts for the effects of distortion when the inflow integral scale is small relative to the airfoil chord. This scheme utilizes Rapid Distortion Theory to account for the distortion of the inflow with the distortion field modeled using a circular cylinder.

Scale relativity theory and integrative systems biology: 2. Macroscopic quantum-type mechanics.

PubMed

Nottale, Laurent; Auffray, Charles

2008-05-01

In these two companion papers, we provide an overview and a brief history of the multiple roots, current developments and recent advances of integrative systems biology and identify multiscale integration as its grand challenge. Then we introduce the fundamental principles and the successive steps that have been followed in the construction of the scale relativity theory, which aims at describing the effects of a non-differentiable and fractal (i.e., explicitly scale dependent) geometry of space-time. The first paper of this series was devoted, in this new framework, to the construction from first principles of scale laws of increasing complexity, and to the discussion of some tentative applications of these laws to biological systems. In this second review and perspective paper, we describe the effects induced by the internal fractal structures of trajectories on motion in standard space. Their main consequence is the transformation of classical dynamics into a generalized, quantum-like self-organized dynamics. A Schrödinger-type equation is derived as an integral of the geodesic equation in a fractal space. We then indicate how gauge fields can be constructed from a geometric re-interpretation of gauge transformations as scale transformations in fractal space-time. Finally, we introduce a new tentative development of the theory, in which quantum laws would hold also in scale space, introducing complexergy as a measure of organizational complexity. Initial possible applications of this extended framework to the processes of morphogenesis and the emergence of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cellular structures are discussed. Having founded elements of the evolutionary, developmental, biochemical and cellular theories on the first principles of scale relativity theory, we introduce proposals for the construction of an integrative theory of life and for the design and implementation of novel macroscopic quantum-type experiments and devices, and discuss their potential applications for the analysis, engineering and management of physical and biological systems and properties, and the consequences for the organization of transdisciplinary research and the scientific curriculum in the context of the SYSTEMOSCOPE Consortium research and development agenda.

Graphene-Si heterogeneous nanotechnology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akinwande, Deji; Tao, Li

2013-05-01

It is widely envisioned that graphene, an atomic sheet of carbon that has generated very broad interest has the largest prospects for flexible smart systems and for integrated graphene-silicon (G-Si) heterogeneous very large-scale integrated (VLSI) nanoelectronics. In this work, we focus on the latter and elucidate the research progress that has been achieved for integration of graphene with Si-CMOS including: wafer-scale graphene growth by chemical vapor deposition on Cu/SiO2/Si substrates, wafer-scale graphene transfer that afforded the fabrication of over 10,000 devices, wafer-scalable mitigation strategies to restore graphene's device characteristics via fluoropolymer interaction, and demonstrations of graphene integrated with commercial Si- CMOS chips for hybrid nanoelectronics and sensors. Metrology at the wafer-scale has led to the development of custom Raman processing software (GRISP) now available on the nanohub portal. The metrology reveals that graphene grown on 4-in substrates have monolayer quality comparable to exfoliated flakes. At room temperature, the high-performance passivated graphene devices on SiO2/Si can afford average mobilities 3000cm2/V-s and gate modulation that exceeds an order of magnitude. The latest growth research has yielded graphene with high mobilities greater than 10,000cm2/V-s on oxidized silicon. Further progress requires track compatible graphene-Si integration via wafer bonding in order to translate graphene research from basic to applied research in commercial R and D laboratories to ultimately yield a viable nanotechnology.

Report on phase 1 of the Microprocessor Seminar. [and associated large scale integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

Proceedings of a seminar on microprocessors and associated large scale integrated (LSI) circuits are presented. The potential for commonality of device requirements, candidate processes and mechanisms for qualifying candidate LSI technologies for high reliability applications, and specifications for testing and testability were among the topics discussed. Various programs and tentative plans of the participating organizations in the development of high reliability LSI circuits are given.

Integrating fine-scale soil data into species distribution models: preparing Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) data from multiple counties

Treesearch

Matthew P. Peters; Louis R. Iverson; Anantha M. Prasad; Steve N. Matthews

2013-01-01

Fine-scale soil (SSURGO) data were processed at the county level for 37 states within the eastern United States, initially for use as predictor variables in a species distribution model called DISTRIB II. Values from county polygon files converted into a continuous 30-m raster grid were aggregated to 4-km cells and integrated with other environmental and site condition...

Emerging concepts for management of river ecosystems and challenges to applied integration of physical and biological sciences in the Pacific Northwest, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rieman, Bruce; Dunham, Jason B.; Clayton, James

2006-01-01

Integration of biological and physical concepts is necessary to understand and conserve the ecological integrity of river systems. Past attempts at integration have often focused at relatively small scales and on mechanistic models that may not capture the complexity of natural systems leaving substantial uncertainty about ecological responses to management actions. Two solutions have been proposed to guide management in the face of that uncertainty: the use of “natural variability” in key environmental patterns, processes, or disturbance as a reference; and the retention of some areas as essentially unmanaged reserves to conserve and represent as much biological diversity as possible. Both concepts are scale dependent because dominant processes or patterns that might be referenced will change with scale. Context and linkages across scales may be as important in structuring biological systems as conditions within habitats used by individual organisms. Both ideas view the physical environment as a template for expression, maintenance, and evolution of ecological diversity. To conserve or restore a diverse physical template it will be important to recognize the ecologically important differences in physical characteristics and processes among streams or watersheds that we might attempt to mimic in management or represent in conservation or restoration reserves.

Pain assessment scales in newborns: integrative review

PubMed Central

de Melo, Gleicia Martins; Lélis, Ana Luíza Paula de Aguiar; de Moura, Alline Falconieri; Cardoso, Maria Vera Lúcia Moreira Leitão; da Silva, Viviane Martins

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To analyze studies on methods used to assess pain in newborns. DATA SOURCES: Integrative review study of articles published from 2001 to 2012, carried out in the following databases: Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS and Cochrane. The sample consisted of 13 articles with level of evidence 5. DATA SYNTHESIS: 29 pain assessment scales in newborns, including 13 one-dimensional and 16 multidimensional, that assess acute and prolonged pain in preterm and full-term infants were available in scientific publications. CONCLUSION: Based on the characteristics of scales, one cannot choose a single one as the most appropriate scale, as this choice will depend on gestational age, type of painful stimulus and the environment in which the infant is inserted. It is suggested the use of multidimensional or one-dimensional scales; however, they must be reliable and validated. PMID:25511005

Cost of Community Integrated Prevention Campaign for Malaria, HIV, and Diarrhea in Rural Kenya

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Delivery of community-based prevention services for HIV, malaria, and diarrhea is a major priority and challenge in rural Africa. Integrated delivery campaigns may offer a mechanism to achieve high coverage and efficiency. Methods We quantified the resources and costs to implement a large-scale integrated prevention campaign in Lurambi Division, Western Province, Kenya that reached 47,133 individuals (and 83% of eligible adults) in 7 days. The campaign provided HIV testing, condoms, and prevention education materials; a long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net; and a water filter. Data were obtained primarily from logistical and expenditure data maintained by implementing partners. We estimated the projected cost of a Scaled-Up Replication (SUR), assuming reliance on local managers, potential efficiencies of scale, and other adjustments. Results The cost per person served was $41.66 for the initial campaign and was projected at $31.98 for the SUR. The SUR cost included 67% for commodities (mainly water filters and bed nets) and 20% for personnel. The SUR projected unit cost per person served, by disease, was $6.27 for malaria (nets and training), $15.80 for diarrhea (filters and training), and $9.91 for HIV (test kits, counseling, condoms, and CD4 testing at each site). Conclusions A large-scale, rapidly implemented, integrated health campaign provided services to 80% of a rural Kenyan population with relatively low cost. Scaling up this design may provide similar services to larger populations at lower cost per person. PMID:22189090

Evaluating landscape health: Integrating societal goals and biophysical process

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rapport, D.J.; Gaudet, C.; Karr, J.R.; Baron, Jill S.; Bohlen, C.; Jackson, W.; Jones, Bruce; Naiman, R.J.; Norton, B.; Pollock, M. M.

1998-01-01

Evaluating landscape change requires the integration of the social and natural sciences. The social sciences contribute to articulating societal values that govern landscape change, while the natural sciences contribute to understanding the biophysical processes that are influenced by human activity and result in ecological change. Building upon Aldo Leopold's criteria for landscape health, the roles of societal values and biophysical processes in shaping the landscape are explored. A framework is developed for indicators of landscape health and integrity. Indicators of integrity are useful in measuring biological condition relative to the condition in landscapes largely unaffected by human activity, while indicators of health are useful in evaluating changes in highly modified landscapes. Integrating societal goals and biophysical processes requires identification of ecological services to be sustained within a given landscape. It also requires the proper choice of temporal and spatial scales. Societal values are based upon inter-generational concerns at regional scales (e.g. soil and ground water quality). Assessing the health and integrity of the environment at the landscape scale over a period of decades best integrates societal values with underlying biophysical processes. These principles are illustrated in two contrasting case studies: (1) the South Platte River study demonstrates the role of complex biophysical processes acting at a distance; and (2) the Kissimmee River study illustrates the critical importance of social, cultural and economic concerns in the design of remedial action plans. In both studies, however, interactions between the social and the biophysical governed the landscape outcomes. The legacy of evolution and the legacy of culture requires integration for the purpose of effectively coping with environmental change.

Nanowire active-matrix circuitry for low-voltage macroscale artificial skin.

PubMed

Takei, Kuniharu; Takahashi, Toshitake; Ho, Johnny C; Ko, Hyunhyub; Gillies, Andrew G; Leu, Paul W; Fearing, Ronald S; Javey, Ali

2010-10-01

Large-scale integration of high-performance electronic components on mechanically flexible substrates may enable new applications in electronics, sensing and energy. Over the past several years, tremendous progress in the printing and transfer of single-crystalline, inorganic micro- and nanostructures on plastic substrates has been achieved through various process schemes. For instance, contact printing of parallel arrays of semiconductor nanowires (NWs) has been explored as a versatile route to enable fabrication of high-performance, bendable transistors and sensors. However, truly macroscale integration of ordered NW circuitry has not yet been demonstrated, with the largest-scale active systems being of the order of 1 cm(2) (refs 11,15). This limitation is in part due to assembly- and processing-related obstacles, although larger-scale integration has been demonstrated for randomly oriented NWs (ref. 16). Driven by this challenge, here we demonstrate macroscale (7×7 cm(2)) integration of parallel NW arrays as the active-matrix backplane of a flexible pressure-sensor array (18×19 pixels). The integrated sensor array effectively functions as an artificial electronic skin, capable of monitoring applied pressure profiles with high spatial resolution. The active-matrix circuitry operates at a low operating voltage of less than 5 V and exhibits superb mechanical robustness and reliability, without performance degradation on bending to small radii of curvature (2.5 mm) for over 2,000 bending cycles. This work presents the largest integration of ordered NW-array active components, and demonstrates a model platform for future integration of nanomaterials for practical applications.

Variational and robust density fitting of four-center two-electron integrals in local metrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reine, Simen; Tellgren, Erik; Krapp, Andreas; Kjærgaard, Thomas; Helgaker, Trygve; Jansik, Branislav; Høst, Stinne; Salek, Paweł

2008-09-01

Density fitting is an important method for speeding up quantum-chemical calculations. Linear-scaling developments in Hartree-Fock and density-functional theories have highlighted the need for linear-scaling density-fitting schemes. In this paper, we present a robust variational density-fitting scheme that allows for solving the fitting equations in local metrics instead of the traditional Coulomb metric, as required for linear scaling. Results of fitting four-center two-electron integrals in the overlap and the attenuated Gaussian damped Coulomb metric are presented, and we conclude that density fitting can be performed in local metrics at little loss of chemical accuracy. We further propose to use this theory in linear-scaling density-fitting developments.

Variational and robust density fitting of four-center two-electron integrals in local metrics.

PubMed

Reine, Simen; Tellgren, Erik; Krapp, Andreas; Kjaergaard, Thomas; Helgaker, Trygve; Jansik, Branislav; Host, Stinne; Salek, Paweł

2008-09-14

Density fitting is an important method for speeding up quantum-chemical calculations. Linear-scaling developments in Hartree-Fock and density-functional theories have highlighted the need for linear-scaling density-fitting schemes. In this paper, we present a robust variational density-fitting scheme that allows for solving the fitting equations in local metrics instead of the traditional Coulomb metric, as required for linear scaling. Results of fitting four-center two-electron integrals in the overlap and the attenuated Gaussian damped Coulomb metric are presented, and we conclude that density fitting can be performed in local metrics at little loss of chemical accuracy. We further propose to use this theory in linear-scaling density-fitting developments.

The theory of n-scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dündar, Furkan Semih

2018-01-01

We provide a theory of n-scales previously called as n dimensional time scales. In previous approaches to the theory of time scales, multi-dimensional scales were taken as product space of two time scales [1, 2]. n-scales make the mathematical structure more flexible and appropriate to real world applications in physics and related fields. Here we define an n-scale as an arbitrary closed subset of ℝn. Modified forward and backward jump operators, Δ-derivatives and Δ-integrals on n-scales are defined.

Scale and the Evolutionarily Based Approximate Number System: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delgado, Cesar; Jones, M. Gail; You, Hye Sun; Robertson, Laura; Chesnutt, Katherine; Halberda, Justin

2017-01-01

Crosscutting concepts such as "scale, proportion, and quantity" are recognised by U.S. science standards as a potential vehicle for students to integrate their scientific and mathematical knowledge; yet, U.S. students and adults trail their international peers in scale and measurement estimation. Culturally based knowledge of scale such…

Mapping daily evapotranspiration at field scales over rainfed and irrigated agricultural areas using remote sensing data fusion

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A continuous monitoring of daily evapotranspiration (ET) at field scale can be achieved by combining thermal infrared remote sensing data information from multiple satellite platforms. Here, an integrated approach to field scale ET mapping is described, combining multi-scale surface energy balance e...

Evolution of natural history information in the 21st Century - Developing an integrated framework for biological and geographic data

EPA Science Inventory

Threats to marine and estuarine species operate over many spatial scales, from nutrient enrichment at the watershed/estuarine scale to invasive species and climate change at regional and global scales. To help address research questions across these scales, we provide here a stan...

Linking plot, field, and watershed runoff and water quality in Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Most water quality studies are conducted at the plot, field, or watershed scale; however, studies that integrate the three scales provide information to scale results obtained at one scale to a greater area. The objective of this study was to analyze runoff and water quality measured (1997-2001) fr...

Understanding Hydraulic Fracturing: A Multi-Scale Problem

DOE PAGES

Hyman, Jeffrey De'Haven; Gimenez Martinez, Joaquin; Viswanathan, Hari S.; ...

2016-09-05

Despite the impact that hydraulic fracturing has had on the energy sector, the physical mechanisms that control its efficiency and environmental impacts remain poorly understood in part because the length scales involved range from nano-meters to kilo-meters. We characterize flow and transport in shale formations across and between these scales using integrated computational, theoretical, and experimental efforts. At the field scale, we use discrete fracture network modeling to simulate production at a well site whose fracture network is based on a site characterization of a shale formation. At the core scale, we use triaxial fracture experiments and a finite-element discrete-elementmore » fracture propagation model with a coupled fluid solver to study dynamic crack propagation in low permeability shale. We use lattice Boltzmann pore-scale simulations and microfluidic experiments in both synthetic and real micromodels to study pore-scale flow phenomenon such as multiphase flow and mixing. A mechanistic description and integration of these multiple scales is required for accurate predictions of production and the eventual optimization of hydrocarbon extraction from unconventional reservoirs.« less

Two-machine flow shop scheduling integrated with preventive maintenance planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shijin; Liu, Ming

2016-02-01

This paper investigates an integrated optimisation problem of production scheduling and preventive maintenance (PM) in a two-machine flow shop with time to failure of each machine subject to a Weibull probability distribution. The objective is to find the optimal job sequence and the optimal PM decisions before each job such that the expected makespan is minimised. To investigate the value of integrated scheduling solution, computational experiments on small-scale problems with different configurations are conducted with total enumeration method, and the results are compared with those of scheduling without maintenance but with machine degradation, and individual job scheduling combined with independent PM planning. Then, for large-scale problems, four genetic algorithm (GA) based heuristics are proposed. The numerical results with several large problem sizes and different configurations indicate the potential benefits of integrated scheduling solution and the results also show that proposed GA-based heuristics are efficient for the integrated problem.

Overview of ERA Integrated Technology Demonstration (ITD) 51A Ultra-High Bypass (UHB) Integration for Hybrid Wing Body (HWB)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flamm, Jeffrey D.; James, Kevin D.; Bonet, John T.

2016-01-01

The NASA Environmentally Responsible Aircraft Project (ERA) was a ve year project broken into two phases. In phase II, high N+2 Technical Readiness Level demonstrations were grouped into Integrated Technology Demonstrations (ITD). This paper describes the work done on ITD-51A: the Vehicle Systems Integration, Engine Airframe Integration Demonstration. Refinement of a Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft from the possible candidates developed in ERA Phase I was continued. Scaled powered, and unpowered wind- tunnel testing, with and without acoustics, in the NASA LARC 14- by 22-foot Subsonic Tunnel, the NASA ARC Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and the 40- by 80-foot test section of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) in conjunction with very closely coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics was used to demonstrate the fuel burn and acoustic milestone targets of the ERA Project.

Multiscale Integration of -Omic, Imaging, and Clinical Data in Biomedical Informatics

PubMed Central

Phan, John H.; Quo, Chang F.; Cheng, Chihwen; Wang, May Dongmei

2016-01-01

This paper reviews challenges and opportunities in multiscale data integration for biomedical informatics. Biomedical data can come from different biological origins, data acquisition technologies, and clinical applications. Integrating such data across multiple scales (e.g., molecular, cellular/tissue, and patient) can lead to more informed decisions for personalized, predictive, and preventive medicine. However, data heterogeneity, community standards in data acquisition, and computational complexity are big challenges for such decision making. This review describes genomic and proteomic (i.e., molecular), histopathological imaging (i.e., cellular/tissue), and clinical (i.e., patient) data; it includes case studies for single-scale (e.g., combining genomic or histopathological image data), multiscale (e.g., combining histopathological image and clinical data), and multiscale and multiplatform (e.g., the Human Protein Atlas and The Cancer Genome Atlas) data integration. Numerous opportunities exist in biomedical informatics research focusing on integration of multiscale and multiplatform data. PMID:23231990

Multiscale integration of -omic, imaging, and clinical data in biomedical informatics.

PubMed

Phan, John H; Quo, Chang F; Cheng, Chihwen; Wang, May Dongmei

2012-01-01

This paper reviews challenges and opportunities in multiscale data integration for biomedical informatics. Biomedical data can come from different biological origins, data acquisition technologies, and clinical applications. Integrating such data across multiple scales (e.g., molecular, cellular/tissue, and patient) can lead to more informed decisions for personalized, predictive, and preventive medicine. However, data heterogeneity, community standards in data acquisition, and computational complexity are big challenges for such decision making. This review describes genomic and proteomic (i.e., molecular), histopathological imaging (i.e., cellular/tissue), and clinical (i.e., patient) data; it includes case studies for single-scale (e.g., combining genomic or histopathological image data), multiscale (e.g., combining histopathological image and clinical data), and multiscale and multiplatform (e.g., the Human Protein Atlas and The Cancer Genome Atlas) data integration. Numerous opportunities exist in biomedical informatics research focusing on integration of multiscale and multiplatform data.

Low rank factorization of the Coulomb integrals for periodic coupled cluster theory.

PubMed

Hummel, Felix; Tsatsoulis, Theodoros; Grüneis, Andreas

2017-03-28

We study a tensor hypercontraction decomposition of the Coulomb integrals of periodic systems where the integrals are factorized into a contraction of six matrices of which only two are distinct. We find that the Coulomb integrals can be well approximated in this form already with small matrices compared to the number of real space grid points. The cost of computing the matrices scales as O(N 4 ) using a regularized form of the alternating least squares algorithm. The studied factorization of the Coulomb integrals can be exploited to reduce the scaling of the computational cost of expensive tensor contractions appearing in the amplitude equations of coupled cluster methods with respect to system size. We apply the developed methodologies to calculate the adsorption energy of a single water molecule on a hexagonal boron nitride monolayer in a plane wave basis set and periodic boundary conditions.

Musical expertise is related to altered functional connectivity during audiovisual integration

PubMed Central

Paraskevopoulos, Evangelos; Kraneburg, Anja; Herholz, Sibylle Cornelia; Bamidis, Panagiotis D.; Pantev, Christo

2015-01-01

The present study investigated the cortical large-scale functional network underpinning audiovisual integration via magnetoencephalographic recordings. The reorganization of this network related to long-term musical training was investigated by comparing musicians to nonmusicians. Connectivity was calculated on the basis of the estimated mutual information of the sources’ activity, and the corresponding networks were statistically compared. Nonmusicians’ results indicated that the cortical network associated with audiovisual integration supports visuospatial processing and attentional shifting, whereas a sparser network, related to spatial awareness supports the identification of audiovisual incongruences. In contrast, musicians’ results showed enhanced connectivity in regions related to the identification of auditory pattern violations. Hence, nonmusicians rely on the processing of visual clues for the integration of audiovisual information, whereas musicians rely mostly on the corresponding auditory information. The large-scale cortical network underpinning multisensory integration is reorganized due to expertise in a cognitive domain that largely involves audiovisual integration, indicating long-term training-related neuroplasticity. PMID:26371305

Module-based multiscale simulation of angiogenesis in skeletal muscle

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Mathematical modeling of angiogenesis has been gaining momentum as a means to shed new light on the biological complexity underlying blood vessel growth. A variety of computational models have been developed, each focusing on different aspects of the angiogenesis process and occurring at different biological scales, ranging from the molecular to the tissue levels. Integration of models at different scales is a challenging and currently unsolved problem. Results We present an object-oriented module-based computational integration strategy to build a multiscale model of angiogenesis that links currently available models. As an example case, we use this approach to integrate modules representing microvascular blood flow, oxygen transport, vascular endothelial growth factor transport and endothelial cell behavior (sensing, migration and proliferation). Modeling methodologies in these modules include algebraic equations, partial differential equations and agent-based models with complex logical rules. We apply this integrated model to simulate exercise-induced angiogenesis in skeletal muscle. The simulation results compare capillary growth patterns between different exercise conditions for a single bout of exercise. Results demonstrate how the computational infrastructure can effectively integrate multiple modules by coordinating their connectivity and data exchange. Model parameterization offers simulation flexibility and a platform for performing sensitivity analysis. Conclusions This systems biology strategy can be applied to larger scale integration of computational models of angiogenesis in skeletal muscle, or other complex processes in other tissues under physiological and pathological conditions. PMID:21463529

Sensory integration balance training in patients with multiple sclerosis: A randomized, controlled trial.

PubMed

Gandolfi, Marialuisa; Munari, Daniele; Geroin, Christian; Gajofatto, Alberto; Benedetti, Maria Donata; Midiri, Alessandro; Carla, Fontana; Picelli, Alessandro; Waldner, Andreas; Smania, Nicola

2015-10-01

Impaired sensory integration contributes to balance disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The objective of this paper is to compare the effects of sensory integration balance training against conventional rehabilitation on balance disorders, the level of balance confidence perceived, quality of life, fatigue, frequency of falls, and sensory integration processing on a large sample of patients with MS. This single-blind, randomized, controlled trial involved 80 outpatients with MS (EDSS: 1.5-6.0) and subjective symptoms of balance disorders. The experimental group (n = 39) received specific training to improve central integration of afferent sensory inputs; the control group (n = 41) received conventional rehabilitation (15 treatment sessions of 50 minutes each). Before, after treatment, and at one month post-treatment, patients were evaluated by a blinded rater using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), number of falls and the Sensory Organization Balance Test (SOT). The experimental training program produced greater improvements than the control group training on the BBS (p < 0.001), the FSS (p < 0.002), number of falls (p = 0.002) and SOT (p < 0.05). Specific training to improve central integration of afferent sensory inputs may ameliorate balance disorders in patients with MS. Clinical Trial Registration (NCT01040117). © The Author(s), 2015.

Evaluation of Kirkwood-Buff integrals via finite size scaling: a large scale molecular dynamics study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dednam, W.; Botha, A. E.

2015-01-01

Solvation of bio-molecules in water is severely affected by the presence of co-solvent within the hydration shell of the solute structure. Furthermore, since solute molecules can range from small molecules, such as methane, to very large protein structures, it is imperative to understand the detailed structure-function relationship on the microscopic level. For example, it is useful know the conformational transitions that occur in protein structures. Although such an understanding can be obtained through large-scale molecular dynamic simulations, it is often the case that such simulations would require excessively large simulation times. In this context, Kirkwood-Buff theory, which connects the microscopic pair-wise molecular distributions to global thermodynamic properties, together with the recently developed technique, called finite size scaling, may provide a better method to reduce system sizes, and hence also the computational times. In this paper, we present molecular dynamics trial simulations of biologically relevant low-concentration solvents, solvated by aqueous co-solvent solutions. In particular we compare two different methods of calculating the relevant Kirkwood-Buff integrals. The first (traditional) method computes running integrals over the radial distribution functions, which must be obtained from large system-size NVT or NpT simulations. The second, newer method, employs finite size scaling to obtain the Kirkwood-Buff integrals directly by counting the particle number fluctuations in small, open sub-volumes embedded within a larger reservoir that can be well approximated by a much smaller simulation cell. In agreement with previous studies, which made a similar comparison for aqueous co-solvent solutions, without the additional solvent, we conclude that the finite size scaling method is also applicable to the present case, since it can produce computationally more efficient results which are equivalent to the more costly radial distribution function method.

The importance of integration and scale in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.

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

Miller, R. M.; Kling, M.; Environmental Research

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus contributes to system processes and functions at various hierarchical organizational levels, through their establishment of linkages and feedbacks between whole-plants and nutrient cycles. Even though these fungal mediated feedbacks and linkages involve lower-organizational level processes (e.g. photo-assimilate partitioning, interfacial assimilate uptake and transport mechanisms, intraradical versus extraradical fungal growth), they influence higher-organizational scales that affect community and ecosystem behavior (e.g. whole-plant photosynthesis, biodiversity, nutrient and carbon cycling, soil structure). Hence, incorporating AM fungi into research directed at understanding many of the diverse environmental issues confronting society will require knowledge of how these fungi respond tomore » or initiate changes in vegetation dynamics, soil fertility or both. Within the last few years, the rapid advancement in the development of analytical tools has increased the resolution by which we are able to quantify the mycorrhizal symbiosis. It is important that these tools are applied within a conceptual framework that is temporally and spatially relevant to fungus and host. Unfortunately, many of the studies being conducted on the mycorrhizal symbiosis at lower organizational scales are concerned with questions directed solely at understanding fungus or host without awareness of what the plant physiologist or ecologist needs for integrating the mycorrhizal association into larger organizational scales or process levels. We show by using the flow of C from plant-to-fungus-to-soil, that through thoughtful integration, we have the ability to bridge different organizational scales. Thus, an essential need of mycorrhizal research is not only to better integrate the various disciplines of mycorrhizal research, but also to identify those relevant links and scales needing further investigation for understanding the larger-organizational level responses.« less

Investigating the Nexus of Climate, Energy, Water, and Land at Decision-Relevant Scales: The Platform for Regional Integrated Modeling and Analysis (PRIMA)

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

Kraucunas, Ian P.; Clarke, Leon E.; Dirks, James A.

2015-04-01

The Platform for Regional Integrated Modeling and Analysis (PRIMA) is an innovative modeling system developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to simulate interactions among natural and human systems at scales relevant to regional decision making. PRIMA brings together state-of-the-art models of regional climate, hydrology, agriculture, socioeconomics, and energy systems using a flexible coupling approach. The platform can be customized to inform a variety of complex questions and decisions, such as the integrated evaluation of mitigation and adaptation options across a range of sectors. Research into stakeholder decision support needs underpins the platform's application to regional issues, including uncertainty characterization.more » Ongoing numerical experiments are yielding new insights into the interactions among human and natural systems on regional scales with an initial focus on the energy-land-water nexus in the upper U.S. Midwest. This paper focuses on PRIMA’s functional capabilities and describes some lessons learned to date about integrated regional modeling.« less

Laser Scanning Holographic Lithography for Flexible 3D Fabrication of Multi-Scale Integrated Nano-structures and Optical Biosensors

PubMed Central

Yuan, Liang (Leon); Herman, Peter R.

2016-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) periodic nanostructures underpin a promising research direction on the frontiers of nanoscience and technology to generate advanced materials for exploiting novel photonic crystal (PC) and nanofluidic functionalities. However, formation of uniform and defect-free 3D periodic structures over large areas that can further integrate into multifunctional devices has remained a major challenge. Here, we introduce a laser scanning holographic method for 3D exposure in thick photoresist that combines the unique advantages of large area 3D holographic interference lithography (HIL) with the flexible patterning of laser direct writing to form both micro- and nano-structures in a single exposure step. Phase mask interference patterns accumulated over multiple overlapping scans are shown to stitch seamlessly and form uniform 3D nanostructure with beam size scaled to small 200 μm diameter. In this way, laser scanning is presented as a facile means to embed 3D PC structure within microfluidic channels for integration into an optofluidic lab-on-chip, demonstrating a new laser HIL writing approach for creating multi-scale integrated microsystems. PMID:26922872

An integrated network of Arabidopsis growth regulators and its use for gene prioritization.

PubMed

Sabaghian, Ehsan; Drebert, Zuzanna; Inzé, Dirk; Saeys, Yvan

2015-12-01

Elucidating the molecular mechanisms that govern plant growth has been an important topic in plant research, and current advances in large-scale data generation call for computational tools that efficiently combine these different data sources to generate novel hypotheses. In this work, we present a novel, integrated network that combines multiple large-scale data sources to characterize growth regulatory genes in Arabidopsis, one of the main plant model organisms. The contributions of this work are twofold: first, we characterized a set of carefully selected growth regulators with respect to their connectivity patterns in the integrated network, and, subsequently, we explored to which extent these connectivity patterns can be used to suggest new growth regulators. Using a large-scale comparative study, we designed new supervised machine learning methods to prioritize growth regulators. Our results show that these methods significantly improve current state-of-the-art prioritization techniques, and are able to suggest meaningful new growth regulators. In addition, the integrated network is made available to the scientific community, providing a rich data source that will be useful for many biological processes, not necessarily restricted to plant growth.

Integrated modelling of nitrate loads to coastal waters and land rent applied to catchment-scale water management.

PubMed

Refsgaard, A; Jacobsen, T; Jacobsen, B; Ørum, J-E

2007-01-01

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires an integrated approach to river basin management in order to meet environmental and ecological objectives. This paper presents concepts and full-scale application of an integrated modelling framework. The Ringkoebing Fjord basin is characterized by intensive agricultural production and leakage of nitrate constitute a major pollution problem with respect groundwater aquifers (drinking water), fresh surface water systems (water quality of lakes) and coastal receiving waters (eutrophication). The case study presented illustrates an advanced modelling approach applied in river basin management. Point sources (e.g. sewage treatment plant discharges) and distributed diffuse sources (nitrate leakage) are included to provide a modelling tool capable of simulating pollution transport from source to recipient to analyse the effects of specific, localized basin water management plans. The paper also includes a land rent modelling approach which can be used to choose the most cost-effective measures and the location of these measures. As a forerunner to the use of basin-scale models in WFD basin water management plans this project demonstrates the potential and limitations of comprehensive, integrated modelling tools.

Ten-channel InP-based large-scale photonic integrated transmitter fabricated by SAG technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Can; Zhu, Hongliang; Liang, Song; Cui, Xiao; Wang, Huitao; Zhao, Lingjuan; Wang, Wei

2014-12-01

A 10-channel InP-based large-scale photonic integrated transmitter was fabricated by selective area growth (SAG) technology combined with butt-joint regrowth (BJR) technology. The SAG technology was utilized to fabricate the electroabsorption modulated distributed feedback (DFB) laser (EML) arrays at the same time. The design of coplanar electrodes for electroabsorption modulator (EAM) was used for the flip-chip bonding package. The lasing wavelength of DFB laser could be tuned by the integrated micro-heater to match the ITU grids, which only needs one electrode pad. The average output power of each channel is 250 μW with an injection current of 200 mA. The static extinction ratios of the EAMs for 10 channels tested are ranged from 15 to 27 dB with a reverse bias of 6 V. The frequencies of 3 dB bandwidth of the chip for each channel are around 14 GHz. The novel design and simple fabrication process show its enormous potential in reducing the cost of large-scale photonic integrated circuit (LS-PIC) transmitter with high chip yields.

Bridging scales through multiscale modeling: a case study on protein kinase A.

PubMed

Boras, Britton W; Hirakis, Sophia P; Votapka, Lane W; Malmstrom, Robert D; Amaro, Rommie E; McCulloch, Andrew D

2015-01-01

The goal of multiscale modeling in biology is to use structurally based physico-chemical models to integrate across temporal and spatial scales of biology and thereby improve mechanistic understanding of, for example, how a single mutation can alter organism-scale phenotypes. This approach may also inform therapeutic strategies or identify candidate drug targets that might otherwise have been overlooked. However, in many cases, it remains unclear how best to synthesize information obtained from various scales and analysis approaches, such as atomistic molecular models, Markov state models (MSM), subcellular network models, and whole cell models. In this paper, we use protein kinase A (PKA) activation as a case study to explore how computational methods that model different physical scales can complement each other and integrate into an improved multiscale representation of the biological mechanisms. Using measured crystal structures, we show how molecular dynamics (MD) simulations coupled with atomic-scale MSMs can provide conformations for Brownian dynamics (BD) simulations to feed transitional states and kinetic parameters into protein-scale MSMs. We discuss how milestoning can give reaction probabilities and forward-rate constants of cAMP association events by seamlessly integrating MD and BD simulation scales. These rate constants coupled with MSMs provide a robust representation of the free energy landscape, enabling access to kinetic, and thermodynamic parameters unavailable from current experimental data. These approaches have helped to illuminate the cooperative nature of PKA activation in response to distinct cAMP binding events. Collectively, this approach exemplifies a general strategy for multiscale model development that is applicable to a wide range of biological problems.

Cross-scale integration of knowledge for predicting species ranges: a metamodeling framework

PubMed Central

Talluto, Matthew V.; Boulangeat, Isabelle; Ameztegui, Aitor; Aubin, Isabelle; Berteaux, Dominique; Butler, Alyssa; Doyon, Frédérik; Drever, C. Ronnie; Fortin, Marie-Josée; Franceschini, Tony; Liénard, Jean; McKenney, Dan; Solarik, Kevin A.; Strigul, Nikolay; Thuiller, Wilfried; Gravel, Dominique

2016-01-01

Aim Current interest in forecasting changes to species ranges have resulted in a multitude of approaches to species distribution models (SDMs). However, most approaches include only a small subset of the available information, and many ignore smaller-scale processes such as growth, fecundity, and dispersal. Furthermore, different approaches often produce divergent predictions with no simple method to reconcile them. Here, we present a flexible framework for integrating models at multiple scales using hierarchical Bayesian methods. Location Eastern North America (as an example). Methods Our framework builds a metamodel that is constrained by the results of multiple sub-models and provides probabilistic estimates of species presence. We applied our approach to a simulated dataset to demonstrate the integration of a correlative SDM with a theoretical model. In a second example, we built an integrated model combining the results of a physiological model with presence-absence data for sugar maple (Acer saccharum), an abundant tree native to eastern North America. Results For both examples, the integrated models successfully included information from all data sources and substantially improved the characterization of uncertainty. For the second example, the integrated model outperformed the source models with respect to uncertainty when modelling the present range of the species. When projecting into the future, the model provided a consensus view of two models that differed substantially in their predictions. Uncertainty was reduced where the models agreed and was greater where they diverged, providing a more realistic view of the state of knowledge than either source model. Main conclusions We conclude by discussing the potential applications of our method and its accessibility to applied ecologists. In ideal cases, our framework can be easily implemented using off-the-shelf software. The framework has wide potential for use in species distribution modelling and can drive better integration of multi-source and multi-scale data into ecological decision-making. PMID:27499698

Cross-scale integration of knowledge for predicting species ranges: a metamodeling framework.

PubMed

Talluto, Matthew V; Boulangeat, Isabelle; Ameztegui, Aitor; Aubin, Isabelle; Berteaux, Dominique; Butler, Alyssa; Doyon, Frédérik; Drever, C Ronnie; Fortin, Marie-Josée; Franceschini, Tony; Liénard, Jean; McKenney, Dan; Solarik, Kevin A; Strigul, Nikolay; Thuiller, Wilfried; Gravel, Dominique

2016-02-01

Current interest in forecasting changes to species ranges have resulted in a multitude of approaches to species distribution models (SDMs). However, most approaches include only a small subset of the available information, and many ignore smaller-scale processes such as growth, fecundity, and dispersal. Furthermore, different approaches often produce divergent predictions with no simple method to reconcile them. Here, we present a flexible framework for integrating models at multiple scales using hierarchical Bayesian methods. Eastern North America (as an example). Our framework builds a metamodel that is constrained by the results of multiple sub-models and provides probabilistic estimates of species presence. We applied our approach to a simulated dataset to demonstrate the integration of a correlative SDM with a theoretical model. In a second example, we built an integrated model combining the results of a physiological model with presence-absence data for sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ), an abundant tree native to eastern North America. For both examples, the integrated models successfully included information from all data sources and substantially improved the characterization of uncertainty. For the second example, the integrated model outperformed the source models with respect to uncertainty when modelling the present range of the species. When projecting into the future, the model provided a consensus view of two models that differed substantially in their predictions. Uncertainty was reduced where the models agreed and was greater where they diverged, providing a more realistic view of the state of knowledge than either source model. We conclude by discussing the potential applications of our method and its accessibility to applied ecologists. In ideal cases, our framework can be easily implemented using off-the-shelf software. The framework has wide potential for use in species distribution modelling and can drive better integration of multi-source and multi-scale data into ecological decision-making.

Chip-scale integrated optical interconnects: a key enabler for future high-performance computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haney, Michael; Nair, Rohit; Gu, Tian

2012-01-01

High Performance Computing (HPC) systems are putting ever-increasing demands on the throughput efficiency of their interconnection fabrics. In this paper, the limits of conventional metal trace-based inter-chip interconnect fabrics are examined in the context of state-of-the-art HPC systems, which currently operate near the 1 GFLOPS/W level. The analysis suggests that conventional metal trace interconnects will limit performance to approximately 6 GFLOPS/W in larger HPC systems that require many computer chips to be interconnected in parallel processing architectures. As the HPC communications bottlenecks push closer to the processing chips, integrated Optical Interconnect (OI) technology may provide the ultra-high bandwidths needed at the inter- and intra-chip levels. With inter-chip photonic link energies projected to be less than 1 pJ/bit, integrated OI is projected to enable HPC architecture scaling to the 50 GFLOPS/W level and beyond - providing a path to Peta-FLOPS-level HPC within a single rack, and potentially even Exa-FLOPSlevel HPC for large systems. A new hybrid integrated chip-scale OI approach is described and evaluated. The concept integrates a high-density polymer waveguide fabric directly on top of a multiple quantum well (MQW) modulator array that is area-bonded to the Silicon computing chip. Grayscale lithography is used to fabricate 5 μm x 5 μm polymer waveguides and associated novel small-footprint total internal reflection-based vertical input/output couplers directly onto a layer containing an array of GaAs MQW devices configured to be either absorption modulators or photodetectors. An external continuous wave optical "power supply" is coupled into the waveguide links. Contrast ratios were measured using a test rider chip in place of a Silicon processing chip. The results suggest that sub-pJ/b chip-scale communication is achievable with this concept. When integrated into high-density integrated optical interconnect fabrics, it could provide a seamless interconnect fabric spanning the intra-

GIGGLE: a search engine for large-scale integrated genome analysis.

PubMed

Layer, Ryan M; Pedersen, Brent S; DiSera, Tonya; Marth, Gabor T; Gertz, Jason; Quinlan, Aaron R

2018-02-01

GIGGLE is a genomics search engine that identifies and ranks the significance of genomic loci shared between query features and thousands of genome interval files. GIGGLE (https://github.com/ryanlayer/giggle) scales to billions of intervals and is over three orders of magnitude faster than existing methods. Its speed extends the accessibility and utility of resources such as ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics, and GTEx by facilitating data integration and hypothesis generation.

Impact of Utility-Scale Distributed Wind on Transmission-Level System Operations

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

Brancucci Martinez-Anido, C.; Hodge, B. M.

2014-09-01

This report presents a new renewable integration study that aims to assess the potential for adding distributed wind to the current power system with minimal or no upgrades to the distribution or transmission electricity systems. It investigates the impacts of integrating large amounts of utility-scale distributed wind power on bulk system operations by performing a case study on the power system of the Independent System Operator-New England (ISO-NE).

Integrated Modeling and Experimental Studies at the Meso Scale for Advanced Reactive Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-01

T E C H N IC A L R E P O R T DTRA-TR-16-76 Integrated Modeling and Experimental Studies at the Meso- Scale for Advanced Reactive Materials ...study the energy release processes that thermitic and/or exothermic intermetallic reactive materials experience when they are subjected to...thermitic and/or exothermic intermetallic materials experience when they are subjected to sustained shock loading. Data from highly spatially and

GIGGLE: a search engine for large-scale integrated genome analysis

PubMed Central

Layer, Ryan M; Pedersen, Brent S; DiSera, Tonya; Marth, Gabor T; Gertz, Jason; Quinlan, Aaron R

2018-01-01

GIGGLE is a genomics search engine that identifies and ranks the significance of genomic loci shared between query features and thousands of genome interval files. GIGGLE (https://github.com/ryanlayer/giggle) scales to billions of intervals and is over three orders of magnitude faster than existing methods. Its speed extends the accessibility and utility of resources such as ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics, and GTEx by facilitating data integration and hypothesis generation. PMID:29309061

Data layer integration for the national map of the united states

USGS Publications Warehouse

Usery, E.L.; Finn, M.P.; Starbuck, M.

2009-01-01

The integration of geographic data layers in multiple raster and vector formats, from many different organizations and at a variety of resolutions and scales, is a significant problem for The National Map of the United States being developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Our research has examined data integration from a layer-based approach for five of The National Map data layers: digital orthoimages, elevation, land cover, hydrography, and transportation. An empirical approach has included visual assessment by a set of respondents with statistical analysis to establish the meaning of various types of integration. A separate theoretical approach with established hypotheses tested against actual data sets has resulted in an automated procedure for integration of specific layers and is being tested. The empirical analysis has established resolution bounds on meanings of integration with raster datasets and distance bounds for vector data. The theoretical approach has used a combination of theories on cartographic transformation and generalization, such as T??pfer's radical law, and additional research concerning optimum viewing scales for digital images to establish a set of guiding principles for integrating data of different resolutions.

On Integral Invariants for Effective 3-D Motion Trajectory Matching and Recognition.

PubMed

Shao, Zhanpeng; Li, Youfu

2016-02-01

Motion trajectories tracked from the motions of human, robots, and moving objects can provide an important clue for motion analysis, classification, and recognition. This paper defines some new integral invariants for a 3-D motion trajectory. Based on two typical kernel functions, we design two integral invariants, the distance and area integral invariants. The area integral invariants are estimated based on the blurred segment of noisy discrete curve to avoid the computation of high-order derivatives. Such integral invariants for a motion trajectory enjoy some desirable properties, such as computational locality, uniqueness of representation, and noise insensitivity. Moreover, our formulation allows the analysis of motion trajectories at a range of scales by varying the scale of kernel function. The features of motion trajectories can thus be perceived at multiscale levels in a coarse-to-fine manner. Finally, we define a distance function to measure the trajectory similarity to find similar trajectories. Through the experiments, we examine the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed integral invariants and find that they can capture the motion cues in trajectory matching and sign recognition satisfactorily.

At the Nexus of History, Ecology, and Hydrobiogeochemistry: Improved Predictions across Scales through Integration

DOE PAGES

Stegen, James C.

2018-04-10

To improve predictions of ecosystem function in future environments, we need to integrate the ecological and environmental histories experienced by microbial communities with hydrobiogeochemistry across scales. A key issue is whether we can derive generalizable scaling relationships that describe this multiscale integration. There is a strong foundation for addressing these challenges. We have the ability to infer ecological history with null models and reveal impacts of environmental history through laboratory and field experimentation. Recent developments also provide opportunities to inform ecosystem models with targeted omics data. A major next step is coupling knowledge derived from such studies with multiscale modelingmore » frameworks that are predictive under non-steady-state conditions. This is particularly true for systems spanning dynamic interfaces, which are often hot spots of hydrobiogeochemical function. Here, we can advance predictive capabilities through a holistic perspective focused on the nexus of history, ecology, and hydrobiogeochemistry.« less

Carbon nanotube circuit integration up to sub-20 nm channel lengths.

PubMed

Shulaker, Max Marcel; Van Rethy, Jelle; Wu, Tony F; Liyanage, Luckshitha Suriyasena; Wei, Hai; Li, Zuanyi; Pop, Eric; Gielen, Georges; Wong, H-S Philip; Mitra, Subhasish

2014-04-22

Carbon nanotube (CNT) field-effect transistors (CNFETs) are a promising emerging technology projected to achieve over an order of magnitude improvement in energy-delay product, a metric of performance and energy efficiency, compared to silicon-based circuits. However, due to substantial imperfections inherent with CNTs, the promise of CNFETs has yet to be fully realized. Techniques to overcome these imperfections have yielded promising results, but thus far only at large technology nodes (1 μm device size). Here we demonstrate the first very large scale integration (VLSI)-compatible approach to realizing CNFET digital circuits at highly scaled technology nodes, with devices ranging from 90 nm to sub-20 nm channel lengths. We demonstrate inverters functioning at 1 MHz and a fully integrated CNFET infrared light sensor and interface circuit at 32 nm channel length. This demonstrates the feasibility of realizing more complex CNFET circuits at highly scaled technology nodes.

Random cascade model in the limit of infinite integral scale as the exponential of a nonstationary 1/f noise: Application to volatility fluctuations in stock markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muzy, Jean-François; Baïle, Rachel; Bacry, Emmanuel

2013-04-01

In this paper we propose a new model for volatility fluctuations in financial time series. This model relies on a nonstationary Gaussian process that exhibits aging behavior. It turns out that its properties, over any finite time interval, are very close to continuous cascade models. These latter models are indeed well known to reproduce faithfully the main stylized facts of financial time series. However, it involves a large-scale parameter (the so-called “integral scale” where the cascade is initiated) that is hard to interpret in finance. Moreover, the empirical value of the integral scale is in general deeply correlated to the overall length of the sample. This feature is precisely predicted by our model, which, as illustrated by various examples from daily stock index data, quantitatively reproduces the empirical observations.

Instrument Development of Integrative Health and Wellness Assessment™.

PubMed

McElligott, Deborah; Eckardt, Sarah; Montgomery Dossey, Barbara; Luck, Susan; Eckardt, Patricia

2017-12-01

The nurse coach role was developed to address the needs of our nation and the world for health and wellbeing. The Theory of Integrative Nurse Coaching provides a foundation for coaching interventions supporting health promotion, and a framework for the development of the Integrative Health and Wellness Assessment (IHWA) short form. This 36-question Likert-type scale self-reporting tool assists participants in assessing healthy behaviors through a self-reflection process, provides information for the coaching relationship, and may be an outcome measurement. This article describes the history of the IHWA tool and the development and pilot testing of the IHWA short form using guidelines provided by DeVellis. Results of the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test yielded a value of .520, and the Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant. Cronbach's alpha overall scale internal consistency was .88 ( n = 36). Pilot study results indicate that the scale could be improved through additional revision, and an ongoing study is in progress.

Integrated photoacoustic, ultrasound and fluorescence platform for diagnostic medical imaging-proof of concept study with a tissue mimicking phantom.

PubMed

James, Joseph; Murukeshan, Vadakke Matham; Woh, Lye Sun

2014-07-01

The structural and molecular heterogeneities of biological tissues demand the interrogation of the samples with multiple energy sources and provide visualization capabilities at varying spatial resolution and depth scales for obtaining complementary diagnostic information. A novel multi-modal imaging approach that uses optical and acoustic energies to perform photoacoustic, ultrasound and fluorescence imaging at multiple resolution scales from the tissue surface and depth is proposed in this paper. The system comprises of two distinct forms of hardware level integration so as to have an integrated imaging system under a single instrumentation set-up. The experimental studies show that the system is capable of mapping high resolution fluorescence signatures from the surface, optical absorption and acoustic heterogeneities along the depth (>2cm) of the tissue at multi-scale resolution (<1µm to <0.5mm).

At the Nexus of History, Ecology, and Hydrobiogeochemistry: Improved Predictions across Scales through Integration

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

Stegen, James C.

To improve predictions of ecosystem function in future environments, we need to integrate the ecological and environmental histories experienced by microbial communities with hydrobiogeochemistry across scales. A key issue is whether we can derive generalizable scaling relationships that describe this multiscale integration. There is a strong foundation for addressing these challenges. We have the ability to infer ecological history with null models and reveal impacts of environmental history through laboratory and field experimentation. Recent developments also provide opportunities to inform ecosystem models with targeted omics data. A major next step is coupling knowledge derived from such studies with multiscale modelingmore » frameworks that are predictive under non-steady-state conditions. This is particularly true for systems spanning dynamic interfaces, which are often hot spots of hydrobiogeochemical function. Here, we can advance predictive capabilities through a holistic perspective focused on the nexus of history, ecology, and hydrobiogeochemistry.« less

Global scale diagnoses of FGGE data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paegle, J.

1985-01-01

Descriptive global scale diagnoses of the First Global Atmospheric Research Experiment SOP-1 analyses were made and compared against controlled, real data integrations of the Goddard Laboratory of Atmospheric Science (GLAS) general circulation model (GCM) as well as other data sets. The effects of critical latitudes were studied; the influence of tropical wind data and latent heating upon the GLAS GCM was diagnosed; planetary wave structure on various time scales from the diurnal to the monthly was studied; and the GLAS analyses were compared with other analyses. Short term controlled GLAS GCM integrations show that: (1) the inclusion of tropical wind data in real data integrations has an important influence in the mid-latitude prediction in both hemispheres; and (2) the tropical divergent wind reacts almost immediately to alteration of the tropical latent heating. The presence or absence of zonally averaged easterlies depends strongly upon the presence of tropical latent heating.

Coherence of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian beam in turbulent atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukin, Igor P.

2017-11-01

In this paper the theoretical research of coherent properties of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beams propagating in turbulent atmosphere are developed. The approach to the analysis of this problem is based on the analytical solution of the equation for the transverse second-order mutual coherence function of a field of optical radiation. The behavior of integral scale of coherence degree of vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beams depending on parameters of an optical beam and characteristics of turbulent atmosphere is particularly considered. It is shown that the integral scale of coherence degree of a vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beam essentially depends on value of a topological charge of a vortex optical beam. With increase in a topological charge of a vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beam the value of integral scale of coherence degree of a vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beam are decreased.

At the Nexus of History, Ecology, and Hydrobiogeochemistry: Improved Predictions across Scales through Integration.

PubMed

Stegen, James C

2018-01-01

To improve predictions of ecosystem function in future environments, we need to integrate the ecological and environmental histories experienced by microbial communities with hydrobiogeochemistry across scales. A key issue is whether we can derive generalizable scaling relationships that describe this multiscale integration. There is a strong foundation for addressing these challenges. We have the ability to infer ecological history with null models and reveal impacts of environmental history through laboratory and field experimentation. Recent developments also provide opportunities to inform ecosystem models with targeted omics data. A major next step is coupling knowledge derived from such studies with multiscale modeling frameworks that are predictive under non-steady-state conditions. This is particularly true for systems spanning dynamic interfaces, which are often hot spots of hydrobiogeochemical function. We can advance predictive capabilities through a holistic perspective focused on the nexus of history, ecology, and hydrobiogeochemistry.

Smart wing wind tunnel model design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Christopher A.; Jasmin, Larry; Flanagan, John S.; Appa, Kari; Kudva, Jayanth N.

1997-05-01

To verify the predicted benefits of the smart wing concept, two 16% scale wind tunnel models, one conventional and the other incorporating smart wing design features, were designed, fabricated and tested. Meticulous design of the two models was essential to: (1) ensure the required factor of safety of four for operation in the NASA Langley TDT wind tunnel, (2) efficiently integrate the smart actuation systems, (3) quantify the performance improvements, and (4) facilitate eventual scale-up to operational aircraft. Significant challenges were encountered in designing the attachment of the shape memory alloy control surfaces to the wing box, integration of the SMA torque tube in the wing structure, and development of control mechanisms to protect the model and the tunnel in the event of failure of the smart systems. In this paper, detailed design of the two models are presented. First, dynamic scaling of the models based on the geometry and structural details of the full- scale aircraft is presented. Next, results of the stress, divergence and flutter analyses are summarized. Finally some of the challenges of integrating the smart actuators with the model are highlighted.

Lagrangian velocity and acceleration correlations of large inertial particles in a closed turbulent flow

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

Machicoane, Nathanaël; Volk, Romain

We investigate the response of large inertial particle to turbulent fluctuations in an inhomogeneous and anisotropic flow. We conduct a Lagrangian study using particles both heavier and lighter than the surrounding fluid, and whose diameters are comparable to the flow integral scale. Both velocity and acceleration correlation functions are analyzed to compute the Lagrangian integral time and the acceleration time scale of such particles. The knowledge of how size and density affect these time scales is crucial in understanding particle dynamics and may permit stochastic process modelization using two-time models (for instance, Sawford’s). As particles are tracked over long timesmore » in the quasi-totality of a closed flow, the mean flow influences their behaviour and also biases the velocity time statistics, in particular the velocity correlation functions. By using a method that allows for the computation of turbulent velocity trajectories, we can obtain unbiased Lagrangian integral time. This is particularly useful in accessing the scale separation for such particles and to comparing it to the case of fluid particles in a similar configuration.« less

Results of a jet plume effects test on Rockwell International integrated space shuttle vehicle using a vehicle 5 configuration 0.02-scale model (88-OTS) in the 11 by 11 foot leg of the NASA/Ames Research Center unitary plan wind tunnel (IA19), volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nichols, M. E.

1975-01-01

Results are presented of jet plume effects test IA19 using a vehicle 5 configuration integrated space shuttle vehicle 0.02-scale model in the NASA/Ames Research Center 11 x 11-foot leg of the unitary plan wind tunnel. The jet plume power effects on the integrated vehicle static pressure distribution were determined along with elevon, main propulsion system nozzle, and solid rocket booster nozzle effectiveness and elevon hinge moments.

Technology and testing.

PubMed

Quellmalz, Edys S; Pellegrino, James W

2009-01-02

Large-scale testing of educational outcomes benefits already from technological applications that address logistics such as development, administration, and scoring of tests, as well as reporting of results. Innovative applications of technology also provide rich, authentic tasks that challenge the sorts of integrated knowledge, critical thinking, and problem solving seldom well addressed in paper-based tests. Such tasks can be used on both large-scale and classroom-based assessments. Balanced assessment systems can be developed that integrate curriculum-embedded, benchmark, and summative assessments across classroom, district, state, national, and international levels. We discuss here the potential of technology to launch a new era of integrated, learning-centered assessment systems.

Reducing watershed scale phosphorus export through integrated management practices

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phosphorus losses from golf course have been documented and are comparable to losses from agriculture and urban areas. Integrated management practices are required to address the problem. An integrated management approach using filter socks and limiting the amount of phosphorus applied to the golf c...

The Structure of Integral Dimensions: Contrasting Topological and Cartesian Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Matt; Goldstone, Robert L.

2013-01-01

Diverse evidence shows that perceptually integral dimensions, such as those composing color, are represented holistically. However, the nature of these holistic representations is poorly understood. Extant theories, such as those founded on multidimensional scaling or general recognition theory, model integral stimulus spaces using a Cartesian…

Hierarchical multi-taxa models inform riparian vs. hydrologic restoration of urban streams in a permeable landscape.

PubMed

Gwinn, Daniel C; Middleton, Jen A; Beesley, Leah; Close, Paul; Quinton, Belinda; Storer, Tim; Davies, Peter M

2018-03-01

The degradation of streams caused by urbanization tends to follow predictable patterns; however, there is a growing appreciation for heterogeneity in stream response to urbanization due to the local geoclimatic context. Furthermore, there is building evidence that streams in mildly sloped, permeable landscapes respond uncharacteristically to urban stress calling for a more nuanced approach to restoration. We evaluated the relative influence of local-scale riparian characteristics and catchment-scale imperviousness on the macroinvertebrate assemblages of streams in the flat, permeable urban landscape of Perth, Western Australia. Using a hierarchical multi-taxa model, we predicted the outcomes of stylized stream restoration strategies to increase the riparian integrity at the local scale or decrease the influences of imperviousness at the catchment scale. In the urban streams of Perth, we show that local-scale riparian restoration can influence the structure of macroinvertebrate assemblages to a greater degree than managing the influences of catchment-scale imperviousness. We also observed an interaction between the effect of riparian integrity and imperviousness such that the effect of increased riparian integrity was enhanced at lower levels of catchment imperviousness. This study represents one of few conducted in flat, permeable landscapes and the first aimed at informing urban stream restoration in Perth, adding to the growing appreciation for heterogeneity of the Urban Stream Syndrome and its importance for urban stream restoration. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

RF plasma based selective modification of hydrophilic regions on super hydrophobic surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jaehyun; Hwang, Sangyeon; Cho, Dae-Hyun; Hong, Jungwoo; Shin, Jennifer H.; Byun, Doyoung

2017-02-01

Selective modification and regional alterations of the surface property have gained a great deal of attention to many engineers. In this paper, we present a simple, a cost-effective, and amendable reforming method for disparate patterns of hydrophilic regions on super-hydrophobic surfaces. Uniform super-hydrophobic layer (Contact angle; CA > 150°, root mean square (RMS) roughness ∼0.28 nm) can be formed using the atmospheric radio frequency (RF) plasma on top of the selective hydrophilic (CA ∼ 70°, RMS roughness ∼0.34 nm) patterns imprinted by electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet printing technology with polar alcohols (butyl carbitol or ethanol). The wettability of the modified surface was investigated qualitatively utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and wavelength scanning interferometer (WSI). Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis showed that the alcohol addiction reaction changed the types of radicals on the super-hydrophobic surface. The wettability was found to depend sensitively on chemical radicals on the surface, not on surface morphology (particle size and surface roughness). Furthermore, three different kinds of representative hydrophilic samples (polystyrene nano-particle aqueous solution, Salmonella bacteria medium, and poly(3,4-ethylenediocythiophene) ink) were tested for uniform deposition onto the desired hydrophilic regions. This simple strategy would have broad applications in various research fields that require selective deposition of target materials.

Evaluation environment for digital and analog pathology: a platform for validation studies

PubMed Central

Gallas, Brandon D.; Gavrielides, Marios A.; Conway, Catherine M.; Ivansky, Adam; Keay, Tyler C.; Cheng, Wei-Chung; Hipp, Jason; Hewitt, Stephen M.

2014-01-01

Abstract. We present a platform for designing and executing studies that compare pathologists interpreting histopathology of whole slide images (WSIs) on a computer display to pathologists interpreting glass slides on an optical microscope. eeDAP is an evaluation environment for digital and analog pathology. The key element in eeDAP is the registration of the WSI to the glass slide. Registration is accomplished through computer control of the microscope stage and a camera mounted on the microscope that acquires real-time images of the microscope field of view (FOV). Registration allows for the evaluation of the same regions of interest (ROIs) in both domains. This can reduce or eliminate disagreements that arise from pathologists interpreting different areas and focuses on the comparison of image quality. We reduced the pathologist interpretation area from an entire glass slide (10 to 30  mm2) to small ROIs (<50  μm2). We also made possible the evaluation of individual cells. We summarize eeDAP’s software and hardware and provide calculations and corresponding images of the microscope FOV and the ROIs extracted from the WSIs. The eeDAP software can be downloaded from the Google code website (project: eeDAP) as a MATLAB source or as a precompiled stand-alone license-free application. PMID:26158076

Evaluation environment for digital and analog pathology: a platform for validation studies.

PubMed

Gallas, Brandon D; Gavrielides, Marios A; Conway, Catherine M; Ivansky, Adam; Keay, Tyler C; Cheng, Wei-Chung; Hipp, Jason; Hewitt, Stephen M

2014-10-01

We present a platform for designing and executing studies that compare pathologists interpreting histopathology of whole slide images (WSIs) on a computer display to pathologists interpreting glass slides on an optical microscope. eeDAP is an evaluation environment for digital and analog pathology. The key element in eeDAP is the registration of the WSI to the glass slide. Registration is accomplished through computer control of the microscope stage and a camera mounted on the microscope that acquires real-time images of the microscope field of view (FOV). Registration allows for the evaluation of the same regions of interest (ROIs) in both domains. This can reduce or eliminate disagreements that arise from pathologists interpreting different areas and focuses on the comparison of image quality. We reduced the pathologist interpretation area from an entire glass slide (10 to [Formula: see text]) to small ROIs ([Formula: see text]). We also made possible the evaluation of individual cells. We summarize eeDAP's software and hardware and provide calculations and corresponding images of the microscope FOV and the ROIs extracted from the WSIs. The eeDAP software can be downloaded from the Google code website (project: eeDAP) as a MATLAB source or as a precompiled stand-alone license-free application.

Scaling participation in payments for ecosystem services programs

PubMed Central

Donlan, C. Josh; Boyle, Kevin J.; Xu, Weibin; Gelcich, Stefan

2018-01-01

Payments for ecosystem services programs have become common tools but most have failed to achieve wide-ranging conservation outcomes. The capacity for scale and impact increases when PES programs are designed through the lens of the potential participants, yet this has received little attention in research or practice. Our work with small-scale marine fisheries integrates the social science of PES programs and provides a framework for designing programs that focus a priori on scaling. In addition to payments, desirable non-monetary program attributes and ecological feedbacks attract a wider range of potential participants into PES programs, including those who have more negative attitudes and lower trust. Designing programs that draw individuals into participating in PES programs is likely the most strategic path to reaching scale. Research should engage in new models of participatory research to understand these dynamics and to design programs that explicitly integrate a broad range of needs, values, and modes of implementation. PMID:29522554

Root Systems Biology: Integrative Modeling across Scales, from Gene Regulatory Networks to the Rhizosphere1

PubMed Central

Hill, Kristine; Porco, Silvana; Lobet, Guillaume; Zappala, Susan; Mooney, Sacha; Draye, Xavier; Bennett, Malcolm J.

2013-01-01

Genetic and genomic approaches in model organisms have advanced our understanding of root biology over the last decade. Recently, however, systems biology and modeling have emerged as important approaches, as our understanding of root regulatory pathways has become more complex and interpreting pathway outputs has become less intuitive. To relate root genotype to phenotype, we must move beyond the examination of interactions at the genetic network scale and employ multiscale modeling approaches to predict emergent properties at the tissue, organ, organism, and rhizosphere scales. Understanding the underlying biological mechanisms and the complex interplay between systems at these different scales requires an integrative approach. Here, we describe examples of such approaches and discuss the merits of developing models to span multiple scales, from network to population levels, and to address dynamic interactions between plants and their environment. PMID:24143806

A full-Bayesian approach to parameter inference from tracer travel time moments and investigation of scale effects at the Cape Cod experimental site

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodbury, Allan D.; Rubin, Yoram

2000-01-01

A method for inverting the travel time moments of solutes in heterogeneous aquifers is presented and is based on peak concentration arrival times as measured at various samplers in an aquifer. The approach combines a Lagrangian [Rubin and Dagan, 1992] solute transport framework with full‐Bayesian hydrogeological parameter inference. In the full‐Bayesian approach the noise values in the observed data are treated as hyperparameters, and their effects are removed by marginalization. The prior probability density functions (pdfs) for the model parameters (horizontal integral scale, velocity, and log K variance) and noise values are represented by prior pdfs developed from minimum relative entropy considerations. Analysis of the Cape Cod (Massachusetts) field experiment is presented. Inverse results for the hydraulic parameters indicate an expected value for the velocity, variance of log hydraulic conductivity, and horizontal integral scale of 0.42 m/d, 0.26, and 3.0 m, respectively. While these results are consistent with various direct‐field determinations, the importance of the findings is in the reduction of confidence range about the various expected values. On selected control planes we compare observed travel time frequency histograms with the theoretical pdf, conditioned on the observed travel time moments. We observe a positive skew in the travel time pdf which tends to decrease as the travel time distance grows. We also test the hypothesis that there is no scale dependence of the integral scale λ with the scale of the experiment at Cape Cod. We adopt two strategies. The first strategy is to use subsets of the full data set and then to see if the resulting parameter fits are different as we use different data from control planes at expanding distances from the source. The second approach is from the viewpoint of entropy concentration. No increase in integral scale with distance is inferred from either approach over the range of the Cape Cod tracer experiment.

Great Basin Integrated Landscape Monitoring Pilot Summary Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Finn, Sean P.; Kitchell, Kate; Baer, Lori Anne; Bedford, David R.; Brooks, Matthew L.; Flint, Alan L.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Matchett, J.R.; Mathie, Amy; Miller, David M.; Pilliod, David S.; Torregrosa, Alicia; Woodward, Andrea

2010-01-01

The Great Basin Integrated Landscape Monitoring Pilot project (GBILM) was one of four regional pilots to implement the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Science Thrust on Integrated Landscape Monitoring (ILM) whose goal was to observe, understand, and predict landscape change and its implications on natural resources at multiple spatial and temporal scales and address priority natural resource management and policy issues. The Great Basin is undergoing rapid environmental change stemming from interactions among global climate trends, increasing human populations, expanding and accelerating land and water uses, invasive species, and altered fire regimes. GBLIM tested concepts and developed tools to store and analyze monitoring data, understand change at multiple scales, and forecast landscape change. The GBILM endeavored to develop and test a landscape-level monitoring approach in the Great Basin that integrates USGS disciplines, addresses priority management questions, catalogs and uses existing monitoring data, evaluates change at multiple scales, and contributes to development of regional monitoring strategies. GBILM functioned as an integrative team from 2005 to 2010, producing more than 35 science and data management products that addressed pressing ecosystem drivers and resource management agency needs in the region. This report summarizes the approaches and methods of this interdisciplinary effort, identifies and describes the products generated, and provides lessons learned during the project.

Participation in a social and recreational day programme increases community integration and reduces family burden of persons with acquired brain injury.

PubMed

Gerber, Gary J; Gargaro, Judith

2015-01-01

To describe and evaluate a new day programme for persons living with an acquired brain injury (ABI), including persons exhibiting challenging behaviours. Activities were designed to reduce participants' social isolation, increase participation in community activities and increase social and leisure skills. It was expected that community integration would increase and challenging behaviours and family burden would decrease for day programme participants. Pre-post convenience sample design. Sixty-one participants and family members completed questionnaires before starting the day programme and after 6-month participation. Community Integration Questionnaire, Overt Behaviour Scale, Burden Assessment Scale, Goal Attainment Scaling. Participants had increased community integration (p = 0.000) and decreased family burden (p = 0.006). There was a trend to decreased severity of challenging behaviour. Participants and family members were very satisfied. Results suggest that the programme was effective in reducing participants' social isolation and increasing appropriate interpersonal behaviours. Participation increased community integration and reduced burden on family caregivers. ABI day programmes help fill the void left after other rehabilitation services end and provide survivors with opportunities to engage in a variety of activities. Persons living with ABI have need for ongoing social, recreational and life skill coaching services after formal rehabilitation has been completed.

Integration of micro-/nano-/quantum-scale photonic devices: scientific and technological considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, El-Hang; Lee, Seung-Gol; O, Beom Hoan; Park, Se Geun

2004-08-01

Scientific and technological issues and considerations regarding the integration of miniaturized microphotonic devices, circuits and systems in micron, submicron, and quantum scale, are presented. First, we examine the issues regarding the miniaturization of photonic devices including the size effect, proximity effect, energy confinement effect, microcavity effect, optical and quantum interference effect, high field effect, nonlinear effect, noise effect, quantum optical effect, and chaotic effect. Secondly, we examine the issues regarding the interconnection including the optical alignment, minimizing the interconnection losses, and maintaining optical modes. Thirdly, we address the issues regarding the two-dimensional or three-dimensional integration either in a hybrid format or in a monolithic format between active devices and passive devices of varying functions. We find that the concept of optical printed circuit board (O-PCB) that we propose is highly attractive as a platform for micro/nano/quantum-scale photonic integration. We examine the technological issues to be addressed in the process of fabrication, characterization, and packaging for actual implementation of the miniaturization, interconnection and integration. Devices that we have used for our study include: mode conversion schemes, micro-ring and micro-racetrack resonator devices, multimode interference devices, lasers, vertical cavity surface emitting microlasers, and their arrays. Future prospects are also discussed.

Modelling future impacts of air pollution using the multi-scale UK Integrated Assessment Model (UKIAM).

PubMed

Oxley, Tim; Dore, Anthony J; ApSimon, Helen; Hall, Jane; Kryza, Maciej

2013-11-01

Integrated assessment modelling has evolved to support policy development in relation to air pollutants and greenhouse gases by providing integrated simulation tools able to produce quick and realistic representations of emission scenarios and their environmental impacts without the need to re-run complex atmospheric dispersion models. The UK Integrated Assessment Model (UKIAM) has been developed to investigate strategies for reducing UK emissions by bringing together information on projected UK emissions of SO2, NOx, NH3, PM10 and PM2.5, atmospheric dispersion, criteria for protection of ecosystems, urban air quality and human health, and data on potential abatement measures to reduce emissions, which may subsequently be linked to associated analyses of costs and benefits. We describe the multi-scale model structure ranging from continental to roadside, UK emission sources, atmospheric dispersion of emissions, implementation of abatement measures, integration with European-scale modelling, and environmental impacts. The model generates outputs from a national perspective which are used to evaluate alternative strategies in relation to emissions, deposition patterns, air quality metrics and ecosystem critical load exceedance. We present a selection of scenarios in relation to the 2020 Business-As-Usual projections and identify potential further reductions beyond those currently being planned. © 2013.

The Relation of an International Student Center's Orientation Training Sessions with International Students' Achievement and Integration to University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Güvendir, Meltem Acar

2018-01-01

The purpose of the research is to examine the relation of orientation training sessions with integration and achievement of the international students. The study used the Institutional Integration Scales, developed by Pascarella and Terenzini (1980), to examine the integration level of the international students. 181 freshmen undergraduate and…

Energy Spectra of Higher Reynolds Number Turbulence by the DNS with up to 122883 Grid Points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishihara, Takashi; Kaneda, Yukio; Morishita, Koji; Yokokawa, Mitsuo; Uno, Atsuya

2014-11-01

Large-scale direct numerical simulations (DNS) of forced incompressible turbulence in a periodic box with up to 122883 grid points have been performed using K computer. The maximum Taylor-microscale Reynolds number Rλ, and the maximum Reynolds number Re based on the integral length scale are over 2000 and 105, respectively. Our previous DNS with Rλ up to 1100 showed that the energy spectrum has a slope steeper than - 5 / 3 (the Kolmogorov scaling law) by factor 0 . 1 at the wavenumber range (kη < 0 . 03). Here η is the Kolmogorov length scale. Our present DNS at higher resolutions show that the energy spectra with different Reynolds numbers (Rλ > 1000) are well normalized not by the integral length-scale but by the Kolmogorov length scale, at the wavenumber range of the steeper slope. This result indicates that the steeper slope is not inherent character in the inertial subrange, and is affected by viscosity.

Networks and landscapes: a framework for setting goals and evaluating performance at the large landscape scale

Treesearch

R Patrick Bixler; Shawn Johnson; Kirk Emerson; Tina Nabatchi; Melly Reuling; Charles Curtin; Michele Romolini; Morgan Grove

2016-01-01

The objective of large landscape conser vation is to mitigate complex ecological problems through interventions at multiple and overlapping scales. Implementation requires coordination among a diverse network of individuals and organizations to integrate local-scale conservation activities with broad-scale goals. This requires an understanding of the governance options...

Data assimilation in optimizing and integrating soil and water quality water model predictions at different scales

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Relevant data about subsurface water flow and solute transport at relatively large scales that are of interest to the public are inherently laborious and in most cases simply impossible to obtain. Upscaling in which fine-scale models and data are used to predict changes at the coarser scales is the...

Low-Activity Waste Pretreatment System Additional Engineering-Scale Integrated Test Report

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

Landon, Matt R.; Wilson, Robert A.

Washington River Protections Solutions, LLC’s (WRPS) Low Activity Waste Pretreatment System (LAWPS) Project provides for the early production of immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) by feeding LAW directly from Tank Farms to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) LAW Facility, bypassing the WTP Pretreatment Facility. Prior to the transfer of feed to the WTP LAW Vitrification Facility, tank supernatant waste will be pretreated in the LAWPS to meet the WTP LAW waste acceptance criteria (WAC). Full-scale and engineering-scale testing of critical technology elements, as part of the technology maturation process, are components of the overall LAWPS Project. WRPS awarded themore » engineering-scale integrated testing scope to AECOM via WRPS Subcontract 58349. This report is deliverable MSR-008 of the subcontract.« less

Scaled Runge-Kutta algorithms for handling dense output

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horn, M. K.

1981-01-01

Low order Runge-Kutta algorithms are developed which determine the solution of a system of ordinary differential equations at any point within a given integration step, as well as at the end of each step. The scaled Runge-Kutta methods are designed to be used with existing Runge-Kutta formulas, using the derivative evaluations of these defining algorithms as the core of the system. For a slight increase in computing time, the solution may be generated within the integration step, improving the efficiency of the Runge-Kutta algorithms, since the step length need no longer be severely reduced to coincide with the desired output point. Scaled Runge-Kutta algorithms are presented for orders 3 through 5, along with accuracy comparisons between the defining algorithms and their scaled versions for a test problem.

Energy Systems Integration Facility Overview

ScienceCinema

Arvizu, Dan; Chistensen, Dana; Hannegan, Bryan; Garret, Bobi; Kroposki, Ben; Symko-Davies, Martha; Post, David; Hammond, Steve; Kutscher, Chuck; Wipke, Keith

2018-01-16

The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) is located at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the right tool, at the right time... a first-of-its-kind facility that addresses the challenges of large-scale integration of clean energy technologies into the energy systems that power the nation.

Integration of structural health monitoring and asset management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-01

This project investigated the feasibility and potential benefits of the integration of infrastructure monitoring systems into enterprise-scale transportation management systems. An infrastructure monitoring system designed for bridges was implemented...

Building a multi-scaled geospatial temporal ecology database from disparate data sources: fostering open science and data reuse.

PubMed

Soranno, Patricia A; Bissell, Edward G; Cheruvelil, Kendra S; Christel, Samuel T; Collins, Sarah M; Fergus, C Emi; Filstrup, Christopher T; Lapierre, Jean-Francois; Lottig, Noah R; Oliver, Samantha K; Scott, Caren E; Smith, Nicole J; Stopyak, Scott; Yuan, Shuai; Bremigan, Mary Tate; Downing, John A; Gries, Corinna; Henry, Emily N; Skaff, Nick K; Stanley, Emily H; Stow, Craig A; Tan, Pang-Ning; Wagner, Tyler; Webster, Katherine E

2015-01-01

Although there are considerable site-based data for individual or groups of ecosystems, these datasets are widely scattered, have different data formats and conventions, and often have limited accessibility. At the broader scale, national datasets exist for a large number of geospatial features of land, water, and air that are needed to fully understand variation among these ecosystems. However, such datasets originate from different sources and have different spatial and temporal resolutions. By taking an open-science perspective and by combining site-based ecosystem datasets and national geospatial datasets, science gains the ability to ask important research questions related to grand environmental challenges that operate at broad scales. Documentation of such complicated database integration efforts, through peer-reviewed papers, is recommended to foster reproducibility and future use of the integrated database. Here, we describe the major steps, challenges, and considerations in building an integrated database of lake ecosystems, called LAGOS (LAke multi-scaled GeOSpatial and temporal database), that was developed at the sub-continental study extent of 17 US states (1,800,000 km(2)). LAGOS includes two modules: LAGOSGEO, with geospatial data on every lake with surface area larger than 4 ha in the study extent (~50,000 lakes), including climate, atmospheric deposition, land use/cover, hydrology, geology, and topography measured across a range of spatial and temporal extents; and LAGOSLIMNO, with lake water quality data compiled from ~100 individual datasets for a subset of lakes in the study extent (~10,000 lakes). Procedures for the integration of datasets included: creating a flexible database design; authoring and integrating metadata; documenting data provenance; quantifying spatial measures of geographic data; quality-controlling integrated and derived data; and extensively documenting the database. Our procedures make a large, complex, and integrated database reproducible and extensible, allowing users to ask new research questions with the existing database or through the addition of new data. The largest challenge of this task was the heterogeneity of the data, formats, and metadata. Many steps of data integration need manual input from experts in diverse fields, requiring close collaboration.

Building a multi-scaled geospatial temporal ecology database from disparate data sources: Fostering open science through data reuse

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soranno, Patricia A.; Bissell, E.G.; Cheruvelil, Kendra S.; Christel, Samuel T.; Collins, Sarah M.; Fergus, C. Emi; Filstrup, Christopher T.; Lapierre, Jean-Francois; Lotting, Noah R.; Oliver, Samantha K.; Scott, Caren E.; Smith, Nicole J.; Stopyak, Scott; Yuan, Shuai; Bremigan, Mary Tate; Downing, John A.; Gries, Corinna; Henry, Emily N.; Skaff, Nick K.; Stanley, Emily H.; Stow, Craig A.; Tan, Pang-Ning; Wagner, Tyler; Webster, Katherine E.

2015-01-01

Although there are considerable site-based data for individual or groups of ecosystems, these datasets are widely scattered, have different data formats and conventions, and often have limited accessibility. At the broader scale, national datasets exist for a large number of geospatial features of land, water, and air that are needed to fully understand variation among these ecosystems. However, such datasets originate from different sources and have different spatial and temporal resolutions. By taking an open-science perspective and by combining site-based ecosystem datasets and national geospatial datasets, science gains the ability to ask important research questions related to grand environmental challenges that operate at broad scales. Documentation of such complicated database integration efforts, through peer-reviewed papers, is recommended to foster reproducibility and future use of the integrated database. Here, we describe the major steps, challenges, and considerations in building an integrated database of lake ecosystems, called LAGOS (LAke multi-scaled GeOSpatial and temporal database), that was developed at the sub-continental study extent of 17 US states (1,800,000 km2). LAGOS includes two modules: LAGOSGEO, with geospatial data on every lake with surface area larger than 4 ha in the study extent (~50,000 lakes), including climate, atmospheric deposition, land use/cover, hydrology, geology, and topography measured across a range of spatial and temporal extents; and LAGOSLIMNO, with lake water quality data compiled from ~100 individual datasets for a subset of lakes in the study extent (~10,000 lakes). Procedures for the integration of datasets included: creating a flexible database design; authoring and integrating metadata; documenting data provenance; quantifying spatial measures of geographic data; quality-controlling integrated and derived data; and extensively documenting the database. Our procedures make a large, complex, and integrated database reproducible and extensible, allowing users to ask new research questions with the existing database or through the addition of new data. The largest challenge of this task was the heterogeneity of the data, formats, and metadata. Many steps of data integration need manual input from experts in diverse fields, requiring close collaboration.

Reflections on a vision for integrated research and monitoring after 15 years

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murdoch, Peter S.; McHale, Michael; Baron, Jill S.

2014-01-01

In May of 1998, Owen Bricker and his co-author Michael Ruggiero introduced a conceptual design for integrating the Nation’s environmental research and monitoring programs. The Framework for Integrated Monitoring and Related Research was an organizing strategy for relating data collected by various programs, at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and by multiple science disciplines to solve complex ecological issues that individual research or monitoring programs were not designed to address. The concept nested existing intensive monitoring and research stations within national and regional surveys, remotely sensed data, and inventories to produce a collaborative program for multi-scale, multi-network integrated environmental monitoring and research. Analyses of gaps in data needed for specific issues would drive decisions on network improvements or enhancements. Data contributions to the Framework from existing networks would help indicate critical research and monitoring programs to protect during budget reductions. Significant progress has been made since 1998 on refining the Framework strategy. Methods and models for projecting scientific information across spatial and temporal scales have been improved, and a few regional pilots of multi-scale data-integration concepts have been attempted. The links between science and decision-making are also slowly improving and being incorporated into science practice. Experiments with the Framework strategy since 1998 have revealed the foundational elements essential to its successful implementation, such as defining core measurements, establishing standards of data collection and management, integrating research and long-term monitoring, and describing baseline ecological conditions. They have also shown us the remaining challenges to establishing the Framework concept: protecting and enhancing critical long-term monitoring, filling gaps in measurement methods, improving science for decision support, and integrating the disparate integrated science efforts now underway. In the 15 years since the Bricker and Ruggiero (Ecol Appl 8(2):326–329, 1998) paper challenged us with a new paradigm for bringing sound and comprehensive science to environmental decisions, the scientific community can take pride in the progress that has been made, while also taking stock of the challenges ahead for completing the Framework vision.

Integration and validation testing for PhEDEx, DBS and DAS with the PhEDEx LifeCycle agent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boeser, C.; Chwalek, T.; Giffels, M.; Kuznetsov, V.; Wildish, T.

2014-06-01

The ever-increasing amount of data handled by the CMS dataflow and workflow management tools poses new challenges for cross-validation among different systems within CMS experiment at LHC. To approach this problem we developed an integration test suite based on the LifeCycle agent, a tool originally conceived for stress-testing new releases of PhEDEx, the CMS data-placement tool. The LifeCycle agent provides a framework for customising the test workflow in arbitrary ways, and can scale to levels of activity well beyond those seen in normal running. This means we can run realistic performance tests at scales not likely to be seen by the experiment for some years, or with custom topologies to examine particular situations that may cause concern some time in the future. The LifeCycle agent has recently been enhanced to become a general purpose integration and validation testing tool for major CMS services. It allows cross-system integration tests of all three components to be performed in controlled environments, without interfering with production services. In this paper we discuss the design and implementation of the LifeCycle agent. We describe how it is used for small-scale debugging and validation tests, and how we extend that to large-scale tests of whole groups of sub-systems. We show how the LifeCycle agent can emulate the action of operators, physicists, or software agents external to the system under test, and how it can be scaled to large and complex systems.

Single-chip microprocessor that communicates directly using light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Chen; Wade, Mark T.; Lee, Yunsup; Orcutt, Jason S.; Alloatti, Luca; Georgas, Michael S.; Waterman, Andrew S.; Shainline, Jeffrey M.; Avizienis, Rimas R.; Lin, Sen; Moss, Benjamin R.; Kumar, Rajesh; Pavanello, Fabio; Atabaki, Amir H.; Cook, Henry M.; Ou, Albert J.; Leu, Jonathan C.; Chen, Yu-Hsin; Asanović, Krste; Ram, Rajeev J.; Popović, Miloš A.; Stojanović, Vladimir M.

2015-12-01

Data transport across short electrical wires is limited by both bandwidth and power density, which creates a performance bottleneck for semiconductor microchips in modern computer systems—from mobile phones to large-scale data centres. These limitations can be overcome by using optical communications based on chip-scale electronic-photonic systems enabled by silicon-based nanophotonic devices8. However, combining electronics and photonics on the same chip has proved challenging, owing to microchip manufacturing conflicts between electronics and photonics. Consequently, current electronic-photonic chips are limited to niche manufacturing processes and include only a few optical devices alongside simple circuits. Here we report an electronic-photonic system on a single chip integrating over 70 million transistors and 850 photonic components that work together to provide logic, memory, and interconnect functions. This system is a realization of a microprocessor that uses on-chip photonic devices to directly communicate with other chips using light. To integrate electronics and photonics at the scale of a microprocessor chip, we adopt a ‘zero-change’ approach to the integration of photonics. Instead of developing a custom process to enable the fabrication of photonics, which would complicate or eliminate the possibility of integration with state-of-the-art transistors at large scale and at high yield, we design optical devices using a standard microelectronics foundry process that is used for modern microprocessors. This demonstration could represent the beginning of an era of chip-scale electronic-photonic systems with the potential to transform computing system architectures, enabling more powerful computers, from network infrastructure to data centres and supercomputers.

Quantifying Impacts of Land-use and Land Cover Change in a Changing Climate at the Regional Scale using an Integrated Earth System Modeling Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, M.

2016-12-01

Earth System models (ESMs) are effective tools for investigating the water-energy-food system interactions under climate change. In this presentation, I will introduce research efforts at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory towards quantifying impacts of LULCC on the water-energy-food nexus in a changing climate using an integrated regional Earth system modeling framework: the Platform for Regional Integrated Modeling and Analysis (PRIMA). Two studies will be discussed to showcase the capability of PRIMA: (1) quantifying changes in terrestrial hydrology over the Conterminous US (CONUS) from 2005 to 2095 using the Community Land Model (CLM) driven by high-resolution downscaled climate and land cover products from PRIMA, which was designed for assessing the impacts of and potential responses to climate and anthropogenic changes at regional scales; (2) applying CLM over the CONUS to provide the first county-scale model validation in simulating crop yields and assessing associated impacts on the water and energy budgets using CLM. The studies demonstrate the benefits of incorporating and coupling human activities into complex ESMs, and critical needs to account for the biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects of LULCC in climate impacts studies, and in designing mitigation and adaptation strategies at a scale meaningful for decision-making. Future directions in quantifying LULCC impacts on the water-energy-food nexus under a changing climate, as well as feedbacks among climate, energy production and consumption, and natural/managed ecosystems using an Integrated Multi-scale, Multi-sector Modeling framework will also be discussed.

Robust telerobotics - an integrated system for waste handling, characterization and sorting

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

Couture, S.A.; Hurd, R.L.; Wilhelmsen, K.C.

The Mixed Waste Management Facility (MWMF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was designed to serve as a national testbed to demonstrate integrated technologies for the treatment of low-level organic mixed waste at a pilot-plant scale. Pilot-scale demonstration serves to bridge the gap between mature, bench-scale proven technologies and full-scale treatment facilities by providing the infrastructure needed to evaluate technologies in an integrated, front-end to back-end facility. Consistent with the intent to focus on technologies that are ready for pilot scale deployment, the front-end handling and feed preparation of incoming waste material has been designed to demonstrate the application ofmore » emerging robotic and remotely operated handling systems. The selection of telerobotics for remote handling in MWMF was made based on a number of factors - personnel protection, waste generation, maturity, cost, flexibility and extendibility. Telerobotics, or shared control of a manipulator by an operator and a computer, provides the flexibility needed to vary the amount of automation or operator intervention according to task complexity. As part of the telerobotics design effort, the technical risk of deploying the technology was reduced through focused developments and demonstrations. The work involved integrating key tools (1) to make a robust telerobotic system that operates at speeds and reliability levels acceptable to waste handling operators and, (2) to demonstrate an efficient operator interface that minimizes the amount of special training and skills needed by the operator. This paper describes the design and operation of the prototype telerobotic waste handling and sorting system that was developed for MWMF.« less

Single-chip microprocessor that communicates directly using light.

PubMed

Sun, Chen; Wade, Mark T; Lee, Yunsup; Orcutt, Jason S; Alloatti, Luca; Georgas, Michael S; Waterman, Andrew S; Shainline, Jeffrey M; Avizienis, Rimas R; Lin, Sen; Moss, Benjamin R; Kumar, Rajesh; Pavanello, Fabio; Atabaki, Amir H; Cook, Henry M; Ou, Albert J; Leu, Jonathan C; Chen, Yu-Hsin; Asanović, Krste; Ram, Rajeev J; Popović, Miloš A; Stojanović, Vladimir M

2015-12-24

Data transport across short electrical wires is limited by both bandwidth and power density, which creates a performance bottleneck for semiconductor microchips in modern computer systems--from mobile phones to large-scale data centres. These limitations can be overcome by using optical communications based on chip-scale electronic-photonic systems enabled by silicon-based nanophotonic devices. However, combining electronics and photonics on the same chip has proved challenging, owing to microchip manufacturing conflicts between electronics and photonics. Consequently, current electronic-photonic chips are limited to niche manufacturing processes and include only a few optical devices alongside simple circuits. Here we report an electronic-photonic system on a single chip integrating over 70 million transistors and 850 photonic components that work together to provide logic, memory, and interconnect functions. This system is a realization of a microprocessor that uses on-chip photonic devices to directly communicate with other chips using light. To integrate electronics and photonics at the scale of a microprocessor chip, we adopt a 'zero-change' approach to the integration of photonics. Instead of developing a custom process to enable the fabrication of photonics, which would complicate or eliminate the possibility of integration with state-of-the-art transistors at large scale and at high yield, we design optical devices using a standard microelectronics foundry process that is used for modern microprocessors. This demonstration could represent the beginning of an era of chip-scale electronic-photonic systems with the potential to transform computing system architectures, enabling more powerful computers, from network infrastructure to data centres and supercomputers.

Photonic Integrated Circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krainak, Michael; Merritt, Scott

2016-01-01

Integrated photonics generally is the integration of multiple lithographically defined photonic and electronic components and devices (e.g. lasers, detectors, waveguides passive structures, modulators, electronic control and optical interconnects) on a single platform with nanometer-scale feature sizes. The development of photonic integrated circuits permits size, weight, power and cost reductions for spacecraft microprocessors, optical communication, processor buses, advanced data processing, and integrated optic science instrument optical systems, subsystems and components. This is particularly critical for small spacecraft platforms. We will give an overview of some NASA applications for integrated photonics.

Are galaxy distributions scale invariant? A perspective from dynamical systems theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCauley, J. L.

2002-06-01

Unless there is an evidence for fractal scaling with a single exponent over distances 0.1<=r<=100h-1Mpc, then the widely accepted notion of scale invariance of the correlation integral for 0.1<=r<=10h-1Mpc must be questioned. The attempt to extract a scaling exponent /ν from the correlation integral /n(r) by plotting /log(n(r)) vs. /log(r) is unreliable unless the underlying point set is approximately monofractal. The extraction of a spectrum of generalized dimensions νq from a plot of the correlation integral generating function Gn(q) by a similar procedure is probably an indication that Gn(q) does not scale at all. We explain these assertions after defining the term multifractal, mutually inconsistent definitions having been confused together in the cosmology literature. Part of this confusion is traced to the confusion in interpreting a measure-theoretic formula written down by Hentschel and Procaccia in the dynamical systems theory literature, while other errors follow from confusing together entirely different definitions of multifractal from two different schools of thought. Most important are serious errors in data analysis that follow from taking for granted a largest term approximation that is inevitably advertised in the literature on both fractals and dynamical systems theory.

Manpower and Personnel Integration (MANPRINT) and Network Integration Evaluation 13.2: Observations on Cognitive Load in Mission Command

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

using scales like NASA’s Task Load Index ( TLX ) (Hart and Staveland, 1988). At present, there are no comparable measurement scales for cognitive...Staveland, L. E. Development of NASA- TLX (Task Load Index): Results of empirical and theoretical research. In Human Mental Workload; Hancock, P. A...Requests for Information SA situation awareness TLX Task Load Index TOC tactical operations center WSMR White Sands Missile Range XO executive

Air Vehicle Integration and Technology Research (AVIATR). Delivery Order 0003: Condition-Based Maintenance Plus Structural Integrity (CBM+SI) Demonstration

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

K/sigma vs a file Selected design load and material Full scale test results IAT Actual Fracture toughness distribution Selected material...update data from 5.3.4 a vs T file Selected design load and material Full scale test results IAT Actual Max stress Gumbel Dist. (loads exceedance... altitude ; Mach number; control surface positions; selected strain measurements; ground loads; aerodynamic excitations; etc. Data shall also be

The revolution in data gathering systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cambra, J. M.; Trover, W. F.

1975-01-01

Data acquisition systems used in NASA's wind tunnels from the 1950's through the present time are summarized as a baseline for assessing the impact of minicomputers and microcomputers on data acquisition and data processing. Emphasis is placed on the cyclic evolution in computer technology which transformed the central computer system, and finally the distributed computer system. Other developments discussed include: medium scale integration, large scale integration, combining the functions of data acquisition and control, and micro and minicomputers.

The direction of evolution: the rise of cooperative organization.

PubMed

Stewart, John E

2014-09-01

Two great trends are evident in the evolution of life on Earth: towards increasing diversification and towards increasing integration. Diversification has spread living processes across the planet, progressively increasing the range of environments and free energy sources exploited by life. Integration has proceeded through a stepwise process in which living entities at one level are integrated into cooperative groups that become larger-scale entities at the next level, and so on, producing cooperative organizations of increasing scale (for example, cooperative groups of simple cells gave rise to the more complex eukaryote cells, groups of these gave rise to multi-cellular organisms, and cooperative groups of these organisms produced animal societies). The trend towards increasing integration has continued during human evolution with the progressive increase in the scale of human groups and societies. The trends towards increasing diversification and integration are both driven by selection. An understanding of the trajectory and causal drivers of the trends suggests that they are likely to culminate in the emergence of a global entity. This entity would emerge from the integration of the living processes, matter, energy and technology of the planet into a global cooperative organization. Such an integration of the results of previous diversifications would enable the global entity to exploit the widest possible range of resources across the varied circumstances of the planet. This paper demonstrates that it's case for directionality meets the tests and criticisms that have proven fatal to previous claims for directionality in evolution. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Scale-up and process integration of sugar production by acidolysis of municipal solid waste/corn stover blends in ionic liquids

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

Li, Chenlin; Liang, Ling; Sun, Ning

The study presents the successful scale-up demonstration of the acid-assisted IL deconstruction on feedstock blends of municipal solid wastes and agricultural residues (corn stover) by 30-fold, relative to the bench scale (6L vs 0.2L), at 10% solid loading. By integrating IL pretreatment and acid hydrolysis with subsequent centrifugation and extraction, the sugar and lignin products can be further recovered efficiently. This scale-up development at Advanced Biofuels/Bioproducts Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) will leverage the opportunity and synergistic efforts towards developing a cost-effective IL based deconstruction technology by drastically eliminating enzyme, reducing water usage, and simplifying the downstream sugar/lignin recovery and ILmore » recycling. Results indicate that MSW blends are viable and valuable resource to consider when assessing biomass availability and affordability for lignocellulosic biorefineries. This scale-up evaluation demonstrates that the acid-assisted IL deconstruction technology can be effectively scaled up to larger operations and the current study established the baseline of scaling parameters for this process.« less

Scale-up and process integration of sugar production by acidolysis of municipal solid waste/corn stover blends in ionic liquids

DOE PAGES

Li, Chenlin; Liang, Ling; Sun, Ning; ...

2017-01-05

The study presents the successful scale-up demonstration of the acid-assisted IL deconstruction on feedstock blends of municipal solid wastes and agricultural residues (corn stover) by 30-fold, relative to the bench scale (6L vs 0.2L), at 10% solid loading. By integrating IL pretreatment and acid hydrolysis with subsequent centrifugation and extraction, the sugar and lignin products can be further recovered efficiently. This scale-up development at Advanced Biofuels/Bioproducts Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) will leverage the opportunity and synergistic efforts towards developing a cost-effective IL based deconstruction technology by drastically eliminating enzyme, reducing water usage, and simplifying the downstream sugar/lignin recovery and ILmore » recycling. Results indicate that MSW blends are viable and valuable resource to consider when assessing biomass availability and affordability for lignocellulosic biorefineries. This scale-up evaluation demonstrates that the acid-assisted IL deconstruction technology can be effectively scaled up to larger operations and the current study established the baseline of scaling parameters for this process.« less

The Emergence of Dominant Design(s) in Large Scale Cyber-Infrastructure Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diamanti, Eirini Ilana

2012-01-01

Cyber-infrastructure systems are integrated large-scale IT systems designed with the goal of transforming scientific practice by enabling multi-disciplinary, cross-institutional collaboration. Their large scale and socio-technical complexity make design decisions for their underlying architecture practically irreversible. Drawing on three…

CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF COASTAL HABITAT ALTERATIONS ON FISHERY RESOURCES: TOWARD PREDICTION AT REGIONAL SCALES

EPA Science Inventory

The integrity of aquatic ecosystems and habitats at the land-sea interface is challeneged by several forces, ranging from plot scale destruction and disturbance, to watershed scale perturbations, to global changes in climate and human demographis. The scientific challenge is to ...

IMGMD: A platform for the integration and standardisation of In silico Microbial Genome-scale Metabolic Models.

PubMed

Ye, Chao; Xu, Nan; Dong, Chuan; Ye, Yuannong; Zou, Xuan; Chen, Xiulai; Guo, Fengbiao; Liu, Liming

2017-04-07

Genome-scale metabolic models (GSMMs) constitute a platform that combines genome sequences and detailed biochemical information to quantify microbial physiology at the system level. To improve the unity, integrity, correctness, and format of data in published GSMMs, a consensus IMGMD database was built in the LAMP (Linux + Apache + MySQL + PHP) system by integrating and standardizing 328 GSMMs constructed for 139 microorganisms. The IMGMD database can help microbial researchers download manually curated GSMMs, rapidly reconstruct standard GSMMs, design pathways, and identify metabolic targets for strategies on strain improvement. Moreover, the IMGMD database facilitates the integration of wet-lab and in silico data to gain an additional insight into microbial physiology. The IMGMD database is freely available, without any registration requirements, at http://imgmd.jiangnan.edu.cn/database.

Emerging concepts for management of river ecosystems and challenges to applied integration of physical and biological sciences in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Treesearch

Bruce E. Rieman; Jason B. Dunham; James L. Clayton

2006-01-01

Integration of biological and physical concepts is necessary to understand and conserve the ecological integrity of river systems. Past attempts at integration have often focused at relatively small scales and on mechanistic models that may not capture the complexity of natural systems leaving substantial uncertainty about ecological responses to management actions....

Relationship between the quality of children's handwriting and the Beery Buktenica developmental test of visuomotor integration after one year of writing tuition.

PubMed

Duiser, Ivonne H F; van der Kamp, John; Ledebt, Annick; Savelsbergh, Geert J P

2014-04-01

We examined whether the three subtests of the Beery Buktenica developmental test of visuomotor integration predicted quality of handwriting across and within groups of boys and girls classified as proficient, at risk or non-proficient writers according to the Concise Assessment Scale for Children's Handwriting. The Beery Buktenica developmental test of visuomotor integration and the Concise Assessment Scale for Children's Handwriting tests were administered to 240 grade 2 children. Proficient writers scored better on the visuomotor integration subtest than non-proficient writers, while proficient and at risk writers scored better than non-proficient writers on the motor coordination subtest. No differences were found on the visual perception subtest. Girls were more often classified as proficient writers than boys, and they scored better on the motor coordination subtest. Across groups, regression indicated that gender and both the visuomotor integration subtest and the motor coordination subtest were significant predictors for the quality of handwriting (i.e., accounted for 17% of the variance). After one year of writing tuition, the visuomotor integration subtest (and to a lesser extent the motor coordination subtest) but not the visual perception subtest significant relates to quality of children's handwriting as measured with the Concise Assessment Scale for Children's Handwriting. However, the relatively little variance explained also points to other abilities and/or task constraints that underlie quality of handwriting. © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Integrating national community-based health worker programmes into health systems: a systematic review identifying lessons learned from low-and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Zulu, Joseph Mumba; Kinsman, John; Michelo, Charles; Hurtig, Anna-Karin

2014-09-22

Despite the development of national community-based health worker (CBHW) programmes in several low- and middle-income countries, their integration into health systems has not been optimal. Studies have been conducted to investigate the factors influencing the integration processes, but systematic reviews to provide a more comprehensive understanding are lacking. We conducted a systematic review of published research to understand factors that may influence the integration of national CBHW programmes into health systems in low- and middle-income countries. To be included in the study, CBHW programmes should have been developed by the government and have standardised training, supervision and incentive structures. A conceptual framework on the integration of health innovations into health systems guided the review. We identified 3410 records, of which 36 were finally selected, and on which an analysis was conducted concerning the themes and pathways associated with different factors that may influence the integration process. Four programmes from Brazil, Ethiopia, India and Pakistan met the inclusion criteria. Different aspects of each of these programmes were integrated in different ways into their respective health systems. Factors that facilitated the integration process included the magnitude of countries' human resources for health problems and the associated discourses about how to address these problems; the perceived relative advantage of national CBHWs with regard to delivering health services over training and retaining highly skilled health workers; and the participation of some politicians and community members in programme processes, with the result that they viewed the programmes as legitimate, credible and relevant. Finally, integration of programmes within the existing health systems enhanced programme compatibility with the health systems' governance, financing and training functions. Factors that inhibited the integration process included a rapid scale-up process; resistance from other health workers; discrimination of CBHWs based on social, gender and economic status; ineffective incentive structures; inadequate infrastructure and supplies; and hierarchical and parallel communication structures. CBHW programmes should design their scale-up strategy differently based on current contextual factors. Further, adoption of a stepwise approach to the scale-up and integration process may positively shape the integration process of CBHW programmes into health systems.

Learning about Spatial and Temporal Scale: Current Research, Psychological Processes, and Classroom Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheek, Kim A.; LaDue, Nicole D.; Shipley, Thomas F.

2017-01-01

Geoscientists analyze and integrate spatial and temporal information at a range of scales to understand Earth processes. Despite this, the concept of scale is ill defined and taught unevenly across the K-16 continuum. This literature review focuses on two meanings of scale: one as the magnitude of the extent of a dimension and the other as a…

Characteristics of Third-Grade Learning Disabled Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cullen, Joy L.; And Others

1981-01-01

The Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, the Wide Range Achievement Test, and the Student's Perception of Ability Scale were administreed to 70 learning disabled and 73 normally achieving third-grade children who had been stratified on full scale Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) IQ scores. (Author)

The Reliability and Validity of a Scale to Measure Teachers' Attitudes toward Integration in an Australian Context.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Clare; Pratt, Chris

1988-01-01

The study evaluated the psychometric properties of reliability and construct validity of the Attitude Toward Mainstreaming Scale (ATMS) in an Australian context. It was concluded that the scale is both reliable and factorially valid in an Australian context. (Author/DB)

Strengthening Integrated Learning: Towards a New Era for Pluriliteracies and Intercultural Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coyle, Do

2015-01-01

The expansion of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) on a global scale has brought to the fore challenges of how alternative, more holistic approaches to learning might transform classrooms into language-rich transcultural environments. Integrated approaches can offer learners opportunities to engage in meaning-making and language…

Dan Says - Continuum Magazine | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Dan Says Leading Energy Systems Integration A headshot of a man in a suit, smiling. Photo by Dennis U.S. dedicated to solving the complex problems associated with energy systems integration (ESI) on a national scale. Our 185,000-square-foot Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) is designed to provide a

Bringing Abstract Academic Integrity and Ethical Concepts into Real-Life Situations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwong, Theresa; Wong, Eva; Yue, Kevin

2017-01-01

This paper reports the learning analytics on the initial stages of a large-scale, government-funded project which inducts university students in Hong Kong into consideration of academic integrity and ethics through mobile Augmented Reality (AR) learning trails--Trails of Integrity and Ethics (TIEs)--accessed on smart devices. The trails immerse…

Preliminary Validation of the Work-Family Integration-Blurring Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desrochers, Stephan; Hilton, Jeanne M.; Larwood, Laurie

2005-01-01

Several studies of telecommuting and working at home have alluded to the blurring line between work and family that can result from such highly integrated work-family arrangements. However, little is known about working parents' perceptions of the integration and blurring of their work and family roles. In this study, the authors created and…

Microfabrication techniques for integrated sensors and microsystems.

PubMed

Wise, K D; Najafi, K

1991-11-29

Integrated sensors and actuators are rapidly evolving to provide an important link between very large scale integrated circuits and nonelectronic monitoring and control applications ranging from biomedicine to automated manufacturing. As they continue to expand, entire microsystems merging electrical, mechanical, thermal, optical, magnetic, and perhaps chemical components should be possible on a common substrate.

An IRT Analysis of Preservice Teacher Self-Efficacy in Technology Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browne, Jeremy

2011-01-01

The need for rigorously developed measures of preservice teacher traits regarding technology integration training has been acknowledged (Kay 2006), but such instruments are still extremely rare. The Technology Integration Confidence Scale (TICS) represents one such measure, but past analyses of its functioning have been limited by sample size and…

The Examination of the Social Integration Perceptions of Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özgan, Habib

2018-01-01

This study was aimed to determine the social integration perceptions of undergraduate students and to examine them in terms of certain variables. It was a descriptive study with survey methodology. The data were obtained using the "Social Integration Scale." The study group consisted of 545 undergraduate students during the fall semester…

In-situ device integration of large-area patterned organic nanowire arrays for high-performance optical sensors

PubMed Central

Wu, Yiming; Zhang, Xiujuan; Pan, Huanhuan; Deng, Wei; Zhang, Xiaohong; Zhang, Xiwei; Jie, Jiansheng

2013-01-01

Single-crystalline organic nanowires (NWs) are important building blocks for future low-cost and efficient nano-optoelectronic devices due to their extraordinary properties. However, it remains a critical challenge to achieve large-scale organic NW array assembly and device integration. Herein, we demonstrate a feasible one-step method for large-area patterned growth of cross-aligned single-crystalline organic NW arrays and their in-situ device integration for optical image sensors. The integrated image sensor circuitry contained a 10 × 10 pixel array in an area of 1.3 × 1.3 mm2, showing high spatial resolution, excellent stability and reproducibility. More importantly, 100% of the pixels successfully operated at a high response speed and relatively small pixel-to-pixel variation. The high yield and high spatial resolution of the operational pixels, along with the high integration level of the device, clearly demonstrate the great potential of the one-step organic NW array growth and device construction approach for large-scale optoelectronic device integration. PMID:24287887

Chip-integrated optical power limiter based on an all-passive micro-ring resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Siqi; Dong, Jianji; Zheng, Aoling; Zhang, Xinliang

2014-10-01

Recent progress in silicon nanophotonics has dramatically advanced the possible realization of large-scale on-chip optical interconnects integration. Adopting photons as information carriers can break the performance bottleneck of electronic integrated circuit such as serious thermal losses and poor process rates. However, in integrated photonics circuits, few reported work can impose an upper limit of optical power therefore prevent the optical device from harm caused by high power. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate a feasible integrated scheme based on a single all-passive micro-ring resonator to realize the optical power limitation which has a similar function of current limiting circuit in electronics. Besides, we analyze the performance of optical power limiter at various signal bit rates. The results show that the proposed device can limit the signal power effectively at a bit rate up to 20 Gbit/s without deteriorating the signal. Meanwhile, this ultra-compact silicon device can be completely compatible with the electronic technology (typically complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology), which may pave the way of very large scale integrated photonic circuits for all-optical information processors and artificial intelligence systems.

Application of the BEf-scaling approach to electron impact excitation of diople-allowed electronic states in molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunger, M. J.; Thorn, P. A.; Campbell, L.; Kato, H.; Kawahara, H.; Hoshino, M.; Tanaka, H.; Kim, Y.-K.

2008-05-01

We consider the efficacy of the BEf-scaling approach, in calculating reliable integral cross sections for electron impact excitation of dipole-allowed electronic states in molecules. We will demonstrate, using specific examples in H2, CO and H2O, that this relatively simple procedure can generate quite accurate integral cross sections which compare well with available experimental data. Finally, we will briefly consider the ramifications of this to atmospheric and other types of modelling studies.

CCSI and the role of advanced computing in accelerating the commercial deployment of carbon capture systems

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

Miller, David; Agarwal, Deborah A.; Sun, Xin

2011-09-01

The Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative is developing state-of-the-art computational modeling and simulation tools to accelerate the commercialization of carbon capture technology. The CCSI Toolset consists of an integrated multi-scale modeling and simulation framework, which includes extensive use of reduced order models (ROMs) and a comprehensive uncertainty quantification (UQ) methodology. This paper focuses on the interrelation among high performance computing, detailed device simulations, ROMs for scale-bridging, UQ and the integration framework.

CCSI and the role of advanced computing in accelerating the commercial deployment of carbon capture systems

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

Miller, D.; Agarwal, D.; Sun, X.

2011-01-01

The Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative is developing state-of-the-art computational modeling and simulation tools to accelerate the commercialization of carbon capture technology. The CCSI Toolset consists of an integrated multi-scale modeling and simulation framework, which includes extensive use of reduced order models (ROMs) and a comprehensive uncertainty quantification (UQ) methodology. This paper focuses on the interrelation among high performance computing, detailed device simulations, ROMs for scale-bridging, UQ and the integration framework.

Flexible, High-Speed CdSe Nanocrystal Integrated Circuits.

PubMed

Stinner, F Scott; Lai, Yuming; Straus, Daniel B; Diroll, Benjamin T; Kim, David K; Murray, Christopher B; Kagan, Cherie R

2015-10-14

We report large-area, flexible, high-speed analog and digital colloidal CdSe nanocrystal integrated circuits operating at low voltages. Using photolithography and a newly developed process to fabricate vertical interconnect access holes, we scale down device dimensions, reducing parasitic capacitances and increasing the frequency of circuit operation, and scale up device fabrication over 4 in. flexible substrates. We demonstrate amplifiers with ∼7 kHz bandwidth, ring oscillators with <10 μs stage delays, and NAND and NOR logic gates.

Cubic scaling algorithms for RPA correlation using interpolative separable density fitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Jianfeng; Thicke, Kyle

2017-12-01

We present a new cubic scaling algorithm for the calculation of the RPA correlation energy. Our scheme splits up the dependence between the occupied and virtual orbitals in χ0 by use of Cauchy's integral formula. This introduces an additional integral to be carried out, for which we provide a geometrically convergent quadrature rule. Our scheme also uses the newly developed Interpolative Separable Density Fitting algorithm to further reduce the computational cost in a way analogous to that of the Resolution of Identity method.

Canonical-ensemble extended Lagrangian Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics for the linear scaling density functional theory.

PubMed

Hirakawa, Teruo; Suzuki, Teppei; Bowler, David R; Miyazaki, Tsuyoshi

2017-10-11

We discuss the development and implementation of a constant temperature (NVT) molecular dynamics scheme that combines the Nosé-Hoover chain thermostat with the extended Lagrangian Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) scheme, using a linear scaling density functional theory (DFT) approach. An integration scheme for this canonical-ensemble extended Lagrangian BOMD is developed and discussed in the context of the Liouville operator formulation. Linear scaling DFT canonical-ensemble extended Lagrangian BOMD simulations are tested on bulk silicon and silicon carbide systems to evaluate our integration scheme. The results show that the conserved quantity remains stable with no systematic drift even in the presence of the thermostat.

On-chip detection of non-classical light by scalable integration of single-photon detectors

PubMed Central

Najafi, Faraz; Mower, Jacob; Harris, Nicholas C.; Bellei, Francesco; Dane, Andrew; Lee, Catherine; Hu, Xiaolong; Kharel, Prashanta; Marsili, Francesco; Assefa, Solomon; Berggren, Karl K.; Englund, Dirk

2015-01-01

Photonic-integrated circuits have emerged as a scalable platform for complex quantum systems. A central goal is to integrate single-photon detectors to reduce optical losses, latency and wiring complexity associated with off-chip detectors. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are particularly attractive because of high detection efficiency, sub-50-ps jitter and nanosecond-scale reset time. However, while single detectors have been incorporated into individual waveguides, the system detection efficiency of multiple SNSPDs in one photonic circuit—required for scalable quantum photonic circuits—has been limited to <0.2%. Here we introduce a micrometer-scale flip-chip process that enables scalable integration of SNSPDs on a range of photonic circuits. Ten low-jitter detectors are integrated on one circuit with 100% device yield. With an average system detection efficiency beyond 10%, and estimated on-chip detection efficiency of 14–52% for four detectors operated simultaneously, we demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge, the first on-chip photon correlation measurements of non-classical light. PMID:25575346

Integrating mental health into chronic care in South Africa: the development of a district mental healthcare plan

PubMed Central

Petersen, Inge; Fairall, Lara; Bhana, Arvin; Kathree, Tasneem; Selohilwe, One; Brooke-Sumner, Carrie; Faris, Gill; Breuer, Erica; Sibanyoni, Nomvula; Lund, Crick; Patel, Vikram

2016-01-01

Background In South Africa, the escalating prevalence of chronic illness and its high comorbidity with mental disorders bring to the fore the need for integrating mental health into chronic care at district level. Aims To develop a district mental healthcare plan (MHCP) in South Africa that integrates mental healthcare for depression, alcohol use disorders and schizophrenia into chronic care. Method Mixed methods using a situation analysis, qualitative key informant interviews, theory of change workshops and piloting of the plan in one health facility informed the development of the MHCP. Results Collaborative care packages for the three conditions were developed to enable integration at the organisational, facility and community levels, supported by a human resource mix and implementation tools. Potential barriers to the feasibility of implementation at scale were identified. Conclusions The plan leverages resources and systems availed by the emerging chronic care service delivery platform for the integration of mental health. This strengthens the potential for future scale up. PMID:26447176

Ecological Consequences of Clonal Integration in Plants

PubMed Central

Liu, Fenghong; Liu, Jian; Dong, Ming

2016-01-01

Clonal plants are widespread throughout the plant kingdom and dominate in diverse habitats. Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of environment is pervasive at multiple scales, even at scales relevant to individual plants. Clonal integration refers to resource translocation and information communication among the ramets of clonal plants. Due to clonal integration, clonal plant species possess a series of peculiar attributes: plasticity in response to local and non-local conditions, labor division with organ specialization for acquiring locally abundant resources, foraging behavior by selective placement of ramets in resource-rich microhabitats, and avoidance of intraclonal competition. Clonal integration has very profound ecological consequences for clonal plants. It allows them to efficiently cope with environmental heterogeneity, by alleviating local resource shortages, buffering environmental stresses and disturbances, influencing competitive ability, increasing invasiveness, and altering species composition and invasibility at the community level. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of research on the ecological consequences of plant clonal integration based on a large body of literature. We also attempt to propose perspectives for future research. PMID:27446093

Integrated urban water cycle management: the UrbanCycle model.

PubMed

Hardy, M J; Kuczera, G; Coombes, P J

2005-01-01

Integrated urban water cycle management presents a new framework in which solutions to the provision of urban water services can be sought. It enables new and innovative solutions currently constrained by the existing urban water paradigm to be implemented. This paper introduces the UrbanCycle model. The model is being developed in response to the growing and changing needs of the water management sector and in light of the need for tools to evaluate integrated watercycle management approaches. The key concepts underpinning the UrbanCycle model are the adoption of continuous simulation, hierarchical network modelling, and the careful management of computational complexity. The paper reports on the integration of modelling capabilities across the allotment, and subdivision scales, enabling the interactions between these scales to be explored. A case study illustrates the impacts of various mitigation measures possible under an integrated water management framework. The temporal distribution of runoff into ephemeral streams from a residential allotment in Western Sydney is evaluated and linked to the geomorphic and ecological regimes in receiving waters.

Toward a first-principles integrated simulation of tokamak edge plasmas

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

Chang, C S; Klasky, Scott A; Cummings, Julian

2008-01-01

Performance of the ITER is anticipated to be highly sensitive to the edge plasma condition. The edge pedestal in ITER needs to be predicted from an integrated simulation of the necessary firstprinciples, multi-scale physics codes. The mission of the SciDAC Fusion Simulation Project (FSP) Prototype Center for Plasma Edge Simulation (CPES) is to deliver such a code integration framework by (1) building new kinetic codes XGC0 and XGC1, which can simulate the edge pedestal buildup; (2) using and improving the existing MHD codes ELITE, M3D-OMP, M3D-MPP and NIMROD, for study of large-scale edge instabilities called Edge Localized Modes (ELMs); andmore » (3) integrating the codes into a framework using cutting-edge computer science technology. Collaborative effort among physics, computer science, and applied mathematics within CPES has created the first working version of the End-to-end Framework for Fusion Integrated Simulation (EFFIS), which can be used to study the pedestal-ELM cycles.« less

Double Resonances and Spectral Scaling in the Weak Turbulence Theory of Rotating and Stratified Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rubinstein, Robert

1999-01-01

In rotating turbulence, stably stratified turbulence, and in rotating stratified turbulence, heuristic arguments concerning the turbulent time scale suggest that the inertial range energy spectrum scales as k(exp -2). From the viewpoint of weak turbulence theory, there are three possibilities which might invalidate these arguments: four-wave interactions could dominate three-wave interactions leading to a modified inertial range energy balance, double resonances could alter the time scale, and the energy flux integral might not converge. It is shown that although double resonances exist in all of these problems, they do not influence overall energy transfer. However, the resonance conditions cause the flux integral for rotating turbulence to diverge logarithmically when evaluated for a k(exp -2) energy spectrum; therefore, this spectrum requires logarithmic corrections. Finally, the role of four-wave interactions is briefly discussed.

A Large-Scale Design Integration Approach Developed in Conjunction with the Ares Launch Vehicle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redmon, John W.; Shirley, Michael C.; Kinard, Paul S.

2012-01-01

This paper presents a method for performing large-scale design integration, taking a classical 2D drawing envelope and interface approach and applying it to modern three dimensional computer aided design (3D CAD) systems. Today, the paradigm often used when performing design integration with 3D models involves a digital mockup of an overall vehicle, in the form of a massive, fully detailed, CAD assembly; therefore, adding unnecessary burden and overhead to design and product data management processes. While fully detailed data may yield a broad depth of design detail, pertinent integration features are often obscured under the excessive amounts of information, making them difficult to discern. In contrast, the envelope and interface method results in a reduction in both the amount and complexity of information necessary for design integration while yielding significant savings in time and effort when applied to today's complex design integration projects. This approach, combining classical and modern methods, proved advantageous during the complex design integration activities of the Ares I vehicle. Downstream processes, benefiting from this approach by reducing development and design cycle time, include: Creation of analysis models for the Aerodynamic discipline; Vehicle to ground interface development; Documentation development for the vehicle assembly.

Oak Ridge Bio-surveillance Toolkit (ORBiT): Integrating Big-Data Analytics with Visual Analysis for Public Health Dynamics

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

Ramanathan, Arvind; Pullum, Laura L; Steed, Chad A

In this position paper, we describe the design and implementation of the Oak Ridge Bio-surveillance Toolkit (ORBiT): a collection of novel statistical and machine learning tools implemented for (1) integrating heterogeneous traditional (e.g. emergency room visits, prescription sales data, etc.) and non-traditional (social media such as Twitter and Instagram) data sources, (2) analyzing large-scale datasets and (3) presenting the results from the analytics as a visual interface for the end-user to interact and provide feedback. We present examples of how ORBiT can be used to summarize ex- tremely large-scale datasets effectively and how user interactions can translate into the datamore » analytics process for bio-surveillance. We also present a strategy to estimate parameters relevant to dis- ease spread models from near real time data feeds and show how these estimates can be integrated with disease spread models for large-scale populations. We conclude with a perspective on how integrating data and visual analytics could lead to better forecasting and prediction of disease spread as well as improved awareness of disease susceptible regions.« less

Thermalization and light cones in a model with weak integrability breaking

DOE PAGES

Bertini, Bruno; Essler, Fabian H. L.; Groha, Stefan; ...

2016-12-09

Here, we employ equation-of-motion techniques to study the nonequilibrium dynamics in a lattice model of weakly interacting spinless fermions. Our model provides a simple setting for analyzing the effects of weak integrability-breaking perturbations on the time evolution after a quantum quench. We establish the accuracy of the method by comparing results at short and intermediate times to time-dependent density matrix renormalization group computations. For sufficiently weak integrability-breaking interactions we always observe prethermalization plateaus, where local observables relax to nonthermal values at intermediate time scales. At later times a crossover towards thermal behavior sets in. We determine the associated time scale,more » which depends on the initial state, the band structure of the noninteracting theory, and the strength of the integrability-breaking perturbation. Our method allows us to analyze in some detail the spreading of correlations and in particular the structure of the associated light cones in our model. We find that the interior and exterior of the light cone are separated by an intermediate region, the temporal width of which appears to scale with a universal power law t 1/3.« less

A Methodology for Integrated, Multiregional Life Cycle Assessment Scenarios under Large-Scale Technological Change.

PubMed

Gibon, Thomas; Wood, Richard; Arvesen, Anders; Bergesen, Joseph D; Suh, Sangwon; Hertwich, Edgar G

2015-09-15

Climate change mitigation demands large-scale technological change on a global level and, if successfully implemented, will significantly affect how products and services are produced and consumed. In order to anticipate the life cycle environmental impacts of products under climate mitigation scenarios, we present the modeling framework of an integrated hybrid life cycle assessment model covering nine world regions. Life cycle assessment databases and multiregional input-output tables are adapted using forecasted changes in technology and resources up to 2050 under a 2 °C scenario. We call the result of this modeling "technology hybridized environmental-economic model with integrated scenarios" (THEMIS). As a case study, we apply THEMIS in an integrated environmental assessment of concentrating solar power. Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions for this plant range from 33 to 95 g CO2 eq./kWh across different world regions in 2010, falling to 30-87 g CO2 eq./kWh in 2050. Using regional life cycle data yields insightful results. More generally, these results also highlight the need for systematic life cycle frameworks that capture the actual consequences and feedback effects of large-scale policies in the long term.

Renewable Fuels-to-Grid Integration | Energy Systems Integration Facility |

Science.gov Websites

hydrogen, other than electrolysis. Read more about this research. Partnerships Photo of a polymer electrolyte membrane stack in a laboratory Giner NREL helped evaluate a large-scale polymer electrolyte

Towards a macrosystems approach for successful coastal management

EPA Science Inventory

Managing coastal resources for resiliency and sustainability often requires integrative, multi-disciplinary approaches across varying spatial and temporal scales to engage stakeholders and inform decision-makers. We discuss case studies integrating wetland ecology, economics, soc...

Addressing challenges in scaling up TB and HIV treatment integration in rural primary healthcare clinics in South Africa (SUTHI): a cluster randomized controlled trial protocol.

PubMed

Naidoo, Kogieleum; Gengiah, Santhanalakshmi; Yende-Zuma, Nonhlanhla; Padayatchi, Nesri; Barker, Pierre; Nunn, Andrew; Subrayen, Priashni; Abdool Karim, Salim S

2017-11-13

A large and compelling clinical evidence base has shown that integrated TB and HIV services leads to reduction in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- and tuberculosis (TB)-associated mortality and morbidity. Despite official policies and guidelines recommending TB and HIV care integration, its poor implementation has resulted in TB and HIV remaining the commonest causes of death in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa. This study aims to reduce mortality due to TB-HIV co-infection through a quality improvement strategy for scaling up of TB and HIV treatment integration in rural primary healthcare clinics in South Africa. The study is designed as an open-label cluster randomized controlled trial. Sixteen clinic supervisors who oversee 40 primary health care (PHC) clinics in two rural districts of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa will be randomized to either the control group (provision of standard government guidance for TB-HIV integration) or the intervention group (provision of standard government guidance with active enhancement of TB-HIV care integration through a quality improvement approach). The primary outcome is all-cause mortality among TB-HIV patients. Secondary outcomes include time to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation among TB-HIV co-infected patients, as well as TB and HIV treatment outcomes at 12 months. In addition, factors that may affect the intervention, such as conditions in the clinic and staff availability, will be closely monitored and documented. This study has the potential to address the gap between the establishment of TB-HIV care integration policies and guidelines and their implementation in the provision of integrated care in PHC clinics. If successful, an evidence-based intervention comprising change ideas, tools, and approaches for quality improvement could inform the future rapid scale up, implementation, and sustainability of improved TB-HIV integration across sub-Sahara Africa and other resource-constrained settings. Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02654613 . Registered 01 June 2015.

Modeling erosion and sedimentation coupled with hydrological and overland flow processes at the watershed scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jongho; Ivanov, Valeriy Y.; Katopodes, Nikolaos D.

2013-09-01

A novel two-dimensional, physically based model of soil erosion and sediment transport coupled to models of hydrological and overland flow processes has been developed. The Hairsine-Rose formulation of erosion and deposition processes is used to account for size-selective sediment transport and differentiate bed material into original and deposited soil layers. The formulation is integrated within the framework of the hydrologic and hydrodynamic model tRIBS-OFM, Triangulated irregular network-based, Real-time Integrated Basin Simulator-Overland Flow Model. The integrated model explicitly couples the hydrodynamic formulation with the advection-dominated transport equations for sediment of multiple particle sizes. To solve the system of equations including both the Saint-Venant and the Hairsine-Rose equations, the finite volume method is employed based on Roe's approximate Riemann solver on an unstructured grid. The formulation yields space-time dynamics of flow, erosion, and sediment transport at fine scale. The integrated model has been successfully verified with analytical solutions and empirical data for two benchmark cases. Sensitivity tests to grid resolution and the number of used particle sizes have been carried out. The model has been validated at the catchment scale for the Lucky Hills watershed located in southeastern Arizona, USA, using 10 events for which catchment-scale streamflow and sediment yield data were available. Since the model is based on physical laws and explicitly uses multiple types of watershed information, satisfactory results were obtained. The spatial output has been analyzed and the driving role of topography in erosion processes has been discussed. It is expected that the integrated formulation of the model has the promise to reduce uncertainties associated with typical parameterizations of flow and erosion processes. A potential for more credible modeling of earth-surface processes is thus anticipated.